Rob and Maree's wedding

On 8 June 2012, Rob and Maree were married on a surprisingly warm and dry day in Aberdeen, with a reception at the Pitodrie House Hotel.

The ceremony and reception were both great fun, reflecting the families and their Scottish and Australian backgrounds (complete with Aunty Leslie's "medley of Scottish and Australian tunes" as the bride and groom left the church).  The hotel and grounds were beautiful (as was the bride, obviously), and I have to give special mention to the haggis canapes. Divine!

It was a shame that Jo and Euan couldn't come along, but it turned out to be a real blessing, as my Thursday night flight was diverted to Glasgow due to thick fog, resulting in a 3 hour wait in the airport and a 3 hour coach journey across Scotland, arriving at the hotel at 3.15 am (to be woken by the next-door school at 8am!).  I didn't really get a chance to enjoy the hotel's facilities (i.e. bar, whisky room, etc.), although I did have a sneaky session in the gym in preparation for our holiday (undone, I suspect, by the aforementioned haggis canapes and a full Scottish breakfast on the Saturday morning).  

Congratulations to Rob and Maree, and best wishes for married life.



Photos here

Snow days and sunny days - January 2012

Trying to wrap up all our January pictures in one album, you'll find amongst these photos some unseasonably sunny weather, Euan's first proper haggis supper, and the first of 2012's snow (and our first trip to Kinsbourne Green common in the snow).

New Year Get-Together (Millard clan)

Here are just a few photos from the get-together we had in January at The Cross-in-Hand in Heathfield (Russell's pub) together with everyone (and that's a lot of people) from the Millard side of the family.  There were a few left-over Christmas presents and all the children played together both indoors and outdoors.  As usual, Tim over-ate at the sumptious buffet!

Late May Sunshine With Granny and Grandpa

 You'll have realised before now that we find it difficult for some reason to upload our photos within 5 months of taking them!  In an effort to rectify, or at least improve on that, we've decided to intersperse the oldest uploads with the most recent.  With any luck, we'll meet in the middle, sometime round April.

With that in mind, here are the photos from our great weekend in the glorious Cotswold sunshine with Granny and Grandpa (and a host of visiting morris dancers).  Combine the sunshine and nice food with a trip on a train, and you won't see a broader smile on Euan's face!

Jubilee Weekend

Three quarters of the way through the Jubilee Weekend, we're pausing for breath and - at 8.30pm - the sun is in the sky!  

We started the weekend at the Herts County Show with George, Harriet and Beatrix, Arada, Matt and Benji.  The children were captivated by the 'Devil's Horsemen' stunt riders and the tractor display in equal measure.  We saw prize chickens, sheep, goats, alpacas, horses and (huge) heffers; enjoyed pies, donuts, a picnic, black pudding sausage and veggie tagine; and were entertained by Suffolk Punch horses, alpacas, dancing sheep, mounted games and a pack of beagles.  We finished the day in the glorious sunshine.

As the rain really set in on Sunday, we all found shelter in town for a lovely Bank Holiday lunch, heading home afterwards to watch the river pageant unfold from the comfort of the sofa.  We watched the excellent Super 8, which I'd recommend to anyone who wishes they still made films like E.T.

Today, Toby, Rachel, Archie and baby Harry came to visit.  We ducked the rain showers and had a lovely day, managing to spend a little time in the garden and in the park (between yet more delicious meals).  Tomorrow, we're off to see Eug, Tim and Adella, who have sensibly decided to cancel the barbeque and book a table in a nearby pub!