A slight case of overblogging

Two weeks ago was Pete and Laura's wedding - in Corpus Christi Chapel. It was a lovely day, and we had a really great time celebrating with them and all their friends and family. The chapel itself is stunning - so light - and the rest of the college is beautiful too. We danced the night away, though not quite into the wee small hours. (Click through below for more pics on Facebook).

Then last weekend we decided that since the forecast was so lovely we might as well go and make the most of it - and booked ourselves a couple of nights in a B&B in Matlock Bath. Travelling up on Friday after work we arrived and simply went to bed. Saturday after an absolutely enormous full English breakfast we walked up the road to Matlock, and after much faff, found a bus to Bakewell, where we headed out along the Monsal Trail - which is one of the walks Julia Bradbury featured in her Railway Walks series.

The trail itself was really very busy indeed with other walkers and cyclists - including some old friends who I am embarrassed to admit it took me a minute to recognise out of context. It was a very pleasant walk though - unsurprisingly level and easy going. It was hot in the sun, but cool and shady in the tunnels, which were really rather fun. We struck off the trail at Litton Mills, and headed up over a couple of hills toward Taddington - for a quick drink in the Queens Arms and a bus back to Matlock.

The Monsal Trail

Having followed the road down one side of the river into Matlock we figured we'd follow the footpath along the other side of the river back to Matlock Bath - not quite realising that due to the shape of the valley this would mean a climb and then views from the top of the cliff! It was a great little walk anyway - and then we finished the evening with a potter through Matlock Bath (which was heaving with people who'd come to see the illuminations) and a very tasty Chinese for dinner.

On Sunday, after a rather more restrained breakfast, we headed straight up the hill to the Heights of Abraham - a small theme park of sorts with lovely gardens, a couple of show caverns which were once lead mines, and a cable car ride back down to the other side of the river. We arrived in time for the first tour round the smaller cavern lower down the hill - which mostly concentrated on the history of lead mining. It was particularly fun since there were just the two of us and our guide. The big cavern at the top of hill was much busier, being a bit later too, and we were in a party of more like 30 - but it was still fun. Definitely a great way to spend the morning - with fantastic views from the top of the hill and from the cable car ride. And then it was time for the train home again and an Indian takeaway for tea :) (Again click through below for more photos).

This weekend we're taking it much easier. We've both had fairly poorly tummies this week (mine started while we were away and returned again on Thursday evening after I'd been in Manchester for the day with UCU) - Mike's was bad enough to need a couple of days off mid-week. Hopefully we're on the mend now but it's definitely worn us out a bit! Enjoying the sunshine, playing some computer games, and maybe heading out to the cinema tomorrow afternoon will be the order of the weekend I think - and not much else!

Last weekend we went up to Harrogate for my cousin Alistair's wedding. They chose a lovely venue - Rudding Park Hotel - and we spoiled ourselves by staying the night before as well. We had a nice potter round Harrogate itself on Friday afternoon: a walk in the valley gardens and a visit to the pump room museum where we admired the old bikes amongst other things and tried the waters (which tasted like an over-salted egg mayonnaise sandwich!). We considered afternoon tea at Betty's but declined in favour of cocktails, before heading to the hotel. Our room turned out to have not only its own terrace but a sauna in the bathroom! We didn't try the sauna but did have a lovely bubble bath and coffee on the terrace in our dressing gowns, and a fantastic dinner in the hotel restaurant.

The next day was lovely: we had time for lunch with mum, dad, Steph, Dave, Oliver and Isobel (who slept throughout) before everyone else started to arrive. The wedding was short (civil ones always are) but sweet - I loved their vows and both Cath and Alistair looked very happy indeed. It was lovely to see all the girls from the hen night again two - three of them looking very swish as bridesmaids. And they couldn't have asked for nicer weather - the sun shone and no-one needed jackets despite it being mid-October. (I had a fantastic new dress too, which I found in Debenhams the week before - I rarely spend anywhere near that much on a frock but I knew it was worth it as soon as I tried it on!) There was the usual wedding breakfast and speeches and cake cutting and dancing - but there were also pirate hats and small children hiding behind curtains - a fab time was had by all.

I took Monday off work to catch up on housework and painting and to take my bike to the bike shop - I'd noticed a crack in the rim of the rear wheel earlier that week and had been riding it somewhat gingerly since then! They couldn't look at it right away but rang me back the next day to say if anything the front wheel was even worse, and I also needed a new set of cogs at the back and a new chain, plus a few odds and ends I was already expecting, and I'd be looking at at least £200-£230 to get it back on the road, if not more. So instead I decided it was time to invest in a new bike instead - the previous Ridgeback had done me a happy 5 years and over 8000 miles so I don't think it owed me much! (See when I bought it)

After picking it out and giving them time to set it up and move all my accessories over from the old bike I picked her up yesterday and rode her home after work. I'm going to have to take her out for a proper spin tomorrow but she's looking good, and I'm very happy so far. I even spent half an hour cleaning the shed out this morning in order to get the even old spare bike I've been riding this week tucked back away at the back and make some room for her.

Anyway, this wouldn't be a post of mine without some photos, so here's the wedding:

And here's the bikes:

In both cases click through for more.

• I have seen the parathyroid surgeon today and have surgery booked for September 3rd
• I'm going to go visit baby Oliver (and his mum and dad and grandad and granny) next weekend while Mike is away in Nottingham
• We are going on holiday: staying in Exeter for a week from the 16th. Conveniently letting me travel there directly from Rae's hen night in Cardiff, rather than coming home first.

It's all good. Apparently the urology appointment I have on 27th August will just be to discuss what to do about the kidney stone, rather than actually do it, but that's not the end of the world. And I have to visit the hospital for pre-assessment 2 days before the parathyroid surgery, but hopefully that'll just be a reasonably short appointment rather than taking a day off work. And I'll have over a week to recover before we're off to Bath for Rae and Adam's wedding.

In brief:

• Nice dinner w/ Mike on Friday night
• Long lie-in on Saturday morning
• Matthew and Sally's lovely wedding in Selwyn Chapel, and drinks following
• Meeting Mike for cocktails in the Maypole and pizza for dinner
• Wedding Ceilidh at the Guildhall, much dancing and spilled cider and playing tig with Benedict
• Long lie-in on Sunday, reading Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down
• A quick drink to celebrate Jan and Owen's birthdays at CB2, sad we couldn't stay longer
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes at the Astoria with Mike and Ernie
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes at the Astoria with Mike and Ernie (so good I had to list it twice)

I am shattered from too little sleep last night and ache from two much dancing on Saturday and jumping on Sunday. I feel *fabulous*.