At last - we got married!

On 3 September, 2007 Robin and I were married at Hove Town Hall, with brother Chris and his wife Angie as witnesses.

The ceremony took place in the small room which was better than being in a large room with loads of empty chairs. It was surprisingly well decorated and furnished with rather grand "thrones" and good Regency colours on the walls. The Registrar was a delightful woman, with just the right personal touch, and the form of the marriage ceremony was unexpectedly beautiful and moving.

After it was over we walked to The Grand for a jug of Pimms, generously provided by Chris, then wandered back to the flat to change back into jeans and T-shirts with a rush round to get ready for our trip to Suffolk. I drove A, and C went with Rob. We were blessed throughout out trip with good travel, super weather and the most heavenly house - Landmark Trust, Purton Green. 2 wheelbarrows are provided for your luggage as it is quarter of a mile off the track, with a nicely mown grass path alongside a field full of finds, eh, Chris? (He found a croatal bell, the sort found of horses' harness, which could be very old, from medieval to 19th century. It was full of clay, but once washed and cleaned still has its clapper and works beautifully)

Purton Green is the sort of place you don't want to leave, and we spent much of our time there, surrounded by trees, farmland, pheasants, partridges, some rabbits, birds galore and the occasional passing horse, quadbike or farm equipment - somewhat incongruous to see a vast combine in such simple surroundings.

We ate in the medieval hall by candlelight which sounds corny but certainly wasn't. A lot of good food and medieval revelry were enjoyed. Angey Forster came to see us, and was ecstatic when we told her our news - tears and screams in the middle of the grass path! It was wonderful to have her with us for a whole day and we spent it at the house, eating in the hall and sitting on the lawn under the walnut tree in green and white striped deckchairs.

We all felt privileged to be experiencing this special place and it was great for a soi-disant honeymoon. The housekeeper knew we were just married and left a pretty card full of gold heart shaped confetti which went everywhere, and is still appearing from strange places....

Lovely memories, and a special time for us.