Friday 12th July 2019.
It’s my birthday. Don’t feel any different. Greg makes me breakfast, gives me a card and a huge bunch of flowers. Blues and cream. It is lovely that he always picks the colours. There are roses, daisys and stock, plus others I don’t know the names of. Not the most practical thing to have in a van and I have to cut the stems down lots to fit them into a cup. Will see how long I can make them last.
We cycle into Cambridge centre, leave Greg’s bike at a repair place ( not quite the bargain it seemed when we bought it) and explore all around. It is a lovely place and must be an amazing place to study. We buy some food at the market and eat on the banks of the river under the willow trees looking across at Trinity College. After we finish eating we go for a punt. Opting for a chauffeured one with information given, rather than attempting to pole ourselves around in circles as some groups seem to be doing. It’s very relaxing, the suns warm, the waters lapping on the bow and someone else is doing all the work. We then find a local for a late afternoon drink. I chose a Pimm’s, very English. 
Much easier cycle back for Greg with a brand new back wheel, tube and chain.
For dinner we walk to a pub just across the river. It’s called The Green Dragon and a sign over the huge fireplace declares that Tolkin visited for inspiration while writing Lord of the Rings. I queried the authenticity of the statement and was informed the sign wouldn’t be permitted if it wasn’t likely to be true. The pub is the 3rd oldest in Cambridge having been granted a licence in 1630. We eat outside on the lawn by the river watching the rowing eights and fours training. The is an elderly gentleman at the next table wearing a crumpled linen suit with bright orange socks, a book in one hand and a beer in the other. Glasses low on his nose. He looks so right for the place.
Afterwards we walk up river a bit past a natural area encouraging native and endangered species. Planning a early night as tomorrow will be a big day/evening with Ethan & Emily’s wedding.
Today was a very chilled, relaxed day.
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Saturday 13th July 2019.
A very special day for Ethan and Emily. We feel very lucky to have been able to share it with them. For us the day started with Coffee at Costa and walking to David, Audrey and Connor’s b&b with our wedding gear, lunch and a bottle of wine. We drank, ate and got all dolled up. Then caught a taxi to the Service
The venue was the beautiful Gonville & Camus College Chapel. It’s an intimate church with the high vaulted ceilings and was built in 1393. Three tier pews facing inwards down each side with lit candles on each corner. A massive organ above the entrance and gold mosaics behind the alter. The choir sang the bride in on the arm of her father and sang several times throughout. When they left the chapel, it was to a flutist. Sounded amazing. It was a traditional Anglican ceremony emphasising the seriousness of marriage vows and the emotion was clear in their voices.
We were all given bubble wands as we left the chapel and instead of confetti they came outside into a sea of tiny bubbles. After photos were taken in the court of the college we all made our way to,the reception venue, a nice 20 minute walk through parkland. We arrived just as the bride and groom did in a Bentley convertible.
The reception was a causal affair with everyone mingling around and dinner in a buffet style. All vegan food and very, very tasty. Speeches and toasts had us all laughing one minute, crying the next. The cake was cut and the first dance was danced or should I say performed. Somehow, in between all the wedding prep, they managed to learn and perfect a DWTS number with lifts and swoops. Amazing, Greg was just relieved he didn’t have to remember how to waltz. The music after that was a good mix of oldies and modern, Kiwi and English and we all worked off the food partying away. All too soon it was the witching hour and we retraced our steps back to the van.
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Sunday 14th July
Moving on today, the tanks are all needing attention and I’ve found a site heading towards the coast with all services and wifi so we can process the photos and these words.
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Most of our holiday has been an easy drift along sort of thing but then we were sucked into a tube, fast flowing, things happening all over the place. Now we’ve been spat out the other end, back into the slow moving flow but there’s still a bit of churn. We’re in Europe for 9 months, 275 days and the 3 lots of people from home we met up with all happened in 8 days. The same 8 days as the most challenging border change, changing driving sides. All three events, the P2P, the wedding and Tim & Dow were totally, totally wonderful. I just wish they’d been a bit more spaced out. It all seemed to be over so fast.
BAGGAB 