ENGLAND AND IRELAND 2014

We started this trip attending a wedding and visiting family and friends in England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.   We flew out from Comox to Vancouver and then to London Gatwick.  We collected a car and our first night was in Ripley in Surrey which was convenient to Windsor where we were going the next day to be at Martin Berwick's wedding to Trudie.  The wedding was held a Oakley Court a very splendid hotel on the banks of the River Thames.  This was a good chance to catch up with the Berwick family who were present in force apart from Peter and Pik Yee who were unable to make it across the ocean from New York.

The wedding and reception went off very well and a good time was had by all. 

Making it legal

Megan, Dan, Osian and Thomas

Megan the flower girl

The next day we took off for Balsall Common where we spent part of the afternoon with Valerie, Ella and Toby before moving on to Stourport where we stayed one night at a local B and B and were able to spend time with Don and Jean. Next stop was a couple of nights with Anthony and Carol in Derby.  Making our way North we stopped in at Bradbourne where by chance Hilary Strudwick was spending a week with some of her family in a lovely cottage.  Continuing on we spent one night in Glossop near Manchester where we met up with Barbara and Derry Webb who were moving to that area from Abingdon. 

This move had been a long drawn out process that began before Christmas but for many and sundry reasons had all been held up and whereas we were going to stay in their new home all we managed to do was see it from the outside but at least we know where they will be in the future.  They moved in a few days after our visit.  

Derry and Barbara in Marple

 On to Manchester Airport and a flight to Belfast were we were met by Paddy and John Wallace who were our near neighbours in Dunmurry many years earlier.  They live in an older house in Randalstown with a really beautiful and large garden. We spent the night with them and the next day met up with John and Jane Logan who came in from Ballymena. We had lunch with them in Antrim before we caught the train to Belfast where we were spending one night. 

Robin, John Wallace, Jane Logan, Ruth and Paddy       John Logan took the photo

We had arranged to set up two meetings with old Belfast friends, the Halls and the Robinsons on the afternoon and the Duncans, the Blairs and Rosemary Simpson in the evening.  This turned out to be an efficient way to meet a number of folk without needing to travel around at all, a blessing because we are now on public transport only.  Next day took us to Dublin on the Enterprise and we stayed the one night with Bennie and Kay Neill, who we had first met in Dunmurry all those years ago.  Bennie retired relatively recently and had moved into a very pleasant house with attractive garden in Killiney close to Bono, Eddie Irvine and Enya!. 

The Enterprise to Dublin

That saw the end of friend and relative visiting and we were ready for our time in the West of Ireland.