My brother's Wedding Festival

So on the 3rd of September 2011 it was my brothers wedding... he was the last of us 3 to get married. And seeing as Boz and I had already had such AMAZING weddings (here and here), the competition was on! Although he had an advantage - they had a whole wedding FESTIVAL. And Nicola, the most amazing girl ever, and now my sister in law, had organised it all.
It started with the hen and stag do's, followed the next day by Edinburgh breakfast and castle and a haggis evening, then the actual wedding day. Which dawned fresh and overcast on all of us glampers.
It did rain quite a bit in the morning, and up until about 20 minutes to go, then it suddenly cleared up marvelously for the beach ceremony - what luck. So here is Nicola on her dad's arm, being piped onto the beach. She was very relaxed as you can see!



So then we all moved to the tepee for champagne and bitings for about an hour or so....during which we HAD A FLYOVER!!!! WOW!!! How amazing is that?! Mark organised it and was so chuffed it happened. Weather and schedules played along! The crew were even hanging out the side of the sea king. It was BRILLIANT.

So after that excitement we all went inside. The Teepee looked brilliant and the atmosphere was just electric. Mandy of all people was the MC for the evening and promptly got on the stage. Which is where she spent A LOT of the night. I can't remember the exact order of the speeches, but Nicola's dad gave an awesome funny and revealing speech about Nicola. He told us how she was such a perfect brownie and how she always liked to win! Daawie, Mark's best man, gave a very funny speech about Mark. He has just too many funny stories to tell of stuff that Mark has done or they've done to him over the years. Eg taping a tin of pilchards to the bottom of his bed in his room at res. He couldn't find it for months... especially cos they removed it when he cleaned his whole room out... and then put it back! Mark gave a great speech where he thanked everyone and told us even more about Nicola. Basically that she is so generous and has a heart of gold. And how scarily clever she is! He started off his speech saying that her mind goes 'tick tick tick tick tick tick tick' non stop, whereas Mark's goes 'tick .......................................tick .......................................tick'! Mark also spoke of the fairies in his life (me cos I ALWAYS organised everything!) and how my sister and I are his favourite people in the world. Although Nicola is now his wedded favourite ;).
In between all of the speeches Mandy was on stage thoroughly entertaining the crowd. She told everyone how her and I, on the other hand, had been expelled from brownies! And how Mark had been a springbok scout. ie. uber nerd. I was in a very cocky mood and would add in chirps from the table whenever Boz was speaking. I think we were very funny. Not sure what everyone else thought! Mandy also spoke about the 3 of us now being married well. Although I am married to a GERMAN. She spoke of Mum and Dad and how they shaped our lives. At one stage she just got up on stage and got everyone to clap for her with their arms up.... as if she was a pro high jumper or something!
So as the meal was being served I nipped off to go and put Nicolas to bed, and to chat to the babysitter who was a lovely old lady from nearby. Nico was a star and drank his whole bottle and went to sleep without any fuss. Another couple bought their baby into our tent to sleep for the night too... I was worried that when he woke up he'd wake up Nicolas, but Nicolas stayed sleeping until 7am the next morning. What a star! Especially with all of us 8 tipsy folk coming in at different intervals to go to bed and of course ALL the noise from the nearby wedding.
BUT, as I left to put him to bed, one of Nicola's surprises performed at the wedding. She'd organised for three opera singers to serenade everyone - and boy were they loud! I head them clearly from our tent and was very sorry to have missed the whole thing. But Benedikt videoed it all so I got to see it later.
When I got back to the reception I ate my divine meal - quinoa and yummy salad & veggies - and enjoyed great conversations with 2 of Nicola's bridesmaids who were next to us on the main table. Next was the seriously good piper who played some fantastic popular scottish tunes, which got everyone going, as if the crowd wasnt already in the mood!
Soon after that the dancing began - and it didn't stop. The band led everyone through a lot of those fun fun fun organised dances. My favourite (probably because it was also the simplest) was the one where everyone stands in 2 long lines. And a couple moves down the linking arms and spinning around with each person then linking arms with their partner and spinning around. Its a lot of spinning and jumping around. All the dances were actually - I LOVE Scottish dancing!
Later on in the evening we were all given sparklers to wave and chinese lanterns to let loose into the chilly night sky... as ever they were a bit tricky but a lot were successful and they looked really pretty floating off together.
At one stage in the evening, Adam, who I mentioned in one of my previous posts balanced first a wheelbarrow on his chin. THEN A KAYAK. I kid you not. Photographic proof coming soon, so come back.
Then there was also a fireworks show! It was brilliant. I've never been to a wedding with so much entertainment.
The next day Nicolas woke us at 7am as per usual and we tried our hardest not to wake our fellow glampees. We hung around until 11am and then it was time to leave - BOOHOO.
It had been SO cool to meet Simon, my Aunt Stef's Count. He was a laugh a minute, and Mandy and I were particularly fascinated with him and his posh accent and own tartan!
Another bonus had been my favourite Aunt and Uncle had been there, with my cousin Fin who is now a Russian Model of note! We spent loads of time with them and we've hopefully convinced them once and for all to come and visit us all in AFRICA.
My dad's older sister, Urszula was also there, she was a REAL laugh with all the young men in uniform - we couldnt control her!
I spent far too little time with Adam, Lizzie and Jen but saw enough of them for a catch up over the last 8 years or so. Lizzie and Jen are both so clever and musical and talented, I just know one of them is going to be famous one day!
The wedding festival in the meantime, continued on until the Monday afternoon when Mark and Nicola left for honeymoon. The plan was for them all to climb a nearby volcano and watch the Ediburgh Festival fireworks on the Sunday evening.

And if I'm honest, I think Mark won the 'Best Wedding' competition.
Although Mandy and I each loved our own weddings more.... because of who we married

Macleod's Majorettes

Nicola had 2 very efficient and creative bridesmaids organising her hen party and boy did it turn out well. It started off with high tea at a lovely restaurant apparently, where they got Nicola into her very sexy GI Jane outfit.
Benedikt meanwhile arrived haggard and grumpy off the 4 hour train trip and 2 flights later - just to get to Edinburgh from Nairobi! I met him at the train station at 13:30 while Nico slept in our room in our nearby hotel. Thankfully my sister and Collin and Peloso (a very cool friend of my sisters) had arrived from Manchester half an hour earlier and were able to keep an eye on Nico. It was a crazy few hours while we all ran around our hotel from room to room sorting our luggage and outfits and presents and cots and showers and meals and hellos and shopping.... eventually us girls met up with the hen party at 5pm for drinks and the judging of each team’s success.
The 20 or so ladies had been split up into teams and had a series of challenges to do around the city. For example, climb a lamppost, be photographed with a famous look alike, extreme lying down, strategic jelly baby placements, deep fried mars bar eating... and the one I liked the most was get a bunch of guys to spell out Nicola. My mum and Nicola’s team won that hands down, they found a group of workers on a lunch break and promptly spread them out and each one had to be a letter – it looked brilliant.
So after a Mojito and some Scottish whiskey down downs we all hit the streets and walked to a nearby restaurant. Over dinner Nicola had to answer some dodgy questions that Mark had answered previously... and opened all her sexy underwear presents. She was such a good sport. THEN we had 3 strippers come and give us a show! Ha ha ha ha it was 3 of the hen’s boyfriends and they were BRILLIANT. They gave Nicola a lap dance she’ll never forget!
Then we went clubbing – YAY! It was loads of fun. The stags joined us there and everyone really got down and boogied. The stags had played this awesome game where Mark had to run around Edinburgh while being chased by all the others. He had been dressed up in a tight leopard outfit, mask and tail and all. They all had applications on their iphones that enabled them to track where Mark was. So they would run after him and once they found him they shouted ‘Stop Leopard’ and Mark would have to stop in his tracks and be pelted with eggs! Then he was allowed 5 minutes to get going again. Only to be tracked and egg beaten by another group of guys! What a FUN GAME. As long as you aren’t the leopard.
My mum was great and just joined the hens for the day time activities and then went back to the hotel to babysit Nico. Who slept like an angel of course. Thanks mum!

So on the Friday after the fun hag and sten night everyone met for breakfast at a cool restaurant in the city centre then went to the Ediburgh castle for drinks in the Officers mess and the 1pm gun blast. It wasn’t a great gathering for kids so Benedikt Nico and I set about shopping! Boy is Edinburgh a great city for that. The shops were AMAZING. And the streets so pretty to walk around. There are green gardens lining the one side of main shopping street and then just back to back name brand stores and all the traditional stores in between. I was after a new jacket and after about 500 stores I found a perfect 3 quarter length waist tying one along with a beret. We also stopped at the oh-so-fantastic Boots and stocked up on food for Nico for the weekend. We met up with my sis and co at 2:30 again and after a bit of a palaver, got the car, packed it to the brim (again) and all 6 of us piled in. None of us knew where we were driving really so that was the next challenge.... but we managed to find Harvest Moon on the coast which is near North Berwick just east of Edinburgh quite easily and we unfolded ourselves out of the car upon arrival. With Mark standing there shaking his head at his loony family.
But what an AMAZING venue! Perfect for their wedding

Here is a link too a youtube video that Kathryn made of the day and night - its BRILLIANT!

The week leading up to my brothers wedding

So we made a last minute decision for Nicolas and I to join Benedikt on his business trip to Germany and then go on from there to Scotland to see my folks and brother. We were all going anyway the following week to Mark's wedding, so it was just a very cool way for me to spend more than the original 5 days there. So I got my seat in the morning of the 24th and flew that evening! It was a little bit hectic getting everything sorted for Nicolas and I but having just been to Germany 3 weeks prior, all the things to pack were still fresh in my mind. What jet setters we are!
So we stayed with Nina (Benedikts sister) and Thomas in Munich for 2 nights which was very cool. And Benedikt's parents met us there. They had quality time with Nico while we went off to Munich on the Friday and shopped up a storm. Wow, that city is AMAZING. SOoooooooooooo futuristic. Free wifi everywhere, a seriously cool apple shop, huge shoe stores where the staff all have mike's and ear phones and amazingly big sports stores with EVERYTHING in them - all the latest running shoes and cycling clothes. In the afternoon we went and swam in this cool lake nearby Nina an Thomas, although it was very odd as it was next to a construction site. Germans swim anywhere. And sunbathe on anything. At least they were all wearing clothes.
So Benedikt left early on the Saturday morning and I hung round with Nina, Irene and Heinz until it was time to take Nico and I to catch our flight to Edinburgh. That turned out to be a bit of a palaver as our beautiful new buggy was missing a piece (presumably lost by the airline from Nairobi) and I was left to carry my massive suitcase, plus buggy, plus hand luggage and Nicolas! Impossible! Heinz and Irene were great though and helped me through to passport control. It was my first time flying with Nicolas alone and I was asked twice to prove that he was my child because our surnames are different! Luckily his clever efficient german father had given me a copy of his passport and we were allowed through.
I had two lovely russian sluts next to me on the plane who were fantastic with Nico, plus I went to the front a lot where he pulled another little boy's hair... so it was an easy 2 hour flight.
And yay, Granny and Grandpa picked us up in Edinburgh! I was SOOooooooooooooooooooo happy to see my parents. They had been in Edinburgh for the festival so it all worked out really well. We packed the car (the first of many stuffed car trips) and drove across Scotland to Troon which is where my brother currently lives. The 2 hour drive was lovely - Scotland is such a pretty country. I had been there before but only as a little girl so it doesn't count. We put Nicolas to bed AS SOON as we got to Marks, it was Nico's latest night to date: 9pm. Also the first of a few late nights on this trip. Poor little guy. Although he handled it all so well, as long as I was around he was happy. (Read: he was ultra clingy)
It was funny arriving at Marks though as we were attacked by a long board as we entered, then restricted by a kayak when trying to move the cot (which Nicola had very kindly bought for us), then had to rummage through loads of kit laden cupboards in an effort to find towels and sheets!

So Mark is based in Troon which is south Glasgow on the west coast of Scotland. He is there in total for 2 years while he works as a search and rescue pilot for the navy. He is LOVING his job and his (council) flat. Its RIGHT on the beach... which for Mark is just ideal. He LOVES water sports and he loves WINDY water sports, so the fact that he can just walk out of his from door and go kite surfing is just the bees knees for him

So next up was Glentress - a mountain biking Mecca that is well known throughout the world for its amazing trails through beautiful forests and up and down mountains. We stayed in these unique wigwams for the next two nights. I'd bought the cot with me and the baby bath and booster seat, so all was good in Nico land. As soon as we got there I put Nico to bed and Mark, Sarah, Adam and I went off for a ride while Nicola watched Nicolas. (How often do I type those 2 names incorrectly?!) It was sublime riding and that was only the nearby blue route we did. Unfortunately it was getting dark and cold so we called it a night after an hour. Adam and Sarah are separate friends of Nicola's. Adam is an adventure racing, triathlete, dubai adventure sports leader, cool dude of note. While Sarah is an army doctor and triathlete and also has a little boy. The 3 of us hit it off straight away. Which was a good thing because we spent a lot of time together during the next days! Mark and Nicola had to keep dashing off to do wedding errands, so we ran the wigwam camp as people came and went. I enjoyed every minute of being with Nicolas full time and loved how our bond grew even deeper. But boy was I envious of the others going off riding all day in that amazing place. Mark looked after a very unhappy Nico for me in the morning while I went on a cool ride with Adam and Sarah although I cut it short as I knew Mark would not be enjoying his screaming! Poor little boy was just upset because he was in a new place (every few days) and was surrounded by new people. All very overwhelming for a 1 year old I'm sure.

On the Thursday the stags arrived for the first part of Mark's stag do. Apparently a lot of them had their best riding ever that day. Feeding off each others energy and just enjoying the flowing, challenging riding. A perfect day for a sporty stag!
Us hens packed the car, again totally jam packed, with King Nico in his seat then set off to Edinburgh city centre via the evening restaurant to drop off booze. It was Nicola's fun fun fun hen party that day and night - but more on that in next weeks blog entry