50 years ago, just at the time of A levels, I was a bridesmaid at the wedding of my cousin John and his wife, Iris. I was delighted to hear that they were having a celebration and the date was booked out almost a year before!
We had intended to take a train to Carcassonne, fly to Manchester and the train back. After a lot of searching and confusion, I eventually discovered that the train line that would take us to Carcassonne was being worked on for 4 days including the date that we wanted to fly. The closure was long - from Bordeaux to Marseilles so no bus replacement was available, so in the end, we had to fly out and back to Carcassonne. We arrived at Manchester to great security, as it was just after the bombing at the Manchester Arena and made our way to Eccles, where we were staying with a cousin, via Salford Crescent Exchange, close to where I went to school. It took some time to get my bearings and recognise buildings known to me as black, but now red brick.
The party was a super opportunity to see cousins and meet the next generations.
The bridesmaids:
Cousins: Bernard, John, Aris, Ann, Pat, Peter, Enid, John, John, Winifred.
Cutting the cake
The following day, we took a train from Eccles to Manchester (it was the Manchester marathon, so not wise to try to get to the station by car) and then went on to Chester, ready for our journey to Anglesey the next day.
We enjoyed a walk around, revisiting spots that we knew from out stay there four years ago.
On Monday, a bank holiday, we took a train from Chester to Bangor where a taxi was waiting got us, to take us up the mountain to the house of Pat's cousin, June. This was not the taxi driver's favourite journey, it seemed. The roads are narrow and eventually become track. Nevertheless we made it there and spent a happy few hours with June and her dog Tomas.
The following day, we travelled from Chester to Broadstairs, for a few days with the boys. The weather was obliging and Helen and Nick managed to get a night away together while we looked after the boys.
On the beach with the boys, throwing stones into the water and 'who's knocked down Nana's sand castle'
Ernie's water fight in the garden with Mummy
Lenny loves bubbles
Broadstairs Viking Beach
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