Mexico

(Photos courtesy of Aine. Thank you!)

Switzerland may have been where the ‘bug’ perhaps started but Mexico was when it really got into action eh. This was out first back packing / travelling holiday and started a trend that continues today (for Lucy and Catherine only!)

Highlights (as ever open to edits):

• Our first night when we ate Chinese because we didn’t know what else to eat!
• Our first day where we were all confused and unsure what to do with our stuff – would it be safe enough? what do we take with us?
• Climbing the volcano, well balancing on some old donkeys that climbed the volcano
• Skidding down the volcano. I never got all the ash out of my shoes!
• Bart – my guitar! And singing kum-bay-ya (sp?)
• The boat trip through the jungle to the watering hole where we swam and swang!
• Catching candyfloss in the air in Mexico City
• All the coach trips
• Eating sweetcorn from the street
• Arriving in Acapulo and sleeping on the floor til it was light enough to find a hotel!
• Finding a hotel in Acapulco that seemed like luxury (for our budget), even though it was up a butt-of-steel hill

xLuce

Hazel’s wedding

Sadly I missed Hazel and Trev’s wedding celebrations, so please add any pictures and comments in here.

(Photo courtesy of Monique. Thank you!)

Thank you.

xLuce

Katherine’s wedding

Sadly I missed Katherine and James’s wedding, so please add any pictures and comments in here.
Thank you.

xLuce

Helen’s wedding

Sadly I missed Helen and Graham’s wedding, so please add any pictures and comments in here.

(Photos courtesy of Monique. Thank you!)

Thank you.

xLuce

Roz’s wedding

Sadly I missed Roz and Nick’s wedding, so please add any pictures and comments in here.

(Photos courtesy of Monique. Thank you!)

Thank you.

xLuce

Pizza Express

I feel it is important, almost essential, to include a post about Pizza Express. Site of so many celebrations. And why not… Who can say no to dough balls, sloopy Giuseppe and reasonably priced house white?? In later years we spread our wings and went to ASK, Strada and Carluccio’s, ha ha. But I think PE will always have a fond place in our hearts…

Some particularly entertaining bits:

• The bill. Every time. Did it ever get any easier?? Did we eventually start to bring calculators with us?? Quite clearly I stayed away from this bit of the evening (I was responsible for ordering drinks:)).
• Catherine and I having lunch at Pizza Express, near Tower Bridge the day before I got married. How we chuckled (and ate).
• Catherine and I checking out the very same Pizza Express as a potential venue for her’s and Aine’s 30th birthday party. As we said at the time, it would almost have been worth doing for the irony alone, nevermind the fact that we still like the house white!!
• Please remind me of other parties and times we were there. I can picture many times but can’t place the occassions specifically.

(Photo courtesy of Aine. Thank you!)

(Photo courtesy of Monique. Thank you!)

xLuce

Marie’s surprise birthday party

This did happen didn’t it?!
At the church hall near Sue Woods’s house?
Was it for your 16th birthday? Man, I can hardly remember the important details. I can however remember organising and planning it. All talking about how to keep it secret, what food to have, how to get everything ready, an argument (?) about whether to get you a present as well or just a smashing party.
Oddly, I can also remember what I was wearing. How wierd is that.
As I recall, a fun time had by all. And was it actually a surprise Marie? This is something I’ve never really known the answer to….

xLuce

Devon

Summer 2005

This was the last summer trip that we did of this kind. As always, completely wicked fun.

Highlights:

• Actually arriving was a highlight for me cos I can still recall how lost we got on the way and how much longer it took!
• Horse riding or watching horse riding and drinking Pimms, whichever you chose
• 118 118. Still makes me laugh when I think of you bouding down the stairs!

(Photos courtesy of Monique. Thank you!)

xLuce

Wales

Summer 2004

Big, beautiful house and garden. I don’t think I’ve got any pictures of this but I’m sure plenty of people have, and I know there’s a video somewhere…

I’m not gonna write highlights because I’m pretty sure we all think the same thing: the Saturday night was hilarious and the best bit was Niki’s Tina Turner. There we go, just putting it out there.

(Photo courtesy of Monique. Thank you!)

xLuce

Catherine’s marathon

A seriously legendary day. Catherine had decided to enter, ooo seven hours before the gun, no preparation but a fully competent support crew. While you weaved your way through the infamous course we hair brained in & out of the tube, in & out of stations, in & out of the crowd, in & out of coffee shops, catching you wherever we could.
I’ve told so many other people about what it was like seeing you do the marathon. Maybe it was the weather (cloudy) or the recent status (single) but I was SO emotional. I recall spotting you near Canary Wharf and you stopped to stretch your calves, cool as cucumber, no stress at all (I was shaking all over). And then seeing you about 1k before the end and screaming so hard to hope you’d see us and know we were there, pushing you for the last bit.
Man, I feel exhausted thinking about it all again. Superstar.

xLuce