A Perfect Wedding

Two years ago, Mark’s nephew, Mark, and Shardae, his long time girlfriend, announced their engagement to our side of the family, while they were staying at our house here in Caunes.

Mark and Shardae, 2 years ago....in Caunes

Shardae has a reputation for being incredibly motivated and organised….and I guess, from the moment of the engagement ( or maybe before ! ) she began to plan the wedding.

Straight after leaving our house 2 years ago, the engaged couple drove to Bordeaux, where they had identified a chateau they thought might be perfect for their wedding. 

It was....and the serious planning began.

This last weekend, the wedding took place at the beautiful Chateau Lagorce In Haux, close to Bordeaux.

It was amazing.

This is not the bridal suite....but our room.

One of the lounges at Chateau Lagorce

The detailed organisation that had gone into making the 3 days and nights celebration perfect was amazing.

I overheard one of the ushers talking about the fact that a couple of the paper bag lanterns which lined one of the terraces, had fallen over. He said that Shardae would know exactly how to sort it out as she had probably known it would happen many years ago…as it was clear this wedding had been in the planning stages…probably since she was born.

We had the run of the chateaux for 3 days, and everyone helped get things ready for the actual wedding celebrations.

Sorting the wine and beer

Brother of the bride assembling a wedding cake, father of the groom slicing lemons

Table setting, including a pot of home made jam for every guest.....Shardae had made all the jam !

The weather was glorious.

Taken from our bedroom window....as the preparations began

The setting was incredible……and everything went perfectly.

As always I take many many photos…so I will let some of them tell the story of the fabulous time we all had.

The setting for the ceremony, on a lawn in front of the chateau, with a lake in the background

OK...not a wedding photo.... but me, on a walk around the grounds, early, on the morning of the wedding

From one of the terraces

tables set

Groom in the middle, looking anxious.... when would she arrive ? brother of the groom on the left, also looking somewhat concerned..... Best man on the right, checking his phone..... making final arrangements....yes, she was on her way.

The bridesmaids began their descent

Finally, Shardae and her father arrived

There was an incident, as Shardae tripped on the last step.....a gasp from the guests, applause, as she gathered herself again, unhurt, and dad fixed her hair !

A lovely ceremony

The groom and his parents ( Mark's sister and brother in law )

The groom looking much less apprehensive

The cakes were pretty good !

Just one of Shardae's little touches

The paper bag lanterns which adorned all the terraces

The groom's grandmother, who was convinced she was dancing with Prince Harry.

As Mark and I left the celebrations the next day, we noticed the bride and groom walking off together, to go around the lake. Possibly one of the first quiet moments they will have had during the 3 day celebration

A bow tie, discarded during the dancing no doubt......evidence of the great night before.

Ensemble Opalescences ...encore.

Two years ago we were fascinated by a concert in one of the Caunes marble quarries. The incredibly talented “Ensemble Opalescences” ventured into the carriere  de Villerambert on the outskirts of Caunes and performed for a strangely clad audience. We had to wear hard hats and were led through the quarry to a temporary stage, set amongst the cutting machinery and sheer cliffs of pink marble.  We were really pleased to see they were repeating the event this year. ........This time, we had to wear high vis jackets as well.

 Their performances were spread over 3 days this time. One concert being held in the church in Caunes, the second, back in the quarry, and the third at le Chateau de Paulignan in nearby Trausse.

We went to the concert in the quarry, which included poetry and dance as well as the fabulous baroque musical performance of Ensemble Opalescences. The concept was to display a dialogue between the musicians and a dancer, relating to the relationship of baroque dance and music from France and from Italy.

Saskia Salembier, introducing the concert

It was completely enchanting.

 Saskia  Salembier, the outrageously beautiful and talented violinist and mezzo soprano ( she didn’t sing in this concert, which was a real shame, as we loved her voice 2 years ago…but if we had looked more carefully at the programme, we would have known this ! ) introduced the concert. Her playing was magnificent, as was that of the other 2 musicians.The acoustics within the quarry space were wonderful. There were no microphones, no amplification…but every word  and every note was crystal clear. Let is be said…that Mark is still completely enchanted by Saskia…..and I feel that he is absolutely entitled to be so…she is incredible !

 ( I called my post about the concert 2 years ago….”is it too late to learn to play the violin ? “ )

This was Saskia Salembier 2 years ago.....

Irene Feste, danseuse baroque

The dancer, Irene Feste, was wonderful. Her dress matched the tones of the marble background against which she performed. Some of her incredibly delicate steps seemed very formal, and later as she took on the Italian commedia dell’arte side of the performance, it seemed much more intuitive and improvised. There was a real dialogue with the musicians……and although it was good to have a visual focus she never took attention away from the intricate power of the music.

We loved it.

never has a concert audience been so strangely clad.....

surrounded by chunks, and chippings

.....and slabs of marble

We were slightly disappointed that the after concert buffet was held at the quarry entrance, on a couple of trestle tables, rather than in the gorgeous courtyard of the Chateau Villarambert as it had been 2 years ago. However, it did not detract from what had been a wonderful evening.

This was the setting for the after concert buffet 2 years ago......not quite the same this time.

As we walked back to the car park, the sky was turning various shades of pink just as darkness approached. It matched the dancer’s dress and the pink and red tones of the marble that surrounded us.

The washing machine is whirring

( Please forgive me for not responding to comments on my last post.....possibly, this post will explain why I have been so bad at keeping in touch with you all ).

Our 3 weeks of hosting all the family is over. As always, it has been a fabulous time spent with the people we love the most. We have managed to have adventures with them all as well as  spending time, here at the house in Caunes, which I think they love as much as we do.

They didn’t all come together….but in waves.

The first wave was relatively calm…. 2 adults, 3 children…..and us. We swam in the pool, we built lego models, we played in the 3 bears house ( and one of us, 3 year old Clark, …got stung by various wasps.....he was very brave). We saw knights in Carcassonne, we swam in the sea at Gruissan and in the lake at Carcassonne, we built sandcastles, saw some real castles and explored playgrounds throughout the area.

Wave 2, after a week, involved our daughter Jess and her partner, Matty. They spent a couple of days of their 2 weeks with us, in Sete ( birthday present to Jess from us), and it was a treat for us to take them there, drop them off and pick them up a couple of days later, stopping to have an amazing sea food meal with them.

Wave 3… the day after Jess and Matty arrived, involved Carole, Mark’s ex wife, and her partner, Peter.

Life was more complicated by this stage as we now needed 2 cars to go anywhere if we all wanted to go….so beach trips, and even trips to restaurants started to take on a trek like feel.

Wave 4 ( 2 weeks after wave 1 began) was really complicated….. Matt and Sarah-Jane and their 3 boys left on the 10.55 flight to Liverpool, which had arrived in Carcassonne at 10.30, carrying the 4^th wave. Good old Ryanair..... one plane bringing one bit of the family, and taking another bit away. It was just a shame that the cousins couldn't meet to have a chat on the tarmac.

There was a 2 hour gap between one set of occupants leaving for the airport….and the arrival of wave 4, which consisted of Jodie and husband Kieron, 2 of their friends and their 2 children.

I think, in future, we need to organise more than a 2 hour gap......it wasn't really long enough to restock the fridge, wash and dry bedding, and generally regroup.

So…. I do hope you are managing to keep up with this….. for meal times…..breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all snacks between times….there were by this stage 10 adults and 2 children…as opposed to the 8 adults and 3 children that had been involved in the previous stages.

We managed some expeditions with the 2 cars full to bursting….a trip to the lake at Carcassonne must have looked as if we were heading off to the other side of the world for a month, with towels, tents, blankets, pic-nics, buckets and spades, balls, beach chairs, a table, water cannisters etc etc.

I think I look tired....but incredibly happy in this photo....hugging the gorgeous Izzie.

I can reflect now, that despite meals out, several guests taking turns with cooking, and lots of help with setting tables and washing up…… I am very glad I do not run a gite. I have no idea how people cope……and I'm too old to learn !

The washing machine has been whirring away for the last 2 days, the mountain of washing is nearly clear. The toys have been picked up, the last of the lego models will be dismantled tomorrow, and I will slowly get round to wiping the finger prints from all the windows. I may leave them for a little longer......the last of the evidence that those beautiful children were here.

So…..please don’t get me wrong, we have had a wonderful 3 weeks. It has been lovely to spend time with our adorable grandchildren, it has been brilliant to spend time with our children and their husbands/wives/partners/friends.....and I cant wait to do it all again.

Actually…that is not completely true. I need a brief recovery period ! I want to do it all again, but I need a little bit of a rest first. 

Clark....doing exactly what I fancy doing....

Masterbuilders

Having 2 lots of grandchildren staying with us over the last 3 weeks has been lovely......but I would be witholding the complete truth if I didn't say that their parents have our complete admiration as we see them  deal with the under 7s on a daily basis. Matt and Sarah Jane have 3 boys under 7, and Jodie and Kieron have a 6 year old and a 2 year old.

 It is hard work  ( I wonder how we ever did it ! )

Friends from a nearby village, Jane and Steve, gave us their children’s lego collection. We’ve met one of their children, Verity…now in her mid 30s, and she didn’t seem to mind too much. I did say that if she felt the urge to play with it, she should just say, and we would arrange it !

Anyway, our grandchildren have been thrilled with it, and despite all their playing in the pool, and on various beaches, in the 3 bears' house, at local playgrounds and with the many vide grenier toys I have collected over the last 3 years, they have somehow found time to create some wonderful masterpieces. In the words of the latest Lego movie....they are masterbuilders.

So...thanks Verity and Charles. 

We have had some peaceful times during the last 3 weeks...not many, but lego has certainly played an important part in the quieter moments of the grandchildren's stay with us .....in entertaining them , and........ in keeping us sane.

Quick update : Team Pattison are here.

It is quite tempting to say that I’m too busy to blog…..but in a way it’s nice to just find the time to post a quick update on what has been happening here in Caunes, or in our part of it, during the last few days.

Just the start of the lego marathon

“Team Pattison” arrived on Tuesday.Matthew, Sarah-Jane and 3 amazing little boys, arrived, all eager to have a good time.

Clark in the 3 bears' house

They’ve been here a couple of days. Most of the toys have been played with, the pool has been in constant use, a huge number of stunningly good lego models have been made, and many many photos have been taken.

3 little boys...2 wearing Tour de France give away sun glasses

Other bits of life continue….our French lessons are really enjoyable. I think we’re making progress, and the café des langues is now in its 5^th or 6^th week. All have been different, some weeks with only 5 or 6  trusty stalwarts, and other weeks with new participants who have found out about us by word of mouth, or from the flyers we have put in the Mairie, the Tourist office and the bar.

So…just a very brief post….. loving having les petits enfants with us….as if you needed me to report that !