A rare weekend off together, Kelly and I head off to The Lakes, well I say The Lakes but we have now become quite attached to Kel's sister's static home which is just outside Penrith so technically, it's the Eden Valley but it's still only a stones throw from the lake district national park. Anyway we landed too late to really go out but we had some tea with Alison (Kel's sister) and Stuart her husband. We were met by a still very hyper puppy, Bruce. Now, when I say the word 'puppy', you picture a cute little bundle of fluff that you can pick up and sit on your lap to watch the TV. Nope, this puppy is about 7 stone and has teeth like a shark. His greeting is to be welcomed with joy, and a certain degree of caution as he, like a puppy, communicates with his mouth with is full of skin piercing teeth. But he's growing up and learning not to 'tickle' you with his teeth.
Anyway Bruce calmed down and it was a quite drink with Ali and Stuart and planning the next day. Unusually, we weren't planning a ascent of a Wainwright, we were planning our wedding. Our main objective was the venue of the wedding of the year 2012, Overwater Hall. We had originally been 'pencilled in' ages ago when we went to the Lakes looking for a venue. The hall had captured our hearts and it was in our most favourite part of the country, what could be better! We did have a bit of a nervous laugh when we were sat having a coffee and one of the owners came up and said, "Did you say you'd booked us for next year?" her confused face gave me a lump in my throat. She then looked through the diary and quite confidently said we haven't got you in the book but it's OK as we have no one booked for that day. The day had been organised but not put in the diary, I guess that's what happens when you book so far in advance. Anyway we're are definitely 'penned' in now and life's good. As you can see the hall and the grounds are gorgeous and an ideal setting for the wedding, the owners can't do enough for you and the day looks like it will be a cracking occasion. The hall is well out of the way set right back behind Skiddaw (our favourite peak), but we're having the ceremony and function all in the same place so no need to worry about transport. I still think the free drink offer is going to be a big mistake by the staff but that's in the package. The hall is welcoming and the owners are friendly and do as little or as much as you want to accommodate, which is ideal. I can recommend the hall as they cater for anything, and are very reasonable.
The rest of the Sunday was spent looking around the area and trying to get a few photo's taken, which eventually came to a halt when the clouds closed in and the light changed. As usual we retreated to the Dog & Gun in Keswick for Goulash and a pint and a look around the dreaded chocolate shop which has Christmas treats on show. Also we had to run the gauntlet of outdoor shops which we did well, actually convinced Kel that we do have enough kit (Kel could be sponsored by Rab) and headed off back to the caravan. We had a bit of rain that night but the pitta patta of the drops is quite comforting when you're laid in bed. Surfacing from bed the next morning was hard and was under a cloud as I knew I'd be in work in a matter of hours. Kel was OK as she had the day off and it showed in her pretty smile. The drive down the A66 was as always with a damp heart and the combination of Kel screaming at bad drivers (even though she was in the passenger seat) and channel surfing the radio, which is normally a mixture of the words 'FFS' and aggressive button pressing on our innocent radio. But that's one of the things I love about her, passion, plus who likes Michael Jackson and ABBA anyway??!!
A rare weekend off together, Kelly and I head off to The Lakes, well I say The Lakes but we have now become quite attached to Kel's sister's static home which is just outside Penrith so technically, it's the Eden Valley but it's still only a stones throw from the lake district national park. Anyway we landed too late to really go out but we had some tea with Alison (Kel's sister) and Stuart her husband. We were met by a still very hyper puppy, Bruce. Now, when I say the word 'puppy', you picture a cute little bundle of fluff that you can pick up and sit on your lap to watch the TV. Nope, this puppy is about 7 stone and has teeth like a shark. His greeting is to be welcomed with joy, and a certain degree of caution as he, like a puppy, communicates with his mouth with is full of skin piercing teeth. But he's growing up and learning not to 'tickle' you with his teeth. 
Anyway Bruce calmed down and it was a quite drink with Ali and Stuart and planning the next day. Unusually, we weren't planning a ascent of a Wainwright, we were planning our wedding. Our main objective was the venue of the wedding of the year 2012, Overwater Hall. We had originally been 'pencilled in' ages ago when we went to the Lakes looking for a venue. The hall had captured our hearts and it was in our most favourite part of the country, what could be better! We did have a bit of a nervous laugh when we were sat having a coffee and one of the owners came up and said, "Did you say you'd booked us for next year?" her confused face gave me a lump in my throat. She then looked through the diary and quite confidently said we haven't got you in the book but it's OK as we have no one booked for that day. The day had been organised but not put in the diary, I guess that's what happens when you book so far in advance. Anyway we're are definitely 'penned' in now and life's good. As you can see the hall and the grounds are gorgeous and an ideal setting for the wedding, the owners can't do enough for you and the day looks like it will be a cracking occasion. The hall is well out of the way set right back behind Skiddaw (our favourite peak), but we're having the ceremony and function all in the same place so no need to worry about transport. I still think the free drink offer is going to be a big mistake by the staff but that's in the package. The hall is welcoming and the owners are friendly and do as little or as much as you want to accommodate, which is ideal. I can recommend the hall as they cater for anything, and are very reasonable. 
The rest of the Sunday was spent looking around the area and trying to get a few photo's taken, which eventually came to a halt when the clouds closed in and the light changed. As usual we retreated to the Dog & Gun in Keswick for Goulash and a pint and a look around the dreaded chocolate shop which has Christmas treats on show. Also we had to run the gauntlet of outdoor shops which we did well, actually convinced Kel that we do have enough kit (Kel could be sponsored by Rab) and headed off back to the caravan. We had a bit of rain that night but the pitta patta of the drops is quite comforting when you're laid in bed. Surfacing from bed the next morning was hard and was under a cloud as I knew I'd be in work in a matter of hours. Kel was OK as she had the day off and it showed in her pretty smile. The drive down the A66 was as always with a damp heart and the combination of Kel screaming at bad drivers (even though she was in the passenger seat) and channel surfing the radio, which is normally a mixture of the words 'FFS' and aggressive button pressing on our innocent radio. But that's one of the things I love about her, passion, plus who likes Michael Jackson and ABBA anyway??!!
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