But you aren't going to get away so easily as that with such a brief wedding report.
Picking up Step Mother the day before to stay with us was stressful. Only at the last minute did I realise I would not be home for dinner until 7.40, and thereby plans for taking her out for dinner were shot down. Travellers Aid was great, although a bit late, but transported her to the correct place for usual pickups, that we did not know about. Why did I not ask? R cooked an evening meal which we shopped for on our way to pick her up on my long meal break from at work. I roamed the station looking for her while R parked and waited for me to call. It did eventually come together, but it was all quite stressful. If there is a next time, we will know better.
Our timeline was to set off at 11 the next day, Tuesday. We left a bit earlier. We stopped for petrol, and then for lunch at a bakery in Geelong recommended to us by Sister and Mother. Routleys has been baking since 1947. It is a very nice modern place to eat and Step Mother decided to just have an egg and lettuce sandwich. I'm afraid R and myself had something pastry based. We arrived just before noon and so many hot tradie types came and went.
We took the scenic route through Geelong, although Step Mother had been engrossed in her book for the whole journey and not interested in what was to be seen, I quickly gave up pointing anything out when I didn't receive a response. She did stop reading when I told her to look at the scenic views of Geelong esplanade and the Christmas tree out in the water.
As is the norm, check in time for our accommodation was 2pm. I wanted to drive a bit around Queenscliff to show Step Mother the sights, but I now knew she was not that interested. R and I squabbled. I said, we can't check in until 2pm. He said, we will try, at 1.30 pm. Fine, you do it then. It turned out to not be a problem. Carisbrook Cottage is old but very comfortable. I doubt you could build such accommodation now and this place must have been built in perhaps the 1940s. There seemed to be another cottage for accommodation and the owner's house was at the front of the property. Wow, it is opposite the hall for hire where we celebrated Bone Doctor's 40th birthday and opposite the Bellarine tourist train railway station. I have written about both. You can find them by searching if you are at all interested.
So, Carisbrook Cottage was not flash, but ever so well set up. Air con, ceiling fans, space heater, kitchen with all you need, towels, linen, shower pleasure score of 10 out of 10. Milk, bread, coffee and tea and cereal of infinite varieties was supplied. There was a tray of ice cubes in the freezer, essential for when travellers buy a bottle of unchilled wine at the last minute. There was even a washing machine. Everything was labelled with clear instructions. There was a nice outdoor seating area at a table, barbeque, pleasant garden and a clothes line where you could hang your smalls.
R went for his nanna nap while Step Mother read on. Neither felt too comfortable about being in the pre wedding photo shoot, thinking they were neither group of family or friends. Having experienced it, they were probably right. I went to the photo shoot under a big tree right next to where Mother and ABI Brother were staying. The weather was warm, the sea was so blue...........and the wind was strong. It was close friends of theirs and immediate family. Everyone was in their wedding finery, two hours early. I came across one of Sister's close straight female friends who I know. I said to her, so who chose my sister's gorgeous dress? She confessed it was her, Sister's friend. Sister is not fat, but big and solid. Bone Doctor was in a black men's suit, stretching it at the hips and in the buttocks. Her father was busy trying to put her cufflinks on that he had presented to her.
It was a warm and sunny day, but at the beach there was a cold wind blowing in from Bass Strait.
Mother's caravan park cabin was ok, with terrific sea views and the sound of the sea, but I did not like the layout. Tradie Brother slept in the back of his tradie car the night before, with his dog Cobber. An early surfer in a wetsuit walking past the secluded location woke Cobber at 6am and he barked furiously. They went back to sleep. As I said to him when I saw where he slept in his car with all his tools next to him, no danger of anyone attacking you in your car then.
I returned to the cottage. Step Mother and R were dressed and ready to go. I touched up my lippy, put on a jacket, and we are all ready to go. It was a 5pm, start. We arrived at 4.45 but we should have been there earlier to get photos of Sister, Bone Doctor and Little Jo roaring around town in a 20's Chevy with a blaring Klaxton.
The caravan park whether Mother stayed surrounded the local football oval. I wonder if Margaret has seen such a thing? Strong prevailing winds through the Port Phillip Heads have taught this tree which way to grow.
This was a nice and welcoming sign at the church.
Sister and Bone Doctor both have some Scottish Heritage, so a bagpipe player seemed appropriate. Almost everyone involved in the wedding who provided a service were known to Sister and or Bone Doctor, and I expect they gave them a discounted rate.
Much use of this sign was made by both adults and children.
A fine jalopy for the bridal party to roar noisily around town in.
A bit about the rest of the day in another post.
