Honeymoon

If you would like to contribute towards our honeymoon, please telephone Trailfinders on 0207 938 3836. Alternatively, you can go into any Trailfinders shop (Trailfinders shops). Please give the reference 5AWB8Q and one of our names.

For your information, we are flying to Cape Town for three nights, then travelling to Port Elizabeth where we will spend three nights in the Gorah Elephant Park in Addo National Park. Assuming that we are not eaten by anything, we will pick up a car and spend 6 nights making our way back to Cape Town along the “garden route”. After this, we will fly to Mauritius for a few days relaxing by the sea.

Gifts

As an alternative, we have selected a few gifts that you may wish to contribute towards (see list below). If you do, please send us your contribution and let us know what you want to contribute towards.

N.B. Dave has advised us not to post our contact details on the web. If you can’t find our address or telephone number, reply to this message (below) to let us know. Be sure to enter your email address carefully. It will not be displayed on the web, but will allow us to send you our phone number and address.

We will try to keep the website up-to-date and remove the gifts that have been purchased. If possible, we will try to buy the items ourselves during the January sales.

If all of this is confusing, please feel free to give us a call.

Duvet – one, combination king-size,
Pillows – four, Standard
Duvet Cover – one cover, king-size, 2 pillowcases, standard
Duvet Cover 2 – one cover, king-size, 2 pillowcases, standard
Luggage – one each of medium, large, weekend trolley and cabin trolley cases
Picnic Backpack – one

Denby Jet – striped (720 121) –
6 x plates (26.5cm)
6 x plates (18.5cm)
6 x cereal bowls
6 x large mugs
2 x serving bowls
1 x round platter
I x oval platter

Many thanks,
Steven and Lynne

Great to see some faces I haven’t seen in a while - Ali, Matt, Pete and of course the Gurney boys are here - along with Carl, who I haven’t met, but can immediately tell is a sound bloke.

Following my nose, a quick stop by the kitchen confirms that drink has been flowing for at least a few hours as I’m confronted by worktop covered in empties and a pair of pished Glaswegians arguing over who’s ear could have who’s in a fight. Rich, Stu, Al, Tom, Joey and his hat are all here and it’s good to see all of them except Joe, who tells me I’m getting fat.

Rogue’s Gallery:

Stu, Mat, Pete

Del, Carl, Rich

Dave, Al, Joe

Ali, Warren, Steve

Tom, Sam, Dafydd

Rich shows me upstairs to bag (half) a bed and I’m soon back downstairs, beer in hand and ready to start playing some serious catch-up. Big Stu’s kindly and deliciously made pizza gives me a plesant insight into what the boys have been enjoying earlier in the evening, and it’s beginning to start hitting the spot when it’s rudely wrestled from my clucthes by a lairy, drunken goon with a Scottish accent and distinct lack of manners.

It’s not pizza I need anyway, I tell myself - it’s beer. Luckily we’re in no danger of running out of this most vital of food groups, and I take up position next to the kitchen door for easy access to the stack of cans and bottles - and for a breath of fresh air. I get into a conversation about Partick Thisle with one of the Glaswegians (the one who’s ear would have easily won the fight). He’s getting stuck into the buckfast in a big way and is called Warren. We’re joined soon after by brother of the bride Derrick, fresh from gorging himself on my pizza (mental note to fleece him at poker later) and within minutes we’re over our rocky start and I realise I quite like these guys.

A quick round of catch-up conversations with the LB massive later and people are beginning to crash. It’s not all that late, but they’re all making the same excuse about an early start as they mumble their way upstairs or next door with suspicious regularity.

There’s enough of us left for a quick game of poker - which would have been quicker if anyone apart from Sam knew the rules. It doesn’t really matter anyway as it becomes all too aparrent that no-one’s folding, and The Cash flows swiftly with the run of cards - first to Derek, then Sam, and finally to me and it’s all over. Derek’s calling me “dave the Bastard” but with his money in my pocket I don’t care. Bed time.

About 3 hours later and the alarm’s going off. An hour too early. Bollocks. Al and Tom are not impressed. Downstairs there are already people up and sorting things out. Think it’s Rich and Stu - but who can tell first thing in the morning? Whoever it is has done a great job and the kitchen’s clean, tidy and ready for use. I line up some mugs for tea and spend the next hour or so standing by the fusebox flipping the trip-switch every 5 seconds as the rest of our crew gradually surface. Rich, Stu and Carl are on bacon duty and the early-to-bed boys Mat, Ali, Peter and Rich do a reasonably good job of concealing their smugness as ther rest of us rub our eyes wearily.

Then our Stag appears.

Isn’t She Loveley…

We’ve heard that Rich sorted out a costume and that it would be funny. Nothing prepared us for the pink spandex monster now making me feel sick with laughter. This is just what was called for to liven the mood and there’s a flurry of photos and piss-taking out in the garden. Today is going to be good.

It’s nearly time to go and Stu bravely wakes the sleeping scots with tea and bacon rolls and returns to recount some choice words of “thanks”. Towels in bags, we’re in the cars and thankfully I’m not required to drive. I’m in Carl’s car with Warren and Al. It’s a quiet journey as we nurse our hangovers and worry about rafting in the rain later in the day. Soon enough, we’re at the clay shoot, in the shadow of a nuclear power station overlooking a valley. It’s absolutely pissing it down. We’re all cold. Especially Steven.

Cold and wet, but ready to kill some clay

A quick safety briefing in the tiny, knackered, mouse-infested hut consists basically of “do what we say and try not to shoot each other”. The first group take to the range. It’s raining hard and bloody cold, but some of them are hitting the odd “bird”, which gives the rest of us confidence. Peter and Alex look particularly convincing holding their rifles and we all consider them perfect for a post office robbery and subsequent appearance on Crime Watch.

Put the money in the bag!

Group two are up and they are the unlucky ones. The rain is driven horizontally into their faces by the now howling wind and it’s really cold now as the rest of us huddle in the ridiculous tinpot shed to keep dry. Joey’s looking sharp with more hits than misses, but soon the rain steps up yet another gear and everyone apart from Steven runs for cover. Stevens legs turn the colour of his costume and he’s so numb he doesn’t even notice as he gets lightly touched up by one of the shooting instructors, but eventually even he has to run for cover (and a pair of trousers).

Whoever made the flapjack that we ate that morning is responsible for saving 14 lives. Never has any oat-based snack tasted so sweet.

By the time group 3 get out for their practice, the rain’s stopped and the sun’s come out. Competition time. 15 birds each becomes 10 due to time contraints and there are no real early pace setters in group one. Group two proves more interesting with Rich and Stu scoring six each, with Steve on five and the much-backed Joey losing the plot and letting himself down - which the instructor seemed to take quite personally.

“What the f*ck was that, Joe?”
“I missed.”

There’s some gag about Pete’s “confident cock” to be inserted here, but I can’t remember the details - need help from Warren or anyone else who was in earshot for that one.

Some strong sun (and in my case, a proper bottle-job) puts pay to group 3’s challenge, leaving Rich and Stu tied for the lead (with Steve in 3rd) - the winner to be decided by sudden death shoot out. Rich will probably blame the sun for missing his first bird, but it seemed close as the clay made a sharp up-turn in mid flight… close, but no cigar. Stu looks cool and confident as he raises his rifle, calls for the pull and smashes the clay out of the sky. 7 out of 11 birds - he deserves his 50 notes for first prize.

Freezing cold and not exactly relishing the opportunity to throw ourselves down a river on an oversized lilo in the pissing rain, it’s another quiet journey, but we all get chatty again once we arrive and have a round of “that beautiful, life-giving, magic soup from the kitchen of angels”. Warm and wet, it’s even better than the flapjack of hours before and as we watch a few rafts come bubbling down the river, a nervous but excited tension begins to build.

Suited and booted, my boat (Warren, Stu, Carl and me) is first up, best dressed and after immediately lathing the chance to wait for everyone else we’re on the bus on the way to start the first of our 5 (count ‘em) runs. Run 1 is pretty much a gentle inroduction to the river as our instructor points out the river’s various features (while making sure we all get a bit wet). By the end of run 2 we’re all soaked but buzzing hard from the excitement. Bollocks to the rain - it makes no difference and we wonder why we worried about it all morning. We’re ready for some advanced trick-surfing on run 3.

It’s during one of these advanced trick surfing manouvres that I have my little swim. I feel like I told the story a hundred times throughout the evening, so I wont do it again here. I would, however, like to thank everyone for keeping the stick to a minimum and concentrating on humiliating Steve, which was clearly the order of the day.

Here’s what the other two crews were up to…

Helmets in Wetsuits

Penny for your thoughts Del…

Yeah!

Whoo!

The final run is lots of fun for everyone, with lots of opportunity to splash each other and also to laugh at Steve getting a good surf-soaking at the front of the raft. I can’t tell who’s sat next to him as we all look the same in wetsuits and helmets (or should that be: we all look like helmets in wetsuits?) but whoever it is - thanks for “taking one for the team” there. Good job.

Also “Biggup” Tom P for bringing the tray of teas into the locker room. Good shout that one. Sorry you had to miss out on the rafting - but at least you’ve done it before.

Once the excitement dies away everyone starts to notice that they are completely knackered. Another quiet car journey. Back at the ranch, Mat does a top job of getting the fire going in no time flat. Good skills. No-one’s exactly full of beans, but as the booze consumption rate (bcr) picks up, so do our spirits. Now we were all VERY HUNGRY.

Joey and Al chop and scrape that veg like men posessed and we’ve learned from breakfast that we’re better off using the kitchen next door for cooking. Not sure exactly who was involved in the early stages on that side of the wall, but well done for getting the ball rolling. By the time I’ve warmed up enough to be of any use it’s Pete and Sam in the driving seats, with some serious stew-stirring, pastry-cutting and pea frying (!) action going on.

The best man’s toast

Ali lays a mean table and dinner is a suprisingly civilised affair considering we could all have eaten the furniture we are so hungry. Steve’s stew doesn’t just hit the spot - it smashes it out of sight and now we’re ready for a night on the town - or at least down the local boozer in Corwen.

The taxi arrives and is the perfect size for us all to fit in. While we’re waiting, Pete tells me about how he caught Steven on the phone to Lynne and was forced to confiscate his phone. Fair enough, I s’pose - but he’s up to some kind of mischief there which I never quite get to the bottom of…

On arrival at the pub Steve (who was a fantastic sport all day, until now) flat refuses to go in on his own to order a bacardi and diet coke - poof. We relent and settle on a compromise where he waits a couple of minutes and still enters on his own, but once we’re there to protect him. Shame there was no back door for us to all slip out of.

Anyway, it turns out the barman’s a good sport and the locals tolerate us graciously. And we can hardly contain our excitement at the 20p a game pool table. I think it’s fair to say that no-one particularly stands out as king of the pool table, but Steven/ Dafydd is certainly the queen, as it becomes obvious he’s more than comfortable in his new favourite outfit. There follows a good few hours of drunken hilarity, pool playing, stogie smoking and general piss-taking. Everything you could hope for from a night in a pub. Derek blathers on about how he hates “the english”, but assures us that we’re all ok. Um… thanks Del.

Steve gives his best man some pulling tips

The same ones he gave Ali last week

Joey the hat takes a bow - shame it wasn’t his shot

An image I’ll always remember

And one I would like to forget

The taxi drive back is fairly uneventful and we decide not to “drop the stag off” on the way. I wonder if Steve realises how lucky he is to be arriving back at the cottages with the rest of us. There’s still a huge pile of booze to drink, and we all get stuck in.

To be honest the next few hours are a bit of a blur, but I do remember standing in the porch a lot and listening to Sam claiming he’s going to drink Warren under the table; and Warren responding with various derogatory comments all ending in “wee man”. This particular exchange has me in stitches for a good hour if not more and I notice the stag fears slightly for his best man (or at least doesn’t want him too messy for the drive back to civilisation in the morning). He tells me to stop laughing, but I can’t and I eventually have to call it a night - leaving Al, Steve, Derek and Joey to referee the rest of the battle. I half expect to come downstairs in the morning and find Sam and Warren glaring at each other across the table, each refusing to be the first to look away, with nothing but an empty bottle of whiskey rolling backwards and forwards between them. “Good luck Sam”, I mumble at the wardrobe as I crash into bed and slip away from conciousness.

It’s Sunday. No alarm. No idea what time. Feeling surprisingly ok, I head downstairs to find that Tom and Stu have pretty much sorted the kitchen - and there’s tea. I join Al in tidying the lounge and dining room that were hosting quite a party only a few hours previously. Al points out what a bunch of animals we are as we fill a bin liner or two with empty cans and bottles - and I can’t help but agree as I wipe beer, wine and custard (?) stains from the dining room table. There’s further activity in the kitchen as Ali arrives to empty the fridge of food and head back next door to the working kitchen. I know what that means, and follow closely behind.

There are a few people up and chilling in the kitchen and I grab the last of the early-riser’s bacon from Tom’s plate while he looks for the brown sauce. Sorry mate. Law of the jungle at this time of the morning - and you wont have long to wait for round 2. As the smell of breakfast and sound of the fire alarm waft/ pierce their way through the air, more and more of the grizly, unshaven beasts which vaguely resemble members of our party sit round the table, hover round the stove and lean against walls for support.

Steven rolls in to gentle applause. He did well to remain standing last night, and has done well again to make breakfast. Sam also makes breakfast, while there’s no sign of our Scottish chums - Sam claims that as a victory. I’m not so sure he’s heard the last of it.

Breakfast is very welcome and again, surprisingly civilised. Carl’s on a mission with the coffee - which is keeping my brain ticking over nicely - thanks Carl. Al’s bubble and squeak gets the nod of approval, but there is increasing suspicion regarding Steve’s eggs, which I elect not to partake in as I sneak off to pack. I’m thinking about a quick get-away as my hangover starts to kick in, and after a quick round of good-bye’s I’m dust. Glad I left when I did as the scenery on the drive back is superb (always better in daylight). North Wales and Shropshire look splendid in the wintery sunshine, and later as I stop for a coffee and some neurofen on the A50, nearly home, I reflect on what has been an all round top stag do. Thanks to everyone for making it what it was. I’m sure we gave Steve a good “send off” and that he’ll look back fondly on the whole weekend in years to come.

Let’s make this page something he can remember it by.

Let me know about any funny moments and conversations I missed by replying to this post. Tom’s already alluded to some kind of hot “Gurney on Castle action” which I either missed or have immediately purged from my memory - anyone care to elaborate on that one? Make sure you email all your photos to my gmail account as soon as you can, so we can all have a good laugh at them here.

And if you’re looking for the planning discussion that used to be on this page, it’s here.

Until Feb…

Image “borrowed” from www.houseforanartlover.co.uk

In 1901 a German design magazine held a competition to design a house in “a thoroughly modern style”. Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife entered, and although there were disqualified due to late entry, were awarded a special prize for “their pronounced personal quality, their novel and austere form and the uniform configuration of interior and exterior.”

In the late eighties, some engineering-type fella called Graham Roxburgh decided to try and get the design built. I think he ran out of cash in the early nineties and had to chill for a bit, but work resumed in 1994 and presumably took less than 12 years to finish…

Anyway, for more info go to the House for an Art Lover Website. They tell the story better than I, plus have some pretty pictures and a bit of chat on Mackintosh.

Rhydyfen Holiday Cottages
Treddol
Corwen
Denbighshire
LL21 0EN

The people that own the two cottages are on site and are called Pat and
Menna Birkill. The first lads are getting there around 2-3pm.

All food for the weekend is sorted as long as your not vegeterian and eat
Pepperoni! Let me know if not. Also all drinks at the cottages will be provided to include beer, lager and
wine.

Bedding will be provided, but you need to bring your own towel.

Friday night we`re just staying at the cottages. Up early for Clay pigeon
shooting about 45mins drive away. Then Whitewater rafting (bit chilly for those suveners!). Then to a pub on
Saturday night in the nearby town of Corwen.

Directions to the cottages:
From Corwen centre:
Follow the A5 west towards Betws y Coed and Bangor. Go straight through the
first set of traffic lights and then take the first road to the right. This
has signs for Betws Gwerfyl Goch and Melin y Wig. At the second junction
turn left. (If you reach a telephone kiosk you have missed the turn). Go
straight on for half a mile and Rhydyfen is on the side of the road on the
left. Turn in to the yard at the rear by the owl.

Map links:
Zoomed In
Zoomed Out
Satelite
So see you there sometime on Friday!

The first thing I have to say (of course) is how friendly everyone is in Glasgow. Take the time to chat to the taxi drivers, people in bars, shops and at the ATM. I promise that everyone will fancy a wee blether!

Steven and I have said already that there are lots to see and do and hopefully most of you have had a chance to look at some of the websites to see what’s on offer. There are a few things worth recommending though and there really is something for everyone.

Try the lovely Willow Tea Rooms for some tea and cake (FYI- this is booked for Saturday 3^rd at 1pm for anyone who fancies is – this will ensure you get a seat as it is usually very busy). Following that, take a walk round the Gallery of Modern Art at Royal Exchange Square.

If you fancy a bit of shopping the main places to go are, Argyle Street, Buchanan Street, Buchanan Galleries and Sauchihall Street. There are shops everywhere! Buchanan Street is one of the main streets in Glasgow and has lots of nice shops, also here is Princes Square, which is definitely worth a look. Here you will find shops, stalls, cafes, pubs, restaurants all under one roof (its not your usual shopping mall).

After a hard day shopping or sightseeing, pop into The Republic Bier Halle on Gordon Street for a beer on the way back to the hotel. It has a menu of hundreds of beers from around the world and is a really cool place to stop and have a drink.

You may want to take a trip to the top of the ultra-hip Lighthouse architecture and design centre, tucked away on Mitchell Lane. It offers panaromic views of the city, including an official sighting of the world’s tallest cinema (one for you Pete). Next door is Bar Soba, a cool bar serving a great lentil burger, sushi and cocktails.

The Tour Bus is another option, it leaves from George Square regularly. Apparently you can download the iToors guide to your iPod. This music-themed tour is a pretty good way to get under the skin of Glasgow’s lively scene, pointing out some of the city’s best venues – as well as explaining why the Duke of Wellington statue outside the Gallery of Modern Art invariably sports a traffic cone on its head. You learn something new every day!

The west end of Glasgow is also worth a visit. Take the subway to Hillhead and have a walk along Byres Road to the University of Glasgow and the Hunterian Museum for more of CRM. Look out for the cobbled Ashton Lane.

The Kelvingrove Museum is certainly worth a look, both for the building’s graceful architecture and the exhibits inside. If you fancy a look at some busses and stuff, the Museum of Transport is just across the road.

The Merchant City is a great place to go for some food and drink. The University of Strathclyde (where I went to university) kind of marks it’s beginning. There are loads of places to go to. Try Rab Ha’s , Fix, Bargo and Babbity Bowsters to name but a few.

If the weather is a bit pants, you may want to visit the Glasgow Science Centre (I have to put this in being a scientist and all!!). It has loads of stuff packed under its roof - from laser shows at the Scottish Power Planetarium to 3D movies at the IMAX cinema. The Science Mall, with 300 hands-on exhibits, will interest even the most science-phobic. If it’s a clear day (which is unlikely), jump into a lift for a 360-degree view of the city from the Glasgow Tower next door.
The tropical Winter Gardens and the People’s Palace Museum are open daily from 10am-5pm. (Friday and Sun from 11am) allowing you see a bit of Glasgow History and get away from the Scottish winter weather at the same time.

I have tried to put a few things on the map below (click on the map to get a printer friendly version) so that you can get your bearings a wee bit. Has lots of fun and remember to bring warm clothes and a brolly – the weather can be pretty mental at times!

Finally, we would love for anyone who is around on Saturday evening to join
us for dinner. It will be a good way to swap stories about the night before and should be fun. Again, details will follow - watch this space!”

Check out these websites and if you see anything you fancy doing, suggest it here!

www.seeglasgow.com
www.glasgow.com
www.timeout.com/travel/glasgow/intro.html

Lynne x

Hope you are all well.

We just wanted to give you details of the hotel we recommend you stay in while in Glasgow for our wedding. We have reserved 35 rooms at Jurys Inn. These are all double rooms but, most of the doubles can take a third person as they have a sofabed in them. The rate for a double room is £65 b&b per room (max 2 people) and for three people per room the rate is £72 b&b per room. This will be paid on departure from the hotel. The hotel is a very short walk (2mins) to the church on Clyde Street, where we are getting married and is in a good location as it is very central. Also, we think that the hotel is really good value for money, having shopped around first.

Please can you call the reservations desk on 0141 314 4800 to secure your room. They are booked under Gurney and the reference number is GURN010207 if you need it. You can book your room for more than one night.

If you need anything else, then just let us know.

Lynne and Steven

We are so glad that you are all able to make our wedding day!!

We want to give you some info on flights to Glasgow International Airport so

that you can book early:

Easy Jet (www.easyjet.com) fly from Luton, Stanstead, Gatwick. These
flights are ~£40 at the minute.

Bmi (www.flybmi.com) fly from Heathrow for as little as £58 (depends on
flight times and what fare you go for)

British Airways (www.ba.com) fly from Heathrow and Gatwick from ~£85 and £66

respectively

Bristish Airways also fly from Bristol for ~£50

Bmi baby fly (www.bmibaby.com) from nottingham east midlands for ~ £31

Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) fly to Glasgow Prestwick from Stanstead for ~ £29

These prices are only an estimate and obviously depends on when you travel.

In summary, they are really cheap so book early.

I hope you are all well and are having a good week.

I just wanted to let you know that I have booked everything for my Hen night except ice skating (the tickets are not available yet) and to let you know what the cost of it all is

• Hotel (Holiday Inn) ~ £42 p/p
• Ice-skating (Somerset house) 2-3pm - not sure of exact cost but I think it will be around £12
• 3-course meal plus 1/2 bottle of wine each followed by a 30 mins Salsa lesson - 6.45pm, £36p/p (but does includes 10% service charge)
• Entry to a bar/club - before 10pm - free
• Brunch on sunday at Browns from 12pm

I was thinking that it may be a good idea to get about £25 extra per person in order to make up a drinks kitty for saturday and lunch/brunch on sunday. That way we all just need to turn up and not have to worry about paying separately for things, at the most we may have to top up the kitty with a little extra but I think this will more than cover it.

Therefore, if you wouldn’t mind paying me your money (£115 except Mel who doesn’t pay for the hotel) at any time between now and the 2nd december that would be great, all I ask is perhaps £15 from each of you as soon as you can to cover the ice skating.

Let me know if you think this is OK or NOT and what questions you have

I am really looking forward to a great night out with all of you!

Lots of Love
Mrs Steven ‘Gurney’ 2B!!