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A Wedding & I Need Direction

Franks & Anna got married at the weekend. Congratulations Franks & Anna! I was throwing myself to the wind and just rolling with the concept of last minute-ness. Nearly got a whole suit sorted out, nearly got a sensible place to stay, nearly sorted out a sensible journey and nearly had a card and present sorted out in time.

The Suit.

I am a difficult shopper. 5’5″ tall, slightly more portly than I should be – ok, maybe 4″ too much – and with short legs. This drastically reduces the number of suits that are open to me. I once went into a ‘Suits you’ shop in London, they had two suits which would fit and the trousers still needed taking up. Two suits. Also I am a fussy bastard and like fancy styling where possible.
Too many nice suits appear before me with a little dangling tag reading ‘skinny fit’ – these will not do. Whatever the opposite of skinny fit is, that should do. Apparently the opposite is ‘regular fit’, a shop store euphemism I guess.
Anyway found a nice suit in Next but it was £210.
Found an ok suit in BHS which was £99 and they threw in a pair of shoes, a shirt, and a tie for free.
Done.
…or not quite done because only after I got them home did I realise that I had been sold trousers that were a few shades lighter than the jacket, noticeably so. Cock. Had no time to sort out as was heading home for a family funeral. Bakc in London I exchanged the trousers and then said ‘can you take them up a few inches?’ to which they replied, yes, for £5, and we’ll call you Friday. That would be cutting it close because the wedding was the day after. But I ok’d and they took them off me saying ‘we’ll call you Friday to let you know when they’ll be ready’.
Ey? You what?
- so no trousers.

Wore black trousers and grey jacket in the end. Not great.
Oh, also wore a cool Jeff Banks shirt and tie. And a fez.

<<aside – just cooking pasta & pesto despite in being gone 11, banging the spoon on the pan to the tune of Bob Holness’s Blockbusters>>

A Place to Stay

Well, I left it until Thursday to book a place to stay – I looked in the nearest main town, Craven Arms, but the places I rang were all fully booked so I searched in teh countryside nearish to the reception and found an Inn in a little hamlet called Brockton – I stayed here at The Feathers. They seemed cool with me saying I wouldn’t be turning up till near midnight. Google maps made it seem pretty close. But it wasn’t.

The Journey

I emailed Pete and said was he driving up, and he was, but on Friday at 2pm – far too early for me. So I bought a train ticket to Leominster which meant I had a go to Newport (Wales not Isle of Wight…) and change there. Meant I had to wake up at 7am too, which for me is a fucking big deal. Managed it and was sorted with 10 minutes spare by the time I hit Paddington.

The train was on Great Western, an expensive and annoying train company because the same length journey on SW trains or southern is half the price and the train is always very full anyway. They operate a system whereby everyone apart from me books a seat. I just sit where I please until told to move on. Met other wedding goers on the train and was kindly bought a G&T at the civilised time of just gone 10am.

The train from Newport to Leominster went via a food festival at (I think) Abergavenny – which meant that the 2 carriage train was rammed – at least 7 people had to stand in the disabled toilet until that stop. Chatted to a nice girl who it turns out knew franks & Anna but not the fact they were getting married – small world. She was a Buddhist Medical professional and occasional Nepal-based worker. I bid her well.

Now the journey there was a piece of cake. After the wedding we all got lifts to the reception. But after the reception all the taxis got fully booked up in the whole of Shropshire so I found myself stuck 6 miles from my Inn. Thanks heavens for Bill, who I had only just met, who agreed to drive completely out of his way, without Sat Nav, in a county neither he nor I know, in the dark – with me just knowing it was ‘Eastwards somewhere’ and ‘maybe at a crossroads’. Of course we found it easilly. No idea if he found his own place after that. Hope so. Cheers Bill.

Waking up the Saturday morning I was happy to discover no hangover and a good Victorian standing bath in the bathroom – it was shaped like one of those wild west tin baths, but still porcelain, and it was very welcome. Breakfast at 10am and a chat to the owner about this and that. he pointed me in the direction of the nearest town, 5 miles eastwards, told me there was a path across some fields I could take instead of the road and off I set.

I didn’t have my walking boots, only my flimsiest trainers, so my feet and legs soon got knackered and my socks wet from last nights rain still clinging to the grass. My legs actually stopped me a few times as they were really pulling up badly. I walked across a few fields, with great views of the rolling Shropshire hills which really are quite lovely. Past a farmyard where two gaurd dogs had a small go at me, although barking and approaching only, thankfully.

I tried to speak to them confidently and tell them to bugger off, still snarling dogs who are free to roam do make me nervous a fair bit. Walked to the main(ish) road and was on what might well be called Wenlock Edge which is like this…

Lots of limestone and fossils and stuff abound.

I think I walked along the very top of the treeline – at one point the road opened and a small clump of rock was climbable/walkable and I got a great view (but no camera).

Wenlock Edge goes along to the market town of Much Wenlock which was really nice. I went to the pottery there and had a chat with Mike Fletcher the potter and bought one of his one off nice copper pots for my Mum’s birthday. It’s a great pot and I did think of keeping it. If you are in the area then definitely pop in there and buy loads of stuff!

Also went to the priory shop to ask if there were buses (no, they said) but did get the number of a taxi firm. Was told to head for Bridgnorth because there was a railway station there. I then found a Tourist Info place and they said there would be a bus, one every two hours, that went to Bridgnorth. Cool. Had time for a pint, a read of the sports papers and then got the bus.

…more to follow