We managed to get some of the wedding pics stuck on the blog very quickly before we moved out of the flat and cancelled the internet. Here's the words that should have come along with it!
Ian and I had an amazing day and enjoyed every single second of it. We could not have asked for anything to be different or changed. The whole day was prefect from start to finish.
I guess firstly we need to say some BIG thank- you's.
- Thanks to everyone who came- it would not have been the party that it was without you all!!
- Thanks to the parents (Lynn, Sue, Andrew and Pete) and Julie and Alistair for all their support over the past few months. Big thanks to Julie and Alistair for being our witnesses too. Huge thanks to my mum, Lynn (aka Mum-2) and David for getting the Town Hall looking jaw droppingly amazing!
- Thanks Dad (Dad- 2!), for giving me away and your incredible speech and well done for making a good half the room cry! Not even for your dancing!
- Thanks to Katie and Darren for being the best bridesmaid and best man that a bride and groom could ever want. Darren- your speech was fab!
- A MASSIVE thanks to Jed for his services as "official" wedding photographer. We can't wait to see the pics.
- Thanks to Graham for being a great DJ and putting up with our odd music requests. I still think that "Young Hearts Run Free" and "Kung Fu Fighting" should be played at ALL parties. They are disco classics! Also thanks for the unforgettable end to the night. I will never forget looking round to see everyone giving it some on the dance floor to "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". It was a surreal but great moment!
- Thanks to Allyson and Matt for all their amazing work on the invitations and place cards. They were super!
-Thanks to my grandparents, Fred and Audrey, for finding the best cheeseboard ever!
- A HUGE thanks to Steven, Joss, Terese and Kirsty who made all the amazing food and let Ian have a free run in choosing and ordering all the food.
- A big thanks to the staff at both Durham Registry office and the Town Hall that made the whole day run without a hitch.
Ian and I had the most amazing day and we are both still smiling now. It was great having so many of our loved ones together for our special day. Thanks to everyone who has sent photos and videos (although some of the dancing ones are quite special!). Its a day that we will just never forget. The ceremony went so well and we were both very emotional, thanks to Dave and Frances for their readings (and to Dave especially for holding it together!).
Our pedicab ride through Durham was amazing and something that I don't think I will ever forget. The meal and the evening reception were brilliant too. Its just a shame that we couldn't have kept dancing for a while longer (not really applicable for the hard core group of us that ended up in Love Shack!).
So really just thanks to everyone who came- it was an amazing day for Ian and I because you were all there to spend it with us! We will never forget it. Thanks for all the messages in the guest book (Mrs Wyemes gets the prize for the best one!), but Alistair, yours made me cry and for all the cards and gifts.
I imagine that the next message will be from Buenos Aires in less than 2 weeks time as we set up for a cracking honeymoon. We will miss everyone- so please do keep in touch!
Lots of love from the new Mr and Mrs Nixon!! xx
PS, we'll try and get some of the comedy dancing video on here when we get a chance!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Final Countdown - Tour of Northumberland
Woohoo! Only a month to go until we head off now. As final preparation we both loaded the bikes up with as much stuff as possible and headed out for Northumberland. The plan - to cycle 200 miles in 4 days to get an idea of exactly what we were letting ourselves in for.
Day1: -
Home - Alnmouth (~50 miles)
Barely twenty minutes into the trip and we hit our first major incident. Cycling along the River Tyne we were faced with two men shouting Geordie. Luckily Gemma deciphered the rant as something close to "Help!". Some crazy had managed to land himself in the river floating downstream, heading for Norway, until I sped off shouting after a rusty old tug to come back and rescue the poor chap. Luckily the captain heard the screams and ignored the "cockney" accent. Back he came and saved the drunk who was out for a morning dip.
"Well, this should be an eventful trip" we thought. And off we went, heading for the coast...
Luckily our plans took us along the coast all day so the route was fairly flat. The bikes felt heavy and the speed was slow. Still, it was a nice day and we met a guy outside Asda in Blyth who was more than happy to hold us up with tales of cycling in Germany, during the war. Apparently the bikes were very different in those days.
Here's Gemma going up a hill. Face cracking as she tries to smile.
Just moments later I got chatted up by another bloke with tales of cycling with his mates in Scotland.
2-0 to Ian for number of crazies.
I may get into trouble for this because this is the Cycle Tourers secret Prayer Dance. To be performed three times each day you ride, it ensures tail winds, no punctures and long downhills.
Day 2: -
Alnmouth - Alwinton (~35 miles)
Sadly, the dance didn't save us from poor decisions.Here's a picture of our way across the river. The stepping stones are normally easy to find. Following major floods they become a bit more difficult to navigate.
This led to an even worse choice of following 'Ian's recovery plan' which menat pushing the bikes through extremely steep fields of knee high grass.
It's supposed to be an adventure!
So after a quick chat with some cows, we found the road again and headed off to Alnwick.
Following a spot of lunch we went straight into the hills of Northumberland. The hills were extremely steep and Gemma was quite close to turning back. Fortunately half way up a big climb the mood changed when a white van sped past and some young punk tossed his half eaten jam sandwich right onto my back.
Clearly happy to see me suffer, Gemma pushed on and we made it to Alwinton.
Our hotel was in beautiful surroundings and the food was excellent. However, we stayed in the garden, in the tent.
Day 3: -
Alwinton - Langley-on-Tyne (~40 miles)
Unfotunately, day 3 was met with rain. Lots of rain. We headed south which meant traversing many valleys and so there were many hills. The ride was very beautiful in places but quite uneventful due to the bad weather. Following a very tiring day we were meant with a monstrous climb from the Tyne valley floor up to Langley. Another badly chosen short cut took us through a very muddy, very steep field which meant lots of pushing and mean faces.
Our efforts were well rewarded with a fine meal at The Carts Bog Inn. A beautiful pub with lovely local ales and absolutely delicious food. Our camp for the night was in the beer garden which was a bog. Ah well.
Day 4: -
Langley - Home (~35 miles)
Again, no pictures of this day. Another huge climb out of the Tyne valley into the North Pennines meant we were both very tired. Especially after the huuuge goats cheese and olive sandwiches (from the pub) we had for breakfast. Yummy! Anyway, as soon as we made it to the top, the road back into Gateshead was downhill, along the Derwent Valley path for a good 10 miles. Along the way I was met by a guy screaming in Dutch out of his car window. As he ground to a halt he baffled on while I looked on in bewilderment. Clearly confused, the guy asked if I was English. "Of course", I replied, much to his amazement. "But you are riding Dutch bikes!?".
"Er.. yeah."
3-0 to Ian for crazies.
Overall, the ride was very good for finding out what to expect. Unfortunately the weather was not great but a good test for us. Gemma says she enjoyed it and the flights haven't been cancelled yet, so hopefully she'll still be coming to South America. She even managed to overtake me on two hills. I was distracted by the llamas of course.
Next time we post on here, we'll be there. I can't wait.
Day1: -
Home - Alnmouth (~50 miles)
Barely twenty minutes into the trip and we hit our first major incident. Cycling along the River Tyne we were faced with two men shouting Geordie. Luckily Gemma deciphered the rant as something close to "Help!". Some crazy had managed to land himself in the river floating downstream, heading for Norway, until I sped off shouting after a rusty old tug to come back and rescue the poor chap. Luckily the captain heard the screams and ignored the "cockney" accent. Back he came and saved the drunk who was out for a morning dip.
"Well, this should be an eventful trip" we thought. And off we went, heading for the coast...
Luckily our plans took us along the coast all day so the route was fairly flat. The bikes felt heavy and the speed was slow. Still, it was a nice day and we met a guy outside Asda in Blyth who was more than happy to hold us up with tales of cycling in Germany, during the war. Apparently the bikes were very different in those days.
Here's Gemma going up a hill. Face cracking as she tries to smile.Just moments later I got chatted up by another bloke with tales of cycling with his mates in Scotland.
2-0 to Ian for number of crazies.
I may get into trouble for this because this is the Cycle Tourers secret Prayer Dance. To be performed three times each day you ride, it ensures tail winds, no punctures and long downhills.
Day 2: -
Alnmouth - Alwinton (~35 miles)
Sadly, the dance didn't save us from poor decisions.Here's a picture of our way across the river. The stepping stones are normally easy to find. Following major floods they become a bit more difficult to navigate.
This led to an even worse choice of following 'Ian's recovery plan' which menat pushing the bikes through extremely steep fields of knee high grass.
It's supposed to be an adventure!
So after a quick chat with some cows, we found the road again and headed off to Alnwick.
Following a spot of lunch we went straight into the hills of Northumberland. The hills were extremely steep and Gemma was quite close to turning back. Fortunately half way up a big climb the mood changed when a white van sped past and some young punk tossed his half eaten jam sandwich right onto my back.
Clearly happy to see me suffer, Gemma pushed on and we made it to Alwinton.
Our hotel was in beautiful surroundings and the food was excellent. However, we stayed in the garden, in the tent.
Day 3: -
Alwinton - Langley-on-Tyne (~40 miles)
Unfotunately, day 3 was met with rain. Lots of rain. We headed south which meant traversing many valleys and so there were many hills. The ride was very beautiful in places but quite uneventful due to the bad weather. Following a very tiring day we were meant with a monstrous climb from the Tyne valley floor up to Langley. Another badly chosen short cut took us through a very muddy, very steep field which meant lots of pushing and mean faces.
Our efforts were well rewarded with a fine meal at The Carts Bog Inn. A beautiful pub with lovely local ales and absolutely delicious food. Our camp for the night was in the beer garden which was a bog. Ah well.
Day 4: -
Langley - Home (~35 miles)
Again, no pictures of this day. Another huge climb out of the Tyne valley into the North Pennines meant we were both very tired. Especially after the huuuge goats cheese and olive sandwiches (from the pub) we had for breakfast. Yummy! Anyway, as soon as we made it to the top, the road back into Gateshead was downhill, along the Derwent Valley path for a good 10 miles. Along the way I was met by a guy screaming in Dutch out of his car window. As he ground to a halt he baffled on while I looked on in bewilderment. Clearly confused, the guy asked if I was English. "Of course", I replied, much to his amazement. "But you are riding Dutch bikes!?".
"Er.. yeah."
3-0 to Ian for crazies.
Overall, the ride was very good for finding out what to expect. Unfortunately the weather was not great but a good test for us. Gemma says she enjoyed it and the flights haven't been cancelled yet, so hopefully she'll still be coming to South America. She even managed to overtake me on two hills. I was distracted by the llamas of course.
Next time we post on here, we'll be there. I can't wait.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Training is a bad idea....
With six months to go before the big trip it was time to think about getting into some sort of reasonable shape. Luckily, working so close to the great mountain biking country of the northern pennines, it was no great deal to find places to clock up precious hours / miles / scars / insurance costs.
A great friend and crazy cycling buddy (Tristan) had convinced me that taking part in a 5 man team for a 24 hour mountain bike race through Grisedale Forest in the Lake District was good practice for tackling the Andes. Foutunately, said race was six months before our leaving date because just 15 minutes into my first lap I caned it around a loose stone corner and slid off the track. Luckily, the small drop of about 50ft was broken by a collision of helmet vs tree stump.
Bizarrely the whole event has stuck clearly in my memory. As soon as the corner came I realised I was going way too fast and tried to correct my line. My actions may have worked had the track been at least just slightly sticky. It just so happened that my timing followed a two week dry spell and therefore there was lots of loose shale. The front wheel did not grip and the corner passed by...
After being dragged out of the bushes it was clear my shoulder was nowhere near where it was supposed to be. Doctors first guess of 6 weeks out proved to be extremely optimistic.
About 10 weeks of physio and many slow, careful rides later, the practice for Los Andes began.
A great friend and crazy cycling buddy (Tristan) had convinced me that taking part in a 5 man team for a 24 hour mountain bike race through Grisedale Forest in the Lake District was good practice for tackling the Andes. Foutunately, said race was six months before our leaving date because just 15 minutes into my first lap I caned it around a loose stone corner and slid off the track. Luckily, the small drop of about 50ft was broken by a collision of helmet vs tree stump.
Bizarrely the whole event has stuck clearly in my memory. As soon as the corner came I realised I was going way too fast and tried to correct my line. My actions may have worked had the track been at least just slightly sticky. It just so happened that my timing followed a two week dry spell and therefore there was lots of loose shale. The front wheel did not grip and the corner passed by...
After being dragged out of the bushes it was clear my shoulder was nowhere near where it was supposed to be. Doctors first guess of 6 weeks out proved to be extremely optimistic.
About 10 weeks of physio and many slow, careful rides later, the practice for Los Andes began.
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