Sleepover at Nana's house!

Faith and Sophia stayed at our house from 5p.m. on Sunday to 5p.m. on Monday giving Gareth and Kyra a free evening to themselves - the first one they have had since the twins arrived.
In this one Faith is getting tired - time for a change of position or a new toy.
They look so grown up now when they have on their fancy clothes rather than babygro suits.
They're really cute now and sitting up unaided.
Sophia is always ready to pose for the camera. What about that runny nose?
Faith laid back as usual. She had to get in eye drops for an infection.
Not sure what is puzzling Sophia here.

Oberammergau.

We have returned from a wonderful holiday taking in the Oberammergau Passion Play and Austria. I have wanted to do this trip for a while and, as the play is performed only every 10 years, this was the year to go. The theatre itself has a capacity of 5,000 and the play is performed over 100 times from April to October. The actors, actresses and all others associated with the production have to either have been born in the town of Oberammergau itself or have lived there for at least 20 years. In some scenes there can be as many as 200 on stage at the one time!
The houses in Oberammergau are very ornate with many murals.
Houses everywhere in both the Bavaria area of Germany, and also Austria, are beautifully decorated with many window boxes and balconies displaying colourful flowers. It makes our own country look drab in comparison. They must spend a lot of time watering their flowers as the overhang of the roof extends out over them.

This was our second hotel - the Hotel Alte Post in the small town of Fieberbrunn in Austria. It was in the main street so the shops were convenient and there were lots of lovely walks around and along the nearby river.
Not far away, and also within walking distance, was the Fieberbrunn cable car. We went up to the first level where we had an icecream and sat in the sunshine to admire the view.
In the nearby village of St. Jacob there was a special celebration called the "almabtrieb" which is when the cows are brought down from the mountain pastures to the farm building for the winter. All the animals are decorated with colourful flowers on their heads. There were musicians and plenty of food and drink on offer. As you can see by the symbols, there is a religious connotation to this as well - I suppose you could liken it to our Harvest Festival in Autumn.
When we had the city tour of Salzsburg, we saw this stately mansion where some of the "Sound of Music" scenes were filmed.
The weather there was lovely with a lot of sunshine.
Unfortunately, when we returned home, it was cold, rainy and blustery. I think the summer short sleeves will have to go away until next year.

More babysitting!

Yesterday I was on my usual babysitting duties as Kyra had to go to get out a wisdom tooth.
She was on a waiting list for Altnagelvin Hospital but the tooth was giving her so much pain she was sent to a specialist dental clinic in Ballymena. She will have to go to Altnagelvin at a later date to get one out on the other side. Above, left to right, Sophia & Faith in very good humour.
Showing off the new outfits Aunty Jill bought for them. Faith in contemplative mood.
Sophia chatting away with arms straight out.
Dad found this thrush on the doorstep this morning. We're not sure what happened to it but it seemed to be stunned and its feathers ruffled up a bit. It sat on the back of the car for a while and then eventually flew off.

The Launch of Cygnet.

Today Fred launched his brand new yacht - Cygnet. it had been scheduled for Friday last but the weather was far too choppy. As it happens today is not good either but it had to go ahead anyway.
There were jobs for everyone as the yacht was gently lowered down the slipway and carefully manoeuvred along and round the jetty.
It was surprising that somebody didn't go in headfirst. The boat was not to touch the pier at all costs!
Once it was safely round, then the intricate job of rigging. It seems to take forever - especially if, like us, you are standing waiting in the cold wind and heavy showers.
It was getting well on to dark when the sails were finally raised and she sailed off towards the Yacht Club. Unfortunately the batteries in my camera were exhausted so I failed to get a photo of the yacht in full sail. Gareth does have one on his camera so I will post it when I get it.

The Glorious Twelfth!

We went to the Twelfth celebrations in Brookeborough today. Rita ,Ray, Robert and I travelled together. We parked on the Fivemiletown side of the village and walked back along the main road. We met lots of people to chat and then we made our way back to the car for a cup of tea.
Soon it was time for the parade to begin so we took our folding chairs out and found a good place to watch. Auntie Ollie came along so I took a photo and told her I was sending it to you.
Hope you enjoy these pictures.

The wedding

I have posted a selection of photos of the wedding - not in chronological order, as you can see.
A piper piped as the bride and groom came up from the boat and walked to the marquee where there was a champagne and canape reception. See the little one following!
Barry with his brother Shay, the best man. Shay was at uni with Keri in Edinburgh and they are still very friendly and keep in touch all the time. He is now a lecturer in occupational therapy in Liverpool.
A closeup shot of the bride, Leeanne, looking radiant of course! Her dress was beautiful.
This is the Whaley family group. Back row - Left, Tara, Leeanne's identical twin sister and extreme right, her older sister, Karen. Centre back is her uncle Derek who gave her away.
The cake was marble cake fully iced with almond icing and fondant. Delicious!
The wedding ceremony was in the Presbyterian Church in Enniskillen then the bridal party travelled to Devenish to get photos taken on the way down to Rossclare. Fifty six of the guests came down in the Kestrel.
The pig was roasting in this large oven at the end of our house when we left to go to the ceremony. Later it was wheeled in and sliced up when we came up for our main course.
Here is the view of the marquee from lower down the garden.
The bridesmaids were dressed in apple green. The theme of the wedding was the orchard and the place names were written on leaves with silver pen and then attached to green apples.
Kyra and the babies were very popular at the wedding. Faith and Sophia never made a noise during the wedding ceremony at the church and later everybody just had to look at them and hold them.
Out for the count again! These weddings are very tiring affairs.

Update

Tomorrow is Barry and Leeanne's wedding. The marquee is up in the garden and it looks really well. The ceremony is in Enniskillen Presbyterian Church and then back to the marquee. There is going to be roast hog! It has been exciting watching all the preparations going on this week.

Dad and I went on a bus trip to the Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra last Saturday. The weather was scorching hot but we managed to walk around most of the area.

New church hall dedication

We had a very successful dedication service yesterday. Lots of food for everyone. Iris and Doreen are part of the catering team.
Mrs Hazel Moore talking to Ray and Robert.
Here is Bishop Michael Jackson talking to Greta Beacom.
My collage of the building process turned out well. The new noticeboard was put in place and I was able to make good use of it.
Dad and Bishop Michael in conversation.
You might be able to spot some familiar faces here - Geoff & Betty, Rita & Ray.
More of the crowd - Bob Cruwys, Helen Ternan, Olive Balfour etc.