Doug & Jodie

On the 28th of March we finally flew out to Australia for the Big Day!!!!! We were both like little kids, so excited!
Our first day back in Aus was spent in cafes with friends and family, me with Fi and Doug with JJ and Mick – soaking up the sunshine!! It was just beautiful weather. I had another hair trial and was really happy with how it looked. Later that night we went to Katy and Angus’ for a BBQ dinner with the family. It was a lovely night, we ended up chatting well into the evening after the kids were put to bed. It was also our first introduction to little Natalie – who is the perfect baby, and we’re not being biased.
Tuesday we headed to Toowoomba. Here we got to check out Mum and Richard’s half built house – looks fantastic!! Also enjoyed some long anticipated meat pies for lunch! We had a great night at Glen Iris catching up.

Wednesday we headed to Yagaburne. This was our chance to spend our last night with Glory and Papa at the property before they move into Gundy in June. M.C, Kerry, Libby and Scott all came over for dinner and as always we enjoyed a home grown roast lamb – yum!
Thursday we got up early (still jet lagged) and went for a walk where we were stalked by the horses. Doug helped Kerry on the property and we took a drive in the Toyota. Before we left we got Glory and Papa to pose for some shots by the Yagaburne sign at the grid – a little emotional but great shots. We headed back to Oakey via Goondimerri and a quick chat with Scott. That night was spent making paper cones for the rose petals and finalising the ever stressful seating plan!!
Friday, Mum and I went for a jog (mum jogged 100m and I met her on my way back) – jogging in the bush with the silence is so beautiful. Then we left Doug at Glen Iris while we hit the shops in Toowoomba. Boxes of bubbles, earrings for bridesmaids, printed paper etc. Later we arrived back at the ranch. On dusk we headed back to Brissie and dinner with Liz.
Saturday Doug headed off early to meet the boys for his bucks day! Scott, Mick and Shane met Doug at Victoria Park for a game of golf and then met up with the rest of the boys at the Normanby for lunch – apparently this was a fairly tame day and night but a long one, they got to the hotel around 10pm.
My Hens started off with Fi, Lou, Mum, Greets and I having foot massages in James Street – there were lots of giggles involved as the wooden stick they use on your toes was closer to torture than relaxation. Then we enjoyed lunch at Depot in the Emporium where I presented the girls with their bridesmaid gifts – earrings, brooches for their dresses and seamless undies!! Of course Louise led the way with a series of photos in the cafe with the girls stretching out these undies for all to see! Then we checked out mums dress in the boutique – stunning! From here we met up with Rose, Carissa, Alicia, Janey, Jo, Erica at the Metro Arts Centre in Edward St. For a life drawing class – nude drawing!! It was so much fun, Greets arranged for champagne and it was such an original idea. It was hard to refrain from giggling and making rude comments as he wasn’t the prettiest of men.
Afterwards we walked to Agrita’s apartment at Aurora (mum was picked up by a bucks party along the way!). Jace, Liz and Al joined us here. The views were stunning and once again Greets had gone to a big effort to have champagne flowing and food prepared. From here we trotted off to Jade Buddha for dinner and a bit of dancing. Fi and Janey dared me to collect 5 condoms in 5 minutes from men within the bar – after desperate pleading I managed only to get 2 (from the same guy – who then wouldn’t leave us alone!) – all other men said they don’t use protection , nice! After another dare to dance the robot on the dance floor Greets and I walked home – me to our rented apartment where all the other casualties were asleep. It was a fabulous hens night and more than I ever expected – huge thanks to my maid of honour , Greets!!!
Sunday mum, Lou, Fi, Doug and I went to Depot (again) for breakfast. Later that afternoon we enjoyed lunch with Katy, Gus, John and the kids at Liz’s place.
Monday the 7th April (4 days until W day!!!). Today Doug and I attended our pre-marital counselling. We were more than reluctant to go but in the end it was nice to re-confirm how well we really do communicate and also we took away an important point – to take some time out with our mums prior to the wedding day to reassure them they are still incredibly important to us and always will be. Later we headed out to the DFO in Jindalee to visit Fi at her store. Coincidently Lou and Andrew were there visiting too so we had an unplanned lunch together ?
Tuesday 8th of April (3 days to W day!!!). This morning Doug took Liz out for some mum time and coffee. At midday mum arrived and her Doug and I set off for Noosa – yay!! We picked up the keys to our huge 5 bedroom house in Witta Circle and moved in! The house was fabulous and the fun we had over the next few days provided so many memories we will never forget ? Later that afternoon Lou, Andrew and Fi arrived – we danced to some great 80’s classics (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) and stayed up late making names place cards!
Wednesday 9th April (2 days!!!) OMG! This morning Mum, Fi and I went for a walk in the rain. We spent the rest of the morning at Sails restaurant organising final details with Carly – she was fabulous! Then we hit the shops! Meanwhile Doug and Andrew were watching movies and grocery shopping – a good start the marriage I think. Later that afternoon Mum, Me, Lou and Fi headed off for our spray tans – this was mums first ever, lots of girly fun. Later that evening Richard, Glory and Papa arrived at the house. Lou and Andrew made home-made pizzas – yum!
Thursday 10th April (24 hours!). This morning Doug & I got up early and took a stroll along the beach before having breakfast on the beachfront – a nice moment to reflect on where we’ve come from and the importance of the next day. Then Fi, Lou and I headed off for our manicures and my pedicure. The funniest part being Lou getting her stubby nails painted and then bumping them before they were dry – the girl was not impressed… Later that day we checked into the Sheraton and then headed to the church for the rehearsal. A few really bad jokes later from Father John we kicked on to the Noosa Surf club for dinner with most of the family and some friends. Some of us moved on Cato’s at the Sheraton to catch-up with the gang – Erica, Rob, Michael, Jo, Alicia, Graham, Darren, Angus and Carissa – cocktails! Lou and Fi dragged me off to the hotel at 10pm.

March 2007:

It had been 4 months since we had seen my mum and Richard and the time for their visit came around so quickly! After we organised a car to pick them up from Heathrow they arrived on our doorstep in Tower Bridge Road. Full of stories from their African safari we dragged them down to the Borough Markets to see all the amazing fresh food, picked up some Dutch cheese then walked along the Thames, past the HMS Belfast, the Tower Bridge and into Shad Thames. That night we saw ‘the Sound of Music’ at the London Palladium – despite mum falling asleep from jetlag it was one of the best musicals I have ever seen. The set was incredible, a whole mountain was suspended above the stage. The actress who played Maria was selected from a public T.V competition, she was brilliant but the Mother Superior really stole the show with her voice.

The next day we ventured over to Portobello Rd in search of mum’s long desired silver tea caddy (it took a while for us to actually understand what this was, but it wasn’t long before we were all searching for one – stopping in tiny towns all over Ireland at random antique stores). On Portobello Rd we stumbled across one of mum’s old local pubs, it was pretty surreal to be sitting with her in it 30 years later. Later that day we went to St. James’ park, walked past Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.

Left to their own devices while Doug and I were at work, Mum and Richard found their way around London. Monday night they met me at work to see the view from our office then we headed to the Princess Louise for a drink.

I started my leave on Thursday of that week. Mum, Richard & I went to Harrods for tea and scones – yum! Richard left to visit a relative and mum and I shopped down Kensington High St. Later that day we met, Richard and Doug at the London Eye – I went on the eye a couple of years ago with Fi – this time we went at sunset and the sky was unusually clear.

On Friday morning, we all got up early dragged our bad to London bridge and then caught the Gatwick Express to the Airport. At Manchester airport we picked up our car and drove to Newby Bridge where we were staying at the Southern end of Lake Windermere in the Lake District. The Hotel was a gorgeous Tudor Style house right on the river, The Swan Hotel. It had gorgeous rooms and lounges with fire places. We spent the afternoon in Bowness and Windermere – eating lunch on pier looking out over the lake and walking along the water watching the swans. I bought mum a cute little tea pot for her birthday, they came in all shapes and styles, this one was a little green Aga with a cat sleeping on it – maybe a substitute for the Aga mum dreams of in her new kitchen.

The next day we drove through Bowness, Windermere where I bought a marquisette brooch from an antique store, something I’ve wanted for a while. Then up to Ambleside and on to Grassmere where Doug and Richard watched the rugby in a pub while mum and I found a great chocolate shop! That night we fulfilled mums cravings for fish ‘n’ chips and ate in Windermere.

On Sunday we flew from Manchester to Belfast. From Belfast we drove North to the Giants Causeway – great cliffs and rock formations along the far Nth coast of Ireland, a wet windy day, Mum and Richard opted for the bus back up the cliffs while Doug and I soaked up the fresh air and the space outside London. That evening we stayed in Derry.

The following day we drove down through county Derry to county Donegal in on the West Coast of Ireland, leaving the Nth and entering the Republic momentarily – which stumped us when we tried to put pounds into the parking meter instead of cents (Euro). Here we visited Donegal castle in Donegal – a quaint little castle. We drove back into Northern Ireland and stayed in a B&B where I could barely understand the lady in Kells – where the book of Kells was written. We went into town and enjoyed a meal at the Vanilla Pod – so far we’ve eaten dessert every night on holidays and had an English Breakfast every morning!

On Tuesday we drove into Dublin. Here we booked into our handy hotel right in Temple Bar (Sth of the River Liffey). We visited the book of Kells and the Long Room Library in Trinity College, then hopped on a tour bus to the Guinness brewery where mum and I enjoyed G&T’s in the bar overlooking Dublin while Richard and Doug did the brewery tour and enjoyed their free pint of Guinness in the Sky Lounge with 360 degree views of the city. Back on the bus with our driver Paddy, we went through the Royal Gardens, past the presidents house and then back along the Liffey past the Ha’ Penny Bridge and back to Temple Bar. That night we enjoyed a few drinks in the Temple Bar.

On Wednesday we travelled across from Dublin to the far West in County Galway to the Connemarra region (where fly fishing rules). We checked into our castle, Ballynahinch Castle where we were given gorgeous rooms with four poster beds, personal sitting rooms and powder rooms and a walk in robe!! Doug and I set off for a stomp through the forest, the silence was deafening – so strange to be able to hear yourself think! The River rushed past the castle and the Lake nearby was so still and peaceful, a highlight of the trip. That evening we met mum and Richard in the castle pub for a drink by the fireplace and then moved into the Rosette winning restaurant where we had the most amazing fine dining experience, truly extravagant! We finished the night in the sitting room with port and Irish coffees and little chocolates – in all very indulgent!!

On Thursday we enjoyed room service breakfast and then walks in the forest again. It was hard to leave the castle, but we drove down to the Cliffs of Moher, stopping in a quaint village for lunch. The cliffs have had some developments since I was there a year and a bit ago, the pathways are now more tourist friendly but this didn’t stop Doug and I from venturing past the warning signs and onto the old worn pathways on the very edge of the cliffs. From here we drove down and by passed Limerick by taking a car ferry across the bay. We ended the day in Killarney and enjoyed a pub meal.

Friday we drove out to Muckross House with its’ elegant gardens on the Lake – ancient old trees loomed over us, it was a really magical place. Then we drove to Kenmare which is at the beginning of the Ring of Kerry – a cute town where we had the yummiest scones! Then we drove onto Blarney where we each kissed the Blarney Stone supposed to give you the gift of the gab, not sure if Doug needs that one  I’ve done this twice now and have seen no effect but I lead the way to show mum how its done. You have to sit at the very top of the castle with your back facing a hole in the floor where you can see the ground low below, then you flip backwards toward the wall on the other side and kiss a small stone. Then we drove up to Roscrea in central Ireland to visit Richards family. We stayed in a B&B here and enjoyed a great night of laughs and good craic with some local Irish folk, Doug was in his element talking about Africa and generally having a good time.

Saturday (St. Patrick’s Day) we said good bye to Richards family, firstly visiting an ancient Abbey in a nearby field. Then we drove down Kilkenny, dropping Doug and Richard off at a pub in time for the start of the 6 nations finals. Mum and I checked into Butler House (where the women of Kilkenny castle used to live when they were kicked out of the castle after their husbands died). Mum and I later met up with the boys in the pub and watched the Irish reduced to tears when France won – the atmosphere was electric – watching the Irish play rugby in an Irish pub on St. Pats day with local Irish people!

On Sunday we drove up to Dublin and flew back to London. It was an amazing trip and a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel with my mum. It was so hard to say goodbye on Monday – I won’t see her until October. Now that she has gone I realise how good it was to have her here with us. Now I’m looking forward to having Fi here in June/July. Miss you mum! Thanks to both of you for coming all this way to see us and relieving the homesickness for a while.