(if you can't be bothered to read all of this you can skip to the thank-yous and links to pictures below)
On a Friday morning, a few weeks ago, I was starting to stress out about my coming presentation on Monday (why hasn't my supervisor emailed me or anything!??)... when Bean, Celine, Jen and Giulia were suddenly behind me, putting on a blindfold and handcuffs!! Oh dear.. I tried: "but my presentation...", Alas, there was no mercy...
Uh oh O_o ... I thought the hen party was going to be another day!? I guess I can do my presentation over the weekend, should be ok... Hey this will be fun, with Bean, Celine, Jen and Giulia!
They took me in a rented car, and allowed me to see, because it was
me who would lead them to where-ever we were going. Soon I discovered the destination was the Peak District. Mmmm Bean knows I love that place, and there is loads to do... sounds like fun! Maybe we'll go canoing for a day? Some survival action maybe?
We arrive in
Tideswell, probably a cute town but I can't see it - they've put the blindfold back on. Giulia and Celine are with me as I sit on a bench waiting for... waiting for what actually? Celine starts to bug me with a blade of grass out of boredom, when finally, they say, I am allowed to take of my blindfold.
By that time I've imagined we're near some field, maybe I'll see some sheep, maybe some... then the light is a bit blinding but I am sure I could just see Janneke... and my mum... and OH MY GOD THEY'RE ALL HERE!!!! and Anne, Aline, Shireen, Janneke and my mum have come flying over here for my Hen Party? No way! Woooow this is unbelievable!
There they are laughing at my surprised face, the meanies ;-)Surely all this is not going to be just for a day?! Giulia let something slip in the car about the weekend - maybe we're all going to stay here for a weekend! I still don't get any more information but I'm too excited to care and have to hug everyone.
me hugging my mum, one of the culpritsWe're calming down and have some lunch on the spot, in the middle of this indeed very cute village. Bit of a weird spot, and apparently it amuses some of the villagers as well, but we're having such a delicious lunch with the best girls in the world that we don't care :).
lunch in the middle of TideswellApparently this spot was chosen carefully, because after half an hour a bus stops right next to us (not that I noticed), my friends grin at me while i wonder "uh oh.. do I get another blindfold now?", but oh I am so wrong again: it's KATJA AND FAY!!! coming all the way from Glasgow!! This is awesome... I have never met Fay yet, she's the cutest baby ever, and has the coolest mum ever, Katja! This is sooo exciting... can't believe that Bean has done all of this without me knowing!
I'll get you Celine!
I still don't know the plans at this point - it better be a more than one day thing now, Bean wouldn't be so cruel to send everyone back home after one day... Then we leave the village again by car, leaving Celine, Katja and Fay behind. But but... are they not coming? what's happening now, Bean, can we not do something where they could all join us too...? But i am shushed, and taken away to somewhere nearby to a farm. When I step out, i see a red car with a Dutch number plate. Oh that must be my mum's rented car, I thought. Ehmm... but wait a sec, that would have to be a British car then, you dumb ass, I think... That's the car of Ad, Maya's partner, and there is Maya too!! hurray, how cool that she's here with us too! We've done some nice hikes together recently in the Peaks now she lives in Manchester. Ad was only visiting her for a few weeks, and now she's leaving him for a weekend to be on my Hen Weekend?! This is nuts!
At
the two barns that we're apparently renting for a weekend, we can calm down a bit and enjoy the beautiful and picturesque place. What a great find! The place is running on renewable energy where possible, and recycles everything. Showers are really luxurious for a holiday cottages, and the whole place a such a cozy (gezellig! :) feel to it, while being brand new.
the hens outside the hen houseAnd there were even Jay, Pat and Jo, to make the group complete (though I had accepted by now that my sister flying from New Zealand for a weekend was probably not one of the remaining surprises :( ). This is going to be fun!!
And it was.. the whole weekend was perfect, gezellig, we had excellent sunny weather (probably to make up for the fact that it going to rain on the wedding day), made a beautiful hike, evenings were full of more funny, embarrassing, and exciting presentations, presents and discussions, food was delicious, juggling has become my new anti-stress hobby (I can almost do it continuously Janneke!)... and and and .. aah *sigh*. Wish we could do it again next weekend :)
Jay joins the girls at the naughty bench
Janneke and Maya: guess the saying!
Katja the kitchen-princess and supermum cooking pancakes!ah.. and the presentation? - rescheduled to the next week :)
Thanks so much to all of you, Celine, Giulia, Jen, mama, Aline, Anne, Janneke, Shireen, Katja & Fay (+ Rob for the card!), Maya (and Ad for driving her!!) Pat&Jay, Jo, and Jon (for packing my bag without my help, for knowing so well what I need - all the women were jealous! ;-)
But the most of all the thanks go to BEAN, the incredible self-effacing and humble greatest organiser of the best parties of the world. ( <- full stop, no exclamation mark, no high-pitched voice here, but a serious statement.) Don't know how you pull it off every time, Bean, you're such a bottom-less source of inspiration.
Bean practicing with FayBIG KISS TO ALL OF YOU AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE YOU ALL BACK AT THE WEDDING!!!!
links to the pictures (let me know if you have more):
Greet and Bean's pics (some videos there too)
Janneke's picsand
Aline's snazzy black and white pics!
