Love is in the air and the flowers do bloom...

Lovely to see Max and Kate again this weekend. They're getting married here in September and were up to have another wander around. The sun shone until we had the biggest thunderstorm ever which brought with it lashings of rain for about half an hour. Afterwards the air was clean and fresh and the garden seemed to jump into life again. I love weather!

It's a nice day for a white wedding.

Enjoyed catching snippets of the Royal wedding today. And showing people around on a day when the sun just shone and shone.

Laura is getting married here in August and came for another visit today prior to her return to America. Finn the collie I think will be playing an important part on the day!

Happy birthday to me!

Enjoying a day at home on the East coast.

A fabulous Easter weekend here at Lunga

This weekend has been a delight. Bed and breakfast guests in Lunga House, bride and grooms enjoying a chance to have a look around and chat and eat cake, friends popping by to say hello, handsome photographer Nick Kirk (he will so hate me for saying that!) spending time here at Easter with  his lovely wife and little girl - and dropping in some fab new brochures.

Then supper in The Lord of The Isles down at the marina - where the friendliest people in the whole wide world look after you and bring you wonderful food - the menu is genuinely to die for just now and we watched the local fishing boat bringing in some of the biggest lobster that I've seen in ages.

And then a visit to my friends newly re-opened art gallery on the windy road towards Tayvallich - fabulous hand-crafted pieces by Kate, her mum and her dad, and some very talented local crafts people.

Wine, chocolate and large pots of tea. A pretty perfect weekend in all!!

Our lovely natural arbor - today a tunnel of fun for a wee boy and I. But also the perfect aisle outdoors.

Newly mown lawns

Mossy walls and down to the pond

Lovely Andrew and Anne who are thinking of getting married here next year and whose tale behind Anne's unique engagement ring made me cry. Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. Special.

Lucy Loose's pony and Easter bunny on display at Studio Barn Argyll

The handsome Nick Kirk - whose photography is wonderful and he grew up in the area and got married here and loves any excuse to come back to this very special part of the world.

Friends dropping by.

Playing in the garden

More lovely craft and cake from Studio Barn Argyll

Some of Kate MacDonald's beautiful felt art

Making things

Chickens at  Studio Barn Argyll

Little people and large people eating cake and strawberries because without chocolate where would we be.

Our lovely Bohemian wedding- it all comes together.

looking forward to  a wonderful day.

I had coffee with Jenny (our lovely Bohemian bride) recently and enjoyed the chance to browse her photo album, which comprises lovely pictures from friends and family - edited by artist Jenny. Her wedding to Neil was wonderful, and relaxed and flexible and one in which everyone entered into the spirit. Jenny is now expecting a baby, and is really looking forward to its arrival (get that nursery finished, girl!) and so in honour of a lovely cup of tea I thought I would share with you some more of her fabulous photographs of the day!

'We couldn't believe our luck when we found that Lunga House was available for the date we wanted to hold our wedding.  We had holidayed in the area before and sailed out of Craobh Haven and knew that Lunga would be the perfect location for the wedding.  

some nipping and tucking

 I jokingly referred to the theme of wedding as rustic bohemian victoriana and wanted it to be a really laidback and relaxed weekend.  Meg and Les and all the staff at Lunga were so accomodating in every way in helping us create exactly the wedding we wanted.  It actually took a lot of effort and planning to create the casual event we were after and Meg paid close attention to my endless lists of details: she really went above and beyond in making the weekend very special indeed.

The circle of love!

I really wanted to get married outside however it was raining in the morning and I assumed we would have it in the house.  When the time for the ceremony was approaching, and if truth be told we were not entirely ready, Meg encouraged me to hold off and sure enough the sun came out and I had the outdoor wedding I'd dreamed of.  My close friends played guitar and sang 'Wild Mountain Thyme' and the guests all joined in as the bridesmaids, my dad and I came in under the ribboned rose trellises into the garden. 

Bridesmaids

Seriously stylish 

Take a moment 

A little music

We're married!

On our own

Getting ready

Mum and I

Our Indian marquee

A little glass of something

My lovely lovely dress

Happy

And happier

The girls

My veil

 My beautiful vintage dress was re-worked by my Aunt - a vintage veil became sleeves, my mothers wedding dress of white cotton seersucker was incorporated into the design and my veil belonged to my great great grandmother's on my mother's side. 

My bohemian cake

the girls

loving the brogues

My lovely friends

 All of our friends still talk about how magical a location Lunga house is and are all desperate for a reason to come back.  We were all able to hang out and relax on the Sunday with a fantastic BBQ in the garden and then a chilled out night in the pub.  

The wedding was perfect in every way and I couldn't recommend Lunga more as a wedding venue - it really is a hidden treasure. '

Reflection

It's a beautiful day...

The sun has arrived and Lunga is looking fabULOUS. Really. The daffodils are everywhere and we have a buttercup lawn which will disappear once mown, but which looks lovely lovely lovely today.

I've been showing people around and eating cake, which is a very enjoyable way to spend a day. And Alison and Stuart, who are getting married here in October, came back for another wander - this time with their lovely daughter Katie and Katie's 3 month old baby daughter, Ruby. Ruby is such a pretty name.

Alison is pretty well organised - She's booked Lorne MacDougall for the ceilidh in the evening and her wedding cake is being made by the fabulous Oban Chocolate House. Have I mentioned before how much I love their cakes. Proper chocolate. That smells like chocolate. And makes you want to drown in its deliciousness. Yum. Yum. And uber yum!

They have asked me to do their photography for them - their style is very relaxed, which makes me very relaxed. Menus aren't finalised yet, but we have got the sense of the kind of food that they most enjoy. Seasonal. Local. Generous.

It was lovely to see them again, and to get to know their families a little.

Alison and daughter Katie

Daughter Katie with Ruby

Alison and Stuart

Alison and Stuart. In the sun. Wonderful

little Ruby

Daughter Katie

Ruby's lovely little cosy toes

The sun going down

The view from the track up to Lunga today. Really. Truly. Stunning.

Some travel advice for our Irish guests!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPyl2tOaKxM