The ceremony took place in Kenilworth Castle’s Gatehouse, and was followed by a meal at our favourite eatery from when we were dating.  The day was rounded off with dancing at Leamington Dance Centre where we were joined by friends from dancing and work.

We’d like to share the video of the day with all our friends and family.

Wedding Ceremony – Kenilworth Castle

Wedding Dinner – Orange Tree, Chadwick End

Wedding Dance at Leamington Dance Centre

The nice touch was that the men’s categories received medals with the image of a male skater.  A photo of this will be added shortly, a picture of the very large cup can be found below.

My programme was changed shortly before the competition in order to meet the requirements of the Bronze category event and to reflect some of the jumps I’d been learning recently.  Salchow Loop jump was always a challenge and unfortunately it didn’t quite go right on the day.  I also forgot part of my step sequence, but most annoyingly messed up my first spin.  However I may be being too hard on myself as my marks were good compared to other skaters.

The competition was followed by a Skate Camp in the afternoon which was both challenging and enjoyable.

Donal MacIntyre, who continues to skate following his appearance on Dancing on Ice, performed the presentations.

The competition was well organised and I enjoyed the day, especially as I won the Pre-Bronze category.

I surprised myself and won Silver, and relaxed after my event to watch the other skaters compete, all of whom performed to a really high standard.  Despite the long day and the nerves prior to competeing I had a great time and really enjoyed myself.  I hope to return next year…

I skated in a custom made outfit made by Joanne at Bunny Hop Skatewear.  Photos from the competition are below, the video can be viewed here: video.

I decided that it would be fun to try to skate, having only been on the ice once before as a child (I couldn’t skate then so what made me think to try in the middle of a crowded shopping centre I will never know).  With no tuition, or idea of what I was doing, I stepped onto the ice  spurred on by my own determination to make my way around the rink without having to hold onto the barrier.

After a lot of effort I was able to make my way around without holding onto the barrier, although my feet were in agony due to me relying entirely on the inside edge of my blades.

The rink was very quiet and so a lot of very friendly shoppers that had stopped to watch those of us mad enough to step onto the ice were talking to me and giving me advice as I struggled round the rink.

Despite the sheer look of fear and concentration I did have fun, as you may be able to tell from at least one of the photos below.  I also met some very nice, helpful and friendly Canadians during the hour or so that I was on the ice.  More importantly, it started my interest in a new hobby, and one which has become very addictive.

I learnt to ride horses (western style) in Austin, thanks to colleague trying to teach me once.  I’ve seen more Country Music acts than anywhere else I’ve visited (with the exception of the Music Festival in Nashville).  For many years Austin was somewhere I wanted to move to, it’s still a great place and I love it but life moves on and goals change.

This trip was just for two weeks for work, however I did manage to get out to the Salt Lick and County Line and my favorite bar… the Broken Spoke on South Lamar.  More importantly I took two-step dance lessons – for the first time, and made a new friend.

I’m still dancing now that I’m back in the UK, but now it’s Rock ‘n’ Roll dancing… two-step is difficult to find in the UK

My free weekend in Austin was used to explore a little more of the Hill Country that surrounds Austin, including Enchanted Rock and Gruene.  I was lucky enough to see the Derailers play at Gruene Hall on the Saturday night.  On Sunday I decided to cool off from the Texas heat in Inner Space Caverns located just at the side of I-35 north of Austin.

A selection of photos from my most recent trip can be found in the Austin 2007 Photo Album.  A small selection of photos from my two month visit in 2003, including pictures of me learning to ride horses can be found here.  This site also includes a selection of other photos from my time in Texas.

My hotel was located on the main street in Pigeon Forge which is lined by a mix of discount stores, outlet malls and various themed restaurants and attractions.  In short, not somewhere I would return to!  Next time I’d stay in nearby Gatlinburg.

Dollywood was not quite what I was expecting.  There were some good country themed shows and some good bluegrass musicians.  However, most of the theme park was aimed at very young children – so I didn’t really fit in.  There were however some very good Dolly Parton museums, that showed where and how she grew up as well as a collection of memorabilia and awards.

The Smoky Mountain National Park was much more interesting with some great scenery and nice leisurely drives including Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and Cades Cove Loop Road.  Roaring Fork was very quiet and peaceful with few visitors which made for a very relaxing Sunday morning visiting some of the old farm buildings left by early settlers to the area.

Cades Cove is one of the most popular tours so was a little busier but was still very good.  The highlight of the drive was seeing a bear with cubs in a field.  I only had a compact camera with me so the photos are not great but can be found in the gallery below: