School's Out

The wedding event yesterday was so overwhelming in terms of emotion that it's taken a few days to assimilate the memories. The bride and bridesmaids started getting ready at 5am (the boys a lot later, of course) with the party going on until well after 1am. It was a very long day for some.

Reflecting back, I'm in complete awe of Shenny's organisational skills to have pulled the whole spectacle together on the day. She was in wedding-planner mode almost up until the start of the ceremony! Her attention to detail is extraordinary - even down to the arrival of a huge thunderstorm, during the meal and between speeches, to cool everyone down and add a little drama to proceedings. There were so many beautiful little touches and flourishes. For example, each table was identified by a placard depicting a particular scene from Roam and Shenny's travels, hand-painted with the story on the reverse. I heard about one particular adventure from Belize for the very first time!

The mother of the groom acted as celebrant and S somehow managed to hold it all together during the ceremony. She included the same words (from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet) that we included in our vows when we got married in Colorado. We may no longer be married to each other, but we like to think we've always upheld those vows, albeit in a rather unconventional way. It was lovely to have E alongside me as very much part of this family.

Forrest and I took a short run along the beach before we checked out from the wedding venue hotel at Bentota to take a hired coach to Mirissa. We only just about managed to squeeze in with all our luggage. Little fold-out seats were used to accommodate people in the aisle. I'd never seen that before. We took a stop en route to see the fort at Galle with a view of the famous cricket club, the scene of many a great test match, quite a few of which I've watched on TV. It was something of a pilgrimage. Standing on the fort, soaked in heat and humidity, looking across to the pitch, trying to imagine what it must feel like to be batting in such conditions, I felt bad about ever bemoaning an English snick-off to the slips. How is it even possible to play a big innings when the sun is beating down on you with such intensity? Astonishing.

White is the national school uniform, for all ages, it seems. Whenever we've been on the road in the early afternoon, we've witnessed the streets filled with children dressed in all white, bar different coloured ties, invariably smiling or laughing. It brings me joy every time I see them. They're always spotless too. I can't stop thinking about the burden of all those Mum's doing the laundry every day!