Transport

The wedding ceremony takes place at Morpeth Town Hall (http://www.morpethtowncouncil.org.uk/location.htm).  

Please arrive at the Town Hall for 11:45 as the wedding will start at 12:00.  If you intend to come by car please note that parking is very difficult on a saturday morning.  There is a car park at the leisure centre behind the town hall as well as parking at Morrison's supermarket.  

If you wish you can join us earlier at The Stables as a bus will leave from there at 11:00am.  Do let me know if you want to take this option.

After the ceremony we will take everyone without transport back to The Stables in a couple of buses.

Late night transport:

The party will finish at midnight and as we are in the middle of the countryside it is wise to book your taxi in advance.  In order to keep costs down it would be a good idea to share cabs and people carriers, especially if you are staying in Newcastle.  So if you could please let me know where you are staying, then I can put you in touch with others who will be heading in the same direction and we can maybe get things organised a bit ahead of time. 

Below are some numbers of friendly taxi companies and we will have these numbers printed for you to use on the day as well.  

I hope that's all clear.  Please email me with any questions.

Party Venue address:

The Stables

Brinkburn Priory

Longframlington

NE65 8AR

TAXIS

Phoenix Taxis

Morpeth - (01670) 333 000

www.phoenixtaxis.net

Caisley Cabs: 

0800 118 5018 / 07753 746113

www.caisleycabsmorpeth.co.uk

A&B Minibus & Taxis

01670 790463

Castle Taxis

01670 519898

www.taxismorpeth.co.uk

The Poem and more Edward Lear information

In case you are wondering what this business about an Owl and a Pussy-Cat is all about...

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

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The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!"	Contemporary Illustrator: Donna L. Derstine

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl, How charmingly sweet you sing! Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?" They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the bong-tree grows; And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood, With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose, His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will." So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand on the edge of the sand They danced by the light of the moon, The moon, The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.

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The Owl and the Pussycat - 1871 - by Edward Lear

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About the Author:EDWARD LEAR - b1812 London, England--d.1888,Italy The twentieth child of Jeremiah Lear, a London stockbroker, and his wife Ann, Lear grew up to become a prolific writer as well as a talented artist of both landscapes and birds . Lear also gave drawing lessons to Queen Victoria of England. Lear was particularly enchanted with nonsense poetry, and devoted a number of his books to collections of such poems as this;

Portrait by Wilhelm Marstrand

There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, 'It is just as I feared! Two Owls and a Hen, Four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard!'

Lear is perhaps best known for his whimsical poem, The Owl and the Pussycat.
Edward Lear had begun to pen the sequel, The Children of The Owl and the Pussycat, but sections of the poem still remained incomplete at the time of his death in 1888. The portion that was complete, was published posthumously (meaning, after his death) in 1938.

It begins;

The Children of the Owl and the Pussycat
Our mother was the Pussy-cat,
our father was the Owl,
And so we're partly little beasts
and partly little fowl,

The brothers of our family
have feathers and they hoot,
While all the sisters dress in fur
and have long tails to boot.

The Edward Lear website will let you learn more about this writer.

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About the Illustrator: Donna L. Derstine

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The Owl and the Pussycat by: Donna L. Derstine (1959 - ) A painter in the American Primitive Style, Donna grew up in rural Buck's County, Pennsylvania where the countryside reflects an early American vista with stone farmhouses and barns, rolling pastures and working farms. Her mother instilled a creative sensibility in viewing the world and that influence along with the artist's love of animals and nature, became woven into her art at an early age. Donna's art can be found in many commercial art galleries . This charming image would be a delightful addition to a child's room.

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VOCABULARY:
Antique Words: "runcible"
The term runcible appears in English for the first time in E. Lear's nonsense verse. As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the word has taken on a life of its own.The Oxford English Dictionary2 on CD-ROM © Copyright Oxford University Press 1994 provides this definition and citations:

runcible, adjective. A nonsense word used by Edward Lear in runcible cat, hat, etc., and esp. in runcible spoon, in later use applied to a kind of fork used for pickles, etc., curved like a spoon and having three broad prongs of which one has a sharp edge. E. Lear 1871 Owl & Pussy-Cat in Nonsense Songs They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon.

five-pound note: This is money. The Owl and the Pussycat took some money along with them to buy things when they traveled. Here are two versions of an English Five Pound Note. The one on the left is from 1935. The one on the right is a more recent bill which has Queen Elizabeth of England on the front , and on the reverse side is The Duke of Wellington b.1769 - d.1852 .

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The Basics..

Here some practical basics that you might find useful in planning your trip:

THE WEDDING

The wedding will take place on Saturday the 20th of August at 12:00 (noon) at Morpeth Town Hall. The full address is: Morpeth Town Council, Morpeth Town Hall, Market Place, Morpeth, NE61 1LZ.

Parking is near impossible on a Saturday (market day). Please let us know where you are staying so that we can organise the transport.

THE PARTY

The reception/party will take place at 'The Stables' in Brinkburn, right next door to Brinkburn Priory. You can plan your route here. As you can see on this Google map we are in the middle of nowhere but fear not as we are only approx 30 mins away from the airport and Newcastle city centre.

Children are very welcome and we are planning a fun party programme for them (away from their partying parents...). The festivities may include a treasure hunt so please don't go mad on the frilly dresses and include a warm jumper and perhaps some wellies..

TRAVEL

We are within easy reach of the airport and Newcastle city centre (30 mins). This website explains the various travel options and also list taxi numbers etc. Check train times on good old National Rail. Do let us know if you need any help though as we may be able to organise some carpooling!

ACCOMMODATION

We are staying at 'The Stables' so that we can roll into bed as and when.. The little ones can crash out upstairs for a few hours so that you don't have to head off at 8pm!

As I mentioned in my email there is a walled garden / field within close walking distance from the venue where people can camp. There are toilets on site but no showers. Provided there is not a massive uptake of this offer, those of you who want to camp can take a shower in the house. Please let us know if you would like to consider this - you will not be alone!

Other suggestions for accommodation are as follows:

The Orchard House B+B Rothbury: http://www.orchardhouserothbury.com/

Tomlinsons bunkhouse and cafe is bog standard but brand new, family rooms cheap with bunk beds and clean bathrooms in Rothbury: http://tomlinsonsrothbury.co.uk/default.aspx

Woodhead holiday cottages are nearest: http://www.woodheadholidaycottages.co.uk/

Anglers arms pub has rooms and is one mile away: http://www.anglersarms.com/

Embleton Hall Hotel is a nearby old country house hotel 3 star but very friendly: http://www.embletonhall.com/

Linden Hall Hotel: http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/LindenHall/

You may be lucky and grab a place at Thistleyhaugh farm which is just across the river.

THE DAY AFTER...

We are staying at 'The Stables' for the whole week after and it would be great to see you the next day for a stroll along the river, a game of football or a glass of Disprin..

'O let us be married! Too long we have tarried..'

Dear friends and family

We are delighted that you can make it to our wedding this summer. Here we will post anything you need to know for the Big Day.

If you can't find what you are looking for please email or call Saskia: saskiavr@hotmail.co.uk, mobile: 07747758855.