You might think the are an odd combination, but they go together in a bank holiday weekend quite well. Last weekend, we went to the wedding of James and Catherine. James is a mate from work. It was one of those picture perfect weddings, the church service was a good length and looked fantastic. After which we moved onto the reception, which was held at Addington palace. Don't be fooled by the name, it is nothing like the suburb in Christchurch. Lots of people, dancing and more food and booze then you could know what to do with. Congratulations guys.

The next day we drove across to Wales, staying with Steve and Jane (Congratulations on the engagement by the way!!). From here we made our way across to Coopers Hill, Gloucester. This is where the traditional cheese rolling competition is held. Back in the day, farmers used to race down the hill to determine who could use the hill for grazing. Now it is chaotic spectacle for competitors and spectators alike. Over four races, a special guest rolls a large (approx 30cm diameter) locally made cheese down the hill. Then 20-25 competitors tear off down the hill in hot pursuit, crashing, tumbling and basically just falling down the hill. The hill is so steep; people trying to traverse across it afterwards would end up falling down the hill. Over the four races 5 people were carted to hospital for various injuries. Why didn't we go in it? Well we wanted to, but.. we slept in, meaning we arrived just as the first race begun. In true European fashion, it was packed, over 4000 spectators and each run was limited to 20-25 people, so we joined a few hundred at the top, trying to get a go, but alas. Just another cemented lesson/example of having to get to any event in Europe at the crack of dawn in order to get a go/view, simply due to the population. Still, a fantastically amusing event to watch. Download Movie of CheeseRolling (1mb)