It Rains in Iceland!!

We recently enjoyed a long weekend traveling around the interesting world of Iceland. After landing at the airport we went straight to the famous Blue Lagoon spa for a relaxing dip.

We then went on to visit the local geysers, and the famous Gullfoss waterfall (as in this photo) and the capital of Reykjavik.

However, the highlight has to be a hot tub with an awesome view of local fjords and mountains. It was rated as one of the top 5 hot tubs views in the world!!

Check out more of our Iceland photos at this link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/86692714@N00/

MBA Graduation - job done!

This is the moment when I picked up my MBA (Masters in Business) certificate at my graduation ceremony.

Yes - after the last two and half years all my studying is done and dusted. This picture captures the proud moment of the realisation that I do not have sweat over text books and a laptop into the wee small hours anymore!

Official Wedding Photos Available

The offical wedding photography has now arrived on UK shores and we have a CD with all 700 images from the day!

If you would like any of the images please let us know and we can send them to you by email or on a disc.

It is amazing to think that the wedding is now 60 days again and that we are two months into married life! Bring it on.

Whale Watching

This is the group photo from the whale watching trip, on the day before the wedding.

We all look like orange teletubbies in those jumpsuits!

Wedding Photography Released

The full wedding photography is available to view on Chris Boar's website - click on the link to view the portfolio. There are four gallery links to click and view, plus to enlarge any photo just double-click.

These are available to view on the website until 5 July.

http://www.cbphotography.ca/galleries/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery=1454

Sneak Peek of Official Photos

The enclosed link is to the first glimpse of our wedding photos taken by Chris Boar. Chris has his own blog on which our wedding is featured.

It is a must to check it out ......

http://chrisboar.com/boarblog/

The "NEW" Mr & Mrs Shears

It is official - we are a married couple and the newly weds had the most perfect day! Every aspect of the day and evening went without a hitch and all the guests seem to have a great time.

The Bride was absolutely stunning and as mentioned in my speech - nothing could have prepared me for how great she looked on the day!

This one photo is the teaser for more to come soon, keep you eyes on the blog.....

Thank you for everyone's help, support and love on our special day. Bring on the future!

The Big Day has arrived!

The big day is here and all the guests have arrived..... I have just had an Eggs Benedict breakfast and practiced my speech. The sun is shining and it all looks set for a fantastic day. I'm sure the Bride is awake and starting to get ready, so BRING IT ON! Off to play in the footy match.

Photos of the day to be uploaded soon....

Good Time had by All

Good time was had by all at the Bridal shower and at the Boys night out at Brentwood Bay Lodge.

Check out the Best Man Team enjoying a few beers. Only 45 hours to go now!

The guests are arriving

Quick blog post - with only 60 hours to go before the ceremony the guests are starting to arrive on Vancouver Island.

In the photo are me (left), Kris, Emily (my sister) and Be (right) enjoying the ferry ride to the Island.

Bride and Groom in Vancouver

Nancy and I are both now in sunny Canada and enjoying the sights of Vancouver with friends. The picture is of us enjoying the sun at the harbor just before a leisurely drink.

Only 4 days to go and we are keeping our fingers crossed for continued great weather!!

Weather Forecast

The 14 day forecast is predicting that the weather will be approx 23 degrees with sun and some clouds. Check out the website for full details. Keep your fingers crossed for more sun than cloud.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.php?product=fourteenday&placecode=cabc0308

The Bride flew out to Canada from Heathrow yesterday, so expect a proper update soon. Holiday here we come!

Boys Night - No Bridal Shower here!

With the girls from the wedding party celebrating with Nancy at the Bridal Shower - the boys are accordingly invited to join me at the Brentwood Bay Lodge, 849 Verdier Avenue, Victoria for food and drink. Start time is 6pm, Wednesday 28th May in the main bar area. We will get a chance to relax without the ladies and get to watch Canadian sports, especially the ice hockey!

Please find enclosed the website, which has full directions to the Lodge. However, please note that the place closes around 10.30pm as it will be a weeknight and that no kids are allowed in the pub area (BC is strict on the kid thing).

Bedrooms are also available if anyone requires a place to stay.

http://www.brentwoodbaylodge.com/Page/home/

Gift List

We have been living together for a number of years and we are hoping that you won't feel obliged to buy us a wedding gift - having our nearest and dearest with us on the day is the biggest present we could ask for.

That said if you feel you absolutely must give us something, we would appreciate it if you could contribute to our Gift List. This has been setup with Trailfinders and will help us with our honeymoon. Trailfinders will also include any special message you might want to convey to us.

Our gift list has been opened as a unique way to contribute towards our honeymoon. Available in denominations of £5's there is a minimum contribution of £10. Making a gift contribution could not be simpler:

Please quote the Gift List Reference when you make a contribution: 5AXAR6. Closing date is 7th June 2008.

- Visit the website (www.trailfinders.com/wedgiftlogin.htm), follow the links to our wedding and gift list and enter your credit or debit card details. 24/7 availability.

- Call 020 7938 3836 with details of your credit or debit card. 9am - 6pm Mon to Sat, 10am - 6pm Sunday.

- Visit any Trailfinders travel centres, cheques, cash, credit or debits cards are accepted.

- Send a cheque to Trailfinders Wedding List Service, 194 Kensington High Street, London W8 7RG. Please make the cheque payable to Trailfinders Ltd and write our name and the Gift reference, the date of 31 May 2008, your address and a contact telephone number on the back of the cheque. Please allow 6 working days prior to the closing date for cheque clearence.

A bit of fun.... Football (Soccer) Match!!

On the day of the wedding we are planning a footy (soccer) match in order to bring the guests together in a bit of fun competition and also to blow off some adrenalin in time for the ceremony. Guests are welcome to participate or be part of the cheering crowd. Kick-off is at 10.00am on Saturday 31st May. Venue confirmed as the Pender Island Elementary Secondary School - 5714 Canal Road.

Also as a bit of fun it would be great if you could bring your Team colours along..... whether its your English football team, Canadian ice hockey team, rugby team, baseball team, etc. I will be wearing my Fulham football shirt for the occasion!!

Room Reservations at Poets Cove

We have received the Poet's Cove group booking list for our wedding. Each party has been reserved rooms based on their request in the RSVP.

To secure your reservation:
You now need to contact the Resort and guarantee the reservation with a credit card. Many of you are sharing a villa or lodge and each individual party (as denoted by the separate reservation number on the spreadsheet that has been emailed to you) need to contact Poets Cove Resort to secure your reservation. No deposit is taken at this time, it is for pre-authorisation only. The reason behind this is that expenses incurred, like whale watching, dining etc., will be allocated to the individual party reservation and not the room number.

The deadline for this credit card reservation is the 25th April. Please also check the details on the spreadsheet including check-in/out dates and number of people in the party.

Things to note:
1. Calling from within North America 1-888-512-7638
2. Calling from the UK 001-250-629-2100
3. Visa, Master Card and American Express are all accepted
4. Check-out time is 11am
5. Check-in time is 4pm
6. For those who have asked, you can pay for your room in advance using a credit card.

If you have any questions, please email us directly.

Sidney to Poets Cove Direct - Water Taxi

For those of you coming to the Resort on a day-trip or not wanting to bring your car over, there is a Water Taxi that runs from the Pier in Sidney direct to the Resort. Below is the schedule for the week of the wedding and details on how to make reservations. Please note that reservations are required and there is no cancellation fee if cancelled 24 hours before the journey.

Morning run
Leave Poets
7:30 AM
Arrive Sidney
8:00 AM
Leave Sidney
8:15 AM
Arrive Poets
8:45 AM

Afternoon Run
Leave Poets
12:30 PM
Arrive Sidney
1:00 PM
Leave Sidney
1:15 PM
Arrive Poets
1:45 PM

Later Afternoon Run
Leave Poets
5:30 PM
Arrive Sidney
6:00 PM
Leave Sidney
6:15 PM
Arrive Poets
6:45 PM

In order to guarantee a reservation all water taxi bookings must be made a minimum of 24 hours in advance of departure times, 12 passenger maximum
For bookings and pick up location call 250-360-6219 or 250-629-2116. You can also email him on poetscruise@shaw.ca.

Pricing Each Way:
Adult $20.
Child under 12 $15.
Senior 65 and over $15.

*Departure and arrival times are subject to change and must be confirmed at time of bookings
*Prices subject to change
*Prices do not include GST

Do to safety concerns regarding weather, at the discretions of the vessel captain pregnant women, children under the age of 5 and guests with neck and back problems may not be permitted

Cancellation policy:
If excursion or water taxi is cancelled 24 hours or more prior to the departure time no charge will assessed to the client. If the excursion is cancelled within 24 hours of departure a 50% charge fee will be assessed; if clients do not show up for the excursion without notification the excursion is charged at full rate. Cancelled trips do to weather are at the discretion of the captain, safety of our clients and staff, as well as guests' experience will dictate cancellation policy for weather. Cancellations due to illness will not be charged to the client.

28th May Events

As you know from the invitations, there will be a bridal shower at Nancy's parents house on the 28th May. Start time wil be approximately 5pm-ish. Invitations and information will be with you shortly. Nancy's parents live in Saanichton which is about 25 minutes outside of Victoria and 10 minutes from Sidney.

For the boys, we will also organise a get together so they can have some fun while the girls play. Details to follow.

For those who choose to drink, taxis are probably the best way to get to/from the venue.
Peninsula Taxi (250) 656-1111 for those staying on the Peninsula (Brentwood Bay, Saanichton, Sidney).

For those staying at hotels in Victoria, it is probably best to ask the hotels for a taxi which serves the Peninsula from downtown.

Ideally, we'll try to organise a carpool to the venues but taxis are most likely required to get home. Being a sleepy town, it is probably best to book an hour or two ahead of when you need it.

For this night, we recommend that people stay around the Saanichton area and subsequently, below is a list of accommodation that we think are suitable. They are all different price ranges so hopefully there is something for everyone.

www.brentwoodbaylodge.com
Five star, oceanfront resort in Brentwood Bay. Gorgeous place but pricey. Great if you want to splurge!

www.sidneypier.com
New hotel, waterfront in Sidney. Good location but perhaps overpriced.

www.cedarwood.ca
The place all the locals recommend. Dated furnishings, very clean and well priced. Have rooms with kitchens and suites. Excellent value.

www.hotelsidney.com
Good location, right next to Sidney Pier. Close to everything and great views if water side.

Internal flights between the West Coast and Calgary

For those of you who are investigating taking in the Rockies on your Canadian trip, here's a link to two airlines which fly direct to Calgary from Victoria or Vancouver.

www.aircanada.ca
www.westjet.com

Whale Watching Trip

As some of you might remember from the invitations, we have organised a whale watching trip for guests on Friday 30th May at 2pm. The trip is about 4 hours long and luckily, May is the start of the whale season in the Gulf Islands ~ a great time of year to do it.

Seats are being booked on a first come first serve basis. At present the boat is half full; however, if demand is there we can look at putting on a second boat. The per person rate for a full boat is $76 + tax. To book, all you have to do is email jeff@emeraldsea.ca with names and contact details. You don't need a credit card as he will simply put the cost of the trip on to your room bill at the Resort. If you are not staying at the Resort then you will have to inform him of this and provide a credit card number.

Back in the UK

After our various travels, including a great skiing trip to Norway over New Year, Nancy and I are both back in the UK and living in Milton Keynes again. The wedding planning and making arrangements are back in full swing.

We will have Poets Cove accommodation booking information in the next couple of weeks for guests who are staying at the resort.

Furthermore, if you have any specific questions regarding travel arrangements for your trip please let us know.

Keep checking the blog for more info!