It really has been along time since I've written to my blog. Since May there has been a huge amount of changes in the family. Clarah and I finally tied the knot, Clarah’s father sadly passed away, Tiernan’s started to walk, and we are finally moving house, so yes you could say it’s been fairly busy around the Carton household.
Very early at around 3’o clock on the morning of the 6th of July Clarah got the call we had always hoped that would never come. We could both feel it as the phone rang that this was it. John had gone. Clarah turned to me and her look confirmed it. Clarah was told by the paramedic that her mom was distraught and that she need to be there. Within fifteen minutes of the call Clarah was gone up to her moms to be there to support her. With two weeks to go to the big day Clarah split her time between preparing for a wedding and a funeral. For those two weeks Clarah was a rock to her mother and arranged everything, rarely stopping to think of her own feelings. I was and am extremely proud of my Clarah, it was very difficult decision to go ahead with the wedding without her father being there for her. Following the sad day of the funeral came one of the happiest or wedding day.
I woke up with my stomach in knots. Partially from the drinks the night before but mainly from the nerves. I really just wanted to get to the registry office at Shaw House and get on with it. Our son Ben was with me in The Bear Hotel while Tiernan and Beth where at home with the bride to be. First things first take the Imodium Plus, get the stomach settled, then get to the barbers and get the gruige trimmed and tidied. With Ben in tow reading his magazine and spinning in the chair next to me I got my hair trimmed in the Gentleman's Shop. After that it was back to The Bear for a big breakfast. Breakfast eaten it was time to get Ben and myself dressed in our finest suits. Then it was down to the lobby to wait with my parents, my brother, his girlfriend and Ben for the Taxis.
Once we arrived at Shaw House there was some waiting around until I got called into the little office for finally sanity checks. Checks such as "Are you sure you wish to get married for life, you do know life expectancy has been hugely prolonged since the invention of marriage." Yes sadly I was sure and there was now little hope of climbing out the window. Yet more standing around and waiting, chatting to my best man Mark and wondering just what it was that I was meant to be doing at that very moment other than planking it. The play button was pressed and the doors started opening to the sounds of "Falling Slowly" by "The Frames". I couldn't and didn't want to look back to see Clarah's approach. The first time I wanted to see her was when she was standing beside me. I could already tell that she looked beautiful by the expressions on my friends and family that were gathered around us. I was far from disappointed as I turned to look at the golden haired angel standing beside me. The moment hardly felt real as I tried to bring my body down from floating off in some dream, struggling to focus on my words. I could hear the words but had little control of how they left my lips. Holding hands throughout the ceremony we both managed to muddle our way through. Pretty quickly the vows had been said and we kissed our first kiss as a married couple.
A few weeks before hand I set about to try and get my hands on the Tom Dunne nudie pen. In a thrilling five all draw against a teacher from Dublin, I did it and got my nudie pen in the post a few days later. With nudie pen in my jacket pocket I summoned the power to mock up some photos after the real signing, such is the awesome power of the Tom Dunne Nudie Pen.
The day itself was brilliant, it was sunny for the most part and we got plenty of opportunities to have photographs taken in the garden at the back of the Red House which was our venue. The food was really well put together and all of it tasted wonderful. I was so stuffed I barely had room for the profiterole tower, which had earlier crumbled in the heat as the caramel had melted. A few hours after dessert we sad our goodbye and were off on the train to Bath for an all too short lived honeymoon.
Tiernan is now a proper little lad and started walking nearly a month a go. His first few steps were magical. He really does make us all smile and he is so excited and fascinated by everything. He has now progressed to sprinting about and bumping into the sofas or the TV. He points at pictures on the wall and tells Daddy and Mommy in his own language what they are. He laughs his head off at just about anything and claps when he's happy too. When he's tired he grabs and pulls at his ears and sometimes puts his head on a cushion before spotting something else he must investigate. He is a complete dustbin when it comes to food and was even eating Clarah’s squid rings yesterday. He will eat or try to eat anything that he can fit into his mouth. He really has helped Clarah a great deal over these last few months and brings us all together as one big family.
The next stage of our journey is finally out of our tiny two bedroom flat and into a three bedroom house with a huge hundred foot garden. I'm planning to start my own vegetable patch, there's certainly the room for it. Wish me look with the spuds. The Cartons in England are going places.
