Compass
I have always felt suffocated by the city. I am reminded just how much when I find myself in wide open spaces with endless views and missing breath. When vermillion and gold dips beneath the horizon turning honey-kissed sky to turquoise and then to inky blackness, I fall in love with the dome of glittering of stars and make wishes as they fall around me. My heart sinks when the sky is disappeared by the pollution of tungsten light, when the sounds of night are muted with traffic and when we live in tiny prisons stacked up and around each other like books on a library shelf.
When I look up I see unfamiliar stars. I come from the South; warmth, baked earth, red dust and white thorns, ever-changing landscapes, a bounty of animals wild and fierce, every experience alive with colour.
I am the Southern Cross. I know little of the North, of grey and green, of cold. Romance is the North's pastel painted spring; life born from ice and then slipping silently again to sleep beneath blankets of snow.
I search for nature's loving arms. I search for a place to be free, to give my breath and my life meaning beyond the solitary confines of crowded places. I search for my true north to share in witness the rise and fall of the sun, the ever-changing seasons and to hold in balance all the points of our shared compass - the journey through this extraordinary life.
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Travel
Language is the paint to my canvas, culture my palette, travel determines the texture of my brush, the people guide the direction of my strokes and the experiences I have all form the extraordinary pictures that will hang on the walls of my mind until the day that I die.
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Examples in Sentiment
(Read in the slightly quivering voice of an old African American woman around 82years)
“As a foster mother, I’ve raised 24 kids to adulthood. I’ve fed them, nurtured them, loved them.... My audiologist told me that a baby’s cry can reach 120 Decibels - did you know that’s as loud as a stadium full of people on game day? ha!
Well, with 17 of those 24 beautiful kids i’ve raised, being raised from infants... cryin for food, for their bottles, for a warm cuddle in the night 1...I’ve earned the right to ask you to repeat yourself! hehehe.
My hearing aids have kept me so close to my children and now my grandbabies too. l’m grateful to my audiologist for taking such good care of me...but i’ll let you in on a little secret, the beauty about having hearing aids is, at my age, I’ve also earned the right to take them out and enjoy some peace and quiet!”
(Old man with a cheeky sense of humour)
“The war was fierce, I mean, we were all just young men back then anxious to do our part for our country. Nothing could really prepare us for what came next. The noise of war, I still hear it in my dreams all these years later. Bravery is for the young, running out into the field, bullets wizzing past your head, my ears are still ringing. I get so mad at my son when he is impatient with me, I’ve earned the right to ask you to repeat yourself!
But even though he annoys me, I am so proud to be his father and to have had the chance to raise my family when so many couldn’t. But as an old father with a hearing loss, my special gift, is the gift of selective hearing, haha, It’s such a hoot when I pretend I can’t hear him - my hearing aids don’t let me miss a trick!”
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Things to Consider When Choosing Your Perfect Lake District Wedding Venue
The Venue
With its glittering emerald and sapphire beauty, there are few places in Britain as romantic a gem as the Lake District. With the opulence of a country house and the intimacy of a boutique hotel, Broadoaks Country House will ensure your special day shines with all the charm and magic of your wildest imagination with one of our exclusive-use wedding packages.
The Setting and the Season
With 5 incredible licensed settings, both indoor and outdoor options will ensure that your day won't be ruined by the weather. Broadoaks is as beautiful dressed in a gown of dappled sunshine as it is adorned in the purest snow. Choose to meet the gaze of the love of your life at the bottom of the aisle in a rich and regal indoor ceremony, or let the crisp caress of the Lake District breeze carry your vows as your fingers intertwine in lusciously manicured 7 acre gardens with 'something blue' views over Lake Windemere. Have the best of both worlds in our orangery and even the soft song of the rain can serenade you and weep with love at the sight of your first kiss. For those who prefer a religious ceremony, we are within a short drive of a few of the Lake District’s loveliest old churches.
The Wedding Breakfast
The Stay
After you've kissed the delicious sweetness from your love’s lips and your guests have their slice of wedding cake to ‘put under their pillows’, the happiness of the day can melt into gentle sleep as up to 32 of your dearest family and friends lay their heads to dream in our 16 beautifully furnished, unique rooms. You may even consider a four-legged ring barer should you want your fluffiest ‘fur’mily member to join in the celebrations.
Pimp and preen and spoil yourself with pure luxury and kneed out any pre-wedding gitters at The Low Wood Bay Spa & Resort just a few minutes drive away.
Let us welcome you and your partner into a new life together with our soft insight and help you take all the stress out of planning with our well-vetted list of suppliers. You deserve the wedding of your dreams and we believe Broadoaks ticks all the boxes. With a shared appreciation for the finer things, every detail is lovingly overseen with one mission in mind - to give you an incredible first memory to start off your life as a married couple.
Our exclusive-use wedding packages start from just £2,995. Click here to download a wedding brochure.
