Wales Trip, Sikh Wedding and Very Poorly!

I took a trip to Wales to spend some time with my dad. My sister and her family were also there. We had a horse hack, went to Lake Vyrnwy and Park Hall Countryside Experience. I was then really poorly, just about made it to a Sikh wedding and then I got worse!

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To start the trip in Wales, we headed to Lake Vyrnwy and the National Sculpture Park. By the time we got there, we only had an hour to walk round and explore, before needing to head off as my niece has a horse riding lesson booked. 

When we got to the stables, it honestly looked a little run down and the horses didn't look very well cared for, so I was a little sad, but the lady who took us round seemed lovely and knowledgeable. My niece sat on the horse as the instructor led her, then we walked next to her for a half an hour hack. 

The best day by far was a day at Park Hall Countryside Park. It was a lot of fun and there was so much to do. My favourites were feeding the animals and the exotic show. We onyl caught the end of it but it was a lot of fun and I managed to grab a snake to hold. 

There was also a pig race, huge play area, lots of animals and a maize maze. 

Although the weather looked beautiful for the few days I was there, it was actually pretty chilly and felt more like early teen's. My dad's been working on his garden and has recently added a new pond, which looks lovely. 

The final day with my sister and her family we went back to Lake Vyrnwy and walked to the waterfall. My dad and his girlfriend didn't come with us as they had a couple of appointments. It was a little dreary and started raining on the way back, but we just about made a successful trip. 

When we got back to the lake, we went for lunch at the main cafe and then I was so excited to try the newly opened Chocolate Cabin. Unfortunately, when we got there for lunch, they had already sold out which was very disappointing. It's a cute new attraction, but a shame it's not well catered for. The owner said she opened at 1000 and sold out by 1030. 

That evening, I didn't feel great and ended up falling asleep with my niece on the sofa whilst watching a film. When I woke up, tea was nearly ready but I wasn't very hungry so I just had some carrots and mash potatoes. I also started to develop a bit of a cough and so had an early night and a lie in the next day, as I had the house to myself for the morning. My sister and her family left after tea, whilst my dad went to volunteer at the canal and my dad's girlfriend had work. It all started to go a bit downhill from there. 

I ended up spending the next two days in bed, before heading to work for my first of 4 consecutive night shifts. For the first time ever, I had to leave work early and half way through a shift. I stayed until 2330 and then had to let the Flow Coordinator know that I couldn't stay any longer because I felt so unwell. 

After taking it easy for a few days and literally not moving from bed, I missed the first 3 wedding events for my cousin in law's brother's wedding. I felt awful but I literally could not have done it. I just about dragged myself out of bed for the Friday celebrations and went for just over 3 hours, coughing and spluttering a little. At this point, I thought I had a chest infection but the receptionist at the GP had refused to give me an appointment until I had been poorly for 2 weeks. 

After a good nights sleep, family picked me up the following morning and we headed for breakfast at a local cafe near my house. I haven't eaten much for the last week and I still wasn't very hungry, only managing half a bacon sandwich, whilst everyone else had a full English. Then it was time to head off to Kent. It was the longest drive and really took it's toll on me. We finally got to the hotel and had a little walk around the location, seeing another wedding set up which was gorgeous and then we had a meal at the restaurant. Again, I still wasn't hungry so I think I just had garlic bread and half a brownie. 

The next day was the wedding day, and another incredibly long and busy day, but this time it was 26 degrees which felt scorching in a really big dress We started the day with an hour drive to the Gurdwara, then got back and had refreshments and canapés at the reception venue. After the starters, I was sweating so ended up changing outfits to a slightly lighter weight one to feel a bit more comfortable. There were quite a few delays but eventually the dancing came out as well, which is always fantastic. 

The evening sunset was beautiful, but by this point it was really starting to take it's toll on me. I was exhausted and getting out of breath and tired so had to ask my sister to take over looking after my nephew, as I couldn't keep up anymore. I also wanted to go back to our new hotel and was ordering a taxi but everyone else decided they also wanted to leave and so it ended up being about an hour later before I finally managed to book one. 

The journey back from Kent the following day, was the longest and most painful journey. I felt terrible, had an awful headache and was well and truly done with my family going above and beyond to upset me. I again spent the next day in bed but then I was working Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I'd already missed 5 days of work the week before, and with attending the wedding, I felt I had to go to work. I just about made it through the shifts, although I did faint on the second night and when I asked to go home at about 4am, I was told I had no staff to cover me. Read my health posts for the story continued.