Ripping Tales from Rippingale

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I like a lot of the place names in the UK, but whoever named the villages in Bourne were having a laugh when they came up with these ones. Ness and Rich, the bride and groom, live in Rippingale, or Rippers to those who know it well. Rippers is a quaint little spot with just one pub and only 5 rooms in that pub. These 5 rooms were snapped up quickly for the duration of the wedding festivities and I was a bit slow off the mark so I stayed at the hamlet down the road, Dyke. That’s right, a real place name! Dyke is set amongst the hay fields just a 20-minute walk from the outskirts of Bourne (what an ordinary name) and Sutho (best man) and I were the only two staying out of Rippers. But as luck would have it, I think we got the better end of the deal with a beautiful 17^th century, low ceilinged pub, complete with an inside well and at least three ghosts. One of the ghosts was sharing a room with Sutho, but Sutho didn’t upset the deceased bikie as no furniture was moved and the best man made it to the wedding unscathed.

Ness and Rich did everything possible to make the 4 days of our stay fun and memorable. A contingent of 11 Aussies were in town for the big event. We had a great ice-breaking BBQ in their back garden, followed by multiple screenings of the highlights of the second day of the third test. I could keep watching England get bowled out for 67 indefinitely. The next day was a Bucks/Hens day and night of sorts. Rich and I went to Woodhall Spa (another great name) to play cricket and everyone else came to watch and spend a day in the sunshine drinking beer and champagne. The location is nothing like club cricket grounds in Australia. Most rural English cricket clubs are picturesque and as you can see this was no exception. Quite a few people take an interest in the local matches and there is a really nice atmosphere. For the Buck (and he kept saying, “This isn’t a Bucks day”, but it was) the day turned out well. Rich took six wickets including a hat-trick. Unfortunately, our team, Bourne, didn’t fare so well, without a full team we were beaten convincingly, meaning the game finished a little early and we had a bit more time to spend enjoying the night life of Bourne. I think we saw all of the night life in Bourne which consisted of a bar with a really good cover band, playing all of our 90’s and naughties rock favourites, and another place for the young folks, where we gave them a lesson in how to play pool.

The late summer weather was exquisite for the duration of our stay in this tranquil English farming community. It touched on 30 degrees most days of our stay and I understand now how 30 degrees in England is hotter than 30 degrees in Australia. They just don’t own air conditioners. So, we cooled ourselves the only way we know how; with some refreshing fluids served in the Bull (pub at Rippers). We had an engrossing day before the wedding, watching one of the most exciting finishes to a test match I’ve ever seen. Sadly, Australia didn’t get the result and there was no need to watch replays that night. At least after watching the end of the match on Sunday, Rich could relax. On Monday all he had to do was get married. It was a very fortunate outcome for Ness too. If the test went into a fifth day, I think she could have been stranded at the altar without a groom.

However, everyone was able to attend the main event and we were blown away by the setting, Stoke Rochford Hall. It is centuries old, but refurbished after a fire in the 80’s. Such a great place to tie the knot. The Aussie and UK groups got to know one another, new friendships were formed and we drank and danced till late in the night. We said our good byes and today most people have headed off on their next adventure. My path took me to Cambridge, where I used a few spare hours to wander around. Most people here seem to ride bikes, but some ride punts. So, I got on a punt tour and learned about the fourth oldest university in the world. I expected this to be an elitist institution, but it turns out that fees are very low and at Kings College three quarters of the students came from government high schools. It costs about £6000 pa to stay in the Colleges, where you get lots of one on one tuition. Each of the 31 colleges provide their own courses but at higher year levels they do collaborate to ensure the best quality of tuition is delivered. My punt driver was a Kings College student, about to begin his second year of a languages degree in Spanish and Arabic.

Once again, I have to thank Rich and Ness for making the 4 days of the wedding heaps of fun. They drove us around to all the places we had to go, organised meals and planned our days to ensure that we were all entertained. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt.

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Photos

Wishing Well Inn, Dyke
Sutho and my home for 4 nights. About 5 minutes by car from Rich and Ness' house.

Hay bails
The villages are surrounded by wheat fields and the harvest was taking place.

Impressive old church in Rippingale.
This one dates from the 1700's.

The hill
The Australian contingent came to watch at Woodhall Spa. Followed by the "Bucks/Hens" night in Bourne.

Orangerie
It was a bit like a greenhouse and we all got sweaty in here for the ceremony.

Stoke Rochford Hall, Grantham
Not bad!

Orangerie at night
When it was cooler it became a dance floor.

Kings College
From the water