By the seaside

On the last day of our long Christmas holiday we decided that a day at the seaside would help body (Jack's been having a particularly bad time with the latest round of chemo) and mind (it's been a Hellish few months for all of us and we are all upset at the prospect of Jay and Mark having to return to work and leave Jack home alone).

Jack loves the water and couldn't wait to wade in, and then thoroughly enjoyed getting sandy afterwards. A spot of snooping at the other dogs frolicking in the surf followed, before a drive to the nearby marina where we ate an early lunch of fresh fish and chips, straight off the trawlers. Mark did some snooping of his own - at luxury boats - and then it was back home for a long, lazy afternoon.

Cutting the cake

It was such a shame to cut into Mark's beautiful creation, but it was also so exciting to finally get to have a slice! 

Carmel and Prue provided yeoman service, not only cutting the cake but also then making sure it was presented beautifully on serving plates and served around. (Special thanks also to Rob, who took it upon himself to ply everyone with drinks and be self-appointment barman, and to Darryl, who brought in all his spy cameras and placed them all over the house, and Riley and Carolina and Alberto, who all took loads of photos and video and sent us every bit they captured.)

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Speeches

Everyone gathered around the cake, downstairs, as Charlie got ready to give his speech.

 Charlie, as Mark's oldest friend, gave a wonderful speech recounting his memories of Mark as they grew up together, and the first time he heard about and then met Jay. 

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A video of Charlie's speech, followed by a short speech by Jay and then Mark. 

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Beautiful music by Bree

Beautiful live music at the party by Bree Bullock, who actually learned a Shirley Bassey song especially as a surprise for Mark.

Find Bree on Facebook and on iTunes. 

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...Downstairs

The party went equally well downstairs, where the alcohol was flowing and music was playing...

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Upstairs...

It was beautiful weather and the party was in full swing upstairs, where the food didn't last long...

 Jack enjoyed some special attention from the ladies.

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Congratulations!

Mark gets a hug from his new sister-in-law.

 There were even bubbles, to make the occasion extra special... an unexpected surprise!

Everybody back to the apartment for the party: cake, canapés and champagne!

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Certificate!

After 15 years together we finally get a certificate...

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Signing the Register

Signing the Register, with Joanne as our witness.

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The Ceremony

Exchanging vows was a bit complicated as the Registrar rattled off entire sentences to be spoken by Mark and Jay, and she had to be told to slow down and repeat the vows in smaller segments.

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A video snippet of the start of the Ceremony.

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The majority of the Ceremony is captured in this video, including the hilarity of the Registrar getting tongue tied and rattling off long sentences which Jay nor Mark could repeat. 

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This video is of the end of the Ceremony, including vows and exchange of rings. 

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