Emily · England · May–August 2026
At the end of April, we flew back to England. For me, this meant swapping travel days and hotel rooms for a normal nine-to-five, which I found rather exciting. I spent a month working in the bee lab at Queen Mary University. It felt good to have a routine, work alongside other people (who were so kind), and feel part of everyday life again.
At weekends, Bryson and I escaped to Suffolk. I spent my time drawing, painting, and relaxing in the hammock, while Bryson worked on his robot named Albert. It was peaceful, familiar, and exactly what we needed.
We had partly timed our return to avoid the English winter, which had apparently been one of the wettest on record (it had rained every day in January). What we had not prepared for was how ridiculously hot it would be for the entire time we were there. For much of our visit, we were sweating through temperatures of around 36 degrees in buildings with no air conditioning.
Luckily, all the time Bryson spent helping people move house with his truck paid off as someone gave him an air conditioning unit that lived in our bedroom. Whenever the rest of the house became unbearable, we retreated upstairs and sat directly in front of it for hours.
It was also wonderful to see my family again after almost a year. While we had been travelling, Dad had developed a hobby for recycling plastic and set up a company called Orcycle (operating room recycling). As always, he had gone completely all in. Every spare moment was spent turning discarded plastic into clocks, jewellery, beams, and more. Naturally, he got Bryson involved too.
Once I finished working, we spent most of our time in Suffolk. We had countless barbecues, invited friends over, and just enjoyed being able to relax in a garden! After months of eating out, having our own kitchen again was genuinely exciting. We spent hours cooking elaborate meals while dancing around to various playlists. I also caught up with friends I had not seen for far too long. There were many brunches, coffee meet-ups, and walks in the park.
At the end of May, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We decided to return to Newmarket, where our relationship had first blossomed, and have dinner at the Indian restaurant that was beneath Bryson’s old flat (Rose and Mango). The staff recognised us and immediately asked where we had been because they had not seen us for so long. We told them about our travels and mentioned it was our anniversary. At the end of the meal, they surprised us with a huge anniversary dessert cake. It was such a kind gesture.
We also spent some time in London together. For example, we visited Kew Gardens. Bryson loved spotting all the bright green parakeets, while I thought the glasshouses were spectacular. After spending a month working in a bee lab, I had also developed a new appreciation for bees and found myself fascinated with every single one that buzzed past.
I also got Bryson tickets to The Phantom of the Opera for our anniversary, which he had been talking about seeing for ages. It was brilliant and so entertaining. In fact, I used our time in London to satisfy my inner theatre nerd and see a whole host of West End shows. Alongside Phantom, I managed to see Oh Mary!, Matilda, Hercules, The Book of Mormon, Hot Mess, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
June was largely taken over by wedding preparations. Friends and family flew in from America, Australia, Singapore, and elsewhere, and suddenly all the people we loved from all over the world were together in the same place.
We explored London with Bryson’s family, walking along the South Bank, seeing the London Eye, visiting the British Museum, watching the Changing of the Guard, and taking the boat to Greenwich. Bryson also spent time with his American friends, showing them different parts of London, visiting pubs, and catching up properly. I bet he was so happy to socialise with someone other than me!
The night before the wedding, my mum organised a gathering in her garden. We ate delicious food, talked for hours, and watched as people from completely different parts of our lives got to know one another. Bryson even met relatives he had never met before.
I had been nervous about the wedding day because I hate having attention focused on me, but once it arrived, I realised I had not needed to worry. We held the service at St Bartholomew the Great. The church is truly magnificent and the oldest church in London. It is attached to the hospital and medical school where my parents met and fell in love, so it has always been a special place for our family.
The service did not go entirely to plan. The readings were completely different from the ones we had requested, and my brother did a great job of reading a passage in Old English that he had never even seen before. But none of it mattered. What I remember most is looking Bryson in the eye and seeing him waiting for me at the end of the aisle in such a beautiful place. I love him so much.
Our reception was held in the crypt of St Etheldreda’s, a place with centuries of history and a connection to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Let’s hope our marriage goes slightly better than theirs! The Bleeding Heart catered the reception, and the food was delicious. We made our way around the tables to speak to everyone before listening to speeches from Dad, Bryson, and Bryson’s friend Preston. During dinner, a pianist played acoustic versions of our favourite songs, which made the whole evening incredibly personal. We then cut the cake with my grandfather’s ceremonial sword, which was entertaining, before letting loose on the dance floor surrounded by our friends and family.
The following day, my mum held a survivors’ brunch at the house. Those who were still standing came over for more food and socialising. Having several days surrounded by so many people we loved was one of the best parts of the entire wedding.
Bryson’s mum and grandmother stayed in England for a little longer after the wedding, so we took them to Suffolk. We spent one of the hottest days of the year on the beach at Southwold, where the sea was warmer than I had ever known it to be in England. We also visited Framlingham Castle, had Sunday lunch at a local pub, and spent plenty of time relaxing in the garden.
Once the crowds of family and friends had gone home, we visited my grandparents in Knossington and my other grandparents in London. I also became an avid parkrunner and started going every Saturday. I was not particularly fast and often finished alongside old-age pensioners, but it was the most exercise I had done in a long time, so I still felt proud every time I crossed the finish line.
At the same time, the World Cup was in full swing. We had great fun visiting different pubs and bars around London to watch England’s matches. England kept us on the edge of our seats and gave us plenty to celebrate, so the atmosphere was always fantastic.
While Bryson worked on Albert and painted windows, I spent much of July making full use of the NHS by attending every doctor and dentist appointment I needed so I knew I was perfectly healthy for our next leg of travelling.
One adventure we had while in England was a weekend trip to the Lake District with Bryson’s friend Kerri. We stayed for one night, which would have been something I would have never considered before meeting Bryson (the drive is about six hours). For Americans, however, this apparently counts as a completely reasonable drive for a day trip. It turned out to be completely worth it. In a very short amount of time, we managed two hikes, a boat trip, a delicious dinner, and a brunch. We came home tired but very happy we had gone.
The rest of the summer was filled with smaller moments. Bryson climbed the tree several times, which terrified me. We inflated a paddling pool for Hattie the dog to play in. I got increasingly interested in painting and drawing. Bryson repeatedly tried to fly a kite and eventually succeeded by admitting defeat and buying a newer one. My brother and I sat in the garden plane-spotting, identifying the exact plane that was flying overhead and guessing where it had come from. We took Penny (the Volkswagen Polo) out on drives and went on many walks around the local area (some favourites were Thornham Walks and Tyrrel’s Wood). Bryson even grew a pepper plant through the summer and used the peppers to make several very spicy chilli sauces.
After spending so long moving from one place to another, it was good to be at home for a while. We had a kitchen, a garden, and friends and family nearby. But the highlight was definitely marrying the love of my life for a third time.
Open the camera roll (50 photographs)
Give back: Help deliver food, survival supplies and shelter support to vulnerable people in the UK and worldwide. Donate to Greater Good Charities →
