Fifty four and counting.

Last week we celebrated fifty four years of married life. We like to mark the occasion with a celebratory meal out if we're home or else go away for a few days.

This year we couldn't go out on our anniversary so we decided to go today and have lunch at Kades Restaurant at the local tavern. It's nice there, not too noisy and the meals are always delicious. We both had fish but I had the veges and my GKB had chips and salad with his.

Afterwards we decided to have a small dessert, which it was :) I think it must have come from the children's menu, we didn't really need the hundreds and thousands on top 😄 But ice cream is always good on a hot day.

This is a photo from our wedding day. Left to right my grandfather, Bob's parents, Bob and me and then Mum and Dad and my grandmother. In front are my youngest brothers who are both grandparebts themselves now. My grandparents are well gone and so are both sets of our parents. It's lovely to have a photo of them all together.

My middle sister was my bridesmaid and Bob's best friend his best man. Youngest sister couldn't make it as she was in Wellington due to have her first baby and my eldest brother was serving in the navy and in Scotland at the time. Bob's family all made it :)

Hiccups? One or two. I wasn't living in the town we were married in and I thought I had everything arranged. Church and date tick. Hairdresser tick. Flowers tick. Venue for reception tick.

But the vicar was going to be on holiday when we wanted to get married so a later date was decided on.

The hairdresser sold her business and didn't inform the new owners there was a wedding booked in. We had to, and did, find another one at very short notice. Phew.

The florist couldn't get the flowers I wanted for my bouquet so we decided on others. I wasn't happy with my bouquet but at least I had one.

Sis got badly sunburnt the day before the wedding and she was padded up with cotton wool wherever anything was going to rest closely on her skin (like her underwear). So sore, and because I know I can see it in the photo's. Other people just think she has a lovely glow about her.

When Bob's suit arrived it was too big and no hope of getting another as he'd hired it and we were a couple of hundred miles away from where he'd got it.

But we did end up getting married and when all's said and done all these things are not what's important. It's about the promises made on the day. And the people who come to celebrate with you.

(Although I didn't necessarily see it that way when everything was going wrong).

I hope I haven't rattled on too long.

Until next time

God bless, 

Diana

Round up time

It's a long time since I've been here or even visited anyone so I thought I'd take time to do a bit of a roundup of the past month or so.

I hope you don't get too bored while I catch you up :)

It's been a busy time since the end of October. At the end of the month my sister in law celebrated her 84th birthday and then the following weekend she and her husband celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Only half their family were able to make it to their celebration dinner but the whole bridal party were in attendance. Unfortunately no one got a photo of them together. We all had an enjoyable evening together - and the waiter was a robot :)

Family at 60th wedding anniversary dinner.

I've already shared about clearing out the two spare bedrooms and then before we knew it it was time to head to the airport to pick up my sister who was arriving from Australia. Grandson arrived the following morning on the redeye flight and was picked up by his aunty, she was already up and had been at work so volunteered.

It was a busy few days with sis wanting to catch up on all the family so we had lots of visits, coffees and meals out.

On the morning the day before the wedding Grandson rang his sister, the bride, to have a chat. She was in a bit of a fluster trying to get the venue set up with only a couple of others helping her so we all piled in the car and went over to help. It looked lovely by the time we had finished, even if some of us had no idea how to tie a bow. I just pretended I was tying a bow in a little girls sash.

Then it was back to the house to finish blowing up balloons to take round to decorate the newlyweds house and bedroom. Someone decided it would be a nice idea to put red balloons, petals and chocolates in their room to surprise them when they arrived back after the wedding. I think they enjoyed it :) I hope so.

I'd like to say the wedding day dawned sunny and warm but no. It was fine but no sun and a very cold wind. The bride's dress was backless, sleeveless and beautiful and she must have been frozen as it was an outdoor wedding. The venue was lovely but to be honest I was hoping they'd move it indoors. We weren't the only ones who went home between the ceremony and the reception to have a warm drink. Caitlin was given away by her paternal grandfather, he looked so proud. Her father had passed away when she was just 13 years old. It was good to catch up with them again.

proud Grandad and Granma with Caitlin

The reception was fun, it was only a small wedding and most people knew each other. Round tables and family groups.

The next day we were all invited to a barbecue lunch at Caitlin and Brayden's. It was also a chance for the kids to come as well, they hadn't been invited to the wedding. We spent a relaxing couple of hours chatting, playing with the kids, they had outdoor games set out for them and catching up again.

Then it was home for a freshen up and out again for dinner at a Chinese restaurant in town with our son and his wife. We were celebrating his 50th birthday. Just them, his sisters, their husbands,  his aunty and us. A lovely immediate family time. 

We'd spent part of Friday wrapping little parcels - 50 silly presents for 50 years. It was a lot of fun watching him open them all.

And I've also had a Christmas/end of year function to attend where the food was delicious and we sang Christmas carols accompanied by the harp. So unusual and lovely.

And after all that Sis got back home and discovered she had covid. Youngest daughter and I are currently recovering and my GKB has come down with it. Wonder if we picked it up at the wedding? Who knows. We were out and about a lot that week.

So, I hope you haven't been too bored - if you got this far.

Keep well and enjoy this Advent season.

Diana 

It's been busy

Just checking in so you know I'm still around. It's been a busy couple of weeks and when I look at my calendar leading up to Christmas I can get a bit overwhelmed. So I don't, I just look at what's happening tomorrow and leave it at that. 

It started a couple of  weeks ago when I volunteered to make mini Christmas cakes as gifts for people at a Christmas function. Usually I make a big cake and it's cut there and we partake with a cup of tea or coffee but someone thought it would be nice if we gave everyone a mini cake to take home. They're done and in airtight containers waiting to be packaged up. I don't mind really as I enjoy making Christmas cakes and usually make up to half a dozen each year for the family and ourselves. I'm just not sure when I'm going to get time to do the family ones. It'll have to be after the wedding in a couple of weeks.

We've been back down to the Owaka in the Catlins for a church service and it was nice to go in the morning on a lovely spring day. After another delicious lunch we went and had a look at the local museum - my friend's father was an archeologist and came from that area and there was a display  - photo's and some of his equipment along with a book that had just been released on his work. My friend's wedding dress was also on display and I should have taken a photo but didn't. :(

And we've been out to lunch with friends, some of whom were down from Auckland for a few days. I was pleased my GKB came as since he has started losing his hearing he hasn't wanted to go out so much and I think he's becoming a bit isolated. It was a nice enjoyable couple of hours.

In between times I've been tidying up the two spare bedrooms so my sister and my grandson have somewhere to sleep when they come to stay. Our middle granddaughter is getting married in a fortnight and they're arriving for that. Does anyone else tend to store things in the spare bedrooms? I had three or four bins that needed to be moved out, full of all sorts of stuff that you think you might need but have nowhere to put. I've had a good cleanout of books and they've gone to the book sale bin at the supermarket and our son took another bag that had been left here as well. They were supposed to go to the book sale too but didn't make it.

Granddaughter was told she needed a garter to wear on her wedding day and her mother and aunty thought it would be nice if she could wear mine as some of the other brides in the family had also worn it. But do you think we can find it. I thought it would be with my wedding dress but no! So I'm assuming it's with the lucky horseshoes and slippers I was given at our wedding but I can't find them either. And none of the other brides has it. A mystery. Oh well, still one or two places to look.

And that's it from me for now. 

Take it easy over the next few weeks and enjoy the season.

Diana

 

Cowboy boots, lace and pearls...

The weather had been dreadful leading up to the wedding. Even on the day we were all nervously watching the skies. The aunties and Granma joked about buying bright pink, sparkly gumboots and wearing them, instead of our nice high heeled wedding shoes. But it stayed fine and was quite a nice mild day and we were able to hold the service outside under the trees in the garden at the venue.

Me and sis ready to leave.

We had thrown umbrellas in the boot of the car.

The cake made by the bride's big brother.

There was a bit of drama with the cake as it was so

 hot where he was making the decorations that they

wouldn't set so he ended up bringing it down

uniced and icing it on the morning of the wedding.

We ended up with fresh flowers on it as a substitute

to the artificial ones he had hoped to make.

It looked beautiful.

Siblings, Monica, Andrew and Caitlin.

Caitlin was one of the bridesmaids.

Monica made her bouquet along with those

of the bridesmaids and the rustic table centerpieces,

which I never got a photo of.

The radiant bride and handsome groom

with their groomsman.

She wore cowboy boots under her dress :)

That was one of the borrowed things.

The other was a string of pearls.

With her proud grandad :)

The dress was beautiful as you can see.

Dancing with her proud Dad.

Mum with her partner.

On the dance floor.

A great day was had by all. and all too soon it was over.

Sooner for us older ones than for the younger ones,

oh well we still enjoyed ourselves, but I was glad

to get those heels off when I got home :)

Maybe I should've worn pink, sparkly gumboots!

There was a photo of my little mother and Monica's other grandmother on display. Both had died in the past twelve months and this was a nice way to include them in the celebrations.

Diana

joining Debby for

Friday foto friends