We had a family gathering today down at Port Chalmers. A couple of birthdays were being celebrated but mainly it was to welcome our nephew and his family home. He has been living and working in China for 20 years. He met his wife there and has a lovely little family. They have been home on holiday several times but this time is for good.
In April our son will also arrive home for good with his wife. He has been living and working in Japan for 9 years and met his wife while there as well. They have also been home a couple of times on holiday. We're all looking forward to their arrival.
The gathering was held in an old building, now part of a cafe/restaurant but at the back of the property. The front shop was originally a fishmongers but my GKB couldn't quite recall what this building was. Anyway the owner has stripped it back to the original brick and beams (it looks like some of the beams have been replaced though) and it has a lot of character, a great place for a small get together like ours.
On our way home we thought we would take a quick detour and have a look at the first home we had together after we married.
It's looking quite a lot more run down, sadly, but it is over 40 years since we lived there and I am always surprised that it is still standing. It was the first house ever built in the area so is probably well over 150 years old. I used to love sitting on the front verandah with my morning tea, I could see over to the harbour and it was so calm and peaceful with the bush behind. Lots of birdsong :)
As you can see, we are still having a wet, grey, dreary summer :) and have gale force winds forecast for tonight. So we'll be battening down the hatches before we retire for the night.
How exciting to have several family members heading home. Our youngest son taught English in China for four years but he made it home every summer for two months. And he met his wife while teaching there, she was a fellow teacher. Sorry your weather is being so terrible. We have had a weird weather pattern here as well. Our trees are budding and flowers are popping up. I hope the next cold snap does not kill them.
ReplyDeleteCatching up with all the members of your family must be fun. Exciting,too,that you son will also be returning home soon. It would be a real shame if your first house was allowed to just rot away. It looks a lovely home for someone keen on renovation.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to have your family home and to be able to get together and enjoy each others company!
ReplyDeleteMust be nice to have family members moved back. : )
ReplyDeleteYour old house just needs a bit of TLC. Must have been so nice to sit out on the porch looking over the harbor.
Oh, that is wonderful that you could be with your dear family, and how happy you must be to know that this time they are home for good! I'm sure it brought back many memories to drive by that dear, old house and recall how things were with you back then. It always makes me so melancholy to think of how quickly our lives are passing by, and we just have to make the most of each moment the dear Lord gives us. Thank you so much for sharing with us here, and I do trust your dear, little mother was able to go with you to the gathering and that we could enjoy herself. Give her a hug from me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful family gathering, especially being able to welcome some of the family home. I hope the gale didn't cause you much problem. Have a blessed week.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have an interesting family and life there! Love the picture of the "old house" where you used to live. Looks very interesting, especially about the porch, etc. Thank you for sharing these pictures with us. Hope the storm didn't cause any problems. We've had stormy/windy weather here this week...plus tornadoes in some parts of the south and near us...but none touched down near us thank the Lord.
ReplyDeleteHi Diana, I had to smile when you said "wet, grey, dreary summer." I could say the same about our winter. :-) Of course, right now, almost everyone in my city would love to be in New Zealand! I enjoyed your post here and especially the thoughts of sitting on the verandah with a morning tea. That's my kind of thing! :-) Best regards from the Northern Hemisphere!
ReplyDeleteHomecomings are always wonderful, especially when loved ones have been gone so long and bringing home new families! Lovely to visit your first home, too. We are having a wet and dreary day today, too, way off in the Pacific Northwest, but I am not complaining - at least it's not snow! Take care x Karen
ReplyDeleteHow exciting homecomings,. The old house is empty now.looks like it was a lovely place to live.. so nice to visit with youmy dear and thank you for your visit, with love Janice
ReplyDeleteDiana, what memories your first house must bring back! Happy Days!
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