Not all love lasts,
nor do all marriages endure,
so when 50 years have gone by & you're still together, a celebration is certainly in order.
I was 2 months shy of being 3 years old when my aunt & uncle were married in 1963.
I was their tiny flower girl back then & their grown up niece last weekend; present for reminiscence & congratulations.
We're not very hardy travelers Rob & I, so we decided to create an adventure of our journey, take an extra day & stop in Taupo on the way north. I hadn't been quite on the ball in contacting my dear friend who lives in Taupo & decided to just pop in to her work & see if she was available for lunch. We pulled up at 12.16pm (random) & Rob was to stay in the car as I wasn't going to be long & as I stood on the road side waiting to cross the busy street, a white car stopped behind me & out hopped an astonished Cheryl wondering what I was doing there & so delighted to see us!! She had a worked a half day & was just on her way home. Synchronicity in very fine form wouldn't you say!!
We had a lovely catch up & coffee together, all the while marveling at such effortless connection & timing.
Later in the afternoon Rob & I headed just 5 minutes out of town to a place called Wairakei, where there is a great deal of geothermal activity & steam. I had read about hot pools called Wairekei Terraces & since we adore hot springs we decided to go & have a look.
What we found was so beautiful,
so utterly magnificent,
we were truly transfixed. We spent several hours in this magical place, at times, completely on our own!
& obliterated the marvel & beauty of this thermal wonderland.
You can see more of Wairakei Terrace Thermal Pools on this Smile Box if you're interested.
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| Make your own digital slideshow |
The following day we traveled on to Tauranga to join family in a celebration lunch.
And in that moment, at 17, I met the man that would change my life forever & love me for a lifetime.
I adore the native Renga Renga lilies in the background.
Very bridal don't you agree.
Pohutukawa is the "New Zealand Christmas" tree & loves to grow near the coast.
We had a lovely time at the Taikura School fete (Rudolph Steiner school) the weekend before.
Aren't these little felted Pohutukawa babies just so perfect & adorable.
(I have some more to share with you about the fete next time.)
Music very often speaks to me & this song "Take Care of the One You Love" by Imany, most particularly just at the moment. Do listen out for the children joining in.
It is an African love song.
So lovely to see you.
Take care of the ones you love...I know that you do!
You're wonderful!!
MUCH
♥♥♥♥♥
Posts
A beautiful post! You are so talented at capturing love & beauty. I love the pics of your sweet aunt with the children. You can see the love she has for them pouring out all over them. Thanks for sharing such a special celebration.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jenny, so much, for such a sweet comment! I do love noticing love & beauty, it's true..capturing those moments helps to anchor it in memory & stretch out the good a little longer. I was so pleased to notice my Aunties tender love. There was a certain heartache in her early adult life so I see a healing in this outpouring which is heart-warming. I hope you're having a good week my friend. much love Catherine x0x0x
DeleteHow lovely to get together with family for that 50th Anniversary celebration. I do love your aunt's head piece she wore at her wedding, so lovely.
ReplyDeleteAlso the photo of you and hubby together is a joyful one.
My mum worked on a table cloth for years and eventually gave it to a friend who was emigrating to Australia. But I do remember it coming out every winter and more work being done on it. They are so special.
Christy
Hello Christy..lovely to hear from you. Yes Aunty Margaret's headpiece was rather lovely. She had kept all their cards & telegrams in a special album all these years, including the clipping for the paper. They really went in to every detail back in those days...who held the kitchen tea & even where it was & every detail about the dresses. My name was there as the flower girl too : )
DeleteWhat a shame your mother gave away her tablecloth!! Does that disappoint you? Mind you it probably depends if it was to your taste or not. I particularly love the one that my Nan made, where as I wasn't quite so fond of her blue & white linen.
Have a lovely week. Are you terribly busy in the lead up to Christmas?
Much love Catherine x0x0x
What beautiful pictures Catherine, sounds like you had a wonderful outing away. Yes 50 years is certainly something to celebrate. I loved the photo of you & Rob together - its a lovely one of you both. When I saw that tablecloth I gasped, it is sooo beautiful - all that handwork.
ReplyDeleteI have native lilly renga renga in my garden should you ever want some - it is in bloom at the moment & showed up in the background of lots of wedding photos. Happy week to you my friend, Julie x0x0x
Hello dear-heart,
DeleteThank you for your kind comments.
We did have fun, which was so nice.
Mmm I am hoping that in time to come Margaret might remember my love of vintage linen & perhaps pass on Nan’s tablecloth to me.
None of her other linen (as I recall) was anything like that lovely.
Judging by the amount of work involved I suspect she may have been out of action for quite some time!
Amazingly, a few days after we got home, I received a random call from a lady who had missed out on a double red geranium
that I was selling on Trade me..in chatting to her it turned out that she knew Margaret & Keith well & lived around the corner from them in Tairua.
Both had run B&B’s up that way.
Luckily I had some more cuttings to send her.
Thank you for the offer of the renga lilies. I have some growing under my trees here. They are so versatile & hardy.
Lovely backdrop for your photos. Gosh you did so well you know.
I hope that you are very proud of yourself!!
I hope that your final visits are all going off well...& good sales along with them!
Much love Catherine x0x0x
What a wonderful celebration. Your extended journey looks to have been wonderful too from the photos you've shared. The tablecloth is just beautiful, all those hours of work.
ReplyDeleteAnne xx
well another lovely post and a smashing photo of you and your beloved - there are so many things to say it's so lovely to see photo's of summer when we are so cold here!!! my son lived for a year in taupo and we didn't visit wairakei when we came out!!!! your photo's are so vivid somehow - i don't know how you do that!!! loved the fact that you "bumped" into your friend like that - the tablecloth is beautiful and the those felted toys are so sweet ..... congrats to your aunt and uncle - 50 years is a long time - and to yourselves for being together for 35 years - you are 5 years younger than me and i've only been married for 33 years!!!! take care lynne xx
ReplyDeleteHello dear Catherine
ReplyDeleteYou had a fun weekend - what a surprise to just bump into your friend in Taupo - 2 degrees of separation!!!
Wairakei has certainly changed since we were last there (moons ago) - it looks amazing.
Fifty years is a great achievement and how lovely for the bride and groom that their 'flower girl' was there to celebrate with them!
A wonderful photo of you and Rob - what a connection you two have!
A Lovely warm post as always - it's just like popping and have a nice chat.
Hugs
Shane XOX
Dear Catherine, I met you at the Kaikura fete, you were enjoying looking at my stall. You told me your blog name and I like it very much.
ReplyDeleteYour caravan Lucy is awesome!
Ellen in Napier.
Dear Catherine, I’m just back from spending time with the ones I love so to find you talking about the very same thing was quite a surprise. More synchronicity me thinks!
ReplyDeleteThe Wairakie hot springs are beautiful and I enjoyed the extra photos on Smilebox, thank you for sharing them.
I have your music playing as I type this, it’s the first time I’ve heard it, but it’s already my new favourite song.
I was very sad when I read your previous post. I don’t know anything at all about your life other than what I read here, but I do know you are a kind and gentle soul. Love and hugs dear friend, I’m so glad to be reading your lovely words again. I missed them when I was away. xx