The Language of Love & a Wedding of Authenticity

 Hello sweet friends.
I hope that you have had a happy, smooth & relaxing transition in to our new year of 2015. 
 I personally really like that we get to "complete" a year & then begin all over again with the next, yet in truth, time just flows on all by itself; seamlessly.
In this past year I chose a word of intention,  a word that I felt would characterise that period of my life. That word was bloom. As time went by through last year I  began to feel, rather sorely, that I had made a serious mistake & that perhaps bloom just wasn't going to be mine at all. But there is an interesting phenomena that I have learnt from my garden & it is this: plants like people can only truly bloom if they are planted in the right place & have all reasonable conditions to thrive & bloom. If the petunia doesn't get enough sun it will quite presently look a very sorry specimen & sooner or later it will become covered with powdery mildew & you'll not notice it's poor showing of flowers so much as the unsightly blight that covers the plant & stunts it's growth...there is no remedy for this condition save to pull the whole plant out & discard it. When flowers are planted in the right position, either by serendipity or gardener's choice & if it is the right season & they are happy, they will soon flourish & bloom & bring joy to the garden & those who have eyes to see their beauty. A grannybonnet does not wish that it was a violet, nor a chrysanthemum long to be a marigold, they all happily join in the symphony of beauty just being themselves; authenticity! So....as it turned out I am a Katie Garden Fairy planted in just the right place, however, I discovered that many of the conditions of my position in the garden of life were hostile to me & had to be changed if there was to be any chance at all of a blooming. I made changes this year; it was my only chance & it was hard work. I detoxified the soil & cut back the overhanging trees so that the sunlight could reach me. Eventually...I began to see new buds & growth. I began, at last, to bloom.

In the flow of life & at just the right time I was asked to bring the bouquets for a wedding.
A wedding set just inside the door of the new year. 

 It was high summer & public holiday time here & all the florists were either closed or out of stock...so a garden gathering it was to be. As I opened my eyes to every possibility I was able to wander my neighbourhood & pick long wafts of honeysuckle from the Steiner school fence, summer jasmine, ivy tendrils from the roadside & old soft pink roses from a vacant house & garden down on the corner, right by the traffic lights & all the cars going by!

I tested to see what would hold well (we don't want drooping flowers at a wedding now do we!) And then stored my gatherings in the old Kelvinator out the back.

 Most of all, I considered "The Language of Flowers" in my bouquets, In Victorian times messages of the heart & intention were sent by written note & by flower. It was a very effective & enchanting means of communication. 

My bouquets are a letter to the couple.

They speak of everlasting love, constancy & intertwined hearts. 

Whoever would have thought that flowers for a bride could be far more than just pretty & decorative but could also speak an everlasting blessing over a marriage. 

 Hydrangeas speak of gratitude & heart-felt emotion, dahlias: dignity & good taste.
Agapanthus are the flower of love. I was rather biased & selective when i searched for the meanings & in some cases I chose the modern meanings over the old..,much better!

 I managed to find my nail polish & even put it on straight.

 Then on Saturday morning we loaded the precious bouquets & ourselves in to the car, to journey an hour & a half south, to a homestead called "Uniquity",

To a small gathering of locals & travellers,

 family 

 and friends.

The beautiful, glowing bride was Sarah...

 here to marry her Matthew....singing his own song "My beautiful lady",

a perfect serenade.

 Fynn is our grandson & Matthew's son. He was a happy & charming best man.

 Matthew & Sarah put the whole wedding together themselves...  

 cooking all the food in the days before; amazing sourdough breads & salads. A lamb & a little pig were gifted to them & cooked to utter perfection.... for the wedding feast.

 They are care-taking this wonderful old place as the owner has recently passed away without family to leave it all to. Life suspended, a marriage enriched & blessed.

Dear George...such a wee character. 

 Plums almost ripe...

 Fynn & Pop taking time to re-connect (Fynn has been living in Sydney with his mum this past year).

Marriage is still a grand & magic connection. Family can be amazing when sewn together with threads of love, laughter, honesty & grace. 

I love the ease of children...Nina.

They sang together in harmony. It's sometimes a little hard to be the centre of attention. 

I wish for them so much joy & harmony in their journey together & the years ahead!!

Matt & Sarah's wedding day touched me in it's authenticity...unique, just like the name of the house "Uniquity".

My word for this year was easy...

JOY!!

There are more photos here on my face book page.

And here. So kindly & fabulously taken by my brother Tim. 

SO lovely to see you all. May your year be blessed with grace, happiness & peace.

Much love Catherine x0x0x