(My white clematis presently taking a starring role in our garden!)
Afternoon All,
I know it's been a long time since my last posing but life has been really busy, we've had a Grand Daughter's, Daughter's and Dad's birthday's as well as Father's Day and a wedding (I have 3 to attend this summer!)
My Son did a 26 mile walk across Wales for charity and we were there to see him finish
This is Clywedog Dam in Wales where my lad started the gruelling 26 mile walk from, he did it in the freezing cold and pouring rain of the recent bank holiday, they walked over 2 peaks and finished at Clarach Bay.
This is him at the end of the walk - cold and wet through., but he and his fellow post men raised a lot of money for the Meningitis Trust - This week my daughter is running the race for life too, Can you tell I'm one very proud Mom?!
Then last week I spent not one, but two days at Gardeners World Live!.
I spent Wednesday there, with an old friend, who was going for the first time as she has a new garden to fill, and we saw Monty Don, Joe Swift, Rachel de Tame, James Martin and best of all Alan Titchmarsh! My friend came back with loads, I was very reserved and just brought back a fern and a fantastic log basket for a tenner.
When we went on Friday we just saw the Hairy Bikers - sorry no photo's of them (they're not as nice as Mr Titchmarsh!)
On Friday it was me, my hubby, my daughter, and son and daughter in law - I always make sure that the girls have enough spending money and my son and hubby end up following us round carrying everything for us, problem was this year we came back with a quite a lot! like....... new handbag and purse (me! well, you've just got to haven't you? especially when they were so gorgeous!) a wicker basket for my veg's and a beautiful tablecloth, then we got sun dried tomatoes, half a smoked salami, sweet little washing up bowls with tea towels etc., for my granddaughters and a cake stand (the Good Food Show was on at the same time!)
Then we got serious in the gardening section, and I brought my Dad a fuchsia, and then for us, 2 pampas grasses and a miscanthus, and then the girls took over and ended buying 3 standard trees!
We'd all gone in one car!.........to say that there wasn't any room to spare on the journey home would really be an understatement - but a great day, was had by all of us and it was so nice to be able to treat the girls and for all of us to be able to walk round and have what we wanted without having to worry about the pennies for a change. It's great having days like that - that is what I work for and makes the day to day grind seem a little worth it.
Tomorrow is my Mom and Dad's Wedding Anniversary and they have been married for 57 years this year. Not bad going for a couple who started married life by eloping to Gretna Green in the days when you had to stay there for 3 weeks whilst the banns were read.
They slipped away early one morning, and by the time they had brought the return train tickets and paid for 2 single rooms at Gretna for the 3 weeks, that they had to stay there - they did literally come back with only pennies in their pockets.
They also came back to the wrath of my Nan and Gran! for what they'd done. It took my Nan 18 months before she forgave my Mum, probably about 20 years before she forgave my Dad! although she did finally acknowledge that he'd been a good son in law and husband before she left us. I don't think my Gran ever forgave my Mom - it didn't matter what my Mom did for her - there was never much love lost there.
My Mom and Dad had it really hard to begin with, first they lived with my Gran and then they moved out into 'rooms' then we (because I was on the scene by then) all moved into a really old house, a proper 2 up and 2 down with the toilet at the end of the yard and the old tin bath was fetched down every Sunday and you had your bath in front of the coal fire.
I can remember my Mom putting an empty box of Daz on that fire and setting the chimney alight! I was 7 years old and can remember the fire men's big feet as they went through the house, up the stairs and into the attic to put the fire out!
Life moved on and they had their ups and downs - my dad worked in the car industry and did 27 years working nights, my Mom always worked full time as well. They brought their own home and fourteen years ago they both retired and moved to a bungalow and live in beautiful part of the country, on the welsh boarders. Seven years ago they re-took their marriage vows in a proper little country church as part of their golden wedding celebrations, with all their friends and family around them.
It's amazing really, just what they've achieved from that tough start, the kids of today don't know how easy they have it compared to how tough it was for my Mom and Dad, but they never gave in and have made it to nearly 60 years of wedded bliss, so on that note I'll say
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad and hope that you have a lovely day, lots of love, your very proud daughter xxxx
Bye all xxx
