Thursday 11 February 2021

The Long and Winding Road

 


The morning of February 11th 1989 was very similar to Feb 11th 2021.

It was icy cold, sunny with blue skies.

It was my wedding day.


I was 22 and my groom was 23.

Three of our four children are now older than we were.

The weather changed as I entered the church, the skies darkened and the rains fell....

...so hard we had to have all our photos inside the church and the venue.

If I was more literary I would probably talk about pathetic fallacy but I'm not, I'm more of a hack.

When I was a young reporter on The Ormskirk Advertiser I was always sent out on the Golden Wedding features.

I would return to the smoky office and  the rest of the newsroom would play Golden Wedding Bingo.

"It hasn't always been easy." Tick.

"We've had our ups and downs." Tick.

"Never go to sleep on an argument. "Tick.

"You've got to take the rough with the smooth." Tick.

"In sickness and in health." Tick

"Give and take."

"We've got each other and that's all that matters." Bingo.

I would roll my eyes and join in the laughter hoping that a new reporter would be taken on soon so I could pass this job on to the new boy or girl.

I would look at the elderly couple in front of me and the young couple smiling back from the photo on the sideboard behind them and found it impossible to believe their protestations: "it seems like yesterday."

Yet it only seems like yesterday when we were at the bottom of Glanrafon Hill in Bangor and my husband proposed to me during our second year at uni.

It is a long, steep and winding road to get to the top of Glanrafon Hill.

We had our photo taken about a third of the way up four years ago when we went back for a visit.


As I look back on 32 years of married life and those wise words that I used to laugh at, I hope that I am only halfway up the hill.


Today we should have been in the Lake District enjoying an anniversary week away but today we are home babysitting our childrens' dogs.


Still, we have each other and that's all that matters!



Today I wore:

Boots - Next

Dress - Vintage from The Pre-Loved Attic.




10 comments:

  1. Happy wedding anniversary! What a lovely, reflective post. ❤

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  2. Happy Anniversary, you gorgeous pair, even more attractive 32 years on!
    We're all going to have so much fun celebrating these anniversaries ad special birthdays we've missed, aren't we?
    That cream dress is lovely on you, perfect with the boots! x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Vix. Yes lots of celebrations to look forward to including our son's 21st next month!!

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  3. Ahhh, lovely post Jane. Great photos too. Happy anniversary to you both. My daft kids would pick dog sitting over a holiday any day (we don't have any pets) ! Lulu x

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  4. Happy Anniversary, you crazy kids! L and I are coming up on our 24th and it feels insane that that many years have passed. WTF!

    You look as gorgeous now as you did on the day, Jane.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy anniversary - that's a very pretty vintage dress you have there. I remember years ago I used to wear my wedding dress (Spanish style off the shoulders job) on our anniversary and in my twenties some mean girls in the ladies snidely said 'is that your wedding dress cut down' I innocently said 'yes' and they totally changed and said 'oh we were just joking, but thats a nice thing to do, sorry' - I never quite understood it, presumably my bubble was too big to burst!and they went away nicer people - all the best - Betty :)

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  6. I love the idea of wearing your wedding dress. Mine is in the loft and will probably never be seen again!!

    ReplyDelete

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