Anniversary weekend

What gorgeous weather we have had this weekend.  Although our memory tell us this is what it is always like, it actually isn't.  I know this because this is the weekend we celebrate our wedding anniversary and eleven years ago this weekend was freezing, really freezing and wet.  When I say celebrate I would have to say, we don't actually celebrate, we acknowledge.  This year, we just had our mates in town so up we scooped the wedding party and off we went to the best Thai restaurant in Christchurch.  Chinwag Eathai is just gorgeous.  Then we wandered down to the Crown Plaza for coffee and cake.  Very tame and friendly evening.  This is what we looked like 11 years ago

 

...and this is us now...lovely I think.

Thanks for a warm and loving evening everyone

Wedding

So, the wedding part of the weekend, the real reason were in Southland, went well. It was an intimate gathering of about 45 people.
A good combo of family and friends.

Anika

Keirran, brother of the bride and most stylishly dressed bloke there....thanks to his mother

The weather held out although it was bloody freezing and it did snow later that night. Sonya-Leigh and Andrew made a lovely couple and obviously have a committed relationship already. They are a good match. Lovely to see all the family.

Is it called Fluff? No, Bluff

Just back from a whirlwind family adventure in the deep south. Jonty and I went to a family wedding and left Nic at home with a friend and Ruth and Simon. We met up with my folks down there and had a chance to do some tiki touring around the place. It has been about 20 years since I was last there, for Pete's wedding. We took the opportunity to motor down to Riverton Rocks...and I think it might in the summer, and also popped down to Bluff before catching our flight home yesterday. We were talking to Nic explaining that the Bluff was at the end of SH1 and he obviously misheard and thought it was called Fluff....anything but fluff I would say. Anyway, here are a few pics of the touring bits of the weekend and I will post the wedding photos later.

Will you marry me?

We had the very big pleasure of attending a wedding yesterday afternoon. No better way to spend an cold damp afternoon than in the company of friends witnessing the loveliness of a wedding. Clare and Phil - congratulations!!

Loved the bit where as part of their wedding vows, they asked 'will you marry me?'. That got us all going. It was gorgeous. After lots of drizzle all morning, the sun appeared just in time for the outdoor service. Butterflies in their 10's fluttered in the trees and gorgeous gold leaves acted as a stunning backdrop. Sounds very poetic and it really was.

Another really cool thing about going to an old friend's wedding is catching up with all your other old friends. Here we are posing - with no flash on the camera so not that great a photo but fun none the less.