Our 46th wedding anniversary will be coming up next week [Sept 20th]..In some ways it does not seem possible..in other ways it has been a very long time...[ and yes, I was SO young smile]...
I have been thinking about the last really long trip we made..that year my hubby took an early retirement, I had a "certain" birthday coming up, our 40th wedding anniversary had just passed, so we just decided to go on an extended cruise and really just celebrate it all..
We left Nov.lst and all was well, except that a few weeks earlier Ivan the terrible [his twin hurricane] had struck the Islands, including Key West, Florida, so there was still a lot of clean up going on...I remember in particular the Cayman Islands..the trees [ once a tropical jungle paradise] were sheared and only tree stumps remained [ and I had wanted to see monkeys]...
Some of the ports/docks we could not even go there because of the damage done...It was so sad..
I had been feeling quite well I thought before leaving but found that on "certain" days on the ship I had to stay in bed all day. other days I felt fine, and we would spend hours walking on the very top deck, which was only to be used for walking or jogging, and we would go the length of the ship and back again...around and around [ but it was enjoyable and very quiet..not many were up there..I wonder why] !!
After we returned home I could not face the craziness that Christmas brings, we we decided to spend the holidays that year in the desert at a resort/spa, it had been there for a long time, really lovely, out in the middle of no-where except for a few people wanting to play golf I guess..The days were, clear, blue skies and warm, the evenings and nights, clear, starry skies with a real chill in the air..[ Everything so quiet you could hear a pin drop] You could see for ever there it seemed !!!!
There were a few "road-runners" running around..you know the birds [ from the cartoons] they are so funny, and move so fast, and just keep running !!!!! except for those and the cactus, only us and the tumble weed !!!!!
Our family [ children] all arrived for Christmas Day, we had a lovely dinner in the dining room, all decorated, with a large open fire, and everyone so friendly and feeling so festive... We knew New Years was going to bring a very packed noisy crowd so made sure we were well gone by then....
We had seen an old church the day before so decided to spend our Christmas eve there at Christmas mass, unfortunatley, they had had it earlier so it was closed [much to our disappointment..I remember the Christmas eve services I would attend with my sister in law when I was young, I was not a Catholic but enjoyed Christmas eve mass] The old church was probably built by the Indians, stone by stone, all rough and aged, and such a work of art..
Actually at the time did not realise that would be our last vacation, as my health really progessed down-hill, and with the severe allergies which developed [including food] I was and am no longer able to eat out in restaurants, even with the family at their homes [I have to take my own food] I cook Christmas dinner but cannot have any [ real bummer, excuse me]
It is hard to believe that in 4 years [if we are spared..ha.. as my dear old mum would say] it will be our golden wedding anniversaryl...who would have thought it possible..Hope by then I can celebrate with something other than a cup of chamomile tea!!!!!!!
Oh well, not complaining really, I/we do have so much to be grateful and thankful for, we have a wonderful family and are so blessed....marion
Milestones and Memories..
It makes sense to do things while you are still able to. When I was ill in the 90s and waiting for my diagnosis, and eventually surgery, at one point I thought I was going to die. I yearned for the daffodils of Farndale that I had never seen. Wild daffodils in their thousands. After I had recovered I made a point of going there and seeing them. In fact I've been ahem 7 times, er no, make that 8 if you count the busride round the dale that I did last Sunday, and am hoping to go once more this autumn if the weather is okay. Nothing so bad as regretting the things not done.
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip!
You know my favourite poem at school [ and still much loved] is ""the Daffodils" William Wordsworth, to this day I can see the hosts of golden daffodils nodding their heads in the breeze...those and snowdrops were the love of my life growing up...
So glad you got to see those wonderful daffodils and you managed to return so many times...makes us appreciate so much more when we have lost a lot....Hope your health is much improved....marion
ps was thinking this evening Diane, my sister earlier this year sent me the lovliest pictures of Durham Cathedral [ they had been visiting]..the place was full of daffs.
I visited Durham Cathedral in daffodil season also this year. To be honest I found their daffodils a bit disappointing. Got some lovely photos of the Cathedral though!
peterson89,can you tell me where on the net I can find the poem you were talking about-the daffodils by William Wordsworth? That was one of my favorites,too.Would love to read it again.Thank you for any help you can give me.CK-christmascatus
Christmascactus, Hi, there are various books for sale [poems] by William Wordsworth on
Amazon.com....they have used and new..[Athena books]..
Bartleby.com [books on line] seems to have quite a good selection also, when I get some time I will check thru it myself, as the poetry book I have is very small...
As a young girl growing up in the UK that was always my favourite [ The daffodils] I remember looking at drifts of them and always thinking of that poem...hope you can find what you need...marion
Thank you Marion!!
Hi CK heard from my sister today, her friend has another copy of poems and is going to give one to my sister with our poem on it..so as soon as it is here will copy it for you on your email....Thanksgiving blessings, marion
Hi Ck, my sister copied the poem for me and emailed it so as soon as I have some time will email it to you...
Hope your Thanksgiving is special..marion
You are so right, its no good regretting not having done something when its too late to do it. Get out there and do it while you can.
This year was our 40th wedding anniversary and I have a milestonr birthday in 3 weeks time too. Fortunately we are both still healthy, so when the opportunity to move to the USA presented itself we took it, after all, we can always go back if we aren't happy, though so far we are loving it.
We drove all the way down the West Coast - Seattle to Southern California last year and then went back to the UK and visited all the places we always meant to see. Heather on the North York moors in August is wonderful too.
Go for it while you can and build the memories for when you can't is a great philosophy, and its a very beautiful and amazing world.
Here is another link to the daffodils poem, it also has a picture of Ullswater and the daffs too.
http://www.visitcumbria.com/daffodil.htm
This message was edited Nov 25, 2004 9:31 AM
Okus, thank you so much, you have me in tears, [ Colie could you pull this up?] we spent our honeymoon in the Lake District 46 years ago, and that poem is what I recited at school when I was only a wee girl and I have always loved it...ONe of my sisters girlfriends is a great admirer of William Wordsworth and she has all of his poems, poetry, all of his works/stories etc,,[they live in Cumbria, only a short distance away]...Congratulations to you on your wedding anniversary, yes, I agree with you, see as much of the world and enjoy whatever and as much as you can..amazing the plans we made, so many of our dear friends have gone,and so young, we can hardly believe it [ in the UK and here in the USA] makes you realise how very fragile life really is....so go for it..thats what we say !! We too visited a lot of Britain that we never saw [ altho gone a long time..40 yrs]..have wonderful memories of the Yorkshire moors [ where my grandmother was from]..love Scotland too..but we have seen so much of the US and other countries, our plans to travel more has been stymied however my hubby is looking forward to the day when my health returns ?? and we can be off again...my faith runs deep so it is possible !!! nice to meet you..
[ enjoy yourselves wonderful country here]
marion
ps Okus HAPPY DECEMBER BIRTHDAY TO YOU even if it is the BIG one..age does not count when you are having fun...[ remember age is a state of mind] smile !
Lazygirl, thank you so much for sending this site..really appreciate it so much....
Peterson89, thank-you for the good wishes. I'm posting this photo of the view from the moors down towards Scarborough, in the hope that it will bring back one or two happy memories for you. I do hope you will soon be fit and strong enough to enjoy more trips of your own.
Another moorland view, with a symbolic milestone too!
okus many thanks for posting those wonderful pictures, does it ever bring back happy memories of Scarborough I remember as a young girl especially visiting often with my mom..
I was wondering if that was bracken or heather in the foreground..do you take these pictures ?..The other one so pretty, and so remote and yet they always have a beauty about them..
ps I have revisited the website you sent me [William Wordswoth] and enjoyed again and again, that glorious picture and the description of their day there recounted by his sister..just felt like it was yesterday, everything seemed just as fresh as I am sure it is today...such a beautiful spot..thanks again for taking the time.. marion
Hello Marion,
Yes I took the pictures, and it is heather in the foreground. I love the moors too. I was born just down the coast in Bridlington and although we lived much farther inland the moorland always takes me back to my childhood
.I'm glad you enjoyed the Wordsworth link, it is one of my favourite poems too.
Carol
Hi Carol, we spent our honeymoon in Ambleside [ Brathay Fell Hotel] a lovely old grey stone building now converted into flats unfortunately...I remember Rydal and Rydal Mount, but had no idea at the time that William Wordsworth lived there, have been exploring the site more and came across so much great information [ why is it that when we live in a place we rarely visit attractions like Hadrians Wall ?] my hubby showed me a map of windermere [just now] apparantly Brathay Hall in Windermere housed many poets, writers and painters, including William Wordsworth..wonder why they keep using Brathay? some significance? I will have to go back again, and I am still searching thru the web from Cumbria...this is fun, lovely..
ps I am also familiar with Hawkshead where Wm Wordsworth was educated..his name is still carved in the desk..[ its the old Grammar school]..
ps my other favourite person [story teller] was Beatrice Potter, I brought my grandaughter up on her stories and little books and memorabilia. On this map, her farm [Hill Top] is only a short distance away from Wm Wordsworth's Grammar School in Hawkshead. Rydal Hall and Rydal mount is to the north
[in Ambleside]
I also loved Beatrix Potter, I think Mrs Tiggy Winkle is my favourite. Interesting that all these gentle literary people should be raised in the same glorious part of the countryside isn't it.
When my grandaughter was very small I used to call her Mrs Puddleduck, even made her covers and pillows on a childs rocking chair with Beatrix Potters puddleduck and Mr. Jeremy Fisher which was my favourite..over the years we would buy each other Puddleduck and Jeremy Fisher, I have him as a stuffed toy with his burgundy waistcoat and many many other little ornaments/figurines that have been collected over the years....those were happy days too...I do know that Beatrix Potter had several farms and left them to the National Trust..was looking for her other farm which I am familiar with but is not marked on this map..her Hilltop farm is where she wrote The tale of Peter Rabbit... Dove Cottage [ where Wm Wordsworth lived prior to Rydal Hall] is to the north west of Rydal Mount..this has really been so enjoyable..looking back..