Vintage Thingies Thursday

It's VTT and I don't want to miss out again this week! Don't you miss out on all the other Vintage lovelies, connect with them at Colorado Lady's blog.

Just two photos to show today, the only copies I have of my parent's wedding day pictures, though I know that there are more of the whole wedding party.

Mum was the middle child of nine and the youngest girl-there were five girls in a row then four boys.

She was a very accomplished seamstress even at 24, and made her own wedding gown and veil on a treadle machine.

My grandparents lived just two doors from the family church, there was gasoline rationing and anyway it made no sense to take the car out for a hundred yard drive so the entire wedding party paraded along the road to the little wooden church on the corner, St John the Baptist Anglican Church.

My Dad was in the RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force] and did not know for sure until the last day if he would be able to get leave and then find transportation the thousand miles plus from his base in Queensland to the Sydney suburbs for the wedding ceremony.

When Mum arrived at the altar on my Grandfather's arm my Dad winked at her and said "G'day Toots"!

I asked him why he did that and he said to make her feel better in case she was nervous! He told me that he knew she was the one for him the first moment he saw "that dear little face with the cap of curls"! Obviously I do not much resemble my Mum but have always been told I look just like my Dad!

After the ceremony the entire assemblage walked back around the corner to my grandparents rambling home for the wedding meal. I am sure they managed to provide a delicious spread in spite of war time deprivations, though I am unable to testify to that, I wasn't there and didn't make my debut in the family for another year!

After 60 years of devoted marriage, one month after 9/11, Mum went to be with her Lord whom she loved and served her entire life, and we never thought that my Dad would survive.

Now eight years later at 98 he is still spunky and totally in his right mind but wondering if maybe God has forgotten him! He told me a couple of years ago " You know dear, there's an old lady up there [pointing skywards] that wonders what's taking me so long"!

He goes to her memorial every day, says he's "going to visit my girl", and takes fresh roses a couple of times a week.

God bless him and the lovely lady he married on February 9th, 1942.

PS. Here are Mum and Dad on his 90th. birthday, five months to the day before we lost Mum. She was still a pretty lady!

I miss her too.