MR. HCB HAS GOT A WHOLE YEAR.....

…..to think of something to surprise me!  Today is our 49th Wedding Anniversary and I have warned told Mr. HCB that he has a year to think of something to surprise me next year.  Am I confident that he will do it?  Do I really want a surprise?  Will I be able to cope with whatever surprise he springs on me?  I guess I will have to keep blipping so that you all know!

When I got our Wedding Album out and went through it, I think that this photograph, more than any other, showed how young and happy we were all those years ago.  We were married at Immanuel Church in Upham Road by a lovely man named Fred Carr, or to give him his proper title, The Reverend, Frederick H. Carr - a wonderful Godly man and someone we grew to love in the time we met with him in the months before our wedding.  His wife had recently died, so after we were married, he would often come to us for Sunday lunch - we know he enjoyed coming because he always wrote us a beautiful “Thank You” note afterwards.  My real sadness is that we don’t have a photograph of Fred - but he will always be in our hearts.

Tucked inside the Wedding Album was a receipt for our three day honeymoon at The Savoy Hotel, Bournemouth - it cost £7.15s. per night in an en suite room - quite something in those days - and the total for our stay including breakfast and dinner was £27. 4s. 2d. - you would hardly get dinner for one in a decent hotel for that - and for those who don’t do “old money” it would be £27.20!

Over the years, we have had our “ups and downs” as most married couples do - the secret for us has been to let the other have their own space - and on the whole it has been a good 49 years - and I can’t wait to see what next year’s surprise will be!

We are now off out for the day - and then this evening we are going to celebrate our younger grandson’s 18th birthday today - Happy Birthday, Josh - see you later.

“A good marriage isn't something you find; 
     it's something you make.” 
Gary L. Thomas