August 5th 2020 Our Ruby Wedding

You may congratulate us. We've been married 40 years. That's a whole lot of days!!! It's hard to believe.                                                                                             

The cake was a one-off made by a local Swansea baker who'd always wanted to make this cake but nobody else wanted that design! I didn't see it until the day. It looked utterly fabulous!

The groom had hair!! Best man was Noel's school friend John Stanley Quirk who became director of music at The Grand Theatre, Swansea. John's still around.

I wore a waterford crystal cross. The earrings were a gift from a lady I met at uni. Her name was Guadalupe. She was merely an acquaintance and I asked how on earth there was a pearl at each side of the ear. She took them off to show me and insisted I keep them despite mny protests. She would brook no refusal and I promised to wear them on my wedding day. They are real pearls.

My sister Esme was bridesmaid and made her own dress. I allowed her to choose and appropriately she chose RUBY -- well burgundy I suppose -- silk with a leaf print. Isn't it beautiful!!I carried the same white Bible that my sister Margaret carried in 1962. I'd scribbled on the iside of it with a biro -- naughty child!!! She had my initials stamped on it in gold letters. Had a lovely chat with her at the weekend when she phoned to congratulate us.

                                                                I still love that dress!

My mother was the same age I am now. I think she wore it better but then she was, in her way, quite vain and really looked after her skin!!! Noel's Gran looked elegant. That coat was designer and silk but always thrify in her ways she spotted it at a charity shop 😉 Because Noel's grandfather was a brittle diabetic, he could not attend but later we had a little party at the house. About a year later I put the dress back on before I sold it, just to have a photo taken with Dad. I'd put on weight already!!

It was only a small wedding party that windy Tuesday in Swansea. My brother Stuart, just peeking out behind me, and his wife Mary managed to come from Hull with my niece Jackie and her at the time, spouse. I suppose the sad thing about a RUBY anniversary is that the photo is full of dead people.

                                                       me teetering on high heels

My brother-in-law Hubert McCosh as Father of the bride, 'father' was a role he'd played very responsibly every day since our father died when I was 5 and until he died 7 yrs ago aged 79.

1980 it seems was a good year to get married. Congratulations are also due to out friends Alun and Mary Norman and Hywel and Sue Davies. We used to hang round together in Cardiff asnd Swansea back in the day. HEY -- It takes committment but we all made it this far! 
                        So here we are 40 years on and some would say, not a day wiser 

        💖Esme made us this card -- her depiction of Noel and me at Belsay.💖