Memorable weekend in Mwadui

This weekend past, Grant and I had two memorable events take place in our lives. On Friday, 2 March we were blessed with our sixth grandchild, born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. On Sunday, 4 March we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary in Mwadui, Tanzania where we now find ourselves!

Logistically our children were unable to celebrate our anniversary with us but I've posted photos of all our grandchildren to share the post.

We haven't been home to SA for many months. We've not seen our older grands for almost a year. We hope to see them when we go out on our break later this month. Clockwise from top:  Joshua and Eryn, daughter-in-law, Debbie with children; middle: beautiful Bethany;  our older son, John with Eryn; bottom left: baby Elijah, now almost two and handsome little man, Joshua, right

Only hours after his baby sister arrived on Friday morning, grandson Joel got his hand jammed in lift/elevator door. His maternal grandfather, who was babysitting him at the time, rushed him to emergency where they strapped his arm. Poor little man. He's apparently fine though.

Top two photos and bottom right: Beautiful baby: Abby Kate Hedges. Middle and bottom left photos: Joel (not a happy-chappy) after his tussle with the lift door

Amid all this excitement of babies and our approaching "big day", on Saturday I made a huge selection of snacks to take to the club that night. When I arrived with my trays of beautifully arranged meatballs, spicy chicken legs, savoury vetkoek (deepfried dough balls filled with mince), cocktail onions and gherkins, one of the men behind the bar said to Grant : "You can see a woman's hand in that display!" The client (for whom Grant and his team contracts) is 100% South Africans and 99% men. There was a rugby match on the telly so the party was two-fold; to watch two national teams battle it out and to celebrate our special occasion with us.

Top left: the rugby match about to start on telly; Amanda, Sesia and her South African husband, Robert; middle: Amanda took my camera and snapped me and Grant; bottom: Jo (left) and Sesia (right) with array of snacks in front of us

Forty years...

At 7pm Grant's team of men arrived to join the party. Unbeknown to us, they'd been to Shinyanga and bought us a very personal gift to commemorate our special day. They called us to their circle and Narinda (acting workshop manager in Saravannan's absence) made a speech and handed me the gift. Once again, Amanda took the photos.

Grant's team of men hand me the gift

The top of the vase [in the picture] had "Jo and Grant Hedges" written on in gold. And below the arrangement was the mesage:"40 years together". A lot of thought went into this gift and Grant and I were very touched

The Team: Juba, Dipen, Marnitz, Juine, Narinda, Bossman Grant, and Rajaman

I hope you're all having a wonderful start to your new week.

Blessings

Jo

 

40th Wedding Anniversary

1972 - 2012

End November 2011

31 December 2011

Grant and I met at high school on 20 July 1968. He finished school that year, I two years later. Two years after that we were married on 4 March 1972.

Writing this post last night brought back many poignant memories. I was the first of four children to get married although I'm third in line, after two older brothers and a younger sister.

The night before my wedding I remember the four of us sitting around my mum's huge oak dining table, while my sister Rose and I attached beads to my train. Not being a sewing person, my wedding dress was the first and last item I ever made, and I also almost didn't have it ready for the big day! My brothers, Phillip (a fellow blogger known to many of you), Boyce, Rose and I enjoyed an evening of lighthearted banter and lots of laughter. 

Today, four decades later, Grant and I are best friends and couldn't live without each other. We've experienced many good and not-so-good things, enjoying the former and growing in character from the latter. We raised two handsome , responsible and God-fearing sons each with wonderful wives and between them, they've blessed us with six grandchildren, the most recent only two days ago!

What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. (Mark 10:9)

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.

Blessings

Jo

Abby Kate Hedges

Yesterday I posted about the arrival of our third granddaughter and sixth grandchild, Abby Kate.   (BTW who remembers the 80's when every second baby girl was named Diana?) 

Thank goodness for modern technology because we feel that we've been part of her birth with the photos and phone text messages we received heralding her birth. She is the second child of our second and younger son, Angus and our daughter-in-law, Amanda. Their firstborn son, Joel is two years old and an absolute cutey.

Little Abby will be about four weeks old when we go out on leave to South Africa and we eventually see her in the flesh.

Abby Kate Hedges, mere minutes old,  voices her disapproval at being taken from the warmth of her mum's womb

Ah, that's better; nice and warm and cuddly!

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.