22 December - Our fourth wedding anniversary

Tomorrow is our fourth wedding anniversary. Four years ago, on the summer solstice, we were married on a beach 80km north of Cape Town. We were blessed with the most spectacular weather anyone could ask for on their wedding day and we loved every minute of celebrating with 90 of our closest family and friends.

The last four years have been really amazing too - we moved from London to Australia a year after our wedding and after travelling overland through Africa and South Africa for 10 weeks, en route.

We have loved the last 4 years - even our journey through infertility, has been a blessing in some ways (although it has definitely been the hardest challenge we've had to face). Standing by as 6 babies have been born in our immediate family, has been pretty hard to bear, but it has also brought us immeasurably closer to each other as a couple, and provided us with an iron-cast foundation upon which to build our future.

Tomorrow, we also see our IVF nurse for the first time and receive our meds and instructions on how to administer the injections. It's kind of weird that it's on our wedding anniversary, but we couldn't do it on any other day this week and we've decided, as always, to 'keep it light and humorous' and treasure the opportunity to be together and face it together. We'll go early and have a nice breakfast at a little cafe beforehand.

I have so enjoyed reading everyone's blogs over the last few weeks. It's going to be weird to be away for 10 days without any internet access. So I'll take the opportunity now to wish you all a beautiful Christmas with your DHs and I hope that you are able to soak up some special time together, where it is just the two of you. It's been a hard year on all of us and it's important that we all have some much needed 'time out'! We need to take care and nurture ourselves so that we are strong inside and ready to face everything 2012 brings - and my fervent Christmas wish is that it is a year filled with tonnes and tonnes of sparkling baby dust!!!

I thought I'd share some pics with you, taken on our big day four years ago and also a poem which my mom wrote too, which describes our wedding day perfectly and still makes me well up when I read it!

Merry Christmas everyone!


THE WEDDING
22 December 2007


The day lapped lazily awake
A timeless distance
On an endless shimmering silvery beach
A slow snake of joggers, prams and delighted dogs
Disappeared into the haze
As I watched sipping tea

A clearing of sharp shells and pebbles,
Harmonious duo of leaps and curves
Was quickened by the icy waves
And our focus wordlessly gathered
And the day seamlessly slipped into THE DAY!


Each pre-primed to his task
The plain rustic palette of entropy
With quiet industry
Metamorphosed into a theatre
Of regal protea-pinks on crisp white and reed brown
Entwined in branch grey
All scattered with sandy shells, candles
Twinkling lights and sparkling glass




The sun rose over the bare-bleached arch
And the crew soldiered on
Until the Stage was set



The brazen sun observed
Blondes pink and gold
Brunettes green, blue and mauve
Pastel pretty parasoled Bridesmaids
Descend to stage right,
Preceding golden ivory




Radiant Mermaid-Bride
Emergent from sparkling breathless waters
On a perfect day
To enchant and bewitch
Her lithe handsome man







Encircled by vows, rings
And the brightly rippled attention
Of the Universe
The bond was made, symbolised and witnessed
And THE DAY rejoiced and confirmed
The Joining with rose petals, hugs
And congratulatory kisses



The Feast followed,
Of food, speeches, father-final
And betrothed-beginning Dances


The long shadowed day then swelled
Into crescendic Sunset
For the gleaming couple
And as it hushed into darkness
The Cake was cut and consummated
In delectable delight






The Celebrations continued
Thai candles rising imperceptibly, slowly
Into the windless night
Over a whispering sea
Private wishes and hopes transfixed
And floating into the future
Distant Unknown



And THE NIGHT became a vibration
Of song and dance
And Orbs came to join the party.



And THE DAY and THE NIGHT
Stretched and slipped unnoticed
Into the embryo of the next day
And the Gods who had created and partaken
Of THAT DAY
Gave thanks in their hearts
For EVERYTHING




And the Memories of THAT DAY
Continued to reverberate
Accross the Universe
As one where hearts had swelled
And tears welled
And life, was wondrous and good


By: June Williams
19 January 2008