Eighty

Working nights lately on a labor of love. My beautiful Nana Joan, turned 80 recently. 

Click here and here to see older posts I've written about her. 

Soon we'll all (kids + grandkids + great grandkids) drive up to Forster, a beachside town on the north coast of New South Wales, and spend a few days away together. We've done this every year for over fifteen years now.

We all look forward to it so much. My Nana and Grandpa set the foundations early on for a family that loves and respects each other unconditionally. Lucky for us, we actually all really like each other and treasure this family of ours.

This year's trip will no doubt include, as always; a dinner at the local club, a lazy all day lunch by the lake, a visit to Grandpa's resting place, hitting up main street for coffee and a spot of shopping, the telling of countless stories and reminiscing, a thousand outfit changes for the growing rag-tag gang of mini's, lot's of laughing with and at each other, cabin hopping in the late afternoons to see who's up to what, hanging out on porches chatting. 

And this year, at some point, we'll all get together to watch this movie I'm making for her. A 'This is your life' style tribute to our beloved Matriarch. To celebrate her 80 years, her achievements, to show her just how much she has shaped all of our lives and how grateful we are for it.

So now, I burn the midnight oil and pull all of our stories into one. Painstakingly sorting through literally thousands of photo's, choosing music and editing. 

Some photo's below from a Christmas day in the early 80's. The days of eating pieces of watermelon bigger than your face, backyard cricket, when Dad's wore short shorts and had hair and the afternoon was spent cracking through the new presents and making up dance routines to Wham! in the loungeroom.

Belinda x