On the 9th December 1976
my darling father died.
I'm thinking of him today
and remembering all the happy times we shared as a family.
He was a wonderful husband, father and friend....
I never once heard him raise his voice....
he was a man of great faith
a gentleman....
a lover of nature....
and books, books, books everywhere through our house!
....I still miss him more than I can say.
This is my first post since April.
A quick update for all my blog friends....
my french family arrived in New Zealand
at the end of August!
They are here to live
and we can't believe our luck.
As you can imagine life is very busy with
5 more in our little house.....
wonderfully busy!!!!!
2017 Christmas is very special for us!
Take care and
be kind to one another
à bientôt
Shane xx
How lovely to see you today. It must be wonderful to have the family with you.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear B!
DeleteYes and now I know dreams can come true!
It sounds as though our Dad's were much the same. I miss mine too. On another note - I'm so happy that your family is back and that you can see them far more often. Happy Christmas wishes to you all!
ReplyDeleteThank you MA! I’m over the moon and Christmas will be so very special this year!
DeleteDuring the holidays our minds are drawn to happy days when our family was around. You parent’s wedding picture is lovely. How wonderful that you now have family around you to share your days.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post, Shane. Your father and mine had a lot in common. My dear father died three weeks ago. He left such a hole in our lives. Last week I packed and shipped his library to my brother. It was a labour of love - bittersweet and a time of intense remembering.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you as I read that your French family has come to live in NZ. Bliss!!! This week I am taking a very chilly break in Edmonton with my son and his family. My father's namesake and another lover of books. It's a joy to be with him. I mind the cold, especially when I recall that I was in NZ this time last year!
Good to see a post from you and wonderful that your family is back here in New Zealand. You will have to find another excuse to v isit France!!
ReplyDeleteI know you will have a wonderful Christmas with young ones around.
My goodness; I didn't realize your French family moved IN with you! Sounds like a huge change, mostly good, but undoubtedly some added stress. Glad to at least get some of your lovely photos on Instagram to hold me between blog posts. ;-) Merry, merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteDearest Shane, so lovely to see your post. What a beautiful photo of your parents, and sweet words in memory of your father today. Wonderful news to hear your family are back with you, and you will be enjoying a very special Christmas with them this year. Best wishes to you all. We will be flying direct to Vancouver this week, for our first Christmas with the family in Canada. xx
ReplyDeleteDear Shane - your thoughtful post has also brought memories flooding back of my mother. She died in 1973, also in December - she was far too young to go.
ReplyDeleteAnother coincidence is that our family living in Paris have also moved back near to us this year as well.
A particularly lovely wedding day photo of your parents - your father was a handsome man.
It's good to have loving memories of your dear father. Your full house will make for some great Christmas memories, too. Have fun. Hope you have more than one bathroom! :)
ReplyDeleteDearest Shane,
ReplyDeleteVery sad to lose any Parent at a very young age.
But what a blessing to have your French family living with you already for 3 months.
So happy for you!
Well, busy is one thing but what a trade off for being TOGETHER!
Christmas will be so different for all of them and for your French family; living yet again to summer in the very same year.
Sending you hugs and love for a special Advent season.
Mariette
a loving tribute to your beloved father Shane.
ReplyDeleteBut oh how wonderful to have your French family now with you in NZ!! This will certainly make your holidays extra special. I wonder if this is a permanent move for them...
Be well, and enjoy!
How wonderful to have your French family with you. Enjoy immensely!
ReplyDeleteDear Shane,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely photo of your parents. Your father looks so handsome beside your beautiful mother. Enjoy the sweet memories.
How wonderful to have your French family with you this year. I know you've longed for this to happen. Your household must be full of life and love. Enjoy each moment, especially at Christmas.
I had been thinking of you recently, Shane, and hoping all was well as we hadn't seen a post for awhile (quite awhile, as it turns out; I didn't realize it was so long!) -- and you were missed. This is a lovely, poignant look at someone you loved and I really am so very fond of the beautiful wedding photo. It's good to see you back and I hope you pop in more often!
ReplyDeleteDear Shane,
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to see a post from you and have been thinking of you and hoping all was well with you and your family.
It is the time of year that we remember our dear ones. The wedding photo of your parents is beautiful and such a lovely tribute to your Father.
How wonderful to have your French family back home! this is the best news and you must be so happy.
Hope you had a happy Christmas and now wishing you happy holidays and all the very best wishes for 2018
hugs
Carolyn
Hello dear Shane, what a wonderful tribute to your dear father. And such wonderful news to hear you have your family with you! Enjoy dear, wishing you a blessed 2018 filled with lots of love, peace and joy. Big hugs xx
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year,Shane.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment.It has been so long since i visited you! I hope you have been well with your family.The photo of your father and mother is beautiful.Theses days, as I get older, sometimes seeing deceased family members and old friends in photos make me so sad.
I tried to follow your instagram but it has not succeeded!I have had some mistakes...
Tomoko
Happy New Year dear Shane - I know it will be a great one with your 'French family' nearby!
ReplyDeleteLoved the card - thanks so much - definitely one of my most favorites and definitely a keeper.
We had a big - for here - 7" of snow this past Wed. Very beautiful for a couple of days, now melting fast and we should be able to get out and about in lovely sunshine today.
We'll be off on another expedition trip in March - if you visit my post of Jan. 15 by this coming Monday, you can take a guess with a chance to win my little game!
http://abreathoffreshair-mary.blogspot.com/2018/01/where-am-i-going-next.html
Sending hugs - hope you are all well.
Mary x
Dear Shane, thank you for your update as I often think about you and wonder how you and your family are getting on. It's good to hear the good news that they have been living with you. I wish you all a happy new year. My husband and I are fairly well, but mainly at home at the moment due to the cold weather (snow and ice which comes and goes). We look forward to better, warmer weather and our usual time in Italy later in the year.
ReplyDeleteShane, it seems you are blogging as infrequently as I am. Sorry, I missed your comment on my main blog, hardly ever go there these days I've been so busy with the ancestors. I can't get your email link to work. Great to hear you are planning on moving north, the pace of life is definitely less hectic than Auckland. If either of your grand-daughters is going to school camp at Tangihua Lions Lodge the week before Easter, tell them to say hello to me when they arrive. I manage the lodge and am usually there when groups arrive and leave. my email is paulinenz@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI just saw that I commented as 'Cheech (Google). It's actually Cecile from My Yellow Farmhouse. ;o)
ReplyDeleteI just saw your comment on Mary's post. It would be lovely to have you return. What is your instagram link?
ReplyDelete