Update 18

This post is about a catch up for y'all - specifically some of the wonderful people who are our friends and family. I've had to track down some old photos for this exercise and I apologise unreservedly for the maybe unflattering nature of some of them but we can't rewrite history now can we! Here we are with the Marbecks. Roger and Deirdre are two of our oldest friends (late 70s!! That's when we met them, not how old they are!!!). We're pictured outside their front door in 2004 (still their front door come to that) just before we went to the UK to live.

An even older one is a family shot taken at Christmas - maybe 2002 or 2003 - not too sure. In the photo: at the back we have my dad (Graham Purdy), Jacky, me, Keegan and at the front Hayden, Lynda, Ross, then Samantha,Adam in the cap and Jade. Ross is my brother, Lynda his wife and Hayden/Scott - their sons. I took this photo partly because we are so terrible at getting everyone together - maybe your families are the same. You know the story - everyone moans about the fakeness of the family portrait and I had to bulldoze it through I seem to remember but..we haven't had a chance to recreate this scene since so with time this photo becomes more and more special.

More of the whanau are pictured here - Adam, Jacky, Michelle, Gavin, Pat. Michelle is Jacky's sister; her husband is Gavin and Pat is Jacky and Michelle's mum (my first of three mothers-in law!!). This photo comes from 2005 when Adam and Jacky returned from the UK. Adam needed to return and Jade/Samantha and I said a tearful farewell from Heathrow Airport. I like this photo - check out the picture on the wall by Adam - a wedding photo from 1984 of me and Jacky.


Next up we take a trip up north...way up north - Rochdale!! This is a special place - it's where my paternal grandfather came from (Harry Purdy)and it felt like going home when Christine took me for a look around. Here we have the Kirkhams in their glory. Lewis, Tom and Fran in the first picture and then Christine (their lovely mum) in the second with her friend Joe. Christine Kirkham is also a Purdy and my quasi big sister/cousin. The pics came from a Rochdale vs Charlton Athletic FA cup game we attended. What's that? You want a picture of me at that game wearing my Rochdale shirt. Oh go on then!

We don't seem to have too many pictures of Samantha - she's usually the one holding the camera. And until she sends me a better one I'll share this one - a pic of us in Singapore on route to the UK in 2004. Jade, Adam, Samantha and Jacky. Keegan at the time remained in NZ but joined up with us again in 2006 so he's missing from the scene.

Finally this is a picture of Jacky with Sallie Moore and Biddy Moore. Sallie is my mother-in-law #2 and Biddie is her mum. This shot was from last year when they visited us for a few days. The house behind is ours but before we painted it (ie it was yuck looking - now it's nice).



That'll do it for the time being...except I did promise Jade's ball photos.


I told you she looked gorgeous didn't I.
Take care until the next posting. Love and peace - W