Sweet Peas

Today I went out for lunch with the Aunty Pearls Club.
It is a group of woman over the age of 50 and we wear our pearls. Events vary depending on what might be going on in a near by town so we can all go together or we may just meet up for fellowship as arranged by The Three Duchesses.
Today was just that; morning tea, lunch and a swim if you wanted at a beautiful home out in the country with views of the Waikato River and native birds in amongst the bush.
A great time of just relaxing, sharing in food and fellowship at this busy time of year.

On leaving I was given a bunch of beautiful sweet peas, that as I type are still filling the house with their fragrance.
I particularly love this bunch as they are in my favourite colours of purple.

The smell is not only true to their name but the memories are flooding back of my grandparents place.

They had a huge vegetable garden, a glass house, grew vegetables and had fruit trees and hens that seemed to supply much more than they could ever eat.
Their flower gardens were fill of flowers too, but every Christmas one side of the garage was a mass of brightly coloured sweet peas and I have never seen anyone else grow as many in one place!

I have Christmas Carols playing in the back ground at the moment and I am reminded of my dear Granny. We would go to their place for Christmas and there were always many family members there too. Granny and Granddad would produce so much food for as many people as there were there and then still have left overs.

One year my small family of Harry, our first born and I went to spend Christmas with my sister in New Plymouth on a dairy farm as they couldn't get away at that time of the year.
We wanted to reproduce the kind of Christmas meals Grannny made and realised how much work she and Granddad put in to make these all happen.
I don't think they would have got much sleep on Christmas Eve.

But that Christmas day Granddad and Granny were going to my parents for afternoon tea, but they didn't make it.
They had a car accident and Granny died in hospital later that afternoon.

So Christmas has had mixed feelings over the last 29 years but the delight of sweet peas and the thoughts I have of my wonderful Granny as I prepare our Christmas feasts bring a smile of how special she was.

Granddad and Granny - George and Ada McEwen 1979