1st July 2013 is the first day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I have entered  the challenge before but never quite got to the end so here goes!!

1st July is a very significant date for me and my family. When my first husband proposed to me and we were looking for wedding dates, it seemed most appropriate o choose 1st July. It was a Saturday, which is what we wanted but it was also my mum’s birthday and by choosing this date, I won lots of brownie points with my mum!!!!

So 1st July 1977 was the day I married Ivor Griffiths. Here you can see my very proud dad, about to give me away and it brings a smile to my face as I remember him rehearsing his line “I do” (in reply to who giveth this woman?) He rehearsed it in so many different ways it made me laugh!!

A very proud daddy about to give me away

Sadly, this marriage only lasted 16 years but it produced some very happy memories and 3 gorgeous children of whom I am very proud.

A few years later, my sister gained those all important brownie points by giving birth to her second child on 1st July. Zoe , my niece, has turned into a beautiful young woman.

Three years ago, my dear daddy left us . He died on June 15th. As he had led such a brilliant life, his funeral was not going to be one of mourning the dead, rather a great celebration of life with bright clothes and cheerful music. It seemed most appropriate for us to hold the service on 1st July. It was, indeed, a brilliant service with so many happy memories being recalled as my siblings and I all presented our own tributes to a very special man. We were able to do this in a way  that would have made him proud as he had made sure we were proficient at public speaking.

Yesterday was again 1st July. I was travelling back from a brilliant holiday with friends. As I travelled, I recalled so many happy memories, not just of 1st July but of other family occasions too.

As I arrived back on my fairy Island (Isle of Wight) I managed to catch up with my brother and my mum briefly. I wanted to wish her happy birthday and we celebrated with a quick trip to McDonalds!!

celebrating mums birthday with a Mcdonalds

It seemed very fitting to start the first day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge with happy family memories (even though I am posting a day late – but then I was sooooooooo tired from travelling yesterday and the technology decided to beat me late last night)