The Golden Get Together

We both enjoyed our Ruby-Do so much that we decided it could never be repeated. Our Golden Wedding anniversary though was surely something to be celebrated so perhaps our postponed trip to New Zealand to celebrate Emily’s 40^th in Spring 2023 could now become a joint celebration? Then Jo and John solved the problem when they announced that they were coming to the UK this summer.

The date of 11th August (also, let us not forget, Jo’s birthday) was too late for the Australian school holiday season so they threw regulations and reason to the winds and decided to make it a football holiday as well, taking in Rangers fixtures in Glasgow and trying to take Johnny to Paris or Barcelona to see some of his heroes. This meant delaying detailed plans until the fixtures were announced but we pinned down Saturday 13th and sent out the invitations.

Rather than ask people to trail over to Kintyre (we’re all ten years older now) we settled on New Lanark Mill Hotel as a venue. We had attended events there before and knew it would work. With a decent level of comfort, some interesting history to explore and pleasant walks in the Clyde Valley, not to mention a spa and pool, we suggested people come for two nights and we have a relaxing time not just sitting round a meal table. And so it was.

With Jo, John and Johnny trying to fit in all their family and friends, they arrived on the Wednesday and headed east to stay with John’s family while we met Neil and Dorothy in their campervan and had a wee holiday at Lettershaws near Wanlockhead, even remembering to mark the exact date and time of our wedding with a glass of bubbly.

We were blessed with pleasant sunshine which lasted for the weekend. We headed up to Lanark on Friday to look after Caitlin while Emily had her eyes done and had a walk round the loch and a picinic. When we arrived at the hotel on Friday afternoon and checked in, it was straight into the pool with the kids then Emily and John H went into Lanark with a takeaway order and we found a picnic spot with a playground where we could mix and mingle and make plans for the next day.

After lunch it became clear that the party planners had been hard at work as we set up the room with all the decorations, some borrowed, some bought and some home made.

Then there was dressing up and making up before people arrived at 6.30 and we sat down to our meals at 7. The hotel did us proud and everyone claimed to have been very happy with the accommodation and the food. (Thank you Muriel for helping me to choose the menu!)

A highlight of the evening was the special cake that the Birches had prepared, a replica of Larick House with gluten free garage, lego monkey puzzle, poly tunnels and other details.

A surprise (for Jo) performance of Happy Birthday by Caitlin on the cornet and Kevin on the trumpet with a cake and candle was lovely. Johnny performed some magic tricks and Neil, John and Caitlin performed Stranglers in the Night. Jo and Emily said some very kind things about us and Nigel, one of only two people who attended in 1972, again took the photographs .

We were slightly caught out by having to clear the room by 11 but given our age these days it was never going to be a late night, so we scrambled to make sure everyone had been photographed in the golden frame, and had signed the ‘book’, then sat in reception once the bar closed and chewed the fat with a handful of diehards.

Breakfast was also a sociable occasion and after another swim, we waved people off in various directions (Jo, John and Johnny were already in Paris!) feeling very lucky to have such a delightful group of friends and family to call our tribe.

A braw day, which we really enjoyed. Our warmest thanks to everybody. What’s next?

And here’s some more pictures from Neil and Dorothy.