A beautiful family wedding - Tamsin and Jamie in Plymouth

What a beautiful day and gorgeous couple. Cousin Tamsin and her charming new husband looked relaxed and super delighted the entire day - exactly what you need to be and do on your wedding day. Tamins and Jamie were married on a gorgeous old church overlooking the Wembury Cove near Plymouth. Midsummers day was a glorious bright sunshiny day full of hope and promise, a a perfect setting for a wedding like this. 

Its a little convoluted, but take it as read, that I have relatives in the UK and one, Tamsin, got married today. We were so lucky to have been invited and so delighted! My great grandmother, grandfather, then my mum and then I have been sending Christmas cards and letters to our "pommy' relatives for nearly 80 years. I believe that we have been the only relatives who have come back to visit; but Tamsin came to visit us two years ago in Australia in a rushed tour of the east coast.

Below is a photo of the 'Pierpoint' side of the family at the wedding.

Miss Lilly looking very grown up for the wedding. 

Morgan sporitng his super short ( he hates it) haircut and a proper button up shirt!

The wedding cake Tamsin baked and iced herself. 

Us outside the Wembury church.

A Corona - a Spanish getaway

A chance to see some sun, sand and beach is something not to be missed.  We hopped on the train in Santiago and hurtled into the countryside to A Corona - a beachside town pretty famous for is golden sands.

It was pretty enough - after we walked about a billion miles from the train station to find it. The kids and I were glad we were so used to walking as it might have been a bit annoying after the first hour of being lost int he tiny medieval streets.

We were rewarded with clear blue water and golden sands; though not as soft as the sand back in Aus, it was s delight to have it between our toes.

We slathered up in sunscreen and the kids darted off to the water, only to run screaming back almost immedialty. Yep.. Blazing hot sun, sweltering day, and the sea was as icy as the North Pole. You know the cold that takes your breath away and you begin to shiver even with your feet in it?  That.

We took the opportunity to wander the historic area and check out Hercules Tower - the oldest - still still standing ( and to my understanding) operational lighthouse. It dates from the Roman Empire - 2nd Century - so is pretty amazing. 

The day remained hot and sticky, with the water freezing, we tried to have another swim, but the cold beat us again.  It didn't stop other people though.. phew.. no wonder Europeans go crazy when they see our coastlines. 

Stone Shrine for Age at Finsterre

Hugging the edges, along the entire trail, there are stone shrines. These range from haphazard rocks piled against each other, to elaborately manicure stones set perfectly in a tower. Many are left as they are built, where others are added to by anonomous pilgrims as they set thier rocks and stones down. They can be clustered in tiny rock skyscraper villages, or set along the trail on thier own. 

The common theme however, is the intention behind the shrines.  Each have been built to honour or as a reminder of a loved one, often passed on. Many have hand written prayers under the bottom rock. Some have an order of service from the funeral. Others have a photo.

Morgan has carried Adrians memorial dog tags on his neck the entire trail ( bar the last 60 - see the amazing story in another post on how they were lost and then found and returned to us ) 

It was a very special ceremony for us to build a shrine and lay what we feel, is the last piece of our farewell in our grieving process.

We spent time alone staring out at the sea, as Age often did, and as he did last year.