Sunday, August 7, 2011

Taking Time to Celebrate...

good evening!

my friend ada turned eighty this week
and yesterday her daughter brought together a room full of her friends
and we had afternoon tea.




ada is the first person in her eighties who i call a friend
my dad is eighty
but he's my dad..that's different.

when i first moved to this city
i went out on a ladies supper evening to a local cafe with a group of women,
and ada and i just connected.

it was like talking to my mum and my grandma and a very good friend
all at the same time.


this is how a lot of girls dressed in the forties
when ada would have been a teenager...

but i think in rural queensland
a lot more of them would have been doing this...


i remember ada telling me that
when she was about twelve or so
her family was so poor
she had to cartloads of wood
and sell them to save enough money
to buy her underwear...
'cos her family couldn't afford it.

i can't even imagine being that poor.

fortunately today
ada is not that poor anymore
and lives a comfortable life
gardening, sewing and enjoying her family,
loving God
and has many friends.

her birthday afternoon tea was special
and had a kind of grace and elegance
not often seen.
her daughter brought a lavender coloured cake
up all the way from melbourne...
we had canapes, punch and birthday cake,
made speeches up
about how we knew her..
and celebrated by singing her favourite songs together.

thank you ada
for showing me
a different era of life and a slower
more caring way of living!

happy 8oth birthday ada..
i hope your 80's rock..gently!


happy birthday to all you august babes out there too!

naturally Carol xox



12 comments:

  1. Gorgeous, gorgeous!

    Wishing your lovely friend Ada a very happy 80th Birthday. What a lovely way to celebrate.

    xoxox

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  2. Happy 80th Ada :]
    Here's to many more!

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  3. Happy Birthday to Ada, it sounds like a gorgeous day :)

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  4. Carol - I have been thinking you. I hope you are feeling better. The celebration of 80 is a special moment and deserves recognition, I love the photos of the 40s you chose! The lilac decorations sound wonderful.

    PS I only recently discovered lilac when I was looking for the flowers on Etsy. When I type lilac into the search engine, and saw all the beautiful handmade goods, it opened a whole new world of colour.

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  5. What a lovely tribute to your friend. My friend Jan is in her 80's and is older than my Mum, but age is irrelevant in many friendships. Happy Birthday Ada x

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  6. Oh this is all kinds of loveliness Carol. Thoroughly warmed my heart reading this post. Ada sounds like a true gem, someone who makes the world a better place just by being in it. What an honour to share her 80th birthday celebrations... 80 years is an incredible achievement! xo
    P.S. Congratulations on passing the 200 followers mark Carol :o)

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  7. We all need an Ada in our life what a Blessing XX

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  8. How sweet Carol, lovely to have such a special friend who is 80 years young! I will soon be heading for another birthday, where did that year go? Thanks for the birthday wishes.
    xo Sue

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  9. Happy Birthday Ada!
    I think it is fabulous to have friends of all ages. When I was in my early twenties I volunteered at a day centre for retirees. I met some fabulous people but I think I was too young and naive to appreciate them as friends. Silly me.

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  10. My Mom turned 81 this year and she, like Ada, also went through a tough time in her youth. Gotta love them, those fabulous 80-somethings ;-)

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  11. Happy Birthday, Ada! I love those pictures from the 40s. So stylish!

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i am delighted that you care enough to comment..i love to read each one of them..thank you!