Sunday lunch in the country

On Sunday we travelled to the lovely little town of Trentham, an hour or so out of Melbourne. It's a quaint little town, not unlike Daylesford, but on a much smaller scale. 

We were there to meet my mums family for our {belated} Christmas Celebration and also to commemorate my Granny. It would have been her 94th  birthday on that day. 
We try and get together on her birthday every year, it doesn't always happen, but  when we do, we like to toast a glass of champagne in her honour. 

We have a small close knit  family, my mum, her sister and brother (my other uncle is still in the NT), their husbands and wives and my cousin, my sister, Darby and I.

It was a lovely day. The setting was perfect, sitting in the beautiful serene garden of the local hotel, big vast trees providing the shade. It was warm, but not too hot. Lush green leaves and perfect blue sky. Can it get any better really? 

There were lots of laughs and drinks with Darby providing the entertainment, trying to guess everyone's age and playing a game stacking all the hats on one head, everyone had a turn. I also got to try out my new camera. {I have so much to learn!} 

But the day was still tinged with sad moments, of raw, naked emotions that catch us when we least expect them too. Thats the thing about Grief.  Where all that can be done is to offer our tears and our hugs. 

This is our first Christmas celebration without our gorgeous cousin. She was here last Christmas. That was a heartbreaking Christmas.  Hard to think almost a year has gone by since she passed away. 

It feels like it was yesterday.  F**k cancer. It is so cruel and unfair. 

Instead of giving each other presents we decided we would each donate some money to her palliative care unit, who provided great support in her final months. 

These family celebrations will never be the same without her {and her incandescent laugh}.  

She is dearly missed.