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29 August 2010

Waltons Moments

It would be fair to say we've had a few 'Waltons moments' of late.

What do I mean by that? I have my lovely sister -in-law Ann-Marie to thank for the phrase. A 'Waltons moment' is when in the midst of whatever you happen to be doing, you have an epiphany of how perfect and happy and complete you feel in that exact moment of time.  Like life couldn't ever be any better than right here, right now.

There were occasions where I wished I could have taken a giant hammer and smashed time to smithereens. So that we could have held on to all the moments, for longer, maybe even forever. And yet, I know that what made these moments full of life, love and laughter so incredible yet bittersweet, was in fact the knowledge that time was ticking slowly on. There were only so many minutes, hours and days for us to suck the marrow out of life together.

But suck it we did. There wasn't a whole heap left but the skin of that marrow by the time we were done.

On the beach
Arriving to blue skies. The vast shoreline beckoning us closer. It felt like all the time in the world to sit and merely reflect. Conversations held over coffees and milkshakes. The outdoors calling strongly to us and we answered. We walked the beach, every evening. Saw the sun giving up its warmth and golden glow in exchange for salmon and hot pink hues. Marvelled at each day as it was ending. Left wishing for more. Midwinter swims for the boys. Never mind the water was only about 10 degrees. Wild horses wouldn't have stopped them chasing the waves and each other. While the boys splashed in mud pools and ran in and out of the waves, a little boy savoured sandy sensations. Loving the feel of the sand between his fingers and toes. The sensation as it touched his lips. Collected shells and the odd half-eaten crab. What is it about boys that they are so fascinated with nature at its rawest? Built a den which stood the test of time. Put a patriotic spin on it by raising our flag high. Flags of our Fathers eat your heart out! Played rugby up and down the beach. Drank in the salt air, the sheen of the distant hills, and the feel of rippled sand under our feet. Fell asleep each night to the sound of the waves. Rhythmic and soothing. Like being enveloped in a mumma's womb all over again.

A trip to Lindale Farm park, walking freely among friendly pigs and sheep on an unseasonably warm winter afternoon. And Kapiti Icecream to finish! A tram ride in Queen Elizabeth Park. To the seashore littered in driftwood, which was a wanna-be soldier's goldmine. Many a scene from Saving Private Ryan, and Band of Brothers recreated. Not to mention the recent classic scene from that great Kiwi film Boy: The Movie. See it if you haven't! Rambling on miniature trains at Raumati Gardens. The passionate the drivers have about their engines endearing, and their enjoyment at sharing the experience obvious. Then sliding slippery slopes in the afternoon sun. At The House
Games of Guess Who and Connect Four. Fresh bread for lunch. Roasts cooked, takeaway curries devoured. Little boys exclaiming they were 'Best Cousins' on a regular basis. Walks in the evening after dinner for the girls whilst the boys built Lego upon Lego.

A Treasure Hunt in the garden. Pineapple lumps and mini challenges at each stage, and 2 little mini-Lego figures for the finale. Adults Only
And each night when all was quiet on the western front, we four Yahtzeed, Trivial Pursuited, Scrabbled and Rummy-Ohed our way through several bottles of wine and beer, chips and dip, and blocks of chocolate while we caught up on the last 2 and a half years. And on our return to Wellington, a night out together at Piccolo awaited (at our favourite Italian restaurant Il Piccolo's big brother). Sunday evening, and with only two tables in the restaurant, it would be fair to say we had the run of the place. The owner couldn't do enough for us, and the food and conversation flowed like all good occasions should. And with lovely Italian wine, antipasta, carbonara and steaks, tiramisu and bucaneve to enjoy why shouldn't it have? Topped off  with lemoncello, the eveining was complete. Then home to bed. Full of good food, and hearts bursting with more experiences than we could ever have dreamed possible in five short days.

Memories to savour. To hold tightly onto. Memories that will live on and on. As time goes by and they are no longer recalled or relived daily, they will still be there for us all. We won't always remember this time as vividly as we do now, but the memories will be there.Tucked away into that quiet and contemplative place saved only for once-in-a-lifetime memories. Posted by Meghan Maloney Photography at 9:37 PM