Our 56th Wedding Anniversary is coming up. Last year we had an early celebration of our anniversary. We invited the family on Sunday before the anniversary to have a banquet lunch with us at the sahra restaurant in Parramatta (Sydney). It was a day to remember. Gaby was still with us then. We saw Gaby again three days later on Wednesday, the 21st of December 2011. We met her at Merrylands Shopping Centre. Our daughter Monika came to meet us there too for she hadn’t been able to come to the banquet on Sunday I was so happy that both Caroline and Gaby could be with us on the 21st of December.
On the 23rd of December, a Friday, we traveled by car to Melbourne to spend the Christmas days there with our son Martin. After the Christmas days we left with Martin and his daughter Lauren in his rented car to go along the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay to spend one week there in a holiday cottage. Kristan and her mum Margaret spent also the holidays with us. It was a great holiday. A lovely surprise for us was, that Martin’s son and daughter-in-law were able to visit us for one day at Apollo Bay and they did bring their two little sweet daughters (our great-grandchildren!) along.
On Christmas Eve we usually have all the family at our place. To celebrate Christmas Eve with gift giving is a German tradition which our children always favored! Our grandchildren here in NSW regretted that last year we had gone away on holidays and therefore they missed out on the Christmas celebrations at their grandparents. (We had tried to make up for it by celebrating with them our 55th wedding anniversary.)
This year Peter and I are going to take off by ourselves on our special day. We’re very much looking forward to this! We plan on going up to the Highlands for the day and to spoil ourselves with a nice luncheon and later on afternoon coffee at a very special place! So this Friday is the day we are looking forward to. We kept ourselves pretty busy the last few days. So time passed quickly.
And then of course there’s is Christmas to be looking forward too. This year Christmas Eve is open house at ours. Up to sixteen people might spend the evening with us. It’s good to be able to celebrate Christmas with family!
Here is now what I wrote last year about our wedding anniversary. As I pointed out then, the pictures were of course taken in 2011 (not 2010 as it says on the pictures).
Our Anniversary in December 2011
On Sunday, 18th December 2011, we had the banquet for our 55th wedding anniversary. Two daughters and five children of one of the daughters joined us at the restaurant. Three more people, who originally wanted to come, could not make it because they had to work on this Sunday before Christmas. The restaurant was Lebanese. It is situated close to the Parramatta River in Sydney. We took photos outside the restaurant near the river and also inside where all the delicious food was served.
The camera was set onto the wrong year. It should of course say 2011, not 2010.
AuntyUta 
Thanks for re-blogging this and for the memory.
Little did we know that we we won’t have Gaby around this year any more. She took family dates very serious and was the first guest to arrive. She had to come on two buses, all on her own, and could move her wheelchair only with her chin control.
Yes, Gaby loved to be surrounded by family. She always took an interest in what everyone in the family was up too. She enjoyed very much to give gifts for Christmas and for birthdays.
Happy Anniversary! I hope you have many, many more!
Thanks very much. Maybe there’s a chance we might make it to a Diamond Jubilee!
Hello, Devon Texas: Wishing you very peaceful and joyous Christmas days! Love, Uta
Congratulations Auntyuta.
Delightful pictures of a memorable milestone.
Emu
Thanks, dear Emu.
Happy anniversary Aunty Uta and Peter! May you have many more happy years together 🙂
Thank you, dear Munira, thank you very much.
Happy Anniversary, Aunty Uta! Loved the photos. Loved seeing Gaby too!