}

24 July 2009

Ally and Graeme (1993 - 2009) - A Celebration

"Don't be sad that it's over. Be happy that it happened."  Dr Seuss

I am so very privileged to have had Ally in my life. I couldn't have asked for a more special partner, friend and soul mate. We have experienced so much together. Our official relationship is over but we are still good friends and hopefully we'll remain part of each other's lives for many years to come. Here, for when I'm old and grey, are my favourite memories and photos of our 17 years together.

.Our early years (1993 - 1995)
  • Catching my first sight of Ally across a rusty old fence in a camp site in Palmiet
  • When we all went for a midnight skinny dip in the Palmiet River
  • That indescribably special night on New Years Eve when a feather on the beach brought us together
  • Our first date when we snuck into Kirstenbosch at night and had a romantic picnic on the slopes overlooking the city lights
  • Ally's 20 th birthday party on Llandadno beach
  • How much fun we had at the "Kitch party"
  • Getting stuck in the middle of the lake at the Yacht Club party
  • Surprising Ally with Chinese dinner in my room - a very special evening
  • Leaving little love notes all over Ally's room
  • Our third month anniversary at Melkbos after our romantic dinner at "On The Rocks"
  • The first time Ally said "I love you" and knowing that she truly meant it
  • Saying "ffff- first" whenever we experienced something together for the first time
  • Camping at Bain's Kloof
  • Our song: "Only You"- and how it originated
  • The joy on Ally's face when we bought a full set of Lanquedoc products
  • Camping at Palmiet with our friends, including Eleda and Peter
  • Our trip to The Graham's Town festival with Julian
  • How cute Ally looked as a pirate at her 21st birthday party
  • Having romantic lunches at Le Petit Ferme
  • How gorgeous Ally looked at the Viennese Ball in her velvet green dress
  • Calling Ally "Allykins" - then later on calling each other "My love"
  • "Have I told you lately that I love you? No. Well I do. Still? Always"
  • Our romantic weekends away at Mc Greggor, Montagu, Greyton, Elgin, Citrusdal, Hermanus and Franschhoek
  • Rowing on the lake at Elgin Lodge
  • The way that Gramps adored Ally and how she called him her "Number 2 Hug Man"
  • The beautiful, creative cards that Ally made me to commemorate special occasions
  • Ally moving into Willow Road with me
  • Ally's delight when I took her on a surprise date to watch Madam Butterfly
  • Asking a jeweller to make us a little feather out of gold to remember how we came together
  • Our trip to Joberg to meet Ally's dad and Aisa
  • Sleeping out on the the balcony in Willow Road
  • How we used to re-affirm our love through Ally's ring by taking it off and putting it back on
  • Our picnics at Jonkershoek
  • Our holiday at Storms River and Natures Valley
  • Watching the special bond that grew between Ally and Sally that remains to this day


Travelling together (1996 & 1997)
  • Our wonderful week at Paradise Island in Mozambique - especially using candle light in our room and lazing on the tropical beach and drinking coconut milk
  • How much I missed Ally when she was living in the UK and I was in Cape Town and how great it was to be re-united
  • Our road trip to The Lake District and through Scotland - especially Ally reading Beatrix Potter Stories as we drove and Ally's excitement in getting in touch with her family heritage at Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye
  • Our whirlwind trip through Europe to Italy - especially experiencing our first snow together on a mountain peak in Switzerland
  • Our special time spent driving through Southern Ireland - especially hugging an ancient rock, peering over the spiritual Cliffs of Moher on our bellies and most of all, rowing out to our very own ruined castle on a little island in the middle of a beautiful lake
  • Ally's amazing travel journals, written from the heart and crammed full of such wonderful memories
  • Our memories of Turkey - especially our lazy days at Butterfly Valley and the Olympus Tree Houses
  • Our memories of India - especially our very special, romantic lunch at The Lake Palace in Udaipur, having a miniature elephant painted for our printer's tray and watching the sunset from the Monsoon Palace
  • Our memories of Thailand, especially the joy on Ally's face of visiting the elephant sanctuary in Lampang and our spirit replenishing time on the Island of Ko Bulane, sleeping in the forest and swimming in the moonlight


Cape Town years (1998 - 2000)
  • Doing up Willow Road together when we returned from overseas, especially the beautiful curtains we chose and realising we had the same taste in things
  • Our fun weekends away with the Hardcore Hiking Club
  • Christmas 1998 at Willow Road - Ally put on such a magnificent spread!
  • Our wonderful summer spent with Colleen, Mike and Russell, especially the day that Clifton turned warm
  • Regular sundowners at Clifton Beach
  • Ally's naughty streak - especially when she instigated our group skinny dip at the Houenought Hotel!
  • The happiness I felt when Ally said "yes" when I proposed on New Years Eve 2000 at a party in Swellendam
  • The amazing way in which Ally organised the wedding in only 6 weeks
  • How I felt when I saw Ally for the first time on our wedding day - she looked so absolutely radiant and beautiful it made my heart almost burst
  • Lieing in the river in Franschhoek at the B&B where we had our honeymoon and feeling like the most contented person in the world
  • Signing our bill at the Franschhoek Pancake House as Graeme Myburgh loves Ally Myburgh (husband and wife)
  • Finding flower petals on our bed when we returned home from our honeymoon
  • Doing the Otter Trail with Mike and Colleen - and the idyllic few days we all spent at Buckaneers Backpackers in Cintsa


London years (2000 - 2003)
  • Our flat at Hammersmith Grove - especially climbing out of the window and sitting on our "balcony"
  • Eating delicious meals together at "The Grove" restaurant below our flat
  • Our romantic dinner at The Oxo Towers for my 30th birthday - when we mistakenly ordered a bottle of dessert wine instead of a glass. I got presidedly tipsy!
  • Our winter visit to Cambridge to see Amanda and Johnathon - not knowing we would live there ourselves just a few years later
  • Ally's smile when she wrote "I love you" on the ice frosted window of our hired car
  • Reading the Harry Potter books together
  • Weekends away to visit the Davidsons
  • Having Jo and Anthony and Sammy and then mum and Mike come to stay with us
  • Ally's amazing, unwavering support of me when I was out of work and when I went to the Middle East as a tour leader
  • The excitement I felt when Ally bought me a mini disk player for Xmas
  • Our very special week in Barbados - Ally insisted we go and it was just what I needed. We had such a special time.
  • How cute Ally looked in her devil horns at her 30th birthday party
  • Having Adam to stay and how Ally nurtured and supported him through a difficult time
  • Our wonderful holiday in Croatia - especially snorkelling with turtles and our walks together


Cambridge (2004 & 2005)
  • Our amazing time together in Cambridge (one of the happiest times of our lives), including:
  • Ally's delight when I showed her Brooklands Court, the apartment I "hunted" for us
  • Punting together along the River Camb
  • Weekend and evening strolls in the Cambridge Botanical Gardens and at the local nature reserve
  • Our romantic evening picnic in the Cambridge fields
  • Cycling along the banks of the Camb
  • Dinners and lots of laughter with Amanda and Johnathon
  • Our mutual love of our orchid
  • Visiting the centre of Cambridge on Saturday mornings, browsing the library and stopping off to have yummy crepes for lunch
  • Eating at Nandos, one of our regular haunts
  • Xmas at Brooklands Court with Kerri
  • Our weekend away in East Bourne with Colleen and Steve
  • Our weekend in Prague - especially our romantic ride on a horse ridden carriage and our special dinner at a lovely restaurant overlooking Prague at night
  • The look of delight on Ally's face as she fed the lambs at Wimpole Estate
  • Working on Ally's HR plan for World Challenge together - and what a great team we made.  We wowed them!
  • Our trip to Western Australia, especially snuggling up in the cosy cabin at Shannon National Park
  • Our fifth year wedding anniversary when we made each other cards with exactly the same theme
  • Having Ally with me on a business trip to Amsterdam - it no longer felt like work
  • Experiencing the Last Night at the Proms
  • Proudly showing Mum and Mike our apartment and Cambridge when they visited us
  • Being able to show Ally one of my favourite places, Dahab in Egypt and learning to dive together - especially holding hands as we swam through the beautiful coral
  • Our holiday to the Canadian Rockies - especially standing together looking out onto the beautiful Morraine Lake


South America and Cape Town (2006)


Australia (2006 - 2009)


Things I will always love about Ally
  • The way in which she came into my life when I so needed someone to love me for who I was.  She literally transformed me.
  • Her honesty, loyalty and integrity - so much part of who she is
  • Her sense of fun and ease with which she laughs (even at my jokes when she'd heard them so many times)
  • Her love of hugging and her ability to show affection
  • Her love of exploring new places - something she learned from her dad
  • Her love of elephants and the way her eyes shine when she talks about baby ones
  • Her creativity in making beautiful cards and necklaces and cross stitches
  • The way she loves my family and keeps in touch with mum
  • The special bond she had with my beloved Gramps
  • The fact she is as comfortable in camp clothes as in smart evening dress
  • Her extraordinary generosity
  • Her passion for food and her wonderful cooking (especially her experiments!)
  • The way she keeps her special friendships alive by always being there and always keeping in touch
  • Her incredible ability to get things done when she needs to and her practical minded approach to solving everyday problems.  Oh, to have some of that!
  • How she always loved and supported me exactly as I was, never demanding that I be anything different. It was the greatest gift she could ever have given me. It's something I can really learn from.
  • Her passion for all things kitchen and her passion for setting up home
  • The wonderful mum she will make - her children will be so very lucky to have a mum like her
  • Her passion for keeping memories alive through scrap books, mementos (niknaks I used to call them), travel journals and snap shots - the true, priceless value of which I have only learned later in life
  • The fact that Ally will always be part of me

Our early years (1993 - 1995).










Travelling together (1996 & 1997)









Cape Town Years  (1998 - 2000)
.


 
 
London Years (2000 - 2003)







Cambridge Years (2004 & 2005)
































Cape Town and South America (2006)















Australia Years (2006 - 2009) 

















..these are the memories I will cherish for a lifetime


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