Saturday, February 27, 2010

The Bonzer Day (part two)

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A beautiful, beautiful bride ,,
And the groom’s not half bad either…!



I don’t go to weddings. Up till today, I had been to just two in 64 years … clients of mine, in the days of my West End theatrical agency, and thus ‘obligatory’. Neither marriage lasted the year, I seem to remember. But I’m sure it will be ‘third time lucky’.
I simply had to break my ‘no weddings and funerals’ rule, this time, but for different reasons. For I think I can truthfully say that I did my part in making this happen.
Sarah, today’s bride, has been almost ‘family’ at Gerolstein for quite a few years. At first, she was the Nurse Maude nurse who helped me – and, oh goodness, how she helped me – through the difficult years of Ian’s last illness and death. And, afterwards, she continued to visit, to help me in keeping this ‘bachelor’ house in order.
Tony is the local locksmith, and he came here one day to change all the locks around the place after we’d suffered a visitation from a local ratbag. He was visibly in bad form, so, when the job was done, we opened a couple of bottles and he confided in me the history of a faithless wife and a marriage that had just ended.
Two lovely, giving, golden-hearted people, alone and not wanting to be ... ‘what’, I thought, ‘if I could get them together…’, and so I slid into match-making mode. Once I’d made sure the right facts had gone into the right ears, I was able to slide out of the picture. From there on in, they certainly didn’t need me!



And so, today, in a lovely simple sun-soaked ceremony in the garden of their Rangiora home, with Sarah’s sister as celebrant, and surrounded by their families, Sarah became Mrs Tony Beal. And no-one was happier than I.



Unless it be Sarah’s daughter, Lara – I met her when she was nine, and a few years later gave her dear old Dodo (Master Ado) for a riding horse -- oh boy, look at her now! ..
and Tony’s son, Sam, a delightful young man whom I met for the first time today, and who – like Lara – spoke his piece in the ceremony with considerable style.



Dear Sarah, dear Tony … you have many happy years together before you. Through them, please take with you … much love from Kurt

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