Golden Jubilee, half a century or Semicentennial; whatever term we use to describe it there is no denying that 50 years is a hell of a long time. 1965 and the 60’s were in full swing with flower power and mods and rockers. My icon Sarah Jessica Parker was born this year but the 60’s probably had a greater influence on fashion than Sex in the City could ever dream of having. Mini skirts became the norm and fashion divided the youth culture i.e. mods in parkas, rockers in leather, hippies in boho, teddy boy haircuts etc.

My aunt Olive and Uncle David tied the knot in September 1965 in London when the number one single was Rolling Stones (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.

To celebrate their 50 years of marriage – commonly referred to as a golden wedding anniversary, all the family went to Heacham, Norfolk for a weekend.  Heacham is famous for it’s sunsets as it is one of the few beaches in Eastern England where the sun sets over the sea rather than over the land. My aunt and uncle hired a cottage right on the South Beach which was a beautiful location. You stepped out the back on to a veranda and some long grasses were all that hid the vast golden sands, beyond which the gentle waves caressed the shore.

What a fantastic achievement and an inspiration to all of us that they are still happy together after all of those years. By the time my husband and I reach 50 years, we will once again be in the 60’s but 2064! I wonder if the 21^st century 60’s will be as great and memorable as the 20^th century ones were?

For the occasion, rather than flaunt the wonderful 60’s look often seen on the model of the era, Twiggy; I decided to go with this season’s revival of the 70’s and wore flared jeans from New Look, with a Snoopy T-shirt from Mango and a pair of brown, suede wooden platforms from New Look. I finished the look with a brown saddle bag from Asos. Snoopy actual first appeared in the Peanuts cartoon in 1950 and saw a ‘golden age’ in the 60’s but it was the 70’s when the strip became more focused on him.

My aunt really went to town with the theme; the cottage was decorated with gold ballons and banners, there were old photographs up and even the party poppers were gold. We were certainly never bored. On arrival we filled up at lunch before heading onto the beach for a sandcastle competition. It was unfortunately rather blowy and cold so we didn’t stay out for long. Once returning to warmth of the cottage to indulge in a hot drink or something stronger, quiz sheets were given out. This was a 1960’s themed quiz with various categories and it was very difficult despite our team including my Mum and Dad who have fond memories of the 60’s.

We had a toast and then they cut their beautiful cake and my other uncle, Adrian sang a song from Westside story, one of the first shows they had queued up to see when they were courting (as it was affectionately termed then).

We ducked out of the mask making competition whilst we went to check in at our B&B. We stayed at The Grove, a beautiful Victorian B&B about 15 minutes walk from the South Beach. I was blown away by the standard of the accommodation. It was vintage, Cath Kidston inspired in style which was right up my street.

http://thegroveheacham.co.uk/

On our return, fish and chips were delivered which were delicious. There were plenty of gold theme sweets to tuck into along with a wealth of alcoholic beverage choices for the evening of chatting and reminissing over old photographs.

The following day after a pleasant walk along the sands, collecting shells; we all headed for a Chinese banquet before going our separate ways.

It’s nice to know that despite our ever changing world – true love still stands the test of time. Here’s hoping they enjoy many more happy years together – congratulations to them once again.