Opening paragraphs of 90th birthday speech

 

To our dearest Aunty Sheila,

 

Do you ever get tired of hearing: 'you look fantastic?' 'You haven't aged. I hope I look as good as you when I'm your age. Well here's the truth Auntie Sheila. It's all true! Your beauty is timeless and ageless. But the more important truth is that your beauty radiates from your very essence. Truely Aunty Sheila, your beauty comes from the inside and casts a light around you. We have all been lucky to be near enough to step into that light...

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One of our early memories was my older sister and I at a young age embarking on our first trip just us girls to stay with you. I am not sure if you were a good cook, an aspiring chef or someone who didn't even like to cook. What I do remember is that you got your hands on a recipe book in which every recipe contained generous amounts of wine. We were your guinea pigs. I have to tell you Aunty Sheila we hated it. We grew up with tasty food but the most exotic spice my mother used was salt! Our novice pallettes could not handle that level of sophistication.