Stitching together gorgeous jewelled bunting out of sari material in my sewing room, my heart was filled with joy.
Through the window I could see my fiancé Rudi, then 43, outside, carving cheese platters shaped like angel wings out of kauri, a native Kiwi forest tree.
Together for three years, Rudi and I were handmaking all the decorations for our backyard wedding, which was three months away.
Rudi had a job in engineering and welding, and we both loved working with our hands and creating beautiful things.
It was October 2017, and I’d
