Tuesday 14th February

I am not sure of the origins of this Celebration.  There certainly was a Saint Valentine but whether he was associated in any way with young lovers I doubt.  There was the memorable scene in ‘Far From The Madding Crowd’ where Bathsheeba sends a ‘Valentine’ card to her neighbour, with possibly disastrous results.  And the idea that if a woman asked a man to marry her on this one day of the year he couldn’t refuse seems to be older than that.

Of course nowadays it is pure commercialism, a handy stopgap for the card manufacturers between Christmas and Easter.  And for a few weeks the shops are full of red hearts and flowers and chocolates at exorbitant prices.  Time was when I used to buy the love of my life (whoever that was, current or possible future) not only a card but a present and sometimes roses too….

I am not sure if any of that on its own was successful, though most probably an omission on my part may have damaged my prospects.  Nowadays I still send a card to my wife, and we are going to Chouette Café tonight for a Valentines Dinner and Dance, our favourite Rob Russell will be singing early Rock and Roll and a few Romantic ditties as well.  We are really looking forward to it, it is the first real event since New Year.

And you never know what the Romantic mood may lead to…