Wednesday 21 September 2011

Conkers, treasure and anniversaries

It will be my first wedding anniversary on Sunday. We chose this time of year because 1) I love Autumn 2) my partner does not like Autumn & wanted to brighten it up with an "event"! More people have remembered it than we did. We've had lots of enquiries about what we are "going to do". To be honest, we're glad we found each other because we're both a bit non-plussed by the whole thing and have questioned what we are meant to do. Clearly there is an expectation that we mark this event in some way other than wash the car and clean the house, which would be usual Sunday events in our life of domesticated bliss... So, having decided to go for a long walk with the dog and have lunch out it will no doubt pour with rain. However, this will not deter us from our enforced enjoyment - well it hasn't done for any of our holidays for the past three years (camping - a whole other blog required for that topic!) Anyway, having chosen a suitable activity I've then been wondering whether to go as far as a gift.

For some people, jewellery is an obvious choice. Not in our relationship. Both of us would be too worried about losing or breaking anything too expensive. I have to take my wedding ring in to the jewellers be re-polished already after lots of bumps and scratches. So, given our own personal credit crunch, I started to think about what "thoughtful" present I might give. I believe Paper is commonly understood to be first wedding anniversary fodder according to some old rhyme, but I'm guessing I should do something imaginative with it rather than hand over a sheet of A4? So then I starting thinking about things we find valuable.

Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with a really shiny smooth conker...I mean, from an early age (and I don't think I'm alone fellow treasure hunters?) I've found it hard to resist a good conker, acorn, stone, shell. How wonderful they look when you find them - pebbles and shells gleaming wet in sunshine, a conker's rich-coloured shine on the grass in the park. I don't think this urge to collect pretty, shiny things ever really goes away. We were out walking with my mother-in-law and her partner some time ago, when he found a Jay feather with a distinctive bright stripe of blue on it. Quick as a flash, she had it out of his hand stating, "I keep the treasure!" - and she meant it. We love to collect this sort of stuff, to the detriment of pockets and washing machines.

But how they fade when you take them home! After a short time the conker goes dull & you can't make it shine like new again (unless you varnish it), worse still if you collect a carrier bag full (which some children might have done...) they soon start to smell of decay in the corner of your room. Not good. Acorns shrivel up and fall out of their little cups, a pebble never looks so good as when the stream or sea is washing it clean. So I think I'll use my sheet of paper to make an invitation to go out and look at all this treasure in the great outdoors. Rain or shine.

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