New beginnings - part 2

Everyone seems to be gearing up for Valentine's Day at the moment.  I'm not.  Not because I don't believe in the concept or anything but because, unbelievably, it's my first wedding anniversary 10 days later. If we had unlimited cash we'd go out and celebrate both days but we don't so we'll stick to celebrating our own special day this year.  There's a fantastic event at Edinburgh Castle that we'd love to go to:

Special Valentine's Wine and Dine, Edinburgh Castle 14 February 2010

Treat your loved one to a fantastic meal in a beautifully historic location.  Our four course meal is designed to tempt your taste buds with an array of top-quality locally sourced produce.

Course 1 - Seared hand-dived scallops, vegetarian option of seared haloumi wtih cauliflower puree
Course 2 - Roast pumpkin and almond ravioli
Course 3 - Loin of Perthshire venison, vegetarian option of baked strudel of winter vegetables, all served with pear tatin, creamed parsnip, curly kale and a port wine jus
Course 4 - Steamed chocolate marmalade pudding with Drambuie custard and passion fruit granita

Each course is accompanied by a specially selected wine.  A beautiful meal in fantastic surroundings - what could be more romantic?

£42 for members, £49 for non-members.  Pre-booking essential.

I just know it will all taste divine and the surroundings are stunning but maybe we can afford it next year.

As we both love cooking (and eating) we've decided that we'll cook a special meal at home on Valentine's Day, choose a good bottle of wine and eat in the comfort of our own home, without all the hubbub that there will be in most of the restaurants that night.

As for the 24th, we have booked a table at our favourite, local Italian restaurant.  Being a Wednesday it will probably be as quiet as the day we got married when we almost had the restaurant to ourselves.  What a very different experience that day was.  We got married in romantically snowy Finnish Lapland.  This is me arriving in my reindeer sleigh escorted by some of the local people dressed up in their traditional Sami costumes.  I felt so sorry for that poor little reindeer having to pull me and a sleigh.  I had been worried about the temperature as it was 26 degrees below zero the week before but on the day it was a positively tropical -2 so the open sleigh wasn't too cold. Mind you, the littlest reindeer got up a fair turn of speed going down a hill and kicked up a lot of snow.  I thought it was going to wash  my make-up off but it didn't. Phew!

My husband to be and the best man travelled by snowmobile and were allowed to play in the deep snow on the way.  They had a ball.  On arrival at the wedding venue they got changed into kilts, assisted by a Finish gentleman who hadn't the slightest idea what a kilt was all about.

When I arrived, my darling daughters, my bridesmaids, were waiting for me outside, patiently I think.  At least they were still smiling.  It was a challenge for them, my mum and me to get ready in a very small ski chalet with hardly any lights or mirrors and not a lot of room but I think they did a pretty fine job.  In the middle of all the preparations a little Finnish man in overalls arrived at the door.  He spoke no English, we spoke no Finnish.  It turned out he was the maintenance man and proceeded to fix lights and radiators while we applied make-up, dried hair and generally titivated.  My mum (who is 84) tried to use sign language to explain that we were getting ready for a wedding but the poor man just looked confused and slightly amused by it all.  He left just in time before our transport arrived.

To be continued later.....