Romantic

I can't say I'm a great believer in Valentine's Day. Apart from my personal "Valentine-less" situation, I'm always wary of traditions that become an opportunity for a commercial frenzy. Nevertheless I was somewhat touched by the number of people I saw carrying arrangements of beautiful fresh flowers yesterday afternoon.

Valentine's Day also gave me the opportunity to catch up with events from last month. Somehow in the flurry of Wedding activity, I didn't get around to making a card for the young couple. The display at an art shop last week resulted in my picking up these:
Now the truth is, I still haven't made a card. And life is such that these could end up being the makings of a first anniversary card if I'm not careful. I think I'll leave them out on the table at least for a few more days and see what happens.

Wedding Essentials

A flurry of questions from loving friends yesterday reminded me that I'd forgotten to provide some basic information about the wedding day in my blog posts. Here are the essentials:

• The weather was perfect
• The ceremony was meaningful and went smoothly
• The bride and groom were beautiful/handsome and happy
• The five children in the bridal party (that's right five) were remarkably cute and well-behaved.
• The reception was a success, so much so that the bride and groom were reluctant to leave.
• . . . and yes, I have hundreds of photos for those who like that sort of thing, but I won't be posting them here.

Now, today I need to finish washing and putting away my holiday clothes and visit my friend R, who unfortunately was re-admitted to hospital while I was out of town. Then I'd really like to start on some creative work of a different kind.

Next Day

Most of yesterday was spent recovering from the big day. After an early burst of activity to pack and clear the reception venue, we all did as little as possible for the afternoon. My friends went over to dinner with the family who had done most of the make-up and hair on the day--good friends of theirs. I didn't feel I had the social battery power required, so I stayed back. My reward was an unexpected couple of hours with the newly married couple who dropped in to finalise documents and other last minute preparations before heading off on their honeymoon.

Here's J on her way to pack the last things into their car. After a day of "princess" finery, she seemed comfortable in a red and white gingham sundress. Turns out the easiest way to carry a bridal veil when your hands are full is to stick it in your hair.

Today it's my turn to pack and go. I can't quite get my head into the space where my everyday concerns and responsibilities operate. I guess I'll find it sometime after my feet hit the ground back in Melbourne.