Well I couldn’t leave my story there, could I? I thought I’d let you know how we are all getting along–one year on.
I’m very close to turning 31 and am about to finally tick off number ten on my list. I’m also wearing my wedding dress and am almost ready to leave for the church, to marry James. Mark is giving me away, so is unable to be James’ best man until later; Pete has kindly stepped into the role, so James will have two best men.
My two pregnant bridesmaids, Kate and Tabitha, have just left to go to the church. Both of them are expecting their first babies in early September. Finding dresses to fit has been a challenge, but their baby bumps match beautifully. I did also ask Ruth to be my bridesmaid, but she asked if she could make my bouquet instead. This is her new hobby after Kate’s wedding bouquet inspired her to branch out in her gardening business, with floral design. For the record, it’s a fabulous mix of wild flowers and green foliage – almost as if she’s plucked it from a spring meadow.
Kate and Ben moved into their new home and spent many months renovating it into what is fast becoming a wonderful family home complete with a nursery, now waiting patiently for the new family member to arrive and join Kate, Ben and the growing menagerie of animals. Ben’s vet’s practise is going from strength to strength, but he seems to arrive home with a new homeless animal each week. Kate seems quite happy with this, apart from the goat, which keeps eating her washing, thus leading to a fenced section of the garden – for the washing, not the goat!
Tabitha and Mark got married a few months after Kate and Ben, so I was bridesmaid for the second time. The wedding was a lovely, small affair, which surprised me. But Tabitha said that they wanted the people who mattered there rather than a long list of people they hardly knew. They are also moving closer to Mum, having decided that they want to bring their child up in a quieter place.
Mark and I also had another go at the orienteering course – just him against me. Guess who won!
Mum is very excited about becoming a grandma and has taken up knitting! It’s nearly a year and a half since dad died and recently Mum seems to be getting some of her sparkle back following her grief. She’s told me that she’ll never get over the loss of Dad, but each day, the pain becomes less, even though the memory never fades. She still works in The Tea Cosy 2 and has made new friends from the various clubs she’s filled her life with. I don’t worry about her quite so much now.
Ruth and Pete have also moved in together and amble along as if they’ve been together all their lives. I asked Ruth if she’d ever get married again, but she says she and Pete are happy as they are.
The two Tea Cosies are doing well and we are now in the process of opening our third – The Tea Cosy 3, although Kate will need to take a back seat when the baby arrives, but we’ll sort that out, with the help of Laura. Whilst speaking about Laura, I must also let you know that she and Ruth’s son Russ are now an item. They met when Laura moved into my old flat and Russ was visiting Ruth next door. Apparently all the cakes in The Tea Cosy have been light, fluffy cupcakes decorated with hearts – Laura seems to have my habit of making cakes to fit her mood too. Being in love has limited the choice of cakes on offer. Ruth told me that all the locals are wondering if she could cause some sort of tiff between them, so that Laura would be in need of comfort food–AKA sticky toffee pudding.
James proposed to me on my 30th birthday, soon after Kate and Ben’s wedding and my bouquet catching success. He did promise that he’d planned it all along and my catching of the bouquet made no difference, although he was also impressed that I did actually catch it – I’ve never been able to catch.
On the morning of my birthday, I went down to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, whilst he said he was just sorting out a surprise present in the living room. There on the wall above me, was my adored slate heart, with a message – marry me? Stunned to silence (which is a very rare experience for me) I turned to see him waiting in the doorway, smiling at me expectantly. “Well – will you?”
“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” I screamed, jumping on him. He then produced a box with a gorgeous platinum ring owning a beautiful, sparkling heart shaped diamond – perfect!
Later that morning after breaking the news to everybody – even Kate who was on her honeymoon, I was whisked away for a short break in the Lake District. Teasing me, James threatened to take me to stay in a Youth Hostel and also to spend plenty of time in outdoor equipment shops. His reasoning being that, if I was going to marry somebody who owns an outdoor pursuits centre, I need to have more practise in recognising quality climbing ropes or something like that. He also pointed out that I really did need a more appropriate coat for being outdoors – yes he was right about this. Thank goodness he was teasing me and took me back to the Wordsworth Hotel again and we didn’t spend even one minute of our time in any of his favourite shops, despite him peering longingly through the windows. To make things fair, I did not purchase any hearts shaped objects of homemade soaps – I still have 18 from before.
Of course one of my birthday presents from James, was a suitably warm and water-proof North Face coat. I did try to express enthusiasm for the coat as much as my other gifts, but then James knows me too well and understood that my attraction to a slate heart saying , ‘Welcome to my garden,’ would be greater than to the coat. I also know that warm coats, gloves, boots and boot wax etc will be a significant feature of my life with him, but I can cope with that in the same way that he’s accepted plug holes filled with soggy bath bomb petals.
In the next hour I’m about to become his wife, so in the end I will complete my list, if slightly late. And what about my list, where my story began – has it changed my life? Those on the outside may consider it a silly list or a waste of time, but for me, it’s been a crucial turning point in my life. It did make me grow up and do things that I would normally have shied away from resulting in me realising that I should never be afraid. What’s the point of fear? During that year, an awful lot happened, but my list was the constant stability guiding me through tragic, happy and scary times.
Back to today, the only sad element is that Dad is not here to walk me down the aisle, but I still talk to him every day and believe he will be walking with me all the way through my life. I have also finally written down Dad’s list of wise comments, which I have referred to several times already:-
Anyway, I’d best be off or I’ll be late – even if it is the bride’s prerogative. Oh before I go, could you guess my wedding theme? Well, Kate had bluebells, so what did I go for – hearts of course!
Notes to Self
6 oz dates (stoned and chopped)
10 fl oz water
1 ts bicarbonate of soda
2 oz unsalted butter
6 oz sugar
2 beaten eggs
6 oz SR flour
1 ts vanilla essence
For the sauce
10 fl oz double cream
2 oz Demerara sugar
2 ts black treacle
Method
Boil the dates in the water for about 5 minutes until soft and then add the bicarb.
In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the eggs and beat again.
No mix the dates and the water used for boiling them into the creamed butted mixture.
Add the flour and vanilla essence and mix.
Pour into a well greased baking tine (11 inches by about 8 inches).
Cook for about 30 – 40 minutes until firm at 175 degrees Celsius.
For the sauce – mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour over the cooked sponge.
Diane Melling lives in Lancashire with her husband, their two children and their old, faithful dog. She teaches at a local primary school. When she is not working or engaged in her creative writing, Diane enjoys walking in the beautiful Lancashire countryside wearing her purple wellies. She also enjoys nurturing her friends and family with delicious food and baking, which usually involves a glass of red wine – or two!