It Was Twenty Years Ago Today
Once upon a time four lads from Liverpool sang a song that began “It was twenty years ago today.†That same line is appropriate for the Librarian and me because twenty years ago today she and I became partners for life.
I wanted to celebrate the milestone with something special so a couple of weeks ago I surreptitiously booked a table for two at Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant in Perth. Jamie’s Italian had opened to rave reviews not too long ago and knowing the Librarian’s fondness for pasta and Mr Oliver’s cooking skills, I suspected that she was in for a treat. I, too, am a keen on young Mr Oliver’s recipes and I knew I was also in for a treat even though I am not a big pasta fan. Luckily there was more than pasta on the menu so I was anticipating the afternoon.
The Librarian woke earlier than usual, wished me and told me my gift was on her phone. She then showed me the phone’s screen which displayed a receipt for two tickets to the matinee performance of Jesus Christ Superstar in two weeks time.I was extremely surprised and extremely happy although, for various reasons I won’t go into here (but will somewhere else ), I was slow in vocalizing my happiness. I had almost bought tickets to the show myself but, luckily, I procrastinated, so there was no awkward moment on that count. After the excitement of the tickets I was a little anxious that her present was going to be a let down, at least in comparison to what she had given me, but I told the Librarian that her present was in Perth City and that she would have to wait a couple of hours.
The “couple of hours†crawled by and we drove into Perth City where we meandered along the streets, stopping here and there and taking detours so that the Librarian would not guess the surprise. The tactic worked extremely well and it was only when we were a few metres away from the restaurant that she exclaimed “I know where we’re going.†She sounded thrilled which was a good start and was a relief for me. It was now up to Jamie’s representatives to live up to our high expectations.
Two hours later we left with the smiles on our faces and the most contented of stomachs. Jamie’s Italian more than lived up to our expectations. I will post a review of the whole experience shortly but meanwhile on with the 20th Anniversary Show.
Jamie’s was just the first part of the 20th Anniversary Show. The second part was a romantic evening (I hoped) in King’s Park. Again, the Librarian was left in the dark as we drove away from the city centre. I pretended we were driving home but eventually turned towards the park and drove towards the centre. At that point, I think the surprise was well and truly sprung.
We parked near the War Memorial and strolled to the DNA Tower. I was concerned that the Librarian’s knees would hinder any climbing but she managed it quite well and we soon found ourselves at the top. I had timed the climb so that we would see the sun setting and I must say I got it just right. We had a few minutes to set up our cameras and shoot away.
After the sun had gone we climbed down and strolled through the gardens slowly, enjoying the view and the warm evening. We talked about the twenty years gone by and what the next twenty years would bring. I didn’t want the evening to end but end it did and we drove home where we…
But that is between the Librarian and me.
May the next twenty years be even better than the twenty gone by. Happy anniversary, sweet Librarian.