Mary Jane and I made some time to go shopping for an engagement ring in the Lanes. Lots of lovely shops there and quite quickly we found a ring in a shop called Magpie in Meeting House Lane that MJ fell in love with. It was a delicate ring, in a rather classic style in what I have learned is called a marquis cut. I forced her to look at more rings but she had already made her mind up.

As the owner and maker adjusted the ring to child's size we slipped off for a glass of cava and some Spanish food, which we ate outside in the Lane.

Having collected it from the jeweller, we had a few comedy minutes with MJ pretending to be patient. The brooding got too much and I was compelled, once we'd walked around the corner to the little garden outside The Friends Meeting House garden, to drop to one knee and propose.

She accepted. Which was nice. Especially as she claimed later that I was trying to torture her by withholding the ring for my own sick amusement.

Thence to the beach to meet Jack and Kate and the marvellous Anna, who had made sure the kids had a great time in the park, on the beach and in Pizza Hut while we were shopping. It started to rain heavily and we retired to bar to play table football and drink coffee.

When the rain stopped Anna left us, and we four went on the merry-go-round down on the beach and then onto the pier, where we all bruised ourselves on the bumper cars.

Jack and MJ then went on some stomach churning rides together while I scored candy floss for Kate. I wish I had a photo of her burying her face in a pink cloud of sweetness.

In the evening we sloped up the hill and Anton made us pizzas. Anton getting Jack to help him. But while everyone else gorged on them they failed the Kate test, making Anton go into a dark place of pizza-based doubt.

Comments