now, i'm no romantic fool, and to me valentine's day is just another 'hallmark holiday' and excuse for the young lovers of the world to make us long-termers sick with jealousy at the 'spontaneous shows of affection' that spring up... out of nowhere. but, when i saw a shopping spending challenge in the name of valentine's day, well that, i thought, is something i can get on board with.
challenge: write a blog post where you present your perfect gift idea. done. observe:
morning: awake to the aroma of fresh columbian coffee beans brewing on the stove top. i hear light, happy music being played on a small transistor radio on the window in the kitchen - the window is ajar and there is an uncharacteristically warm (it is only february) breeze filling the house. boyfriend appears as if from nowhere, clutching a tray of delicious looking baked goods. i prop myself up against my 1000 thread count egyptian cotton sheets, and tug my hair tie from my hair - allowing my luscious auburn locks to fall seductively around my face and neck. i am a goddess. he is bringing me breakfast in bed. he is fully clothed, and once my breakfast is delivered he hands me the remote control, announces that there will be no football played today, and hurries off to clean up the mess in the kitchen. so far, so good.
midday: a chauffeured car arrives on my door step, clutching a bouquet of posies. the expensive kind. from marks'. we hop in - destination: unknown. before long, we're at a vintage fair; there's thousands of vendors and stalls.. and nothing is over a fiver. we're the first to arrive, and have first pick of all of the good stuff. there's a cake stall, giving away free red velvet cupcakes to people whose name starts with an 'e'. just my luck! we wander the stalls, picking up fabulous collared blouses and adorable floral tea dresses. we find cutesy pieces of furniture that need very little attention, and some gorgeous retro suitcases. it's almost like this fair was made for me.
later that day: our chauffeur drops us off in covent garden, where i am blindfolded and led carefully to our next destination: jamie's 'union jacks' pop-up restaurant. the blindfold is removed, and to my amazement, the man himself is there to welcome us to his restaurant. we're told he will be our personal chef for the evening, and that he wants to try some new dishes on us - before he uses them on the menu. naturally, we don't argue!
even later still: we are stuffed from a delicious feast of culinary delights, but we press on. too full to move, we're once again picked up by our chauffeur. after only a short drive, we've arrived. we're at the prince edward theatre in the west end, for a private performance of jersey boys. the usual actors have been given the night off, and in their place... is one direction. we're sat in the best seats in the theatre, and told that no expense will be spared; we're to have whatever we like from the bar. we choose delicious bailey's hot chocolates... with extra whipped cream and marshmallows. break a leg!
after the performance, we're whisked out of the theatre, and out of town as quickly as possible - not without first taking in the beautiful sights of london by night. as we arrive home, i am shocked to see two masseuses standing next to massage beds, with soft lighting and even softer music playing gently in my front room. i am told to climb on the bed and get comfortable... *bliss*... this is my ideal valentine's day.
...but actually what will happen is that i will awake to my alarm screeching at me, telling me it 6:55 am on thursday morning, and i need to be getting up for work. boyfriend has one week to make this a reality. i hope he's reading this... i really do. *sigh* what plans have you made?
