Paper Celebrations...

It will come as quite a surprise to many of my regular readers that today I celebrated my first wedding anniversary. Not just mine obviously. It all took place last year, in a cathedral no less. Well in fact it was more near a cathedral than in one. OK, I suppose I've got some explaining to do.

This time last year, some of you may recall that Em & I went on a joint birthday celebration trip to Dublin to see the sights and sample the wonderful variety of food and drink on offer. On our second day at around two in the afternoon we found ourselves in the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral having just finished a very interesting look round but also having decided there's only so many tombstones of people you've never heard of that you want to read.

For those who have never been (and it is worth seeing) the cathedral is built on a hill so you enter the grounds from the east at street level, but have to climb a winding pathway to exit the grounds to the west and it is on that very pathway that our story unfolds.

Now, before we set off on our trip, I promised Em that no matter how much Guinness and whiskey made it's way into my bloodstream, I would try my hardest to avoid adopting my ridiculous Irish accent, saying "begorrah", "bejaysus", "to be sure", "top of the mornin'", or the like and within reason, I think I managed ok. Besides, I didn't want to offend any readers of Irish descent when it came to my inevitable recollection of happenings on the blog.

I mention that now because it was at this point that we were met by three of the most inebriated individuals I think I've ever met (trust me, I'm a good authority on the matter) and I was delighted that one of them did the speech for me. Two of them staggered on right past and probably didn't even see us, but the third stopped, swayed a lot, looked up, smiled, then the conversation genuinely went something along the lines of:

Helloo there. How're ye doin'?
[Me] Alright mate. You?
Ahh, ye must be visiting. Are ye having a grand time?
Yeah, great thanks
Well, might I say yer a fine fellow and ye have a beautiful wife
Thanks very much
I don't suppose ye could spare us a couple of Euros could ye?
Sorry mate (patting pockets), afraid I can't.
Alright, never mind. God bless ye

After our amicable little exchange, he staggered off to join his mates and we headed off towards the Guinness Storehouse. I have to say a was a little stunned at his lack of persistance where at home, I would have expected an ear full of abuse at the very least.

We must have been a couple of blocks further on when Em remarked,
"You do realise we were married for a short while back there?"
It had crossed my mind momentarily. Beautiful? Certainly. Wife? Well I certainly wasn't about to start explaining our history to him.
"We ought to remember this and celebrate our anniversary"

So today we did and exchanged cards...