Love is in the air

I’m having a housewarming … wanna come?

It’s not until February 14, but I like getting all my ducks in a row. Besides, I’ve already been invited to a 40th on February 5, so I’m not the only one who likes planning ahead. If I don’t send a “Save The Date” now everyone will be busy.

I know February 14 is Valentine’s Day, but does anyone really celebrate it at our age? Surely not.

As I recalled in a blog a few years back called Sucking The Romance Out of Valentine’s Day:

[Husband and I] stopped celebrating Valentine’s Day after going to a fancy Sydney restaurant called Marque – pre-kids – many moons ago. It reminded us how unromantic restaurants can be on February 14.

All the tables were separated into two-seaters and a mere handspan apart.

You could only order from a set, expensive menu.

There was a couple seated to our left. The bloke was age-challenged and in a wheelchair. The woman (well, Husband reckons she was a trannie) was of the trashy platform heels and blue-eye-shadow school. She also said “f@#k” a lot in a high, screechy voice.

The swearing started with the entree, which was some sort of coddled quail egg thingy.

“Oh my god, it’s f@#king raw,” he/she screeched.

Next came a carpaccio dish.

“I can’t f@#king believe it, this is f@#king raw too. If they f@#king serve me anything else that’s f@#king raw I’m going to f@#king say something to the f@#king chef.”

So we got a bit nervous when the rare lamb arrived.

“We’re paying f@#king big money for this dinner and they’re serving us f@#king raw food,” she griped, but thankfully didn’t drag the chef over.

We felt sorry for the age-challenged guy in the wheelchair who obviously didn’t think he deserved better in a life companion … or maybe it was a just-for-the-night companion.

What we didn’t feel was romantically inclined towards each other as we exited the restaurant. We were a little bleak, actually.

In fact, we swore never to book dinner in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day again.

Now I come to think of it, Valentine’s Day was always a bit cursed in my marriage. Husband got the keys to his bachelor flat on February 14 last year.

I sent him an email yesterday asking if he could have the kids on Valentine’s Day 2015 for my housewarming … kinda fitting … and he said that seemed fine on the face of it.

I’ve decided on a ’70s disco Valentine’s theme … think wide-collared shirts, hairy chests with gold medallions, lots of hearts hanging everywhere, bunches of fake red roses, the Bee Gees and Donna Summer playing on the stereo … and a flashing checkerboard dancefloor … if I can afford it.

They look like this …

Cool, huh?

It’s a bring-a-plate affair … vol-au-vents, pigs in blankets, mini quiches, French onion dip and Jatz …

I’ll let you know when the invites are ready to send out.

Sooooo exciting!

Song of the day: John Paul Young “Love is in the air” (theme song for the night!)