I am divided about Valentine's Day. On the one hand I know this is a hallmark holiday and commercialism gone mad. Just walking around London in the lead up to the day there were all sorts of shops with Valentine windows (pen shops, Alessi, shoe shops etc) and, as far as I'm concerned, only flower and chocolate emporia have the the right to these windows (under Valentine's Day Law). Who wants to get a pen for Valentine's Day? Really? I guess they are practical.... anyway I digress. The other half of me, the "I was single for the majority of my life" half can't help wanting to celebrate it now that I have a boyfriend (I know, an old fashioned term, but I'm an old fashioned gal at heart). You can see my dilemma. All those years when I was single I had to ignore it, dismiss it, rail against it but secretly wishing I was the one in the restaurant eating the Valentine's Day special menu (£30 for 4 courses plus fizz, or some such). So having said all that I organised a weekend away in Camber at The Place at the Beach (really great hotel, lovely people and food) and went for the Valentine package (two nights, 4 course dinner on one of the nights with fizz and cocktails and, my favourite bit, tea lights and rose petals in the room, see picture above!!). And you know it was great. We got there Friday afternoon and went for a walk along the beach (covered in snow), Camber beach is beautiful, then dinner. Saturday was a bracing two hour walk around Rye followed by knick-knackery shopping and the above mentioned rosemantic dinner in the evening. I'm not saying that we were all rosemantic all the time (that would be silly, frankly) but it was just a really lovely way to spend a weekend and the chocolate soup wasn't half bad either. So I guess I'm saying that it's alright to use the day as a way of "spending time" but that shouldn't stop us from doing it any other day of the year. Here endeth my Valentine thoughts, next time we will be back to cakes and cardies, but thanks for indulging my digression.
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