BLF day

My better half and I have been celebrating one of our various anniversaries. This was the anniversary of the day, 40 and a few years ago, we got engaged. Having gone together to pick a ring, with the proceeds of my first ever monthly pay packet, we had to wait a couple of days while it was altered for her skinny teenage finger and also for the cheque to clear (no credit or debit cards in those days, youngsters!)

She went to collect it and, as agreed, we met at her parents' house for what we had decided should be a traditional bit of theatre, when I would formally ask her father for his daughter's hand in marriage. This was, of course, a 100% rhetorical question, as we were going to do it anyway, but we just thought it was the appropriate thing to do.

We gathered her parents together and, addressing her father, I made my request. Whereupon her mother pointedly said to her daughter "you bloody little fool". Hence BLF day.

Her father, never normally one to stand up to his wife, asked what the problem was. "She's too young". "You were just as young when we got engaged".  Whereupon her mother screeched and ran to her bedroom. Leaving me to shake hands with her delighted dad, before taking my beloved off to a quiet corner for the next formality, the question on bended knee and putting on of the ring.

It was a bit like that tv advert from years ago where the chap said "that seemed to go well" after the most embarrassing train wreck of an interaction.

I reminded her dad of this cameo today and thanked him for saying yes. He replied "you didn't know I had the shotgun at the ready". Pretty sharp for 95 - unless he wasn't joking!