Valentine's dinner and memories

First of all welcome to my new follower at Blueberry Heart.

This weekend I hosted a Valentine's dinner for my two sisters and their hubbies. We had a really lovely evening. The menu comprised of -

Grilled halloumi with basil dressing
and roasted vine tomatoes

Homemade Focaccia bread

Aubergine Parmigiana with mini roasted lamb joints

Panna Cotta  (individual heart shapes) with raspberry coulis

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The Aubergine dish is a great favourite of ours and taken from Jamie Oliver's Italy book

So that I could dish up six plates of food and get them onto the table before they got cold, I daren't take any photos!

It really did look like this

I made table gifts for my sisters which were the fabric hearts I told you about a while ago. They were delighted, as I was with the result.

I also hung a collection of hearts gathered from around the house, on my willow twig arrangement, an idea I got from Heidi at allmyscatteringmoments - thank you Heidi.

My sister surprised the two of us with a gift that she had put together in the form of a memory box with items and snippets about our parents and their wedding. She and I have been tracing our family history for years and this was a lovely idea especially as our other sister has not taken part in our research and this enabled her to see the results.

This prompted me to realise how I have neglected some of my own research. I really must get back to it - when I have the time....

I have always kept my own memory box since I was first married - forty one years ago. I opened it this morning to take a peek.  Needless to say I have sat here in my study for several hours, pouring over some of the bits and pieces inside.

The contents include Orders of Wedding Services - mine, daughter's, son's; daughter's first ballet shoes from three years old; all manner of 'special' birthday cards, anniversaries etc.; old autograph books from my school days; a menu from my day on the Orient Express, which happened to be the day after Princess Diana died (isn't it strange how we always remember what we were doing when something shocking happens in the news); tickets to Ladies Day at Royal Ascot; letters from special people; children's old school reports; medals and certificates for ballet and football; press cuttings; telegrams; locks of hair; champagne corks. I even have a small box with a few of the children's first milk teeth (how sad is that, but couldn't bear to throw them away!)

The list goes on, but I wouldn't be without my treasured possessions for all the tea in China and it would be one of the first things I would save in an emergency. Well I have now spent ALL morning on this - but what pleasure it has given me, revisiting past times and remembering lovely people, events and places!