Heavenly Beverley : Another Anniversary Under Our Belts

January in Beverley is usually a cross between hot and bloody hot. Six years ago, when we married in our backyard at Brooking Street on 2 January 2012, we were incredibly fortunate. The day before had been the last in a string of days dubbed the Great Heat. The day after was the beginning of several days of the Great Wind. Our wedding day was relatively mild and still.

Fast forward six years. What an incredible ride. In spite of all the unforeseen turbulence, I would not have missed one minute of this time for the world. We have discovered that we can weather storms. We appreciate the golden moments more as a result. We have surprised ourselves and each other with our combined strength, resilience, humour and bravery. Who else would take a crumbling hundred-year-old building with no money and a vision? Who else could dream that we could establish and run an art gallery with no previous experience? We have flown by the seats of our pants, exuding confidence whilst actually expecting disaster.

Not that we are taking anything for granted. However, we have an asset we can always sell if we fall into a financial abyss. The Forbes Building, the third member of our partnership, is now in such a state that she is worth a bob or two if we really need the cash. We hope we don't have to resort to parting with her for many years to come.

And so yesterday was our anniversary. We began the day with Michael bleeding. Somehow, within the surrounds of a mostly soft queen-sized bed, Michael had leant on the plastic plug attached to his side of our electric blanket. He tore open the end of his almost-healed elbow wound. Bollocks.

The bleeding had abated by the time we left on our anniversary break. Michael, ever confident, had not covered his elbow. As a result, our first stop included a visit to the Mundaring Pharmacy for a wound dressing. but not before Michael had bled on his brand new shirt.

The highlight of the afternoon was watching "The Last Jedi" on the big screen. I have never forgotten the thrill of the original Star Wars' opening scenes. At sixteen, I had queued around the block to buy my ticket. Star Wars was my ultimate escapist fantasy. Thus with my inner teenager in charge, I was immersed into "a galaxy far, far away" once more.

Two and a half hours later, we staggered out into the fierce summer daylight. We retired to the Rose and Crown in Guildford, our anniversary digs. The room was motel style but the airconditioner was working beautifully, the bed turned out to be exceptionally comfortable and the shower head delivered a suitable deluge of water - that feature alone ticked Michael's approval rating.

The inside of the pub was having its carpets replaced so we retired to the garden bar. What could have been rather hot and sticky was quite delightful given the overhead mist outlets releasing a refreshing coolness on a very regular basis.

Three margaritas, exceptional vino and plates of beautifully presented, delicious food over the course of the evening was the perfect finale. The historic Rose and Crown, smack in the middle of green and leafy Guildford, also turned out to be the local watering hole for a number of nearby residents. That is the mark of a really good pub and we thoroughly enjoyed some lively conversation in these beautiful surroundings.

We retired to our room with our vino, watched the idiot box, snacked on our "breakfast packs" and fell into blissful slumber.

Day 2 of our Anniversary Treat dawned bright and hot. We enjoyed a very relaxed start. Checking out of the Rose and Crown around 11am, we moved Goldie into the underground carpark at Midland Gate and went for a hearty breakfast across the road at Dome. Very pleasant.

Into Midland Gate for a surprisingly stress-free series of errands. Tony, head honcho at Midland Gate Pharmacy, redressed Michael's troublesome elbow and chatted about ongoing care. Dragged against his will into GAZMAN, (spending money to save money!) Michael quickly changed his tune and was delighted with a second pair of denim shorts on sale. I spotted a stunning vest (also on sale) which I purchased for Callum to wear in his new role as Teacher Man. Edwina, assistant at the Athlete's Foot, helped me with a new pair of Orthoheel thongs. Final stop was HBF. We organised our contents insurance for Station House, upgraded the building policy and caused much amusement for both rep Arlene and fearless leader Kathleen. A very satisfying few hours.

Homeward bound. Beverley was shimmering in the afternoon heat. We retired indoors and revelled in the coolness of our home. A wonderful sixth wedding anniversary and a pretty good start to 2018.

Our wedding - 2.1.2012