In October 2011, Mr M and I were due to go to one of our most favourite places for a week of R and R – Portreath in Cornwall. In the run-up to our holiday, things had been a little stressful. I had started to think that maybe all wasn’t rosy in our relationship. Mr M had been being incredibly secretive, snappy and spending a lot of evenings out without me (this doesn’t happen in our relationship very much, and never for days and days on end.)
So when he suggested that we leave at 5am in order to get a full day in Cornwall, I wasn’t madly impressed to be honest. I like my sleep and didn’t really see the rush, but I got in the car, and promptly went back to sleep. He woke me briefly to see the most beautiful sunrise and I thought perhaps I should cheer up a bit.
He told me that he’d heard on the radio that morning, that the sunset would be beautiful that night and that we should go up to the lighthouse to watch it that evening. That cheered me up a bit more. He seemed to be back to his lovely self and maybe I had been worried about nothing. Maybe we just needed a holiday.
On arrival at Pugwash Cottage, we weren’t madly impressed with the accommodation. The bed hadn’t been made, things weren’t particularly clean or tidy and I could see he was really disappointed. We hadn’t stayed in that cottage before, so didn’t know what to expect, but we knew the area was lovely, so I suggested we pop to the beach, have a few drinks and chill out a bit.
It was the warmest October day on record and the beach was packed with sunbathers. When we got back to the cottage, it turned out that we had checked in too early and that the cleaner hadn’t yet been. Ooops. That was why the bed wasn’t made then.
We had a little sleep, woke up and headed to the lighthouse. On the way to Portreath, we had stopped for some groceries and Mr M had been trying to buy some champagne. Ever the realist, I told him that champagne was too expensive and there was some prosecco on sale. So we headed up the hill with our prosecco and glasses to watch the sunset.
When we arrived at the top, we had a glass of bubbles and then Mr M asked me to close my eyes as he had a present for me. This is something we do quite regularly, so I thought nothing of it and closed my eyes, but I did wonder what he had, as I hadn’t seen him carrying anything.
When he told me to open my eyes, I saw him on one knee in front of me with a ring box in his hand. He told me how much he loved me, how I had changed his life and he couldn’t believe he’d found me. How he had known from the day he set eyes on me that one day he would marry me. Then he asked me to be his wife.
(I hadn’t put any make-up on as I didn’t think anyone would be taking pics! but you can see how happy we were.)
I have never felt more special. The moment was beautiful. The setting stunning. The ring was just gorgeous and he is my perfect man and best of all, I’d had no idea he was about to do it. How lucky can one girl be.
We went back down the hill after the sun had totally disappeared among the most brilliant colours in the picturesque setting and started to tell our family and friends. My parents already knew as one of Mr M’s suspicious nights out had been to ask my dad for my hand in marriage. They were over the moon as was everyone else and we were overwhelmed by the messages of love and congratulations that poured in over the next few hours and days.
We then spent the evening in the local pub drinking more bubbles (and sending them into a slight panic as we asked for champagne – they were used to orders for pints of cider) and telling random strangers.
So we went from me suspecting Mr M of an affair to the most perfect night of my life to date. As he slept the next morning after all his planning, worry and efforts, I was up at 5am, watching the sun come back up again and bubbling with excitement.
(Chilling out at breakfast the following morning.)
