The [pine]apple of my eye

We had an architectural wedding cake - no surprise in that perhaps - its shape based on The Pineapple which is a Landmark Trust holiday home in Scotland where we stayed together before we got married - missing the great tempest across the south of England of that autumn which felled so many trees back here in Faringdon. The bottom section of the cake was a standard celebratory fruit cake and the top section was a banana cake. I remember that I got a taste of neither.  However, the cake, made by an old friend, felt like a particularly romantic gesture on the day. 

I mention this as a prelude to the fact that VALENTINE'S DAY is coming up next week. And I will simply add that we also had Shakespeare's Sonnet no. 116 as one of the readings during our marriage service.  I know it is quite often used at weddings: the wonderful words triumphant in their romantic optimism!

[typed up by my Mum for the service]

I have stamped and cut out hearts and a few stars on pieces of jewellery over the past few years - and there are some hearts available over in the shop at the moment 

and with reference to being "the star to every wand'ring bark", 

here is a little star-stamped pendant with tiny mother-of-pearl and hematite star beads: "look up at the stars".  And why not?

⭐️   ⭐️   ⭐️   ⭐️   ⭐️   ⭐️   ⭐️   ⭐️

STARS, HEARTS, CIRCLES, BIRDS.....  SPRING ON THE WAY...?