Day 37 - Update

That evening, showered and changed, we went out for dinner at the Meridian Hotel. The guide book Juli was reading noted it's roof-top terrace and restaurant. Juli has been to Meridians before with Marion (they're associated with Air France, for whom Marion works) and they're reckoned to be dead posh. Well, this one wasn't, but they managed a gin and tonic without too much difficulty and served up some nice lamb cutlets with a simple but refreshing salad. However, that's not the point of this post.

Exactly ten years ago, Juli and I got engaged in Red Square, Moscow. Being a bit spur of the moment, I didn't have a ring with me, nor, being poor, the means to purchase one, so I had to think fast. Looking round me for something ring-like, I noticed the coloured plastic rings left behind when you open a bottle of fizzy pop. Thinking of Russian wedding rings in three colours of gold, I had the idea to make a temporary engagement ring out of three differently coloured plastic rings: red, yellow and blue. Not exactly classy, but a bit romantic and not a bad substitute under the circumstances, I thought, and any way, it was only ever meant to be a temporary arrangement.

Now fast forward nine and a bit years. As part of our planning for this trip, Juli and I visited a cruise show in Birmingham. Whilst there, we went to the jewellery quarter and found a guy who said he could re-model Juli's wedding ring so that she could wear it again on her left-hand, which sometimes swells up. He was able to roll her original ring much thinner, and therefore much more bendable and fashioned it into a sort of tiny Christening bracelet, which can expand and contract round her finger as needed. Brilliant! Juli gets to wear her wedding ring again, having been told she never would.

Fast forward a bit more to a couple of months before we leave on this trip. Unknown to Juli, but taking advice from several of her best friends, I got the same guy to make an engagement ring in the same style as her new wedding ring, incorporating stones the same colours as the plastic rings I used all those years ago.
Now come right up to date. When, after powdering her nose, Juli got back to our table, sat waiting for her was a small box containing the afore mentioned, long overdue, replacement engagement ring. I'll let Juli pick up the story from there...

N.

Well, you can imagine my surprise. I didn’t really know what to expect when I saw the box sitting there on my plate.  I did know that it was exactly ten years ago to the day that we had got engaged so guessed it might have something to do with that.

I opened the box, saw the stones and knew straight away what it was. When I took it out and saw the same christening style of ring I knew that Nick had had it made especially.  I have never before had a present that was so absolutely for me, something representing us and having been made for me to fit my dodgy finger. It couldn’t have been picked from a shop. It’s totally unique.

The stones are perfect too. Jasper (the name we would have given to a baby if we had had one), Amber, a very Russian gem and a blue one which I didn’t know the name of until Nick told me – sodalite – for the fizzy pop rings, but altogether, the three golds of Russian rings.

To say I was gob smacked is an understatement.  I was speechless and a little bit weepy so Nick filled the gap by telling me the story of the ring and then he went down on one knee and put it on my finger, where it looks just right with the wedding ring.  I shall have to be very careful of it now, especially on cook group days when it will go safely back into its box.

So first engagement – Red Square, Moscow.  Second engagement – The Meridian, Baku, Azerbaijan! How romantic.

J.