Wedding Anniversary

 Today is in fact the day upon which my lord-and-whatsit and I celebrate our four years of marital bliss. My, how the time flies. It is only the second anniversary we have celebrated in New Zealand, the first two being whilst we were in Japan.

The stars have aligned themselves auspiciously and as fate would have it, things have worked out rather well for ultimate relaxing anniversary fun!

List of evidence from which Debbie concludes that marital union shall be celebrated with BIG SMILES
1. School holidays! Yay. No work makes anniversary a happy day!
2. Fortuitous arrival of DVDs. Yes, even international shipping connives its way to arrival on our anniversary (or the day before in the case of Fruits Basket and FLCL).
3. The sun is shining yet there is a chill breeze. Perfect weather from walking through serene parks amongst trees and shrubbery wearing reliably warm jackets and comfy footwear.
4. Coffee, milo and other hot beverages are GOOD. Admittedly, they are good on other days of the year as well but they are especially tasty when consumed with a good book (book being read, not eaten naturally) or watching a good movie. Post-walk hot drinks are also good.
5. The fridge and pantry are packed with delicious treats (including Old Gold dark chocolate with peppermint chips - the best!) so I may indulge my epicurean desires without a trip to the supermarket.

According to my mother, and a slightly less reliable website listing such things, the traditional gifts for the fourth anniversary are Fruits and Flowers. I guess Fruits Baskets is really appropriate then! There is also an adapted list of 'Modern' type gifts. The 'modern' fourth wedding anniversary gift is Appliances. Huh?

To me, appliances are not romantic. A toaster does not really say, "I love you", nor an iron declare, "You have made my life complete". Sure they might be practical but after the wedding gifts and four years of marriage, you have probably accumulated all the appliances you could really need. You would be getting down to the superfluous 'alternative' appliances such as electric cheese graters and automatic coffee stirrers.

Maybe I should make my own list. Debbie's REALLY COOL WEDDING ANNIVERSARY GIFTS:
(I would provide two options. The first for if you have already spent too much money, the second for spending heaping big cash).
1st (cheap) Books and warm, fluffy socks
1st (not-so-cheap) Giant Floor to ceiling bookshelf (yes, furniture is good)
2nd (cheap) Holiday to not-very-exotic location such as Palmerston North. Or maybe you could just stay at home.
2nd (not so cheap) Holiday to exotic location
3rd (cheap) Spouse's favourite movie or TV show (that they don't already have) on DVD
3rd (not so cheap) Big screen TV or projector
4th (cheap) Bottle of wine and chocolate
4th (not-so-cheap) Wine trail holiday and shares in Whittakers