Valentine's Day 2017

So, it's that time of the year for romantics to celebrate St Valentine's Day.

What to give your beloved, where to go for that romantic dinner and how much does a dozen long-stemmed roses cost?

Maybe I'm being unromantically practical, but sometimes a good back rub or foot massage, when your soul is as weary as your tired body, can be more meaningful than flowers and chocolates.

How about loading and unloading the dishwasher for a change or prepare a picnic by the beach or in the park while the babysitter minds the children?

Simple ideas and come to think of it, very romantic.

Ponder on these Valentine's Day quotes and stories.

Burning love.

An Austrian Romeo burnt the house down after making a giant heart out of blazing candles.

On Valentine's day, he used 200 candles to make a huge heart on the floor of his flat.

He then lit them and went to pick up his girlfriend from work, but the plan backfired when the flat caught fire.

Firemen extinguished the blaze and the flames of love turned into ashes soon after.

His girlfriend gave him the cold shoulder and went back to live with her parents, while he lost his home and his love.

Here's a funny one.

One morning Mary woke up with a start and told her husband Eugene that she'd just dreamt that he gave her a diamond necklace for Valentine's Day.

"What do you think it means?" she asked him meaningfully.

"You'll find out tonight," Eugene replied.

Mary waited all day in anticipatioin and that evening Eugene gave her a small package and said, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

She opened the package eagerly and found a book entitled The Meaning of your Dreams.

And a cynical one.

Just before Valentine's Day, a middle-aged man was in a corner of the post office, busily sticking heart labels on pink envelopes and spraying them with perfume.

Joseph couldn't help asking him why he was sending so many cards.

"Well," said the man, "I'm sending out 500 Valentine cards and signing them, Love from you know who."

"But why?" said Joseph.

"I'm a divorce lawyer," the man replied.

Enough with the jokes already, here are some thoughts on love.

I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.

No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

Don't waste your time on someone, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.

Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

Happy Valentine's Day!