Loves Unbroken Circle

If you are planning your wedding this year, spare a thought for the tradition of giving and receiving rings. It is steeped in history and dates back to 2800BC in , making this the most ancient of marriage traditions.

In earliest times rings were made of grass, followed by leather, carved stone and crude metals. In AD860 Pope Nicholas I ordained that rings must be made of gold to signify serious nuptial intent and show financial commitment.

The first jewels used were sapphires and rubies. It was not until Maximilian I, King of Germany gave a diamond engagement ring to his betrothed Mary of Burgundy in 1477 that this tradition began. He compared the strength of a diamond with the strength of his love for Mary…with this act of extravagance he set a trend that would continue into the next millennium.

Lover Away?

Working and living away from your love is common in many occupations including the military, sales, construction, mining and transportation. Avoid placing a strain on your partnership by rekindling the old fashioned art of writing. If they are constantly on the move then stow your letters secretly into their luggage. Include surprises, little notes, chocolates, a photo of yourself (!), poems, anything that will keep the connection between you. Then seal every one of them with a loving kiss! Kiss stamp available from www.coxandcox.co.uk RRP £5.00

Love your Heart

Clinical research has shown that taking fish oil supplement rich in the Omega-3 fatty acid EPA can be of real benefit for maintaining a healthy heart. Look out for brands free from industrial toxins such as PCBs, dioxins and mercury.

Love your pet

If your four legged friend is your ‘top dog’ then why not treat them to a heart shaped bed? Show them how much you care. www.petsathome.com or www.amazon.co.uk

Given up on Love?

If love is eluding you, remind yourself how great it is to be single with The Break Up Bible by Ruth Graham (Know the Score Books, £4.99) a brilliant collection of relationship stories such as Linda from Norfolk who says “I’m ashamed to admit that my husband used to buy our groceries wholesale. Then he’d lock them in the larder and charge me retail prices from my housekeeping allowance. I left him when he’d gone to the warehouse to re-stock!”

Free Love!

Age shouldn’t be a barrier to putting some focus on your love life! You might regret it if you don’t. A recent survey found that the biggest regret for 70% of over-65s was that they hadn’t made love more.

It seems the best things in life are free – we just don’t realise it at the time!

Enjoy your Valentine and the month of LOVE.

This article was created on Friday, 13th February 2009. It was last tinkered with on Monday, 16th February 2009.

This is the 36th issue of Flea Magazine in Watford. The on-line version of the articles below includes additional content that we couldn't fit into the printed version.

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