I remember receiving a beautiful handmade card with 3 hearts drawn onto it and a poem inside from a boy called

Nicholas when I was 10! I also remember heading out for supper one night with a girlfriend in Richmond and finding it incredibly hard to find a table anywhere. Then, on finding a table, wondering why every other table in the place was full of couples staring into each others eyes! Turns out it was Valentines day!!
Sarah Dunn

My most memorable Valentines Day by far was 33 years ago in 1980. Dinner was at the Gun Barrels pub, Edgbaston, Birmingham and it was my first date with my husband. Married 30 years this March! I just googled the pub and its still there so perhaps we should make a point of reuniting with it one of these Valentine days! Lynda Merican

Memorable Valentines
I cant remember the last Valentines wish I got from my husband. Just goes to show how unromantic it has become after so many years of marriage. What I normally hear is Boys...its Valentines day. Go wish Mommy Happy Valentines Day.
Karen Loh

Making shoebox mailboxes in elementary school every year, preparing the tiny little Valentine greetings that mum would buy in packages of 40, delivering them, then spending time in class opening and appreciating the ones youd received. That giddy feeling when you got one from your crush. Kathleen Mader

Of the 7 Valentines since Tim and I got together we have been in the same country for 1 of them. In 2009 he sent me a massive bunch of flowers and helium filled, heart shaped balloons which was amazing and most unlike him. Heading home on the tube was excruciatingly embarrassing and when I got home and spoke to him, the main emotion hed been aiming for was embarrassment so I would stop pestering him for flowers! Aint love grand? Sarah Morgan

A few Valentines Days ago I bought loads of punnets of strawberries, cut them all in half and made them into a big heart on the table for when the other half came back. I then took her out for a meal. However, I didnt realise it was a set menu and I lost about a stone in sweat handing over my debit card to be charged at over 90 for what was essentially chicken, some fancy sauce and some brandy ice cream.
John Duggan

Although I dont celebrate it myself, as I think every day deserves some special romance(!), I will never forget getting off the MTR at Jordan station in Hong Kong and being faced with literally hundreds of young men standing nervously in freshly-pressed shirts holding gigantic bouquets of roses. Quite a sight, but not one was for me. They certainly take it seriously over there. Nicola Everitt

When I was in middle school I received a card Neither my hubby nor I are huge fans every year. I was really of Valentines Day - bah humbug! pleased and flattered. That doesnt mean to say that my My name was misspelled husband does not surprise me with slightly and I spent ages romantic gestures. When I least trying to find out who sent expect it, he will arrive home with a it. It wasnt until 2 years ago bunch of flowers. I have also received my dad finally admitted some lovely pressies of jewellery - all hed sent them all along! off peak gifts, so to speak, when Andrea Coe the occasion does not demand it. Brownie points galore for him!
Carole Farrand

I can remember the first Valentines Day with Dave. I made an effort and cooked a nice meal, put lots of candles everywhere and then promptly managed to burn the wicker coffee table we had in our fully furnished rented flat. Joanna Taylor

My most memorable Valentines Days are the one when we went to see Iron Maiden at Brixton Academy, and the one when we went to see Deftones here in KL. I cant remember doing anything for any of the others. The only card I can remember clearly is because it was from a secret admirer. The front was a photograph of lots of walnuts with a single red foil heart placed on top. Inside it said, Nuts about you, and the valentine had written a question mark. It was hand delivered to my mums house. I was only in middle school so its a couple of years ago now(!). Never found out who that was from.
Rachel Joseph

My most memorable Valentines Day was in my early twenties. After being dumped, by who I thought was the love of my life, I began going out and meeting people but never really met anyone worth a second date. That was, until January 25th. I met TWO lovely guys. I dated them both, but it was all very casual. Then on Valentines Day I received a bunch of red roses at work! But who were they from? I knew that I wasnt seeing (lets call them guy 1 and guy 2) guy 1 that night, but guy 2 was driving 60 miles to take me out to dinner. When I got home guy 2 was already there, but as I didnt know if the roses were from him, I decided to leave them in the car. I thought Id wait and see if he made any reference to them. He didnt, so they stayed in the car until hed gone home later that evening. It turns out I was right. It wasnt guy 2 that sent the roses, it was guy 1. But I was in a dilemma. Id had a lovely evening with guy 2 who had driven quite a way to see me and take me out. But red roses? Who wouldnt want someone who gave them roses? I did marry one of them.....but Ill let you work out which one you think it was! Becky Adam

One year I surprised my husband with a day at Twycross Zoo (Midlands, UK). Once there, we gradually made our way round to the monkey enclosure where he saw his name on a plaque on the wall. He had adopted Flin the Chimp and a Dusky Leaf Monkey. It came with a years membership as we loved the Zoo and that was even before children. He was born in the year of the monkey. Joanne Ball

My best Valentines Day was about 4 years ago. My partner and I spent it in Paris. Instead of doing the usually slushy Parisian Valentines stuff we went to Per Lachaise cemetery. It was a gorgeous crisp, bright day and we spent the whole day exploring and putting little foil covered chocolate hearts on the famous graves of all its famous residents including Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. Adrian Lourie

We dont bother with Valentines Day but Ian gave me a little notebook for our 20th wedding anniversary, it was a nice one (Paperchase, if you please) but still, just a small notebook. Not like him at all, hes normally very generous and gives wonderful presents. Anyway, when I opened it, on the first page he had written, A few of the million things I love about you..., and then on every single page he had written a different thing. It was definitely the most romantic, lovely thing to do, makes me teary just thinking about it. (If there are any husbands reading this - feel free to use this idea!)
Jeanie Kennedy Valentines Day 2002 would have to be my most memorable, despite being more than 1200 miles away from my beloved. Exactly two weeks prior to this I had left Newcastle to work for a friend in Barcelona. The plan was to get settled in my new job and find a place for my girlfriend and me to live. I had barely had time to unpack when, exactly two weeks to the day, Valentines Day, my girlfriend rang me to drop a bombshell... she was pregnant! Needless to say, the rest of the day, after spending a considerable amount of time crying over the phone (tears of joy I hasten to add), was an alcohol blurred day of congratulations and further tears. Steve Whalley

I met my now husband on Valentines Day 10 years ago...while we were both on dates with other people! (We didnt start dating until a few months later.) Rachell Gautz

I met my husband on Valentines Day. I had just moved back to Malaysia on the Wednesday and Valentines landed on a Friday. I was single and my best friend was single so we decided to have a girls night out. We were all, who needs a man, I love being single, but by the end of the night I had spotted my future husband (luckily he spotted me too)! Numbers were exchanged, first date planned and the rest is history. Flash forward to being married with kids: Valentines is now trying to get the kids to sleep early! If we dont fall asleep by the time the boys sleep we will then have a glass of wine and favourite Secret Recipe cake while watching a soppy film... me, likely crying at the weepy bits and him complaining about cheesy chick flicks
Carly Nair

Doug and I always go for my favourite oysters and somehow he gets me chocolate strawberries. Been doing it since we have been dating except last year when I was pregnant. Instead he cooked me a nice steak, it was rare and wonderful.
Katherine Secor

Roles reversed... the first Valentines Day I had with Steve he made such an effort and gave me a teddy, red roses, the whole thing. I, however, am totally not into valentines and bought him a card from the petrol station on the way to meet him. He knew straight away! I think its good that us girls are not predictable! Kellie Butterworth

My boyfriend, way back in 1981, was given a brand new red Honda Prelude as a surprise for his birthday which happens to be on Valentine s Day! So, off we go for dinner where he persuaded me to try Duck A LOrange. As he was driving I ended up drinking most of the wine! We were then presented with complimentary Irish coffees as the owner found out it was my boyfriends birthday. He paid the bill, I stood up and the room promptly started spinning. I ran out of the restaurant but did not make it to the bushes and managed to throw up all over the bonnet of his new car! Mandy Nessman My most memorable, and possibly worst Valentines Day, was my first Valentines Day with Ian. He didnt get me a card, but made up for it by cooking a lovely meal. Then, he quickly ruined the night by telling me I had a tache that tickled his lip when we kissed! I was mortified and he is still making it up to me 5 years later. Helen Walsh

My first valentines day with Warren he bought me a can of de-icer and a frying pan!
Sally Pritchard

One Valentines Day my husband recreated our first date! That was probably the most romantic one. Then at the other extreme, we were doing the weekly shop together at Tescos (not a regular occurrence for him to join in) when he disappeared for a second and came back while I was at the cashier and said, This one too please, giving me my Valentines card from him to buy! I bought my own Valentines card!
Melina Timson-Katchis

Im ideologically opposed to Valentines Day as I see it as another one of those days inspired by greeting card companies to make us spend money. I especially feel robbed by the fact you cant go anywhere (as a couple or not) because every pub or restaurant or cinema is full of hen-pecked boyfriends entertaining their uneasily impressed WAGs with champagne and surprise marriage proposals. There is intrinsically nothing romantic about 14th Feb and I refuse to be bullied into treating it differently because Hallmark said I should. I take Caroline out for some kind of surprise treat at another, lessobvious but equally arbitrary, time of the year like June 9th or August 21st.
Keith Patterson

I remember Gary surprising me by giving me an Easter egg and when I opened it, inside where the chocolate buttons should have been, there was a box with a wishbone ring in and I still wear it to this day. Shirley Crowther

In my previous life (when I was in the Met) one Valentines Day, I found this coded message in my tray at work. Not being the best detective, it took me ages and ages to work it out, eventually discovering that it read WHEN R U GOING 2 TAKE ME OUT PLEASE. That in itself isnt so remarkable, and certainly not gushing with romanticism; but who had sent it??? Despite my best efforts, I couldnt work out who had left the message there, and no one owned up. Eventually, the coded request was forgotten. About 4-5 months later, I had my annual review coming up. This was a meeting with my two senior officers, the Team Inspector and Reporting Sergeant. The meeting went well enough, I was getting my paperwork done okay, my arrest rates were good, Id completed a few courses and had a successful Proactive Team attachment... however, it was the comments made off record at the end of the meeting that I have never forgotten: And finally, Sinad, said my Inspector, Thank you for not making a big deal out of the message left in your tray. It showed a real level of maturity. What message?!? came my response. I genuinely had forgotten. The coded message Sgt ---- (my reporting sergeant, also at the meeting) left in your tray. He was going through a difficult period with his wife at the time, and you were absolutely right to ignore it. He was reprimanded over it. I was absolutely stunned... but my poor Sgt was mortified that it had been mentioned again! Bloody men, eh??? Trying his luck with a young probationer behind his wifes back!?!
Sinead Tierney

compiled by Rachel Joseph

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