Maltesers

Not a bad picture taken from the balcony of the hotel room where Mrs Rumbling Nappa and I are staying (celebrating the big four-oh). Spinola Bay is a popular part of Malta and we started our holiday with a good breakfast, a pleasant enough stroll, a minibus tour of some of the sights, a boat trip to the blue grotto, and then ... the Rumbling Nappa went AWOL.

At the exact time of the Ruby Wedding Anniversary he found himself in the local Irish bar, drinking lots of Guinness and roaring on the England rugby XV in their recovery match against France. The poor bride!

The problem was always the date. We married on the Ides of March 1969, a mild if not slightly blustery Saturday when England were playing Scotland at Twickenham. That year England won the Calcutta Cup and the wedding guests were mostly delighted (sorry, Harry) and the reception afterwards had a celebratory feel.

Maybe England's excellent performance this afternoon is an omen for the next forty. Here's hoping!