Well, it’s that day again, the day when lovers all over the world pack into their local restaurants, hold hands, look into one another’s eyes, and pretend not to notice the other twenty five cloned couples sat in the same room in identical positions. The spontaneity of love eh?

Yes, they’ll all be out tonight, sat at their candlelit tables, red roses placed alluringly between them, the sparkling wine nicely chilled, as they self-consciously coo quietly to one another, poring over the special “Valentine’s Day Lovers’ Banquet” menu. She thinking,

“This is so lovely and romantic. I wish he was like this all the time”

He, with a strained smile, thinking,

“What a load of c++p! And it’s costing me a fortune! I wish we’d stayed in and ordered a takeaway!”

Both views are understandable. If you truly love somebody you’re unlikely to limit a show of your feelings to just one day of the year dictated more by the corporate greed of florists and restaurateurs than by Cupid or St Valentine.

A spontaneous flower given when she least expects it is far more effective than 12 red roses sent anonymously through Interflora; and a surprise dinner for two in your favourite restaurant is much more romantic than being sat in a room full of couples all trying to out romance the other!