St Valentine's Day with Langham Wine Estate
Girls Were Made to Love and Kiss
On St Valentine's Day, let every true lover salute his sweetheart. Reading about the history of marriage vows, I was amused to learn that a woman's vows included the promise to be 'bonny and buxom, in bed and board'. This was replaced by the rather more po-faced 'to love, honour and obey' in 1549 by decree of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. If you're getting married this year, perhaps you might think about resurrecting the original vow? If I'm understanding contemporary mores correctly, I'm sure it will go down very well.Anyway, I think it's good to concentrate on the bonny and buxom for at least one day each year. After all, kisses are a better fate than wisdom. Champagne-flavoured kisses are even better. You may wish to consider the Blanc de Blanc 2011 multi-award winning English sparkling wine from Langham Wine Estate of Dorset this St Valentine's Day. With an aroma of 'brioche and toasted nut' and a 'fresh citrus acidity', it's a perfect pairing for your lover's lips.
The Pale Saints, the greatest of the shoegaze bands, can provide a little background music as you celebrate this day for lovers with their cover of Kinky Love from 1991. (It's hard to think that Nancy Sinatra originally sang this song in the 60s with such innocence.)
Bonny & buxom is rather amusing. Mark Forsyth's The Elements of Eloquence, however, offers a much less amusing explanation: bonny is from the French bon & buxom used to mean obedient; thus, bonny & buxom simply meant good and obedient. Pity, I guess it's back to the 1662 Prayer Book with all the references to brute beasts. Bonny post, either way, Tweedy. I have the honour to remain, Tweedy, your most humble & buxom servant. Bertie
ReplyDeleteThanks Bertie. Yes, I read that theory. I just find it too hard to interpret the line that way. Too many carry On films. Buxomly yours, Tweedy.
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