Not terribly sure of the date, but it was probably early in the year, Kristie and I went for a drive at night to talk. It was somewhere around Salisbury or Golden Grove that we tended to agree on the idea of marriage. We were engaged in secret for months.
It wasn't until the week before my birthday that Kristie got her ring. It was made by the Goldsmith in Glenelg from two rings from Kristie's mother, some pure gold and a piece of blue topaz - one of a kind.
We're content with being engaged for now, and are slowly saving for an adventurous honeymoon by climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa some years into the future.

The Governor's residence has stood proudly at Marble Hill since 1879. It is located on a scenic peak off Montacute Road which twists its way across some of the more scenic ranges between Gorge Road and Norton Summit.
Lighting was originally provided by gas produced from an on-site gas house; in 1882 Marble Hill was the second private residence in the colony to receive a telephone service.
In 1954 the gas lighting was replaced with electricity to which the caretaker remarked "Something ill will occur to this dangerous innovation" - less than twelve months later Marble Hill was left a smoking ruin.
But it wasn't due to an electrical fault. Marble Hill was threatened by bushfire on three occasions - the third and last time was on the 2nd January 1955, Black Sunday.

Flames from the fire entered the roof area near the kitchen and spread quickly through the tinder-dry seaweed which, in those days, was used as ceiling insulation. Within an hour the residence was burned to the ground.
At the time of the fire the then Governor, Sir Robert George and his wife together with their family and staff were in residence. Unable to escape, they sheltered under a high-cut bank on the driveway and covered themselves with wet blankets and towels while the fire swept over them. No lives were lost.
Kristie and I stood in the spot where they sheltered and, believe me, they were lucky to survive.
The remains of Marble Hill are quite solid. The tower, complete with gargoyles, has been reconstructed and there are stairs all the way to the top. Some of the rooms have also been restored.
The National Trust replanted the garden and restored the Coach House and Stables - which were later converted into tea-rooms.
The rest has been left as it was, and it really is a very pretty place to visit.

My birthday was also going to be the setting for Kristie and I to announce our engagement. Thayne and Melissa were meant to be coming over from Victoria but cancelled at the last minute. My only happiness was that we hadn't gone shopping for extra food and bought tickets to Macbeth.
Kristie was left to show people her engagement ring as we met them and to telephone family. I was left to watch Godzilla videos and play with an assortment of birthday socks.
Bec's birthday is the day after mine and we all had a party at her house. Then we went to the IMAX cinema in town.
I had expected a large dome screen like the one I saw during Expo 88 in Brisbane. This one was still huge, but flat.
IMAX movies are traditionally documentaries - Africa, Mt Everest etc. The one we saw was called Into the Deep and was in 3D.
Coral spawning in full-colour 3D is a little disconcerting.