Engagement




I had already decided that Clare was the one I wanted to marry but about 6 months back I decided to do something about it, the first step was saving. We had discussed marriage somewhat loosely and I had gleaned an idea of what Clare liked in the ring department, so after a while, I felt I could go forth and order it. I bought some plastasine so I could get an "impression" of how the ring should be size wise. I put the plasticine in my pocket one day and persuaded Clare to wash the dishes if I dried. She took her ring off and got washing. While drying the dishes, I took plastesine out, pressed her ring into it and got a good negative space model of it.

On about the 18/3/01 I took the plasticine down to the Jewelers, discussed the design of the ring and ordered it.

It took about 3 weeks to choose a Diamond and get the ring made and valued.

In the mean time I was thinking about how to present it to her, I developed a cunning plan and it grew even more cunninger with time as suggestions from people were taken on board and I started building up a picture in my mind of how it would be.

24/5/01 I rang 'Dorothy's Boutique Hotel' wondering when I could get a table for two......"Tonight."..... some gland in my brain squirted and I said to my self this is it. It was then that the realisation set in and that the months of preparation were focused into a few hours. Tonight was the night I would ask Clare to marry me.

To make it a suprise I suggested that one of our suppliers at work was holding a promotional prize draw and I was the lucky winner. The story was embelished with alsorts of untrue trivia which made it more believable. We arrived at the restaurant at 6:30 and went straight in for our meal as we were starving. After the entree clare got very fiddly and started playing with everything on the table. This was making me extremely nervous as she could have blown the whole thing. I decided now or never and reached down for the remote controls lying next to my chair and proceded over to Clare's side where I assumed the one kneed proposal position. Now was Clare's time to be nervous "What are you doing ?!? Giggle giggle". I had said "Can I be your Husband?" (I thought "will you be my Wife" sounded bad because you're only asking her to be something without offering anything yourself, so I switched it around). She just laughed more but managed to get out "Yes. Of course". That was my queue. I switched the remote on and hit button number one.

Button 1



Button number one sent a stream of infrared out to a sensor located at the bottom of one of the table legs. The sensor was attached to a infrared reciever/decoder which outputed a signal that tripped a relay, closing the contacts on the load button of a light chaser.

The Light chaser switched on and off 16 lights in sequence forming a "Run-way" effect of lights shining up from under the table cloth and guiding you into the sugar bowl.
Not a great representation - but you get the idea don't you? (All these pictures are from me setting up the table at home after - not from the restaurant).


The next thing I did was calm Clare down and focus her on the sugar bowl (I think the lights had the opposite effect of that which was intended. She had her hands over her face laughing closing her eyes and looking at me asking what was going on). Once she was suitably focussed on the sugar bowl, I hit button 2.

Button 2

This time the relay activated a motor. The Motor was a High torque low rev worm drive which slowly wound a string onto it's pulley. The string was fixed at one end but there was slack in the string that was being wound in. And while it was being wound in it was also pushing a rod up into the hinged lid of the sugar bowl. The lid was kind enough to move aside by lifting slowly. The later was the only bit Clare was aware of.


Button 3

The next button I pressed activated (Via I/R and a relay) a solenoid. The solenoid plunger retracted and released a springloaded rod which launched the ring which was attached up and out off the sugar into Clare view

The Ring

  




What Lies Beneath

I spent: . I had: