It’s exactly 15 years today since this photo was taken – since Susan had the supreme courage and fortitude to say “I do” and become Mrs Bennett.  And while we don’t exactly feel like an ould married couple just yet, it’s amazing to think how much has changed since the confetti flew that day back in ’97.

The story behind our happy wedding snaps is that all the guests were there that day by the skin of their teeth: the previous day the storm of the Drumcree conflict had suddenly broken, and roads everywhere were blocked with burning cars.  Lots of our guests who had travelled from outside Belfast had to leave before nightfall to be sure of getting home safely (at least, they said that was their excuse…)  And our departure the following morning, in our beloved self-converted big red campervan, had to be suddenly switched to the crack-of-dawn ferry, as police were advising drivers of larger vehicles to stay off the roads as they presented more enticing targets for roadblocks… The thought of all our months of hard work on that van ending up burning in the middle of the road kept us awake all night!

Do you remember when this kind of thing was our daily reality?  Fifteen years ago – not exactly ancient history.  Today I’m profoundly grateful for fifteen amazing years of marriage – and also for the undreamt-of transformation of our daily lives here in NI.