By Isle of Wight Observer
Dear Editor,
I would like to share a story that illustrates the character of this lovely Island, please.
My husband and I moved here last November because we love the beautiful countryside, friendly people and wanted a slower pace of life. In July we went to a jeweller in Ryde and commissioned a new pair of wedding rings, as after 35 years ours didn’t fit comfortably any longer, and it was a romantic gesture for a new part of our lives. The craftspeople in the jewellers’ made our bespoke rings, but because it was really hot every time we went in the shop for sizing, they fitted differently, so we asked for them a bit bigger. They said see how it feels when you are a normal temperature.
Now did you know that, when you are in cold water, your ring size can change by as much as two sizes? So needless to say, I lost my new gold wedding band on Whitecliff Bay beach the first time I wore it and went swimming.
We tried to shrug it off as fate, not a big deal, lost forever.
The jewellers recommended a friend who enjoys metal detecting, so I joined the Facebook page for ‘Metal Detecting Isle of Wight’, and two friendly people turned up on the beach to help look for my ring, with no success the first time because the tide was quite high. At low tide, at 4.30am on Saturday, Andy from the group found my ring and returned it to me.
To us this illustrates exactly why we wanted to live here – a community that interacts and helps each other. Marvellous! We are so grateful and impressed.
Annette & Michael Shanahan, Ryde