12 hours!! That's right, folks, the first date was 12 hours long. After meeting each other at St.Pancreas station, Ntombi dressed perfectly, Josh carrying a tote bag, which he still gets teased over, we set out on the most marvelous of Saturdays. Winter had just started to ramp up, so we huddled close, hand in hand, into the tube to grab coffee. As always, everywhere was full, so we ended up walking through the cold with our drinks until we arrived for a little bowling. A classic date activity for a reason and probably the only time Josh will beat Ntombi at a game, (competitive doesn't quite cover her love to win). After Josh's only bowling victory (so far), We strolled through Soho to hunt for some food, we ended up so focused on our conversation that we arrived in Piccadilly instead and ended up eating at this little Italian place. We made one terrible error in telling the restaurant no lactose and proceeded to get the worst risotto known to humanity. Meanwhile, Ntombi was busy teasing Josh on how he held his fork. So, while the food was terrible, the company was great, and the conversation really began to flow more. So well that we completely missed the interactive art exhibition Josh had booked. Instead, we fled to another cosy restaurant in King Cross, they were full inside so we sat outside with blankets and a heater in December (yes it was freezing but it was so worth it). It was then that the conversation got deeper, the night was setting in and we learnt all about each others happy memories, pain, hopes, and dreams. It was there that we both agree we knew we had found someone we could really trust. Enough cute things though, its cold out. It was December after all so we went to a warmer bar, we danced a little. Ntombi got a little caught up looking in Josh's eyes and you can say the rest is history

Two dates in and boom off she went. Zimbabwe for Christmas. Testing a relationship within the first month with international travel is not for the faint of heart. But we had a plan, Josh was sending a daily selfie (not that he had a guarantee Ntombi would have signal). Ntombi was busy stealing the families solar panel to charge the phone. While being consistently teased by her mum and meanwhile Josh was caught smirking at his phone by his sister. Its safe to say we spoke a lot during this time. We messaged constantly all day, everyday, until late at night. Ntombi staying up to 2am and Josh till midnight and then immediately back texting again the next day. We have often wondered what we spoke about so much. We still have no idea, the conversations just ran from one thing to another. We were inseparable. While we both hated being apart we we both loved the chance to slow down for a moment and just chat and get to know the other person, absence really did make the heart grow fonder. Thankfully the absence was short lived with Ntombi flying back to the UK on Josh’s birthday. From Zimbabwe to Cambridge and then immediately to Milton Keynes with a surprise gift in hand as well. With not so much as a breath before she met Josh’s parents for the first time. It was crazy weekend but we look back on it with such fond memories and we’re so happy to have each other close by again

To say the engagement was an absolute dream would be an understatement. To say we both also hated the train companies that day would be even more true. The engagement started a week in advance. Josh went out of his way to make sure he got Rudo's dad's blessing. This wouldn't have been possible without the support of Mrs Schmidtt who will forever be a part of our story, and we will remain eternally grateful for her help in setting up the call and also translating. I don't think I have heard someone translate zvakanaka in so many wonderful ways. Josh was so nervous on the call but it ended with so much joy as we set out learning about each others cultures and starting to build the foundation of a new joint family. Fast forward a week later and Josh couldn’t wait longer, after having the ring for some time already it was time to give it away. The plans were set, picnic at Kew Gardens and dinner in the evening. What could go wrong? The trains went wrong. The night before Josh was packing his picnic bag and struggling to find a place to hide the ring. When he checked the trains again. No trains from Cambridge on the following day. Somehow he convinced Ntombi to travel that evening, she got in at 11 confused about why she was there. Josh had been frantically hiding the decorations in the flat in the meantime, but at least we were set for the next day. We went for an early walk, danced in the park before setting off for London. It so happens that every train we touched was delayed that day. Not great for Josh’s nerves but he managed to keep the surprise intact. We arrived at Kew, Ntombi wanted to explore though we ended up shortly taking our picnic. It was there Josh got on one knee to take a photo with his camera and when he went to change his lens, he swapped it out for the ring. The next few moments were a blur for us both, but safe to say Ntombi said yes. We rang family and shared some photos before spending the day arm in arm through the garden until we left for dinner and a final delayed train home, as we sat happily side by side