?I was picked up,? Rick Marson jokes. She is referring to the day when she first met the man to whom she has been married for 60 years. The two were attending a ?wake? ? an English term for a country fair ? in Derbyshire, England when Gervase Marson spotted the attractive young woman sitting on a swing.

?She looked pretty good to me,? he says.

It was 1942 and Britain was at war. Mr. Marson was on active duty in the signals division of the celebrated paratroopers, and the then-Miss Bacon was working in a bank. Neither came from Derbyshire but fate had apparently brought them together. He was training in the county, and she happened to be visiting an aunt. By day?s end they knew they wanted to see each other again, although it would be difficult, for he lived in Staffordshire and she lived in Nottinghamshire, and wartime travel was very limited. There was also her aunt to convince.

As glorious as the paratroopers? battle reputation was, apparently their off-duty reputation was not good, and they were not every family?s idea of a welcome date. As always, however, there were exceptions, of which Gervase Marson was one. A school teacher in civilian life, he had remained uncorrupted by the coarser elements of service life. Besides, this was wartime, his was a dangerous job, and tomorrow was not guaranteed.

?It was a strange phenomenon,? Mr. Marson remembers. ?We didn?t think about the future because we didn?t know if we would have one. It was a case of, ?Let?s live for today. Tomorrow we could be dead.? As the years went by you couldn?t ever see any end to the war, so you gave up thinking about what would happen in the future and thought more in terms of casual relationships.?

Love, of course, always finds a way, even in wartime, so not only did the First Airborne Division paratrooper pass muster with the aunt, but Mrs. Marson did too when she met his family. In fact, inspired by a stay on their farm, she quit the bank, lied about her age, and joined the Land Army as a tractor driver. Meanwhile, Mr. Marson was constantly on the move with the army ? around England, as well as in north Africa, Italy, Malta and Sicily ? but always with the beautiful young woman in his thoughts.

?I sent her long letters,? he smiles. ?Some were 40 pages long.?

Finally, in 1943 Mr. Marson was granted leave to spend Christmas back in Staffordshire, with a romantic reunion uppermost in his mind. Unfortunately, he arrived home with a secret: he had contracted yellow jaundice, so wound up in hospital instead. With the connivance of a kindly doctor, however, he got his cherished leave at treatment?s end and headed for Nottinghamshire.

?Let?s get married,? he said. And they did. Everyone chipped in a ration coupon towards Mrs. Marson?s outfit, and following a small reception at her family home, the couple honeymooned in the Peak District of Derbyshire.

Marriage allowed the new bride to leave the Land Army, which she disliked. She lived with her parents, and worked in what the Government deemed ?essential services?. Meanwhile, her husband was sent to battle in Europe, and was among the paratroopers who took part in the murderous drop into Arnhem, Holland.

In 1945, when hostilities in Europe ended, Mr. Marson was posted first to Norway, where he also studied Norwegian at university, and then to dangerous Palestine.

When finally Mr. Marson was demobilised, the young couple settled in Nottinghamshire, sharing her parents? home, while he resumed his teaching career. They bought a tandem bicycle and trained at weekends in preparation for a six-week camping holiday in North Wales.

?We cycled 40-50 miles a day, bought food from farms, carried everything we needed with us, and posted the washing home to mother, who?d send it back post restante,? Mrs. Marson remembers. ?The sun shone every day. It was brilliant.?

Accepting a new teaching post in Wolverhampton, the Marsons initially stayed with a widowed uncle, during which time their only child, Christopher, was born. A little side car added to their tandem cycle allowed them to continue camping, despite the generally awful climate. Then came the time when a small stream became a rain-swollen, raging torrent that swept through their tent.

?That?s it,? Mr. Marson declared, and began applying for a teaching post in countries with sunny climates: Gibraltar, Canada, Malta, Australia and Bermuda.

?I didn?t know where Bermuda was, and when I attended the interview my wife had to be there as well because they said we couldn?t live on a teacher?s salary unless she was prepared to work too,? he says. ?The pay was ?16 a week as against ?11 in England, and it was tax-free, so I took it and arrived in September, 1954 to teach at Gilbert Institute. Rick and Christopher followed in November, and we rented a cottage in Paget for ?35 a month, so there wasn?t a lot left to live on.?

With her affinity for figures, Mrs. Marson began a long and successful career at the Bank of Bermuda, and her husband turned his hand to a variety of extra-curricular activities to supplement their income. Indeed, it is simpler today to ask him what he hasn?t done than what he has, so long is the list. During his decade at Gilbert he rose to become headmaster, and successfully studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen?s University. He also pursued a degree in remedial reading, so he could teach children with reading difficulties.

?I loved that school ? still do,? he admits.

While at Gilbert, the family moved to a small cottage on what is now the Riviera Estate in Southampton, and Mr. Marson farmed an acre of the arable land, raising vegetables for both his family and to sell. He also worked part time at Trimingham?s and the Bermuda Book Store, and coached students in the evening.

In 1960, the Marsons bought their first and only home ? a small, 250-year-old cottage with water views. Over the years, as the family?s needs grew, the self-taught builder and handyman used his school holidays to add on to the original structure several times.

He watched others building Bermuda houses, studied their techniques, asked lots of questions, and today his handiwork has created a large and beautiful home, with landscaped grounds and gardens being a joint effort.

?He?s a real Mr. Fixit,? Mrs. Marson says proudly.

In 1970, the couple moved to Vancouver Island in Canada, where Mr. Marson obtained a Master?s degree from University of Victoria while his wife did voluntary work at the British Columbia museum. They also bought a camper van and covered 18,000 miles touring Canada and the US in their spare time.

On returning home, Mr. Marson joined the Department of Education, setting up the remedial reading programme in the schools. Mrs. Marson rejoined the Bank of Bermuda, and went on to become one of its first female officers, eventually being in charge of the ground floor banking area.

Over the years, the couple travelled extensively, and Mr. Marson?s adventures include a research trip to the Amazonian jungle, and a photography excursion to the Arctic. Unfortunately, his wife developed a dietary condition that makes camping and eating out difficult, so their travels are fewer.

Equally, they are busier than ever.

?We both have interesting hobbies,? Mrs. Marson says. ?He produces excellent videos on the computer, and does wonderful wood carvings, and I work on the computer, and am also into art. I paint with the plein air group, and I?m going to give Christopher a run for his money.? (Christopher Marson is a well-known professional artist and graphic designer).

On March 21 ? the official start of Spring ? the happy couple will celebrate 60 years of a marriage that love, time and effort have polished to perfection. Patently devoted to one another, they respond unanimously when asked for the secrets of their successful relationship: ?Tolerance and acceptance. They are the main ingredients.?

The twinkling eyes and looks they exchange clearly indicate that Valentine?s day will not be a special celebration. For them, every day is Valentine?s Day.