Blending a measure of faithfulness with a dose of trust into the bowl of love kept the relationship of Maria and Louis Gaglione fresh for 70 years.

"She's still jealous of me... can you believe it?" Mr Gaglione says with a hearty chortle, as he gives his 91-year-old wife a loving smile.

Dusting down the chairs from the construction dust that settled in the garden of their apartment, along Tignè Seafront, Mr Gaglione, 93, helps his wife settle down.

The couple, who celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary on August 14, still beam whenever they recount their love story, which has weathered World War II, a couple of years apart... and disagreements.

"I'm an optimist and she's a pessimist so we sometimes clash. She even worries if she burns the toast," he says, as Ms Gaglione admits to her lifetime habit with a nod.

The couple are opposites - he has British wit and is constantly teasing his wife, while she's a worrier - but the two rub off well on each other and the looks they exchange are of compassion and a love that has endured the journey.

The two met in 1932 when Ms Gaglione's family moved to Ħamrun and her brother struck up a friendship with Mr Gaglione. When he set eyes on the young Maria, the die was cast, and he kept turning up at their house in the hope of catching a glimpse of the 15-year-old.

Soon they were dating, under the watchful eyes of their chaperone. Occasionally, on the way to the "talkies" Mr Gaglione would discreetly slip his arm around Maria's waist - "it wasn't fashionable to hold hands in those days".

When the two got engaged they graduated to sitting on the porch with her parents, but Ms Gaglione still had a curfew until they got married.

The two tied the knot in 1938 at the Lourdes Chapel, Floriana, where they renewed their vows and blessed their rings last month to mark their 70th wedding anniversary in the presence of their children - John, 69; Ron, 67; Rick, 65; and May, 59 - and relatives.

As he gestures with his hands to speak, it is immediately evident that there is no wedding band on Mr Gaglione's finger.

"In those days men who wore their wedding ring were considered sissies," he says with a chortle, as he admits that for the renewal of their vows he borrowed his wife's ring.

His wife smiles and slips two rings off her bony third finger; one of them is a narrow gold band, which her husband had bought from Zampa for Lm1: "It's what we could afford at the time", on a salary of Lm1.50 a week.

Their honeymoon was a far cry from today's luxurious, long breaks newlyweds treat themselves to, but it was still a memorable day. They hired a taxi from Furtu, which cost them a week's wages, to take them from their new home in Ħamrun to Tunny Net in Mellieħa.

"I remember I ordered chicken, but I couldn't eat it... It must have been an old hen. So instead, since there was no other meat on offer, I had ham and cheese," Mr Gaglione recalls.

The couple settled into a routine, but when war broke out, Ms Gaglione would worry that her husband, who was stationed with the RAF in Luqa, would be killed.

Mr Gaglione admits it was frightening at the beginning: "One time we were on the wing fuelling an aircraft, when bombs started pelting down on us. We had nowhere to run to and were surrounded by fuel... But eventually you get used to it."

One time the shelter where they used to take refuge took a direct hit and his colleagues died - fate had other plans for him because he was not scheduled on that shift.

In 1947, soon after the war and the birth of their daughter, Mr Gaglione was transferred to the UK to train and work as an air traffic controller. His wife, travelling by boat with their four children, joined him soon after.

However, Ms Gaglione found it hard to settle in the UK and the cold weather began to affect her health, so she returned to Malta for a couple of years, before going back to the UK "because I missed Louis".

He gazes ahead in thought: "When she had left England I thought that would be the end of our relationship." But the two soldiered on and whenever arguments surfaced, the next day everything would be forgotten, plus, as Mr Gaglione quickly chips in with a cheeky smile: "She had good tactics at night".

Ms Gaglione is a bit hard of hearing so she does not always understand what he is saying, so she gives him a wide smile and adds that the children have kept them glued together.

"Louis is a good man and he's very patient," she says, as her husband compliments her on being a top-notch cook.

In the evenings, they cross the road and sit on a bench along the promenade talking with friends or going for a stroll.

So what's the best gift Ms Gaglione could give her husband?

"When she doesn't open her mouth for two days," he jokes, quickly adding that his wife's love is the most important thing.

Ms Gaglione adds: "I thank Our Lady for everything. The most beautiful thing is that as a family we're still so close together."