Endurance

We have stripped the old kitchen out and taken down an internal wall that used to separate the dining room and kitchen. It was all done very quickly in about a day but we did produce enough dust to re-enact the smothering of Pompeii. We had some friends arriving that very day to stay for a couple of days - either they and we are hardy or just plain foolhardy. At first I was so glum as to be despondent - not a natural state of affairs with me - but a couple of hours with Norman and Allyson I was back to normal. Allyson has known the Best Beloved for 37 years, which pre-dates even me. You see, this Saturday marks our 33rd wedding anniversary. I still find that an amazing milestone to have reached. I read somewhere that a sign of a man's toughness is not speed, stamina, strength or power but endurance! I may be sending out the wrong vibes there, in so far as I find it no hardship being with the Best Beloved - she still fascinates me! As I have often said, I can understand why I married her and why I have stuck it out so long, but why she married me???

At a recent social event the Best Beloved was asked if she ever wanted to go on holiday with just the girls and leave the old man behind. To her great credit and my enormous satisfaction, she said, "I really like going away with my fella, and that can't be bad after thirty three years, eh?"

Anyway, back to the house alterations, as I am forcibly reminded by the sound of the electrician's drill carving out new conduits for the cabling in the kitchen. What with new appliances and plinth heaters and possibly underfloor heating, there is lots to employ the electrician before the new kitchen units arrive next week. He did make me smile as he solemnly informed me that there was a fault somewhere in the system. Before he discovered it, I had guessed where it might be. On the day of my heart attack, back in January 2007, I was installing a rack on the kitchen wall from which to dangle saucepans and frying pans (this was at the height of my domestic revolution). I realise now that I shouldn't have been doing so as I was more than a little out of it. Anyway I did manage to twice hit a cable with my drill before I realised I really wasn't in the mood for DIY. I remember distinctly thinking I would return to it afresh the next day and turned my attention instead to the stew I was slowly cooking in preparation for the Best Beloved's return from her school day. I am pleased to say that after I was installed in the Assessment Ward at QA, my family did return home to find a stew to eat for their supper prepared by their absent father. Well, suffice it to say, the new kitchen and its wiring will be in perfect condition from now on. I can say that also applies to my heart and its new wiring as well.