A new milestone

This week we passed a big personal milestone. It’s now a full 12 months since Brian set foot on a plane. And it’s the first time this has happened since the 1980s.

 

Of course the same could be said about most of us, since few people these days go an entire year without a foreign holiday, business trip or city break. But Brian used to travel to Sweden at least once a fortnight and between trips he would slot in meetings in Germany, the US and the Netherlands. So basically, he was a Weekend Husband.

 

There were pros and cons to this scenario.

 

Pros: 

 

• I could take on hare-brained DIY projects and have plenty of time to clear up the mess - and repair the damage - before Brian came home

 

• I became more creative and would litter the floor with bags of sewing and knitted squares without having to worry about anyone tripping over them

 

• I was no longer bound by invisible protocols that dictated when I should be in bed. So if I chose to rise at 4am to write an epic poem about the British monarchy, who was to stop me?

 

Cons: 

 

• My weeks became so dull I expected wall-to-wall fun at the weekends. But Brian was too knackered to do anything other than slump in front of the telly

 

• There was no-one around to help with midnight power cuts, car breakdowns and dishwasher failures

 

• We lost that day-to-day connection you gain when living with someone. And I was spending much of my life alone

 

But the switch from Home Alone to Full-Time Husband has been surprisingly okay. I admit I do sometimes experience a sense of silent outrage when Brian bursts into the kitchen and attempts to talk to me when I’m listening to my favourite radio programme. And I’d rather he wasn’t around when I do those weird things people do on their own, like running on the spot for exercise or listening to loud music while trying on long-forgotten outfits from my wardrobe.

 

But it’s generally been a positive experience. I’ve even become used to hearing him in his “office” directly above me speaking on the phone, whistling, swearing, sneezing and desk-banging as the mood takes him. He’s quite a noisy person.

 

In fact I’ve a feeling that no amount of loud music or Radio 4 will fill the deafening silence that will descend as soon as he returns to Sweden.