I realised something. He wants to just be with me. Not something + me, just me. No need to be doing anything. Just together, existing. ‘I just enjoy being around you.’ The last one didn’t seem to. This one does. It’s nice. Continue reading A year in moments #16 – just there
‘At first it felt like a bit of a holiday. You have to work out where you’re going to lock yourself down, so that’s the first dilemma isn’t it?’ Julie had several options, and elderly family to consider, but in the end chose to lockdown with her partner at his house. They’ve never lived together before, in the 30 years that they’ve been together. ‘In … Continue reading Cohabiting with a big pink saxophone
‘Lockdown is very slow,’ Gemma pops up, and then ducks out of sight on the screen. ‘I was furloughed for the first four weeks, and as soon as I started loving furlough life, they called me back; our systems aren’t set up for working from home.’ The first week was weird, she says, mainly because no one really knew what was going on, ‘like, shits … Continue reading The tortoise and the hare
The screen flickers and I see the beams of Ruth’s kitchen ceiling, and I picture her little country cottage nestled in a picture perfect Cotswold village, surrounded by rolling hills and endless green English countryside. I see a figure in a dressing gown moving about at the bottom of the screen, and a voice shouts, “hang on, I’m just sorting my coffee”. It’s 8am in … Continue reading Lockdown dating diary
“I’d probably say my lockdown experience is really boring,” Natalie laughs. We’ve not spoken in nearly five years, bonded by an unforgettable induction experience when we both started a new job on the same day. Her voice and accent is exactly the same as someone I know here in Christchurch, and which is strange. I’m not sure where it’s from, apart from that it’s ‘down … Continue reading Love and liver failure
“I’m sorry…..But….” This drives me CRAZY. My ex-husband used to do it all the time. Apologies seemed meaningless and insincere. There was always a reason, an excuse for shitty behaviour; usually it was me. “I’m sorry. But…you know how to wind me up.” “I’m sorry. But…I had a bad day at work.” “That but wipes out the apology,” I told him. “No it doesn’t, it’s … Continue reading Apology languages
Continued from Meeting The Poet… It was 3 months exactly since we first met, this time Friday 13th December. There were only two Fri 13ths in 2019, and we’d met on both, neither of which were planned. We were supposed to have met the Wednesday before, but I’d pushed it back to Friday because I couldn’t be arsed to go out after a busy day … Continue reading A year in moments #12 – first date with The Poet
It was Friday the 13th September last year and we headed up the stairs, the music thumping through the wall on the left. The air was thick and hot as we reached the bar, people jostling to get to the front of the queue. “What do you want to drink?” I shouted to Katie as the bass made my head vibrate. I can’t remember her … Continue reading A year in moments #11 – Meeting The Poet
Recently I’ve had cause to think about [romantic] relationships and my perspective on them, and I’ve been asked to share them. (Just to be clear, this is my perspective.) Society mainly seems to define a successful relationship by it’s longevity, doesn’t it? No thought of whether it’s happy, or functional, or healthy. Just long. Find the person you “want to spend the rest of your … Continue reading A musing on relationships
