Now I am not sure what has happened but I am not grumbling. It may have been something to do with Kev’s comments on the Blog, which Christine may have read in a spare moment between shopping, reading design magazines and thinking of jobs for me to do, but I am not sure. All I do know is that there has been a subtle change in the way things are done round here.


Take last Tuesday, it’s Cornerhouse night down in Beverley with Kev and the guys, good conversation and good music with Kev and Dom on the guitars, the only downside is it’s a car ride for me so it’s soft drinks all night. Not that it bothers me too much as regular readers will be aware alcohol doesn’t play a big role in my life except if it’s available then I find it hard to refuse.


But that’s not the point, last Tuesday Christine say’s “Do you want a lift to Beverley”. I look around to make sure she is talking to me, even though I know I there is no-one-else here I still check. “That would be nice” I say “and I’ll get a taxi home later”. “No need” she says “I’ll pick you up”.


A very strange conversation considering we don’t leave the pub until midnight and Christine is usually fast asleep before eleven-o-clock. But sure enough I get dropped off and collected again at midnight. I don’t make a big issue of it I will wait to see what happens next week.


But the changes didn’t stop there. We were away last week-end staying with Richard and Maureen, that’s Richard who I worked with for ten years or so before I retired and who subsequently became a good friend. It was an excellent week end including some good ‘I’ time. Saturday afternoon Richard and I played golf or should I say our version of golf on a waterlogged course but still very enjoyable, followed by down the pub to watch England’s very marginal defeat by the extremely lucky Irish. Well that was my view after three or four beers anyway, maybe the Irish contingent in the pub saw it differently. Saturday night we all went for a meal followed on Sunday morning Richard producing a full cooked breakfast including black pudding. No wall paper paste to be seen anywhere.


A very good week-end.


So now I have had a lift to the Cornerhouse and back coupled with a week end with lots of ‘I’ time, surely nothing else can happen but just hang on..........!


Monday morning while we are having our cup of Earl Grey sitting in the garden room watching the queues of cars leaving the village for work I notice Christine is making a list of things to do before we go to Barcelona at the week end to visit the family again. She is also putting a day next to each item indicating when it has to be done. I don’t make any comment but on Tuesday it all becomes too much for me. We are sitting in M&S in the cafe Revive having our coffee and bacon rolls, yes I did say bacon rolls, that’s both of us with a bacon roll. Christine is having a bacon roll, not sharing mine but one of her own. I can honestly not remember the last time she had a bacon sandwich but here she is apparently enjoying every mouthful. Can the end of wall paper paste be nigh? Who knows!


But that’s not the end of it after the roll she brings a new diary out of her hand bag and opens it to the week, there listed are the jobs from the list she made on Monday under the day they require to be done. Some are crossed out as completed, a couple have arrows pointing to a different day as she had coupled these with other jobs. It’s a black book. Has Christine really started using a Black Book after all this time.


I have to raise the point. Christine tells me it’s just a diary like she always uses and anyway how can it be a Black Book when it’s white with yellow and blue spots and designed by Emma Bridgewater. But I know better, it may be a designer Black Book, what else would I expect from Christine but it is still a Black Book. I chalk up a success and wonder if a glass of wine is in order to celebrate.