Dear Simon

God I hate it when you are right.

Remember Sudden Sun by Sonja Georgeson? The painting you loved so much when I when I was working at that PR Company/Art Gallery I bought it for you one Christmas? We’ve had it sitting against the wall for two years because it got water damaged during one of the moves. We disagreed on getting it reframed I liked the thin black frame it was in, you said it was all wrong, it needed a nice wooden frame to go with the colouring of the painting, I said your obsession with wood was old-fashioned.

I took it in to get fixed, the first thing the framer said was it needed a wooden frame to enhance the colouring of the picture.

So now it’s framed in a nice wooden frame.

Simon 1. Janine 0.

On the positive side, the dryer seems to have fixed itself, the dishwasher however is going to need professional help. The teenagers are complaining we have gone back to the stone age as they argue over washing and wiping up.

You know the ridiculously expensive letterbox I insisted on buying? The stupid lock jammed up again and I broke our only remaining key off in it. However, in my new role as Janine the Tool Woman I rummaged around amongst your stuff, found I don’t know what, and managed to retrieve the broken key. Whatever the little picky thing was meant for though, well it may not be able to be used for that any more, it’s a little bent.

As I triumphantly returned to the house the doorknob on the even more ridiculously expensive door you insisted on designing and having specially made fell off. At least it’s matching now, both the front and back handles have gone.

We cleaned up the garage and now I can a fit a car in there. The first time in 20 years I’ve been able to fit a car in any of the double garages we have owned.

You always insisted I park on the left hand side of the driveway because the right hand side has a rather high drop over the edge. You said I would drive the car over, I said you were being ridiculous. Stop panicking I haven’t driven over the edge (yet). However, it seems when I reverse from the garage itself I have problems. That rock/wood feature you’ve got holding up my crap letterbox, yeah I hit the rocks three times in one go backing out.

Couple of hours later your old mate from across the road stumbled on over (he needs a hip replacement now so it’s “hold your breath” as you watch him make his way across the road) to tell me he had seen me backing out. I must remember to wave at his window next time I collect the rockery as I go by.

I dreamed about you last night, you were laughing and drinking red wine. I suspect if there is a heaven that’s exactly what you will be doing right now.

Today is four months. It seems both an eternity and a millisecond.

We’ve decided that “time heals all wounds” is a crock.

Don’t drink too much of that red, you know you are useless with a hangover.

love

Janine