Last Monday it was a case of coming back down to earth with a bump. I knew that after having Robbie at home for just over two weeks it was going to be hard for both of us to readjust to the demands of our usual weekday routine. I hate the early starts, even on a good day 5am feels like the middle of the night!
Robbie loves his job and usually after a couple of weeks off he can't wait to get back to work, but this time it was different. The prospect of some very tight deadlines when he got back would usually have made him more eager to return, but not this time. He could happily have taken another couple of weeks off. I think his time off gave us a chance to learn (or re-learn) some very valuable lessons. For most of that time I still had to work and to attend to my usual daily responsibilities, so we couldn't go away - who wants to go away in February anyway! Instead we learnt to take pleasure in the ordinary little things in everyday life and to value what we have. Most important of all, we enjoyed the luxury of time. We had a lot of fun, we took time to visit and appreciate some of the interesting places on our own doorstep and we had time for each other.
That was the easy bit, the secret is to make sure that we hang on to those important things when back on the treadmill of normal life. Last week was hard, perhaps harder than either of us expected, but we were strong and together we got through it. This week will have it's trials too, not least because Robbie is in so much pain, but we will deal with it together. We will make time to talk, to laugh and to enjoy special moments even on the most challenging day.
We stored up so many good memories while Robbie was off work. On the last day of his leave we went to the Rural Shopping Yard at Castle Ashby. It was like a spring afternoon, and we had a lovely time. Robbie bought some real ale mustard from the deli and there was even a shop named after him - Mr B's Traditional Sweet Shop. It was fun looking at the shops and enjoying the beautiful countryside but what made it really special was sharing the experience with Robbie.
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” Charles Swindoll
I love lazy Sunday mornings, the rest of the day is usually busy but that extra couple of hours in bed is really special. This morning we found ourselves discussing Robbie's funeral of all things. No, he hasn't driven me to extreme measures yet! I am not sure how we got on to the subject; I think Robbie was talking about his will - such a cheerful little chap!
Perhaps Robbie was thinking about funerals due to the demise of Pauline Fowler – we had disagreed about the horse drawn hearse! He said that the ‘proper’ way was to wear black and to be solemn and dignified. I have sadly had quite a lot of experience of funerals and I genuinely believe that they should be a celebration of a life well lived (however short) and if the person has a faith then it is a beginning not an ending.
I told Robbie that he would have to outlive me otherwise everyone would wear bright clothes at his funeral and we would dance and sing ‘happy clappy’ hymns. I was joking of course (I don’t dance) but he was horrified and insisted that he would leave special instructions in his will! It won’t do him any harm to leave him wondering, you never know, he may find that he prefers my way in the end!
One of the things Robbie and I disagree profoundly on is God. I wouldn't say that we argue as such, we just trade insults! Robbie says that I am too 'happy clappy' and I say that he thinks doctrine has something to do with the NHS! Robbie's God is white, Anglo Saxon, C of E and most definitely male! I still find it hard to believe that inside my unconventional husband there is a traditionalist fighting to get out!
I have no time for all the pomp and ceremony, but Robbie loves it especially the candles and the incense. I am not outwardly unconventional in the way that Robbie is, but deep down I am perhaps more of an individual than him, I have strong, deeply held opinions/beliefs and I won’t follow the majority view unless I believe it is right. I think the conventional term for people like me is 'stubborn'!!
Jumping to a completely different subject, I am pleased to confirm that the Rabbit has been recaptured and (relative) harmony reigns in our household – for the time being anyway!
