Other Half had to drive me and The Princess to her therapy work today because our second son has taken my dogmobile off on a jaunt somewhere, it being the cheapest one to insure for him on a temporary basis. And so it was that while she and I were graciously allowing the clientèle of the local Sense educational daycare centre to pet her, he popped over to the shops to pass the time and pick up a few things he needed.

Imagine my surprise when he wouldn’t let me touch his precious shopping bags until we got home. Imagine my further surprise when he presented me with an impromptu gift, which he’d found and decided that I should have. Here it is -

Isn’t that something? Now it will be no surprise to those who know my OH that it is a mug, because he has a little bit of a mug fetish, but the sentiment is rather touching, don’t you think?

And this only a day after I so nearly lost one of the diamond studs he gave me when it popped out of my ear while I was washing my hair in the shower. If you can manage any more mental gymnastics today, imagine me, blind as a bat without my specs, grovelling about in a shower tray full of soapy water, while trying to keep one foot over the plughole and the conditioner out of my eyes.

It’s a pumped unit, too, so my terror was not purely on account of the diamond taking off on a trip to the sewers, but it probably wouldn’t have done the pump much good either.

But you know, if the worst had happened and I had not only lost the diamond but wrecked the shower into the bargain, he’d probably only have shaken his head sadly and said ‘Oh, sweetheart!‘

He’s good like that. He brought me a jar of chocolate caramel coffee to go with the mug, too!

Now do you see why I’ve kept him for thirty odd years?