Tuesday 28th April

Missed yesterday's blog because the morning runes, which predicted a lousy day, were bang-on. Awoke gently but then remembered a 7am meeting at work, which sparked a mad-cap dash round the house, shaving in the shower and, finally, putting Phill's lunch as well as my own into my rucksack - something I only discovered at 1pm, with much guilt.

FOIM will never go into detail about work, which has no place here, but the fact that it turned into a bad day was so ill-concealed from Phill that...well, when I got home I had the usual big smile and a hug (she was sitting on the couch), then wandered off alone into the kitchen to make tea. There, waiting for me, was a bottle of Laphroaig fifteen-year-old single malt. A small note, finished with a smiley face, neatly summarised my objections to this extravagance, and finished with the instruction to "shut up and drink it." She came and joined me and we chatted happily for a while.

There are times when I can scarcely believe how lucky I am, but on occasions like this I can't help but recall a moment when we were sitting in Prime Burger, a diner in upper mid-town, New York. The three of us were eating in a recess near the front of the restaurant, where the only other occupant was a neat lady of perhaps seventy years. We exchanged smiles from time to time but otherwise kept to ourselves, enjoying an excellent lunch. The lady finished first, then joined the line for the till that stretched past my right shoulder and down the restaurant. As she passed, she leant down, smiled and said quietly "Sir, you have a lovely family".

Things like that really get your attention, and I remember her words every time the going gets tough.

http://www.primeburger.com/