So, one Sunday morning...sometime mid 2011...I am sitting at the dining room table, across from Giselle, having coffee. A very uneventful, nondescript Sunday morning.

The next thing I know I have opened my mouth to change feet......by telling her that I do not intend spending the rest of my life staring at her across the dining room table !

No, I wasn't trying to divorce her - I had an epiphany, and as per my usual way, I had blundered straight on without thinking it through......even remotely !

We were both close to our 50's, with at most 10 years before retirement; and the part that made me run the risk of being on the receiving end of a solid beating, was the idea that after retirement we would be doing, or had planned to do........ nothing !

Despite the stunned look on Giselle's face, I continued as quickly as possible, making it up as I went along.

First, I dealt with the issue of NOT wanting to run away from her, but that I actually wanted us to grow old together. However I explained, we both would go crazy, and probably would end up doing the other a serious damage, should we end up staring at each other across the proverbial dining room table, for the next 20 odd years of our retirement - I am being optimistic okay !

"Why don't we go sailing, maybe spend some time each year cruising, and the rest of the time, here in South Africa"........


And so the story began ! (s)