‘Oh, Harold, isn’t this marvellous?’ Lucinda giggled, twirling around their freshly-renovated bathroom with a smile. ‘It’s nice,’ he said, forcing himself to smile as he gazed around at the gleaming tiles and gilded fixtures. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked him immediately. Twenty years of marriage stripped away any hint of inner mystery – she could read him like a picture book. ‘I’m just…’ he started, then waved her off with a sigh. ‘No, forget it,’ he said. ‘There’s no need to waste any thought on it, dearest.’ ‘Come now,’ she swept over to him, grasping him by the hand. ‘You know you can…

It’s amazing how life evolves. When you’re young you’re constantly meeting new people who will come in and out of your life. As we age, the circle can get smaller. I’m now in my eighties, and sadly that circle for me is non-existent. My husband was that circle in my life, but sadly he passed away years ago. Unfortunately, we were never able to have children so I am also missing that portion of my life. I’m quite lucky to have the neighbour that I do. She’s this lovely woman in her forties that used to spend most of her days caring for her parents. I remember seeing her parents…