I have been busy. I have been happy.

I continue to be happy, being busy; fixing things.

I have joined the Stage Wives club of Emma’s amateur theatre group and subsequently needed to find something to do to keep me interested enough to maintain “Wonderful Husband” status.

I’m hooked!

After establishing my foot hold in the tea peddling business I started to mooch around, looking for other seemingly mundane tasks to appropriate, largely so I didn’t step on anyone’s toes (These theatre people do seem a little delicate at times!) I annexed General Kitchen Duties into my portfolio and from there I started to realise how much background work goes in to a production. And then how much would be required to make it a good production.

Now I have

• Helped Emma describe what she wanted from the actors (it was largely interpretive, but now has definite direction);
• Painted large chunks of the set;
• Fixed the “broken” curtains (it’s not perfect yet, but we know the solution now);
• Thrown out a pile of junk that people were too tired to bin (seemingly years ago, in some cases) and;
• Have made commitments to help with rigging lights and possibly learning how to use them.

What I used to view as a Bizarre Fetish of My Wife is now understandable, albeit from under a workman’s cap and tool-belt. It’s the sheer amount of outstanding items on their To Do list. There always seems to be something they need a volunteer for, so I have solved my boredom dilemma. Nothing is so important that I can’t stop to spend time with Emma, when she is available, and it’s a lot of fun helping out. I understand why people join volunteer groups now.

Vive l’espirit de corps!