That's Good Isn't It?

I creaked out of bed horribly early this morning. Well, it wasn't actually that early I suppose, being just before 9.00 am and broad daylight, but as I've had two very late nights (ie, getting to bed in the wee small hours and then bouts of rumpypumpy delaying my sleep still further) 9.00 felt like the crack of dawn. I left Charles (hairy-chested sex god and My Adored) sleeping (lucky sod) and tried to stagger quietly out of the flat so as not to disturb him. However, my blurry, half-asleep eyes didn't spot his tango shoes and umbrella which were on the floor by the front door and I promptly tripped over them and hit my head on the door with a loud thump… so much for ‘quietly’! When I got outside it was pouring with rain and by the time I had splashed my way up the road to the car I had thoroughly soaked feet. Must buy some proper Winter shoes!

I had arranged to meet Siobhan and Helen for breakfast. They are friends from way back – we went to college together – and, although Helen now lives in Yorkshire, she visits from time to time and Siobhan is still living just around the corner from me so we manage to meet up quite regularly. Siobhan rang me last night to make arrangements:

Siobhan - "Hi Jodie, it's Siobhan."

Me - "Hi Siobhan, how are you?"

Siobhan - "I'm fine. Listen, we're meeting Helen tomorrow morning at 10.30, is that OK?"

Me, heart sinking at the thought of losing my lie-in - "10.30? Oh, OK then."

Siobhan - "In Ealing."

Me, aghast - "Ealing?!! But that's miles away!"

Siobhan - "Yes I know, but that's where Helen's hotel is and she's not feeling well so she doesn't want to travel far."

Me, despairingly trying to work out what time I would have to drag myself out of bed in order to get to Ealing for 10.30 - "Oh... erm… OK then. Ealing."

Siobhan - "Listen, I'll give you a lift over to save you driving."

Me - "Thanks but it's OK, I'll drive myself. Charles is staying with me tonight and I won't stay out long so that I can get back to him."

Siobhan, ears suddenly all aperk! - "Charles is staying with you! Ooh, that's good isn't it?!"

Siobhan is obsessed with people's love-lives. The merest whiff of someone fancying someone else (even if they've never said so much as "hello" to each other) and she is already mentally buying her hat for the wedding! I find this excruciatingly embarrassing at times – and as Charles was sat just six inches in front of me on the other side of a cafe table at that precise moment, this was one of those times! Just how do you have a politely phrased conversation about how long you've been 'doing it' when the person you're 'doing it' with is seated next to you obliviously sipping his Earl Grey tea?!

Anyway, this morning Siobhan was luckily more interested in catching up with Helen's gossip than delving into the details of my love-life, so I was spared any further 'interviewing' on the subject! We had coffee and croissants in Caffe Uno on Ealing Broadway, served by a large, handsome, Latino-looking man dressed all in black with a thick pony-tail. He really didn't look like the waiter type, far too glamorous. I would rather have expected him to be a bouncer in a nightclub or a mafia bodyguard, or even a film star – but he was very professional, perfectly polite, couldn't have been a better waiter! I stayed chatting to the girls for about an hour then headed back through the traffic to home.

Ooh it was nice slipping back into the hollowed-out warmth under the duvet that was Charles' sleeping body! Pure, comforting bliss!

I don’t know how Charles ever gets any rest, he sleeps in the most uncomfortable-looking positions. At one point I opened my eyes and looked at him and he was lying on his back, yet somehow curled sideways into the shape of a letter C, with one knee raised up and resting against the wall, as was the top of his head… and emanating gentle snores! Bless!