Highly Strung

My Boyf is a generous man and I am a spendy ho, this means that towards the end of the month if we are out for dinner he very kindly pays for it. I initially found it quite hard to accept this as I’m not used to being in that position. I do realise that some of the looking after him that I do is not monetary. For example, cooking for him, which is cheaper than taking him out but of course requires effort on my part as well. And then of course there is emotional support, which he gives me as well, but perhaps in a less pushy manner…

So anyway it’s payday on Friday and I’d like to do something for him to show him how much i appreciate him. It doesn’t need to involve a lot of money, but it needs to be thoughtful. Cooking is out, because i do that quite a lot anyway. Perhaps I need to do some lateral thinking on this one, but if anyone had any ideas, feel free to express them. He likes (in no particular order); cycling, gadgets, the internet, drinking, eating, books (particularly books on structures, cycling and other miscellaney), maps, cakes! (but they’re out this week on account of dietary requirements) and clothes.

Things I like about cycling:
- Not having to take public transport and suffer from people squishing me, talking loudly, listening to loud music, being intimidating etc

- Regular exercise

- The ability to move quite fast

- I can still do it after a pint, whereas I wouldn’t be able to operate a car

- It’s just fun

Things I dislike about cycling:
- Cyclists who come up behind you at lights then either cycle around you and through a red light or pull up in front of you, despite you being there first. These cyclists are invariably the slower ones, who you then end up passing again when the light goes green anyway.

- Cyclists who run red lights across your path when your light goes green.

- Cyclists who cannot cycle in a straight line.

- Car drivers who think they have more right to the road than cyclists (not true, they do not have right of way over cyclists)

- Pedestrians who step off curbs without looking, and particularly those who step unexpectedly into cycle lanes and then look at you like it’s you who should not be there.

I am truly talented with an allen key me, why there aint nothin I can’t undo. Including a very stiff bolt on the front brake of my single speed. Unfortunately it turns out that particular bolt should not be undone. Or at least that’s the way it seems now that I can’t get the bloody thing screwed back in. Nice one, stuffed up a perfectly good pair of brakes in under ten minutes…genius.

Click for close-up.

You can do one too.

Me: So yeah the project is just painful..

Him: You should go and buy some chocolate later, some people say it’s better than sex.

Me: Not true – but then, it does depend on who you’re doing it with….

Even though I tend to do it very fast, I find cooking very relaxing. Having thought about it a wee bit I think it’s because it’s a task that has a beginning and an end. You get to control a whole process without relying on anything other than you and your equipment. That’s why it’s so damn satisfying. Of course being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the finished product, the best bit is not eating the food (it’s never quite right to my taste), but watching someone else enjoying it.

Having said that I don’t mind company, they can even chop a few things for me, top up my wine glass and chat away while i stir, sprinkle, chop and taste.