A new distraction………

I count myself lucky in that throughout my life I have felt loved, by my family, by friends and of course Mr T.

However recently I have come to question if I might have slipped from the number one spot of Mr T’s affections.  Since our move to France or maybe just before he has been a little distracted.

Is it the cats? No. I’m pretty sure that until one of them learns to cook I am higher in the pecking order than either Milly or Thomas.  Although the sight of him snuggled up with Milly while he rubs her tummy and she purrs her socks off has left me feeling a little dejected on occasions.

His camera? Mr T holds all his techy stuff in pretty high regard and particularly his latest camera.  He keeps it super safe from harm or any potential harm, to the level of being a little obsessive in my view.  But to be fair the same applies to me.  Mr T makes sure I am safe; I have found my painting endeavours curtailed as I am barred from climbing ladders to reach the second floor.  So I think I might make equal top position.

Our new home?  We both love our new home; the house that will be our B&B La Maison Cèdre and the beautiful surrounding area of the Lot valley.  But no, we have a long way to go and lots of hard work before I need feel envy on that score.

What about our new car? Part of tempting Mr T out of early retirement and into joint proprietorship of a Chambre d’hôte in lovely Prayssac was that we would need a new car.  Mr T put possibly as much effort into this part of our journey as into the purchase of our new home.

Following much research and visits to dealerships in the UK our new car arrived from Germany in the form of a nearly new Mercedes Benz E-class estate and she is clearly Mr T’s pride and joy.  Here are just a few examples of why I might be feeling a little put out:

• He is constantly singing her praises. Our friend Mr B has subsequently bought his own and as Mr T no longer works for Mercedes there will be no commission!
• She has had more attention lavished on her than most anything else since we arrived in France, with weekly cleans and touches up in between.
• She is molly coddled; eg she can’t be parked within 20 feet of any painting activity
• When leaving home, a physical check for traffic in our quiet country lane is required, I have to actually get out of the car. We approach junctions with the utmost caution both of us straining our necks to check for oncoming traffic and chanting “all clear my way”
• She is parked at the nether regions of car parks, avoiding other cars and any subsequent dings never mind the half K walk to the supermarket entrance
• No eating or drinking is allowed in the car lest we get greasy or sticky marks on her leather interior.
• The list goes on….

Am I exaggerating and how do I feel about this turn in events?

Well possibly, but only a little. I am generally pretty pleased with myself.  It was my idea to get a Mercedes. I knew Mr T would love it and I knew that nothing else would meet the mark or if it did it would be a temporary affair and he’d be wanting to change the car in no time at all.  So my plan to invest long term in a car we can keep for if not ever then a long time might just pay off.  And sometimes I do know best!

PS Well blow me down if Mr T hasn’t just found a spot of paint on the car – boy am I in trouble and I guess he might just have a small point!