I’m still unsure of the protocol on who should buy houseware in a relationship, when they should buy it, and for what reason. When I say houseware, I’m encompassing all things ‘housey’ – cookware, kitchen accessories, that kind of thing. Things that, in my mind, make excellent presents for my wife.
Only I’m pretty sure she has different ideas about what constitutes a romantic present. Last week was her birthday, and she’s been complaining that the toaster we use in the caravan isn’t as good as the one we have at home.
I don’t really use either toaster, but she loves a slice of toast in the morning and I can see her point. At home, we have an all-singing four-slice gadget with a warming rack on the top, whereas the caravan toaster will only accommodate two slices, and it’s very difficult to catch the bread at the right point between being underdone and burning.
And so, it was with great smugness I wrapped up for her birthday a brand new toaster for the caravan, safe in the knowledge I had bought something practical for her to use every day.
She would love it, I was almost certain.
But how wrong I was. Her face turned sour as soon as she set eyes on it. I just don’t understand; I mean, I’d be delighted with something I could use in the caravan; some maintenance tools perhaps. But all she did was mumble about women and the kitchen and me not having a romantic bone in her body. Women!