I have written about retirement before and the implications it may have for me spending more time at home with Old Mate.
There have been some past episodes when I had my longest-ever stint at home – about 12 weeks – and it was touch and go, let me tell you. Better when staying out of her way.
Well, we have had another episode.
I have just had a couple of weeks off and have been trying to assist around the home and have some form of holiday.
The other day, she sends me off to Coles to get some alfoil. But here was the kicker: “Not the normal-width one – extra wide”, I was told in no uncertain terms.
On arrival, I remarkably found the right aisle but, on inspection, all the rolls were 30cm. There were no other widths.
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I rang Old Mate and she gave me the brand name and the width: 45cm, after she measured the roll she had just used.
That’s right: she keeps the old roll for the birds to play with or the grandkids. I am not quite sure.
So, here is me on my hands and knees on the phone, looking at rolls and being told: “They have to be there. I get them all the time.”
After getting a blast, I go and find a staff member, Daniel, who has a look and tells me that I am right: there are none.
I put him on the phone and Old Mate says she is coming down later as she knows they are there. He tells her that he is going on long service leave in two days, so she could wait until then, just in case he had a ‘boy look’ like me.
So, I go about my business and an hour later, I get home. Thankfully, Old Mate isn’t there, but I have a fair idea where she is.
She arrives home with a big smile on her face, carrying some bags of groceries and, you guessed it, a roll of extra-wide alfoil, waving it around like the Olympic torch.
She was actually laughing like she only usually does when I have kicked my toe, fallen through a chair or banged my head on something.
“You won’t believe it. They don’t sell them at Coles. It is Woolworths where I get them from!” she said.
That was it. Maybe a mumbled apology. I am not sure. But what I actually got out of this was another look through the window of retirement.
It didn’t really matter whether it was 30cm or 45cm, I got the general idea.
Ashley Robinson is chairman of the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Sunshine Coast Thunder Netball, and a lifetime Sunshine Coast resident.
