Things I love about my husband

This is a soppy one, people, so I apologise in advance, and if you're at all cynical about lovey-dovey stuff, best avert your eyes now.

This trip; twelve weeks now of traveling together, being in each other's company basically 24/7, has provided some interesting insights for both of us. Sandy and I are both people who like to spend time alone, I think, so I did wonder how we would go being constantly together for such a long time. And traveling can be stressful, as everybody says. But it's turned out to be wonderful. We have really enjoyed each other's company. And I have had the chance to really appreciate lots of little qualities about my husband, which are some of the reasons why I love him to bits. Things like:

His joy in small things
Little things please Sandy no end. I love that he gets a kick out of the frogs in the pond, freshly-mown grass, big old olive trees, kids playing on the street, funny road signs. I made him a little photo album to bring away with pictures of our place, family and friends. He loves that album and loves showing it to people; it was a better gift than anything I could have bought.

His wacky theories
Such as: dark clothes are hotter than light-coloured clothes. I understand this if we're talking about a light shirt versus a dark shirt. But according to Sandy ALL dark clothes will make you hotter, even if it's a dark coloured tank top. He has all kinds of great pronouncements to go with his theories, too, like: "Germans are the new Americans"; "Duck is the new chicken", etc. I'm thinking of writing these all down and making them into a book.

His pidgin French/Italian/Spanish
Sandy claims to have little ability to learn languages. But I don't think this is true. Everywhere we have been he has learned about 5 words; just the important stuff like hello, thank you, the bill please, etc. These he has fashioned into his own sort of pidgin English which he uses with me as we travel around. It's hilarious and quite cute, really.

He talks to anyone
Sandy will talk to anyone, anywhere, even if he doesn't know their language. He is a great sidekick for me, because sometimes I'm a bit shy about that. We've learned so much and made so many interesting discoveries because he's started conversations in all kinds of places with his big smile and his "gidday". And I love that he treats everyone equally, no matter who they are or what they do, and never condescendingly, as I've seen so many other tourists do when they're in foreign countries.

His planespotting tendencies
He loves planes, trains, infrastructure. He knows the layouts of different long-haul planes, he knows where planes are coming from/going when we see them flying overhead. He is fascinated with the TGV high-speed train. He's also fascinated with roads, tunnels, footpaths, gardens, roundabouts and, of course, the weather, wherever we are.

His willingness to go anywhere/eat anything with me
He's kept saying this trip is my trip; it's an investment in my future. Which is a pretty generous and lovely sentiment. (I hope he has got some pleasure from it, too. I'm pretty sure he has). To that end, he has not complained when I've made him go to a particular place or restaurant or town and eat yet another meal/see another market/find another food shop. He always lets me choose what we should eat off the menu, and he's happily gained several kilos in the pursuit of my culinary education.

His intolerance of rudeness
Sandy hates rude people, anywhere, and I love that about him, because I hate that, too. People who talk too loud, people who smoke or talk on cellphones in restaurants, people who don't say thank you when you open the door for them, people who barge in front of you when you're waiting in line. I also love that he's not shy (but not obnoxious either) about pointing out this rude behaviour.

He makes me laugh
As you will have gathered from all of the above. Which has got to be one of the most important things in a relationship, I reckon. Tonight, after dinner, he said "I feel like a python that's just eaten a sheep". This cracked me up. I make him laugh, too, at some of the silly things I do, but he never laughs at me in a nasty way.

His love for his friends
Sandy asked me what I thought was the highlight of the trip for him. After I'd made about thirty guesses, he told me that actually, reconnecting with Grant and Alistair was his highlight. I felt bad, not guessing that. Grant, you'll remember, was Sandy's lovely, talented friend who died in Paris just as we arrived in London, so "reconnect" is not the right word there. I think he was really pleased to have the opportunity to be there in Paris for Grant's service. Alistair is Grant's good friend in London, and Sandy really relished the chance he had to spend time with Al and his family. Which brings home that no matter what fabulous places you go in the world, the most important thing, really, is people.