Nae Palm.....

When you're used to living alone, with nobody to answer to but the cat, it's strange to observe how couples live. And this couple are certainly strange!

Marisa appears to have no interests other than my father's health. She's constantly wittering on about his blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body mass index, and this morning, over breakfast (scrambled egg whites, no salt) she started on about his glycaemic something or others.

"Djoo don' look right today, guapo", she said taking his pulse, "hab djoo been takin' soogar?" My father shook his head, radiating innocence.

"Then what," she asked, waving a scarlet and silver chocolate wrapper at him, "ees thees I find in rubbis'?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but she interrupted. "How dare djoo poison djoor papa! I hab heem peaky perfect, with no soogar, no salt, no nothin'. Djoo are leadin' him stray! Maybe ees better djoo go stay weeth djoor frien', Marie Carmen, while djoor papa an' me have chitchat, djes?" and with that, she took her skinny wee body off to do 50 lengths of the pool, looking like an indignant lollipop that's been under the grill for too long.

I tell you friends, it's only a matter of time until I blow......