Fathers' Day

I got up and made a pot of coffee - using our moka pot - for Kerri. We had a half biscuit each with our cups. While I was doing the dishes, DD came out and presented me with the family gift to me - a fresh bottle of Zegna Eau de Toillette.

They'd gone into the "Brand Depot" outlet shop to buy it, asking for it by name. "Oh, we don't have any of that," said the assistant.

"But there it is right there," exclaimed DD, pointing.

"Oh, Zeg-na!" the assistant said, helpfully correcting the pronunciation of my eye-rolling daughter.

Later on I'll go out with Kerri to a nursery, where we'll buy her a decorative pot for some plant that needs it. We'll likely have more coffee.

And this afternoon I'll give her a massage before heading off for a shift in the taxi, which has been delivered early and clean by the weekend driver.

I'm doing Sunday shifts to pay for the October trip - more on that in the next tragic post.

The end of the dream

Yesterday Kerri and I had some frank discussions about my priorities in life and the result is that I've cancelled my October trip, which I must admit was kind of escalating beyond any sort of budget.

I like travel and my internet community, Kerri has her head screwed on a bit tighter and takes an interest in finance, and we've managed to get along fine so far.

But my number one priority is Kerri, and I have to admit I've kind of taken my eye off the ball recently. Doing extra shifts to pay for a month-long holiday merely means I'm spending even less time with her.

It hasn't quite come to a choice between marriage and world travel, but in the end there's only one realistic direction for me, and two round the world trips in a year, not to mention the New Zealand experience, is probably a little too much.

A pity, as I had planned a fantastic holiday based around a road trip through the South, ending up with a day in San Francisco after the convention, but I guess I have to be realistic.

I'm sorry for those people I've let down through this decision, but I'm even sorrier for myself. All told, I've made a right cock-up of this.

But in a way it's a relief. I was beginning to feel like I was being torn apart by conflicting demands on my limited time.

We've compromised. Next April Kerri and I will travel together to the Amsterdam convention.