Adventures through other eyes - a father's perspective

There comes a time when the sufferee gets to talk about their pain and tell it like it really was. My time is here.

I'm not sure what Heather expected from her initial sojourn but I suspect the reality wasn't quite what she anticipated. She fit in comfortably and was, in equal measures, both charmed and charming. From my perspective, after 6 weeks of being double teamed by two delightful, but manipulative, women it's time for a little R&R before the next round.

Heather and Patricia hit it off better than I had ever expected or hoped they would, basically growing the relationship that started in Australia, moved to Texas and continued (expensively) on through Europe almost 3 years ago. I suspected then that this mere male would not stand up to a concerted onslaught – how right I was!

How someone can whine about the cold when faced with the grandeur of the Sierras or the lack of a view from the clouded-in peaks of the Grapevine range heading in to Los Angeles for the SECOND cruise in a month is beyond me, but this pair managed it. They dictated where and when we ate, what we saw on TV, what we bought and from where and they reveled in their conspiracy.

Heather settled quickly into the lifestyle of the rich and famous that she aspires to, arising at noon to plan the next adventure or to pick over the spoils of the last shopping spree they made. I'm not sure who was the worse influence but they fed off each other and I was the one consumed.

I've enjoyed the time getting reacquainted and even tolerated losing all rights to an opinion for 6 weeks straight.

For any of you macho types reading this that question my ability to maintain a place as Lord of the Manor, I make this offer: I will lend you my Princesses for a decade or two to try for yourself. Oh, and if you're not a millionaire … don't bother.

Geoff