My husband should have run for office.
He does after all have an opinion on all manner of things, an opinion he wields from the safety of his recliner chair.
He doesn't really have much of an ear with me for his musings, so he regularly shares his every thought with his friend, who rules Macleay Island with equal aplomb (also from a recliner chair). Both are members of a private two-person curmudgeon society and can wriggle out something dark and disturbing about most situations.
As he sits on his reclining throne, one of his favourite pastimes is to cast fashion judgement on various newsreaders, most notably a weather girl who favours prints and dresses with fruit motifs.
But this is of course at the end of the news bulletin. He lights up when he hears our esteemed politicians speak, phoning his friends to discuss world affairs and how dismally our various leaders are managing things. His language is vivid and his pet names for our elected leaders are more colourful than complimentary.
He tells me he can't discuss such issues with me as I don't follow world news with the same fervour. Truth be told, I often don't follow world news much at all, especially when I am holidays.
He is though my first port of call should I need to know anything and not look entirely stupid. I may even ask his opinion and feel surprised at his ability to lay bare the truth of all (well most) things.
- Linda Muller