Natural yogurt.

Seventeen years, that is half of my adult life.

Oh the years roll by, for today is our 17th wedding anniversary. Gail and I have now been married for seventeen very happy years. As close friends know this is my first marriage and Gail was widowed in 1979. Marriage is a big step for anyone and we both were happy bumbling along on our own, not knowing that love was waiting for us across the Bristol Channel. It was a challenge giving up my independence but over time I adapted to sharing my life with a wonderful woman. What has made things easy for me is that Gail is such an easy woman to live with. We are both easy going, relaxed people and value the need for personal space - that, me-time factor.

Life for both of us here in Cardiff is good. Both of Gail's boys have left home over 9 years ago and we have a lovely home that we share with our little pet dog. Gail works part time 3 days a week from home answering the telephone and has an easy life. I still work for a nationwide company driving coaches where nobody bothers me, I do my shift and they pay me once a week.

What makes our marriage and my life so good is the easy living that we both enjoy. I feel really lucky that things have worked out so well. Meeting someone that is so easy to live with has paid dividends. I was surprised last night when I added things up to realise that this happiness that I have enjoyed over the last 17 years equates quite simply to half of my adult life. Half of my adult life that has been well spent, a really big portion - not a passing phase. To any single bloggers reading this I can advise that if you meet someone who is really easy to live with on a day to day basis, go with your intuition and propose marriage to them. Your subsequent marriage should pay dividends and you both should live happily ever after.