In the late 80's I was what was then called a house husband. I did it for a year, looking after our 3 year old daughter in Germany, whilst the Missus brought home the schinken.
I can't say I found it easy at all especially in another country but me and the kid got on with it.
We did creative arty stuff on the kitchen table, potted up seeds, grew flowers and played things like Barbie and Ken climbing up chairs on ropes with small karabinas, an attempt to relive my Action Man glory days!
I was young back then. Still in my twenties. I hadn't discovered toy collecting yet. Too soon I suppose. When I got time off with the help of two Oma's, to occupy my still curious mind I discovered two things, English poetry (yes that!) and painting watercolours. I'm kultured me like!
The poetry thing was largely to do with being away from Blighty I think now. I read all I could, buying books from back home and raiding the German library's poetry section. Poets of the Fifties and Sixties became my thing - Larkin, Gunn, Lowell, Ginsberg - but above all I fell in love with Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.
The watercolouring was done on the kitchen table too. Huge splashes of mad colours flecked with realistic birds more often than not - I was still a keen birder too back then. I did Snipe, Crested Lark, terns and Nutcracker to name a few.
I know one of my Snipe paintings used to hang in the administrator's office of the British Ornithologist's Union. Don't be impressed. The administrator was my nephew! I sent him it!
I know most of the pictures I did from my 'bird period" (ha ha) are rolled up with a laccy band and gathering dust in the attic. Nearly 40 years. That's a lot of dust!
So I was amazed to see one of them hung in our friend's house where we are staying at the moment in Germany.
It's of a poppy (no bird this time) and is even framed! I know it's mine from back then coz I signed and dated it. I gave it our friend as a gift in 1988 so I made extra effort not to splash paint everywhere and produce a decent poppy for her.
Weird being transported back like that by an object you made in the past. Alas, my paints all dried up in the early Nineties and I haven't touched a single brush since then.
Have you been surprised by your old stuff popping up readers?
