Can't cope

It’s a platitude that after losing a partner women are more practical than men and usually cope quite well with being on their own, while many men can’t cope at all and are totally thrown.
 
Many men are so used to living with a woman who organises the house, does all the cooking and domestic tasks, and maintains friendships, that without her they are all at sea.
 
They fall into complete squalor, let the house fall into disrepair, don’t do enough washing and cleaning, and are generally unable to cope. Some men sink into such despair they end up committing suicide.
 
Apparently many older men who use dating sites aren’t looking for love but are really looking for a housekeeper, someone to organise their life for them.
 
I guess the underlying reason for this difference between men and women is the way boys and girls are brought up. Girls are encouraged to learn domestic and socialising skills while boys are taught that they needn’t bother.
 
I wonder how I would cope if Jenny died. Would I be one of those men who sink into squalor, or would I get along just fine? Hopefully the latter.

Roughing it

So the Glastonbury Festival is as popular as ever, despite the vagaries of the English weather and the spartan conditions. The Somerset countryside is once again under siege from thousands of rock fans flocking to see their favourite bands.

I've never been to the festival, and it's certainly not on my bucket list. I steer well clear of it for all sorts of reasons:

1) I don't enjoy camping
2) I keep away from drugs
3) I don't like staying up late
4) I get nervous in large crowds
5) It's no fun wading through mud
6) I don't want to be rained on
7) I dislike long queues for awful food and squalid toilets
8) I'm likely to be so far from the stage I can barely hear the music
9) I don't like being surrounded by litter
10) I prefer to listen to CDs in the comfort of my own home

I've only been to an outdoor rock festival once, and that was the Isle of Wight festival in 1969, which featured Bob Dylan, the Who and 29 other bands, most of them now long-forgotten.

I can remember very little of the music, partly as I say because of the distance from the stage, partly because I spent so long queuing for food, partly because I was exhausted and sleeping. So even without taking drugs I managed to miss most of it. Rather a waste of the admission charge, which no doubt was astronomical.

As I've explained before, I haven't been camping since I was 13, when I went to a Scout camp and was solidly rained on for a fortnight. Everything was swimming in mud, the tents were leaking, my clothes were permanently damp, and I couldn't wait to get home again.

Some people may enjoy roughing it for a few days, but I think I'll stick to my domestic comforts and all mod cons.