When I was in my teens, my idea of a nice lad was someone who had nice eyes, a lovely smile and if he was the DJ too, he was ultra cool.
In my 20s, I still looked for nice eyes, but a sense of humour became important, and sharing common interests.
In my 30s, and married to the man with the nice eyes and sense of humour and the shared interests, the ability to change a nappy and a tap-washer were required (not necessarily at the same moment in time!)
In my 40s, I wanted my man to deal with fractious teenagers when my hormones were all over the place and I couldn't cope.
Now, in my late 50s, I find that my lovely man's most important attribute is to be able to make furniture from scratch and to mend things. When my wheelbarrow collapsed yesterday, I did not doubt for a moment that he would be able to mend it. And he did. Bless him.
