The Accidental Trad Wife

It was a logical decision

I was at Tesco within ten minutes of waking up, I hadn’t stocked up on Monster for me and my husband. I threw my giant Fjallraven coat over the top of my leggings and t-shirt, and put on a pair of sliders. More a feral than a Trad Wife look, but needs must. 

We sat in bed and chatted about my husband’s birthday this weekend, we’ve been toying with the idea of going to Prague. My husband could tell I was more hesitant than I was letting on, he ended up saying “If you don’t want to go because you don’t have an income at the moment, that makes sense.” It does make sense. We’re not going, and it’s the logical decision. 

My husband asked me to join him on a trip he was making to Peterborough for work today. It means he’ll have my company for 7 hours of driving. I think that’s a good Trad Wife thing to do. Well, if my company’s good at least. 

We got into the car with our cans of Monster, and headed off. 

Trump said what? 

My husband put on the radio, and it was already set to LBC (Leading Britain’s Conversation), and it was James O’Brien’s slot. I’m somewhat in love with James O’Brien, he’s smart, left leaning and is number one on my list of people to sit and have a morning coffee in bed with. Sorry David Mitchell, you’re in second place. 

I can’t help but write about politics, as it really has been the theme of the day. It’s either politics or the couple of hours I spent wandering around a shopping centre. I’ve made my choice. 

Donald Trump made some pretty shocking remarks yesterday. Well, they’d be shocking if said by any other world leader, but for Trump, it’s expected, and moronic. 

He criticised Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and claimed that Sharia Law is being brought into Britain. Not sure if it’s thinly veiled racism, or blatant and undeniable, I’d probably say the latter. 

James O’Brien covered this topic, which lasted most of the journey up. Both he, and the callers, made some compelling points. Largely, why are we not just telling someone they’re racist when they are being racist? If I call someone racist, when they’re being racist, it’s likely I’ll be called ‘woke’ or it’s claimed to be ‘political correctness gone mad’. 

It doesn’t stop them being racist though. 

After my inevitable car nap. We pulled up to the shopping centre in Peterborough. 

Only lovely people

My husband went into a unit in the centre he was overseeing a shop fit on. I took myself off for lunch and shopping. 

I had lunch in Wagamama, they do a £12 lunchtime deal now, ideal. They gave me a nice quiet space away from other groups, and the staff were all lovely. I sat scrolling Reddit and eating yaki soba. I had lots of meals out by myself when I used to work away. At first, I found it awkward, now, I love it. 

Lunch done, I had a wander round the shops. My husband’s birthday is on Monday, so I thought I’d pick up some extra bits. I can’t say what they are, my husband reads my blog. I can say everyone I spoke to in every shop was lovely. I’m finding that there’s a different vibe in shops when you’re not there in peak hours. Everything is calmer and people have time to chat. I’ll miss that if I get another Monday to Friday job in the future. 

I got to ring a gratitude bell in one shop too, and the staff cheered. It was a shop of small businesses to support the local community. I bought a great thing there, my husband will know what it is on Monday. 

I hadn’t heard back from my husband on when he was due to finish, so I found a nice pub out in the square, bought a glass of Sauvignon and settled down to people watch. 

I got a Whatsapp saying he’d finished two sips in. 

I tipped the glass into a nearby plant and we headed back to the car for the journey home. 

Farage said what? 

On the way home, we put LBC back on. One of Trump’s other vile comments yesterday was the topic of conversation from Tom Swarbrick. Trump claimed that paracetamol taken by pregnant women can cause autism in utero. Wow. 

It was then brought to Britain’s aspiring future Prime Minister, the utter twat that is Nigel Farage. He didn’t specifically agree with Trump, but he didn’t disagree, and implied he didn’t trust medical science. Wow. 

I could go on about this subject for a while. The utter stupidity of it. The dangerous consequences. The misogynistic rhetoric. 

I’ll simply say, if you have that level of power and reach, your words matter, your words can be dangerous. Oh, and fuck Trump and Farage.

After a second car nap, we pulled into the driveway home. 

A ‘Fake-away’ 

My husband was craving a specific takeaway chicken wrap, served with cheese sauce and crispy bacon chips. I offered to try and replicate it. He agreed. I nailed it. 

I feel I’ve had a bit of an insight on my husband’s working day today. 3.5 hours drive, 3 hours work somewhere, 3.5 hours drive back. Eat pre-packed sandwiches in the car. Listen to LBC. Drum on knees to music. I think he deserves the greeting at the door with a kiss, the warm and cosy home and a fresh meal. 

The Trad Wife round up:

Miles driven: 370
Political leaning: Somewhat obvious
Appreciation of my husband’s job: Increased
Husband’s rating of dinner: 9.8/10