You know the romance has gone when.............??

I also had a present of household items one Christmas. Beautifully wrapped oven cleaner and a scrubbing brush. I think he'd been let loose in a hardware shop.
I was not thrilled. But he is a sweetheart who brings me tea in bed and cooks me lovely meals.

After nearly 30 years of 'Wedded Bliss' I cant remember what romance is but we do go to the tip often if that counts as romantic, Muddynails option three is a bit drastic...I prefer cleaning the toilet with his toothbrush it's very therapeutic.

A 16th Anniversary gift was a metal shovel from B and Q - he tells me he had seen me admiring it! oh and the anniversary was 'base metal'. The following year , I received 2 new wheels for my 25 yr old hoover! at least we still feel its important to celebrate the anniversary!

It's the ones that weren't that worry me kittylester ?

Carol58, you are quite right - most of us are being light hearted!

You are quite right carol58, and my DH always has shown his love for me in countless small romantic ways every day - bringing me a cup of tea to wake me up every morning; removing spiders when I scream; putting my electric blanket on before I go to bed on cold nights; holding my hand whenever we are out together; and always saying 'I love you' before we go to sleep. The gifts and grand gestures are irrelevant and I wouldn't change him for the world.

A bit worried that a lot of these comments, though lighthearted, are about gifts / purchases. Surely romance is about the little things? A foot rub when you've been on your feet all day, a cup of tea brought to bed, being picked up from the station when the weather's awful, doing all sorts of little things to make the other person happy and their life more comfortable? Give me a partner like that any day over one who brings red roses for Valentine's day!

Three years ago on my birthday DH presented me with a big box, beautifully wrapped and tied with ribbon. Imagining all sorts of exciting things I carefully unwrapped it. It was a Power Router! Now don't get me wrong I have a collection of power DIY tools of my own and I'm quite proficient with them, so I was actually delighted with the router. But what really rankles is I have not yet been allowed to use it!! He considers it his new toy! But it was me that had to buy the additional cutter bits for it. I think it was about that time that I decided to 'allow' him to cook dinner and use my ovens - every day.... So I think justice has been served, together with dinner each day.

confusing exs bd with mine
had to tell him exactly what i wanted.he was amazing in many ways.but gifts were not his thing.

I know romance has gone because, on my mental list of essential items, the washing machine is number 1 and OH is number 4 . Actually, on his list, I know I follow DGC, his football team and the car, so I'm probably lower than number 4 .

Muddynails. So right. 1 and 3. Not considered 2 yet though

? number 3 muddynails

One Christmas he bought me a plastic coated apron with a picture of a famous statue on it and couldn't understand why I was peed off as he had proudly bought it from a museum shop on a rare (for him) cultured visit.

You walk past him half naked and he doesn't even look up from his kindle.

" The Wife" really Codfather . !!

My birthday is January 5th and I had one boyfriend who said I had to choose between a birthday present and a Christmas present but I couldn't have both! I chose birthday and get a big box of chocolates!

The romance died very quickly.

How about the very worst, "Why don't you let me do this with other women?" said the X.

The same thing happened during the labour of our second baby, he brought a massive pile of reports to write. Before the labour of our third, I told him he either came alone, without books or reports, or he stayed away.!

And during the labour of our first baby he turned up with a pile of Latin books to mark (he was a teacher) and a pile of reports to write, as apparently ‘it’s going to be boring.)

After the birth of our first baby he turned up with some flowers wrapped up in a bit of brown paper, I didn’t take much notice of them, they weren’t very impressive, and I was more interested in my new baby. He drew my attention to them saying, ‘do you like the flowers, they were two for the price of one.’
He would have got away with the flowers being less than impressive if he hadn’t drawn my attention to them with that comment which I’ve never forgotten.

Was very tempted to whack him over the head with it.

He buys you a frying pan for Valentine's Day, and you are just going out with each other, not married.

I suppose it must be when you can't remember the last time he bought something for you off his own bat!

I have to say that he is more likely to bring me a bunch of carrots in from the garden than any flowers. I have tried to get round this by buying a packet of sweet pea seeds but guess out of all the seeds that were sown which of them failed to germinate!? I now tell him what he has bought me and he doesn't quibble - works for us! He is always telling me how much he loves me and we have been married more than 50 years!

When I had my first baby, he brought me a big bunch of chrysanthemums............zipped up in a holdall so nobody would see him with flowers!

I also quite like practical things for birthday or christmas. If he buys jewellery or clothes they are usually not to my taste anyway.
Blinko I love tge comment about saving electricity! I've got one like that but don't mind -I find it rather endearing. It makes me laugh.
Although when I had my first baby he turned up with some rather wilting flowers he' d bought from a garage. I put them in a vase by my bed and a nurse offered to throw them away as they were past it. I said Nooo - he's only just brought them!!