Mad about Saffron: Domestic liaisons

Jul 10 2008 By Saffron Pineger

Youll remember my housemate Nick got married a few months ago, leaving Kat and I bereft of our number three houseshare buddy.

Just the two of us were left, so after a bit of nagging from our landlady, we advertised for a new housemate on the faithful old internet.

Our main criteria was finding a single man who, like Nick, would bring his single friends to us in the form of parties, get-togethers and nights out.

To give Nick credit, he had done us proud. I have dated three of his friends (all of them unsuccessful liaisons, of course) which I think is a good tally in a year-and-a-halfs stretch.

Kat had had almost as much success, although she has grown rather more choosy since that recent break-up which so upset her.

Anyway, after many awkward phone calls and visits from prospective housemates many of whom seemed really quite odd, we met one who stood head an shoulders above all the others.

Stuart or, as we decided to rename him Stu.

Stus a good chap, and nice-looking. Kat and I are confident that, like his predecessor, he will bring some tasty men into our lives.

It hasnt happened yet, to be fair, but we will give the man a chance. After all, he has only been with us a few weeks.

He is single himself, but we have a strict no dating housemates rule in our gaff. Anyone who has experienced the horror of living with a budding romance will understand this rule its hell on earth when it goes right, and even worse when it goes wrong.

So Stu is strictly off the cards for Kat and I. Also, he has started talking about a long-term friend that I think he secretly really likes. He is due to meet up with her soon after years apart, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they might end up as an item.

If they do, we might be back at square one in no time at all two spinsters in cardigans advertising for a new housemate on the internet. Having more weirdoes round to see the room.

How many more times will this cycle revolve until its our turn to leave the houseshare and set up home to settle down?

Theres no sign of it happening anytime soon, and I feel the purchase of half a dozen cats coming on, to match our spinsters cardigans.