I have been determined to keep my personal life out of this blog – what happens in our home stays in our home.

But tonight I made the biggest blunder of my life. I forgot our anniversary.

So, I need to make a public declaration of apology and love to the woman I have been with for 26 years.

Linda and I have been together for all of that time unmarried. That’s commitment – longer than my parents stayed together married.

We have had ups and downs, and a lot of hovering in the middle. Somehow, whatever befalls us, we always work it out. But, I’m not sure I’m going to be easily able to recover from this one.

Flowers aren’t going to fix it. A romantic dinner would be impossible to do when I’m not (quite rightly) being spoken to.

So here I am confessing to the world, or at least those that read my blog, that I stuffed up. I have no excuse. There are no ‘buts’. There is no quick fix. There is only public humiliation for me via this blog.

Linda is unlikely to read this. But I know some of you out there who know her do. So, please pass this on.

Linda, I love you.

You are the love of my life.

You are my reason for being.

You are my better half.

What I did (or more to the point forgot to do) was unforgivable – which makes it impossible to ask for forgiveness. I’m going to ask regardless.

Please forgive me.

I can’t begin to tell you how bad I feel about this.

I’ll never forget August 4th until the day that I die.

I promise.

Love Alan.