Wot, no stiff upper lip?  And you an Englishman!  Actually, I agree with Alison, Steve, you are doing very, very well, confronting something all couples dread, with honesty, courage and dignity.  I hope, if it happens to me, that I do half as well.

Learn to love your weeds, those wild flowers in the wrong place.  They'll all be food for something. 

Maureen x