 More on this storyLove thy neighbour Long-distance love affairs Can't live with you - or without you Keeping the spark alive Your own space Once bitten, twice shy Related articles
Meet new friends at Saga Zone
Love and marriage: still the horse and carriage? Living in sin at 60 Finding a new partner Ask our sex expert a question Need help? Email our agony aunt Don't missRetiring in relationships - mixing the two How good is fish for you? Your say - the place for like-minded conversation |
|
Living apart together
A growing number of couples find their relationships work better if they live separately – some miles apart, others as next-door neighbours
Anneliese Ostersprey, 67, and Paul Duncan, 62, have been a close, loving couple for 10 years, yet they live 167 miles and a three-hour drive apart. It is a separation which helps rather than hinders the relationship.
“There is an excitement about meeting Anneliese. Weekends and holidays are always special; I feel quite a buzz when I'm travelling towards her,” says Paul.
People who “live apart together” – LATs – are on the increase. “I really think we have the best of both worlds; we've got independence and security, a town and a country house,” says Anneliese.
When their relationship began the separation was because of their careers: she was a London-based market researcher, he worked at Sheffield University, and they weren't prepared to give up their jobs.
However, Anneliese has been retired for some time now and they show no signs of moving in together. “Ideally I would like to live this way for ever,” she says. “But as we get older, doing the three-hour drive regularly may not be practical.” Written by Serena Allott
This article was created: 13 July 2006.
This article was last edited: 24 January 2007.
 Email  Back to top
|
