Match Made It in Heaven

As I sat sipping a cup of tea at my sister Doris’ house, my husband, Brian,

(23) _______ my eye and flashed me a wide smile. Brian’s eyes had lit up when he saw Michael, our nephew, playing with a pile of craft matchsticks, attempting to make a house.

“How about a (24) _________ ” he said to Michael. “You make a house and I’ll make a little boat”. In a couple of hours the pair had cut, crafted and glued the matchsticks together and the task was complete. “I’m going to call the boat Hazel,” Brian said proudly. That was when his (25) __________ really started.

We found a hobby shop that sold modelling matchsticks, and we soon became their best customers. “I’m going to get bags of them,” Brian said. “I’ll start a new project when I get home.” He got to work on a larger boat, swiftly followed by an (26) ________ copy of a Second World War torpedo boat. Brian was never happier than when he was sat in front of the TV with his matchsticks and PVA glue. It was a great way to keep his mind (27) _________ as he’d retired from his refrigerator factory job years before with health problems, so I was pleased he’d found a hobby he loved.

Soon he decided to build a giant grandmother clock. The project was (28) ________ well; it just would have been nice to clear up my living room floor occasionally. Brian would make sections of the clock and then he’d (29) ________ it together. It took around seven years and 210,000 matchsticks to complete the grandmother clock. It now has pride of place in our living room, and chimes to the tune of Big Ben every 15 minutes.

As the pieces (30) __________ up, the space in our house disappeared. “We’re going to have to find new homes for some of your models,” I said to Brian one day. The loft was crammed full of pieces and I hadn’t seen the coffee table in years. He’d made a beautiful rocking horse, complete (31) ________ a saddle made from one of my old bags, which we gave to Brian’s sister. He’d also built a huge windmill that played Tulips from Amsterdam, which we (32) ________ to his aunt.

The craziest idea Brian ever had was to row from Dover to Calais in a giant boat made of matchsticks. He actually got as far as constructing the 5ft (33) _______. It took nearly a month and 216,000 matchsticks to build, but thankfully that idea was shelved.

Instead, he contented himself with making yet another old wartime boat. There were working lights, tiny lifeboats and even the propellers worked.

But hopefully the latest boat won’t be here for much longer.

“Do you think the maritime museum would (34) ________ the boat?” Brian asked recently. “That’s a lovely idea,” I said. It would be great if they did – then at least I might get my living room back.

Task 6

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