The weekend

Saturday started off with the biggest game of the season for Tottenham - home to local rivals, Arsenal. Unbearable tension, and a first half of the most sublime football we've seen from our boys for more years that I care to remember. We dominated the first half and went in for the beak a goal up. Unfortunately we squandered the lead in the second half and the game ended 1-1, leaving us all feeling kind of deflated but still pleased that we more than matched one of the best sides in Europe.

Big things expected of the Spurs this season, and lots of reasons to be excited.

I got back from the game late afternoon, and after doing a bit of tydying up I shaved and had a shower. What's become the usual Saturday evening was slightly different this weekend, as I'd told GG that I was going to go to her place and stay there overnight instaed, to try to break the pattern that we'd seemed to have fallen into in previous weeks. We went out for dinner (a little Persian restaurant... good food and but not expensive) shortly after I arrived, but I knew as soon as she came to the door that something was wrong. Nothing tangible, just the way she held herself and the odd half glance, and as we walked down the edgware Road she didn't give me her hand as she normally does.

She said at first that I was imagining things, but it soon transpired that she'd been dwelling on a feeling she had that I was keeping a distance between us and - with the things that had been on my own mind too - it seemed like a good opportunity to clear the air. We finished eating and headed back home, where we ended up having a really long talk about pretty much everything. And it was tough.

There came a point when I could quite easily just have stood up, put my shoes on and left. I was angry at one or two things she said to me, but they were really based on a misinterpretation of something that had been taken completely out of context. And in my heart I realised that if I left at that moment I wouldn't see her again... I know myself well enough by now. So instead, we just worked through the issues, hers and mine, until we both felt comfortable. Afterwards, we had sex and it was the closest, and most intimate, of any beween us. It was strange, because not long before that neither of us had any intention of that happening... in fact, we had every intention of it not happening. But it seemed to be what we needed, because afterwards the tension had completely dissipated. (And it was "normal"... no games, no endurance test, just a really hearty fuck.)

Sunday morning we both woke up early, and we just lay and talked for an hour or two and then had some breakfast. There had been a party in a neighbours apartment that went on until the early hours. I guess everyone there ended up pretty pissed, because at some point during the night, or the early hours of the morning, some halfwit decided to go outside and pour a tin of wood stain over my pride and joy. Err, thanks.

It doesn't seem to want to come off very easily, but I think it will with a few hours work although it's set hard. It looks like it needs some soaking and deft work with a finger nail, but it's a complete pain and I'm trying not to scratch the paintwork - it's a special finish and can't be patched. GG wanted to do it for me there and then, but - tempting though the idea was - I thought a couple of hours back in bed would be better for her. Bless.

So, I guess that there's been some progress this weekend. I have a suspicion it won't necessarily be an easy ride, but I've never gone for easy. I may give it a try one day, though :-)