Dear Diary

Gautem ==== you ol' cricket groupie. Peeling like a potato eh.
I thought it was only mad dogs and Englishmen who went out in the mid day sun. Ah but I forget myself. You got your Brit papers , so you can now be as daft as the rest of us Brits.
If it comes to a fight over buying Margo a drink, there should be a choice of weapons.
#1 cricket balls, who can hit a barn door at 50 yards
#2 a vindaloo curry, who catches fire first
#3 jellied eels. who throws up first.

Gautam,

Are you looking like Samantha at Carrie's book launch in Sex & the City?

Chemical peels are cool - just say it's one of those!

KP

DD,

There are about five eagles that fly along the beach regularly.
Today, we saw a pair with a seagull they had recently killed. One was standing guard while the other tore at the carcass. The eagles are not large birds, but when the guard eagle spread his wings, he was quite intimidating and very beautiful.

Each time I see death on the beach, I appreciate its place in nature, so unlike the death I see on the news. With the death of a seagull, life will go on for the eagles. It is a timeless, rational, necessary part of life.

Looking out to sea, there is a navy destoyer on the horizon again. Such a strange and terrible dichotomy between nature and "civilization."

How I would love to get to London to see all you Brits. Please let us know if you do this again. I'll add up my frequent flyer miles and how much a hotel costs and do my best to cross the pond. I'll even buy the first round. Since I'm older that most of you and can't drink very much, just promise to wake me up at the end of the evening or give me a jab if I start to snore. Better yet, could we start the evening early? I can then pour myself into a taxi when I start to nod off.

Margo, your trip sounds wonderful. We'll want details of Sweden and London.

Gautam, I grew up in Tucson, AZ and got sunburns all the time. One of our pastimes was seeing who could peel off the largest piece of skin. Ugh.

Diane- Ooooh shiver! Shades of "Suddenly Last Summer"

Diane, Have you ever been to Africa? If not, I know for certain you will enjoy it. We rarely see a kill, but we see animals feeding after a kill. But the best part of a safari is our ability watch wild life in their natural habitat, and to be able to be close up and personal with these wild animals to take pictures. I've been there twice now, and on April 30, I'll be on my way to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. We will sail around the Galapagos for seven days to take pictures of fauna. c.i.

Dear Diary,

Today was 'just another day'. Nothing really happened - which is pretty good, I guess. Now I'll spend some time with A2K, then have my car washed, get something to eat and hope the cats will snuggle up to me later on.

That looks pretty good to me, I have to say.

Hi Diary, Just hopping oh board so's I get interaction updates.

tex-star

Great avatar, Tex-Star

KP, we are waiting for your next love report. Remember, if you wait too long to get married, parts of your body don't work as well.

KP, I bet you'd be a good candidate for the relatively new tv show called bachelorette! c.i.

The next installment!
Dear Diary,

Since my last update, the plot thickened!

In fact, I feel as if I was in the middle of a soap-opera last Friday evening. I was just telling my friends (all those without dates on V-day - 3 female, 4 male) about the J situation, as I described it above. All kinds of sympathetic and helpful looks and support were offered, except from one friend (probably my best friend, A).

He was holding something in. So I asked him why he clearly had reservations. He said that he had been given information through the grapevine that J "has the hots for" someone else. Nothing more was known, except his source - M, the same woman I was writing about back in September/October 2002! [on abuzz - apologies for those of you who read this update there - only posted today]

Saturday I did lots of things with the boys (Football: Arsenal beat ManU 2-0 in a wonderful game; Rugby: England beat France)

Well, M is now just a friend, and things have settled down between us, so I got to speak to her on Sunday. Her story came from another mutual friend of ours and J. Let's call her "The Countess", because she will be one when her father-in-law dies (Normandy wedding, for those of you keeping notes!).

Apparently, when M had mentioned to the Countess that I was interested in J, the Countess said that she had heard J talking about some other guy (M did not know whom). Didn't sound as bad as the way I had heard it on Friday, but M gave me great support and advice.

So - what now?

I've been in email contact with J and we will probably meet early next week - I want to cook for her. I think I'll ask her to set my mind at rest and suggest that if she were interested in someone else, that would be easier to handle than the strained hope of something happening between us after all.

J and I agree that we don't want to lose each other as friends...it's not easy to let go of other thoughts about her, but if it's what I have to do, I will.

If it doesn't work out, which is likely, I'll be a bit more upfront about my interests in women in future. It's great being a "nice guy" if you want to attract female friends but a certain directness without compromising my own nature is what I need to work on to make more impact and find a lover, too!

I'll keep you all in the picture. Thanks for your support. KP

Kitchenpete-"a certain directness"...ha! Spend a week or two here in Cali learning "machismo" and you'll return to Britain triumphantly laying waste to those English girls all about!

Ah, Ha! A lover in the future...my, this is better than the soap operas.

KP, mate - I think we are gonna have an interesting conversation when we meet. We need to exchange tips !! ROFL !!!

I look forward to it, Gautam!

(Mind boggles at the possible tips exchanged)

Pitter - you are probably right. Strangely enough, English girls don't really do it for me as much as foreign women...historically mostly Americans!

Maple,

I'm happy that you are enjoying the soap opera of my life! What do you mean by "a lover in the future"?

Thanks to you all for your interest - it's great group therapy!

KP

KP, when it comes to dating - men are as difficult as women - actually even more than them <sigh>

Gautam,

I'm sure you're right. All that we grumble about "women always" this and "men always" that...we're all different, with our own priorities and MO's.

Understanding difference is one of the most important lessons in life - though I also believe you should always treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself.

KP

Dear Diary,

Friday again! I staied home tonight because I had an auction going on ebay. Bought a pair of sunglasses and a Swedish language course on CD-Rom. Yes, I am serious. I want to learn at least a bit Swedish.

Nisse and Mysan are fighting downstairs. I guess I'll log out pretty soon and retire to the sofa. One of my favorite talkshows will be on in fifteen minutes. Time to relax!

KP, you remind me so much of my 30 year old son. Like you, he is a true gentleman, if perhaps too shy.

Just a couple of months ago, he began a relationship with a young woman that seems to be heading for a 'long term' status. The last time we talked, he mentioned to me that they have talked honestly about their feelings for each other, which really was the turning point--they both felt more secure expressing their feelings afterward.

It's that first leap into the unknown, putting your feelings on the line, not knowing if they will be lovingly acknowledged and returned, or politely rejected that is so difficult, yet so vital, for a relationship to flourish.

DD,
Last night, my husband and I went to a wonderful little French restaurant in St. Augustine for a late Valentine's Day. It was such a delightful night!

I think I've mentioned before that I can't drink much because I feel it almost immediately. The only time I throw caution to the wind is when I can have really good champagne and last night, boy, did I have lots of really good champagne! Four glasses. Yes, he plied me with champagne and French food and, after almost 34 years, the spark is still there!

I didn't fall asleep!!

Diane, how lovely! I hope I will be able to say something along these lines after 34 years. We've been married for almost six years. That's nothing compared to you.

And I envy you for going to a restaurant in St. Augustine. I love St. Augustine!!