Daily Archives: 26 October, 2009

Shocked and Horrified!

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Shocked_and_Horrified

And the weather is so good right now, here.  Low to mid twenties, clear blue skies.  Saturday, I took the dogs for a walk in the park and got too hot with a winter coat on.  Sunday, no coat but T-shirt and top – still too hot, well, warm, anyway.

Today, stunningly beautiful and it’s the last week in October!  But, if only this was the worst that a Milan winter had to offer!

Tonight, F goes for the trial lesson for Tango dancing.  He gets home about 10, probably.  I’m not sure what to do.  After all, I want to see him (with him being away tomorrow) and I like that he is there in the morning (as porcelain or not) but…..I am so tired that, I feel, if I get to his place at 10, I shall almost certainly just want to go to sleep straight away.

Of course, I could do what I did when I first met V.  I used to go to sleep for an hour or two immediately I came home from work.  This allowed me to stay up when he got home (about 11.30) for a couple of hours.  It’s not perfect but perfectly feasible.

I expect that my desire to see F will outweigh the need for a good night’s sleep and I shall try to sleep for an hour or so before going round to his place.  Then have a shower, then take the dogs out.

Tomorrow, he is away so I shall try to get to bed very early and catch up on some sleep.

I wonder, idly, at what point I stop considering this as ‘dating’ and really consider it as a real relationship?  I try to phone him but his phone is either switched off or he is somewhere with no signal.  I decide that I will take a couple of hours sleep before seeing him tonight, probably.  He had said on Saturday that 4 nights was enough.  I jokingly said, last night, after the pizza, that obviously I was going home as he didn’t want me that night.  This, of course, was not true although with me going to sleep so quickly, maybe it would have been a good idea?

Ah, well, a couple of hours when I get home would be enough to keep me going, I know.  So, now, when we spoke, I asked if I was coming round.  He said he would phone me after the lesson – about 10.30 – so plenty of time to have a sleep and shower and take the dogs out!

And, if he says no, then that’s OK because then I go to sleep again.  If I go round then that’s OK too.  I suspect he will say I can go round if I would like to.  That’ll be ‘yes’ then.  If not, then I won’t take it badly.  In fact, there will be a little relief in that.

Of course, I could suggest he comes round to me but tonight would be difficult as tomorrow he’s getting up late and I have no spare key to give him.  Which reminds me to get a couple of spare key sets.  One for guests and one for the lady across the way, who has promised to take Dino out for walks during the day, if I get a key for her.

And, so, the one for guests could be for F, if he likes.  Although I may have painted the picture of the flat in a rather ‘black’ way, which may not be a good thing.  Still, one would hope that, when he eventually comes over, he will be pleasantly surprised rather than shocked and horrified!

Later:-  K phones.  He is in Milan with his wife (who is Italian).  K is an old work colleague from the UK.  We are meeting later for a drink and, maybe, something to eat.  I phone V who, although he knew about it now seems shocked.  He has to change some plans.  I wish I didn’t have to say this but it’s fairly typical.  Anyway, I said it’s not so important and he should let me know later.  I’m no longer responsible for him in any way!

So, no sleep after all.  however, I’m sure I can manage until tomorrow night, can’t I?

In the half-light, I could see the smirk

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He tried, on the internet, to find a film in original language, bless him, even though I tried to explain that they did not have original language films on a Sunday any more.  They used to do it at the Odeon, near the Duomo but stopped it a year or so ago.  I guess not enough people went.

But he tried anyway and for that I was happy.  He had said he wanted to see the new film Julie & Julia, with Meryl Streep.  I told him that we could go and watch it anyway, even if it was in Italian.  In fact, I insisted we did as I knew how much he wanted it.  My Italian is improving, at least my understanding of it, mainly because I have less choice now and, although we speak almost exclusively English when we’re together, when we meet his friends or, in general, Italian is spoken much more often in my hearing.

We had had a rather lazy Sunday morning, including a quick trip downstairs to the nice café for breakfast followed by a quick trip round the supermarket for some essential items (including wine).  The clocks had gone back and so, effectively we had the extra hour – although, after so many days/nights like this, I was completely shattered and needed about 3 extra hours!

He was going to lunch with friends and then to see a flat that was, apparently, rather small but had a terrace and was on the top floor and, much more importantly for him, was 3 minutes from work.  This is not so important right now but the first three months of the year it is, as he works from about 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day.

I went home to spend some time with the dogs.  They are being a little neglected right this moment and so, when I’m home we go for longer walks and I play with them more.  Still, this week I have to spend some nights at home, which fact I still have to tell him.

We agreed that we would meet at the cinema. Before that I googled the film and got the synopsis and watched clips so that I would have a good idea of what the film was about.  It is more difficult to understand if I don’t really know the subject.  It looked a funny film.  I Skyped FfI who explained that Julia Childs was very famous in America – a sort of Fanny Craddock, I suppose.

So, when we met, I already had a good idea and could remember some of the clips.  We had quite good seats.  I did follow quite a lot of the film.  There were a couple of bits where I really didn’t quite get it but not so many and there was only one bit that I had to check with him afterwards – although I had got the gist of it after all.

Good film.  One of those feel-good films and one that I now want to see in English, to get all the nuances.  But I do think that he liked the fact that I went with him.  I hope so.  It’s all part of the strengthening of the relationship.  He also wants to see it in English.  At the end of all this, he’s speaking in English to me partly because he wants to improve his pronunciation and general command of English (although he is already very, very good).

On that subject (but see the bit about the bar, below), we went out on Saturday night to an Indian restaurant (The Dhaba, Via Castaldi 22) which has to be the best Indian restaurant I have been to in Milan.  Superb food and excellent service although, for those of you from the UK, a little expensive.

Whilst we were chatting over dinner I found that he doesn’t eat red meat – or, at least, not unless it’s minced up (ragù (Bolognese sauce to my English readers), sausages, etc.).  This would be a bit of a problem with Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding then?  Hmmm.  That’s a bit like really loving ice-cream and being told that you may never be able to have it again!  But he did tell me some funny stories of when he was a kid.  He still makes me laugh and I really like that.

Afterwards we went to a bar nearby (the corner of Castaldi and Via Settala) where a friend of a friend was having some special evening.  AfL, the friend, was there with her friend M.  AfL is married to an English guy and has lived in London for 5 years.  F asks me, when they have gone to the bar for another drink, if his pronunciation of English is better than AfL.  I tell him yes, of course.  It does help that it is the truth but he is immensely pleased with this.  He tries so hard to talk with a more English accent, bless.

I leave them to go and do the dogs.  I text him when I am almost back home and he tells me he is coming to pick me up in a taxi (as we had agreed).  In the taxi, on the way back to his place, he tells me that AfL (who will be staying with him next weekend) thought I was really nice.  This is good.  One should always be the best of friends with the friends and colleagues of one’s partner – certainly at the beginning.  You have all seen ‘Hitch’ haven’t you?  And the being friends with the friends is pretty crucial.  Luckily, all the ones I have met so far have been lovely so it’s not so difficult.  Anyway, I can be the perfect English gentleman with all the charm switched on, when I want.

Sunday night, after the film (we went to the 5.30 showing), we went to Al Basilico Fresco restaurant (Viale Abruzzi 21) where we had pizzas.  Nice place.  The pizzas are thin (like Pizza OK) but not so large.  Very nice and not so expensive.  I like that after the meal they give you a sorbet free of charge.  It is nicer than having a limoncello or mirto or something.

During the meal we were talking about films and cartoon films (which we both like).  His favourite was Ice Age, which I’ve never seen.  When we got home, he put the film on the DVD in the bedroom and we watched it.  It was good.  After the film was over, apparently, I went to sleep immediately!  And to be honest, I am very, very tired.  I’m almost looking forward to him going away for a night this week!  I need sleep.  Also, next weekend, it is very unlikely that we shall be together as, not only does he have AfL staying with him but also a dog, for whom he is dog sitting!  A dog who sleeps on the bed!

And, this morning, at about 6.15, just before the alarm went off, he again said that I should remember that he is like porcelain in the morning, but now I’m thinking that this may not be quite so true as, in the half-light, I could see the smirk on his face.