The first hurdle

This weekend turned out to be a very special and poignant one. It actually felt like a 'first date' getting all poshed up and heading up town for lunch at The Ritz. I was concerned that the pressure of getting suited and booted and sitting in a stiff dining room would be too much for K, given the momentous nature of that week's anniversary, but he thoroughly enjoyed himself and spent far, far longer getting ready to go than I did!!!

We spent £11.50 (plus tip) on 2 bottles of Perrier as the set menu lunch was a Christmas gift from his sister and brother-in-law, and I have to say that the food was, without exception, excellent. A real treat and I appreciated every morsel. Would the addition of wine have enhanced it at all? I'd probably go as far as to say it was better without, which surprises me. Every taste is defined and identifiable and the experience is still 'crystal clear' in my mind afterwards, something I can rest assured has not always been the case. I have always been a light-weight at lunchtime drinking anyway, so the desire to have wine was definitely suppressed by my last experience. That occasion saw me waking in Dartford after midnight and resulted in a very expensive taxi home and a scarred knee that remains unsightly...

The afternoon was spent wandering through Soho and browsing at books, clothes etc. A perfect and yet rather simple day - nice lunch, window shopping and home for a quiet eve on the sofa.

On Sunday we were up bright and early to head to Reigate and visit K's family. Again, we had a truly lovely day - lunch with his sister and brother-in-law, followed by a trip to the park with my gorgeous wee nephews. K became suspicious of my non-drinking at lunchtime, as I didn't have a glass at his sister's house. I have no intention of sharing my decision until I am ready. There is nothing to be gained from setting myself up for failure and in any way alerting him to the challenge as there is nothing K loves more than proving he can undermine resolve!

It's not in any way malicious or specific to me, but we have 'been here before' and the moment I suggest that I don't/won't do something, he will go out of his way to prove otherwise. It can be as anodyne as saying I don't have a sweet tooth, and you can guarantee that the next day he will come home with my favourite ever dessert, which I would have quite happily lived without were it not now staring at me from the fridge :-)

So on Sunday eve he asked if I wanted some wine from the shop on the way home, which I naturally refused. This alarmed him and made him probe deeper as to why I wasn't drinking. He was worried that something was wrong when, in fact, it was the total opposite. I fobbed him off (yeah, right - he's not that stupid) and left it hanging in the air, so to speak.
So here's where we are at on Monday. I have been off the plonk for 6 days now and so far, so good. I have acupuncture this evening which should help greatly with my resolve and if nothing else, will give me 20 minutes to lie back and reflect on the decisions I have taken.