Pride

Recently, myself and bandree found ourselves in a position to offer hospitality to several scene friends. It was a lovely weekend, everything clicked just right. The conversation was honest and easy, and a dog had accompanied the group, a big floppy friendly "bring me for a walk" kind of a dog.

The weekend was in a remote cottage in a fairly unknown part of the country. It has a small scale feel, which is very calming and quite captivating when you settle in. We bought the house several years ago and use it as a bolt hole for ourselves or other family members.

By the second afternoon, the party had reduced slightly such that we were myself, bandree, two other girls and the dog. This weekend had come together at short notice and there was no pre-arranged agenda of play or anything like that. It was quite genuinely just an opportunity for a few friends to eat, drink, chill out and chat.

And the chat was very good, exactly what I would expect from these participants. As well as chat, though, there was dog walking, swimming (the cottage is near water), canoeing, and general messing around.

Even when there was no conversation and the girls were just lounging around (and the dog), I felt an indescribable wellness. Of the group, bandree is the only one with whom I have a formal "relationship", so what happened inside my head was entirely a subconscious fantasy, I suppose.

I felt very at home. This was my place, in which I was able to provide the resources for their leisure. As they fooled around, I found myself remaining a little aloof. I let them take turns with the canoe, but did not indulge myself; watched them all swim, but didn't swim myself. Reflecting subsequently, I can only describe the sensation as that of a proud lion, watching over his pride (and I suppose the dog was a cub).

Thank you all for a very empowering afternoon.