I've had a really hard year this year, however 'half full' I may have presented it in PBASE.

David and I are broke, that Bl**dy house in Ascot just hangs on, not sold, nearly sold, maybe sold. Three times we've had a buyer that seems 'cast-iron' and three times we've been let down. We've been there today to clear some cupboards out to find that 'yoofs' are using the back garden as a meeting place - broken beer bottles and a nunchuk(spelling? - y'know one of those kung fu weapons) in the garden. All we need now is for them to decide that as no-one is living there they can break in and make a mess.

My beloved (and beleaguered) Spurs under the cosh.

Work, although enjoyable stuff has had loads of pressure and long hours which has meant I've seen virtually nothing of David other than at weekends.

The dreaded kitchen saga - still going on, still not finished, still like living in a building site - I'm beginning to wonder if it ever will be finished.

A hideous falling-out with someone who used the pages of PBASE to persecute me.

On the way to David's house today, we came across this wasteland where I reckon a moron has thrown a cigarette out of the window of a car and the beautiful heathland gorse and heather have gone up in smoke. I yelled 'STOP' and David pulled up on the verge so I could jump out and photograph the devastation. After tramping around in the charred remains something caught my eye - new growth - as yet, only brambles but surely the gorse will follow.

It made me realise that however bad things have seemed sometimes this year, however 'burned' I've been by events, with a bit of luck and nourishment, regeneration and rejuvenation are just around the corner. My thoughts were confirmed this evening, with a nail-biting, hard fought 0-0 draw achieved under the most incredible pressure from a flying 4th place Man City at their new stadium for my Spurs boys.

Now for the house........