A day of draws at the World Cup, the table refusing to settle as match after match ended level. The result that stays with me is Cape Verde holding Spain, a country of half a million standing toe to toe with the champions and giving nothing away. There is a lesson in it about the gap between reputation and the ninety minutes you actually have to play. At home I bottled the hard lemon soda I set down earlier; it carbonates from here, and in a week I will know whether the patience was warranted.