When I interviewed him earlier this season he told me he thought his own long injury lay-off had probably left him too far behind his rivals in the battle for forwards shirts.

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Upon arrival, the butler had asked me which night he wanted me to have him lay out an elaborate display of rose petals on our bed, fill the oversized tub, light candles and prepare the room for a romantic interlude, which I took to be a nice touch.

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Let's put this in context: just a few hours before, one of my Timorese colleagues was telling me how he wanted to lay flowers today for his nine family members who died during the struggle, but how they only knew where two of the bodies were.

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He later found me sweating in the sauna, and told me to lay on a towel at the top of the wood bleachers, where temperatures are highest.

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