Thursday, Oct 25 – Dry, quite warm with a bit of a chilly wind later. Stirred myself in time to have a bath, then went up to surgery, had my blood taken by Emma and then booked two more appointments – not sure what for. Sorted out clothes for washing and had a go at freeing sink in kitchen, with limited success. Wrote blog. Bridget came to clean, surprised we were back, and had quite a long chat – or listen – mainly to Dot. Later had salmon meal and watched Upstart Crow and new first episode of Slow Horses. Answered some e-mails and got rid of others. 

Friday – Warm for England. Bad night, but Dot slept through. We got up in time for breakfast – much cleaning. In the afternoon I fixed the shower room sink but couldn’t sort out the kitchen sink. Ordered some stuff that should do it. I hope. Sorted out holiday pix and did a shared album. Surgery rang and fixed another appointment for next Wednesday, because my liver count was not good. Found it hard to believe that they had the results from yesterday so quickly. I wonder… Went for a walk on my own in the afternoon and managed over 4000. Dot did loads and loads of washing. Street meet: Matt, Des, Chris, John, Joe, Sam. Dot very descriptive. Fish and chips. Watched a bit of TV but went to bed very early – about 8.30. Both woke around midnight, and after a while I got us a drink. We then step till nearly 10am.

Saturday – Quite mild, though noticeably cooler than Canada. Dry. Did a lot of clearing up and sorted out recordings on TV, to an extent. Dot and I walked along the river and tried to help a woman in King Street with directions. Pretty tired afterwards (after the walking, not the directing). Dot did loads of ironing while listening to Norwich draw 1-1 away to Stoke. They were very lucky to do so, I’m informed. Later the sink cleaning agent arrived. I have used it as instructed without much success; I am now trying the overnight technique. Printed out the nine poems I wrote in Canada or just after; had to put in new cartridges to do this. Dot and I cooked chicken thighs for supper and watched a couple of episodes of a pre-1066 drama, plus a couple of episodes of new Mitchell and Webb series, which is not as funny as it might have been. Earlier watched highlights of first day of Ryder Cup, which left Europe well in the lead. Then most of Match of the Day, including a pleasing loss for Liverpool. 

Sunday – Not a good night. Probably worried about blocked sink, among other things. Made various attempts today to fix it – unsuccessfully – and have now booked Homecare plumber for tomorrow. Also managed to break wine glass. Got up late, and we went to Morrisons to stock up, then walked to Cathedral for Evensong. Don’t think I’d want to go there every week. Good sermon, though. St Michael and All Angels.  Phone call from Steve at church – seems well. Watched football and Ryder Cup, plus two more episodes of pre-1066 drama. Felt very tired but in sudden burst of energy refilled water tray in the piano (don’t ask) and replaced water filter. Before that Dot cooked lovely fish meal involving courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes… Tidied up and began to feel a bit back to normal. Bed at 10.40pm. 

Monday – Dry and not cold. Woken at 8 by plumber’s phone call, telling me they’re coming today, but not when. Eventually he came mid-afternoon and sorted blockage. Quite an elaborate job. Pipe cleaner clearly useless. Wrote Parish pump pieces on Tennyson, Sullivan and G B Shaw, which used up most of the day; so didn’t manage a walk. Watched end of Ryder Cup highlights – Europe 15-13 win too close for comfort – plus some football and the last two episodes of King and Conqueror, about William I. FaceTimed David and Chrissy, who both seemed pretty well, before going to bed at normal time. Dot had message from Mary: Neville seems pretty unwell following stroke. 

Saturday – Warm. phone call from my cousin Barbara woke us at 7.15am: apparently she had had a call from me the previous day, but I have no record of it. Went to sleep again: Roger and Barbara arrived to do gardening at 10am, just as we got up. Watched Spurs draw 2-2 with Brighton while Norwich were losing 3-2 to Wrexham. Meanwhile, bricks were being moved, weeds extracted and soil fetched, but not by me. I may have moved a brick or two. Wasn’t feeling so good; so I went downstairs for half an hour. All had bread made by Chrissy. Really nice. Chrissy, David, Barbara and Roger worked hard on putting hostas in. Later we went out for a walk. Dot, David and I lagged somewhat behind the other three. Eventually had nice supper – chicken and cauliflower etc. I was careful not to have too much. Vigorous conversation about books, then Trump, led by David and Barbara. Roger and Barbara then went home and we watched Only Murders, followed by another loss by the Blue Jays. 

Sunday – Warm. Took another trip to St Jacobs, again meeting David there after one of his cycle rides. Had a snack (scone for me) at the Eco Café, then Dot and I walked up to the Book Loft. Chrissy took the car. Dot bought a Joan Didion book, Play it as it Lays, which she has started reading. I am nearing the end of Rules of Civility on Kindle. Chrissy then drove us home while David cycled. Dot went with Chrissy to view a house down the road, which was nice but much smaller than 515. Cost over a million, though. We went for a walk later: humidity was high, and I had no energy, though I managed over 5000 for day. Had a sleep and for some reason felt good afterwards. Was able to eat more or less normal meal – excellent lasagne, Caesar salad and garlic bread. Quite fierce thunderstorm in early evening. Blue Jays won again, and we saw the last three episodes of Series 2 of Only Murders in the Building. Bed quite early. 

Monday – Overcast but not cold. Intermittent light rain. Had very mild headache most of day, for some reason. After breakfast we drove to uptown Waterloo and had a walk round, taking in Words Worth Books and the town centre landmarks, such as galleries and library. Bought book for Chrissy. Chrissy took us on slightly longer walk while David fetched car and picked us up. Supposed to meet Barbara and Roger at Rumbletum Café, but when B and R got there they found it was closed; so changed meeting point to Eco-Café at St Jacobs. After lunch we all drove back to Anndale Court and spent a lot of time talking. I had a longish talk with David on politics and Christianity, agreeing on essential points. Many subjects discussed in more general chat. Then had fish burgers, and Roger and Barbara departed before we watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which was very funny. In bed just after 10pm, after Dot and I had done some steps downstairs and I had miraculously reached 4000. 

Tuesday – Last day. Warm and dry until it wasn’t. Packed first thing. David drove us to the Rumbletum Café, which turned out to be closed, which Roger and Barbara should have noticed, but didn’t. So instead we drove to a place in uptown Waterloo, where we had brunch. Nice blackberry muffins in my case, but the others had more elaborate items, which in Dot’s case attracted wasps; so she and Chrissy fled indoors. David and I stayed out, because there were no tables for four outside. Nice place, though. Drove back home, and left for the airport about 2.15pm, which turned out to be roughly ten hours too early. But we didn’t know that then.

Clear run to the airport, and David and Chrissy helpfully guided us through obtaining a boarding pass and checking in luggage. We then said good-bye and went through security surprisingly easily. Lots of walking brought us to the vicinity of our gate – an area where there were cafés and shops. Got ourselves some food, and a very nice woman saved my life by noticing that my passport had slipped out of my pocket and was on the floor beside my chair. Not only that, she told me. I offered her money, but she declined. Still plenty of time to go; so Dot bought me a large glass of wine by mistake. I think it made all the difference. We were about to enter a nightmare. 

Wednesday (but still Tuesday in Canada) – Boarding the plane took far too long as usual, but we eventually got on. It was about 20 minutes behind schedule, which was just enough to screw everything up. By the time we had crawled out to the runway, and had waited for everyone who had got in front of us, we were in the middle of a thunderstorm. We hung around for quite a while; then we were diverted to a different runway, which was on the other side of the airport. Took us ages to get there; then the storm was still too bad, and the pilots discovered we were too low on fuel. So we had to go back to the main buildings to refuel – except that the weather was too bad to do that. Eventually they decided we all had to get off the plane, because we’d been on too long. My heart sank.

So we got off the plane and were given 15 dollars each to get something to eat – available by using our boarding pass. It took us some time to find someone who (a) did not have a long queue (b) accepted the system and (c) was open, but eventually we managed to. Flight time was put back three times, and reboarding took ridiculously long, considering that we all had boarded once already. One Sikh guy held up our queue by having a long discussion with the boarding clerk – goodness knows why. Eventually we got on – it was the same plane – and we managed to take off. It was just after 2.30am Canada time (7.30am UK time).

I declined the meal, but ate Dot’s roll, and had another white wine. Surprisingly, I slept about three hours and watched most of Dune 2. I think. Dot said she watched three films and slept. I was sitting beside two Indian ladies who were strangely calm – in fact neither of them ever used the toilet. At “breakfast” there was no tea or coffee because the seatbelt signs were on for bumpy conditions, which were so slight I barely noticed. Methinks they couldn’t be bothered to heat the water.

Anyway, we landed about 2.30pm UK time, and all went very smoothly except that we had to wait ages for our luggage, which seemed to be almost the last off the plane. We then made for the Queen Elizabeth line, which was a considerable hike, involving lifts, and not clearly signed. We got there as a train was about to leave. We boarded it and, reader, it was going to Liverpool Street. It was also very crowded, mainly with Asians, but we go there and disembarked. Our cases were feeling very heavy and there was still a long way to go.

Dot’s case got a lift up some steps from a kind commuter or angel who I didn’t even see, and we reached Platform 9, where a Norwich-bound train – the 4.30pm – was waiting. It was 4.23pm. We got on it – to discover it was the last off-peak train before rush-hour. Our tickets were off-peak. It was a lovely train, the weather was warmish and dry, and we got tea and coffee from a trolley, because there was no turbulence. We also got a croissant (Dot) and chocolate thingy(me). It was a beautiful journey. We switched to a better seat twice as commuters departed. Got to Norwich totally exhausted and managed to drag ourselves up the hill. Then, almost immediately, drove to Morrisons to get essentials. My memory of all this is a bit blurred, but eventually – quite soon – we went to bed. I got up in the night to eat a peach. Dot slept through till about 9am. I started wandering about the folk on the flight who had been really messed up – those with flight connections, for instance. It could certainly have been worse.

Sunday – Varied between warm and very warm. Dry. Up a bit late. Have been feeling quite well for a few days. David did a bike ride to St Jacob’s, a very pleasant village on the Conestoga river, and the three of us joined him around 11.30 for a late breakfast – in my case a cream cheese bagel and in Dot’s case a smoothie. Afterwards we walked down to the river, and after David left to complete his ride the three of us walked over the bridge and then through the town, before driving back to Waterloo.

I walked to Manorcourt Drive and back while Dot did some work. We had lovely roast supper just after 5pm – beef, potatoes and excellent Yorkshire puddings – then drove to buy ice cream. I had a chocolate cone which I had difficulty keeping under control. Watched another three episodes of you-know-what with a break while David and Chrissy went for a walk. Nova joined us for food as usual. Quite an early night. 

Monday – Warm, verging on hot. Got up late and discussed P4C categories with Dot after breakfast. I wrote a couple more poems. After soup for lunch Dot and I went for a longish walk and noticed that the trees, especially on Grant, had turned even more in the last few days. Went over the little bridge, then down Rustic Drive and back down Old Abbey Road and Manorcourt. Had to sit for a while. Had fish burger and fries for supper. Afterwards watched final two episodes of Only Murders in the Building, then got involved in tight match between Blue Jays and Tampa Bay, which Toronto won with an extra inning. So rather late in bed. 

Tuesday – Warm and dry. Read about a quarter of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles on Kindle. Very good writer – ideas for poem. Caught a little bit of Oliver on FaceTime. Went out for shortish walk with Dot down Sugarbush and were met by David and Chrissy as we turned back. Talked to Chrissy quite a bit about plasma, philosophy and other things. Later Dot and I walked to Conestoga Mall to buy wine in Zehrs.  Chrissy cooked lovely meal of squash, cheese, pasta and a few other things. Nova went out for meal with her father. After supper we watched first two episodes of second series of Only Murders in the Building, then got lured into watching Blue Jays beating Tampa by very narrow margin after contentious award of home run to their opponents. 

Wednesday – Dry and very warm. Discovered I should have turned Kindle app off: it had run down the battery. Read a bit more after it had charged. Late up. In the afternoon Dot and I walked a roundabout route to Conestoga, taking in a bit of Northfield, then had iced tea/coffee in Indigo/Starbucks, where we were intrigued to see a man leave his bag containing a computer on the table while he went to the toilet. Walked around Mall a bit and bought Chrissy a set of small knives, then walked home the short way. Played a few Scottish songs on iTunes, then had lovely meal of meat and mashed potatoes. Watched another episode of you-know-what, then some baseball: this time Toronto lost by one run. Earlier neighbour Janet came round with some icing sugar and cocoa for cake, then had chat. Bed at 10.30. 

Thursday – Warm, but sometimes cloudy. Dot went out for a quick walk and we had breakfast; then between 12 and 1pm we drove to the Farmers’ Market, which was very full. Dot, Chrissy and I had a pretzel, while David had a beefburger. We sat outside to eat, then went in to buy some maple syrup and a present for Anne. Also got some fruit. Dot asked if she could take a photo of Mennonite stall, but was asked not to. Drove home past Fibernetics. Later I went for a walk along Grant and over the bridge to Wissler Road, then met Dot on my way back. Nice autumn colours. Saw a chipmunk in garden and got quite a good picture, then a video of a cardinal bird on the birdbath. In the evening we drove to Brown’s and had a nice meal; Nova stayed at home,but we got something for her. Dot left her bowl of leftovers and went back for them. At home watched another episode of Only Murders in the Building and were in bed by 10pm. During the night was violently sick. Can’t remember the last time that happened. 

Friday – Quite warm, especially later. Took some time to recover from the night’s events. Eventually went upstairs to relax outside, where it was warmer. Later went for a couple of walks with Dot and amazingly managed 4000 by the end of the day. Stomach got much better but couldn’t face pizza; so David did me egg and toast:  first-class egg. Dot went with D&C to pizza place. Watched two more episodes of Only Murders, then some of Blue Jays match until it became obvious they would lose heavily. Bed well before 10pm. 

Tuesday – End of our first week. Quite chilly still, except in the sun, which is warm. Up latish and had usual breakfast. Read a great deal of Chrissy’s book about Aziz Manji, which is fascinating. Later we went for a medium walk, most of it with David and Chrissy, when the sun was quite hot. Odd not having Jackson here. Nova is here, but largely invisible. Oliver and Amy are still in Ireland. Dot is finding old stuff about P4C for Chrissy to use.

I walked another 4000 steps before supper, going out on to the main road and then round to the left before cutting through. Played chess with Dot then hot dogs for supper, during and after which we watched a funny police series and several songs on TV. Thought I’d lost my glasses, and had everyone looking for them. David and I went outside with iPhone torches. Eventually I discovered them enfolded in my jumper. Unbelievable. So a bit late in bed. 

Wednesday – Warmer. Sunny. After breakfast we set off for Caledon but called in at the Conestoga Mall to buy me some T-shirts – well, a T-shirt, but it turned out to be three. Operation spearheaded by Dot.  Drove to Barbara and Roger’s via Orangeville. Some nice changes to garden. After nibbles we had a lovely meal, but I ate too much, or too early, and had to go and sleep for a while. As a result I missed the post-prandial walk and fell miserably short of 4000. Went and talked in the lounge. Sent a couple of books to Oliver for his birthday. 

Thursday – Warm and dry. Woke up quite late. Lovely breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup and fruit. Did enough walking during day to reach 4000. Wrote a couple of poems. Had a bath (first since England) and in evening changed catheter (ditto). Quite a bit of chat. Barbara and Chrissy seem marginally against Trump. Ho, ho. In late afternoon we drove to winery and had a really nice meal, delivered by excellent tattoed waitress. Mista board plus some really nice tomatoes. Very unusual but delicious drink which included wine, whisky, lemon juice and fruit.

Had decided earlier to go back to Waterloo after meal: David has meeting early tomorrow, and garbage needs putting out. Had cup of tea and watched a bit of baseball with David before bed. Blue Jays’ Gausman pitched right through for shutout, 6-0 against Houston Astros. Earlier at Caledon had screen chat with Oliver, who was 23 today. He is in Ireland but will be back in England by Sunday. 

Friday – Warm; occasional cloud. Sent pic to street meet group. Finished Chrissy’s book on Aziz – not sure I would like him, but apparently everyone did. Obsessed with making deals, but also generous. An Ismaili Muslim – that is a Shiite loyal to the Aga Khan. Apparently quite peaceful.   Dot was interviewed by Chrissy for new P4C website marketing etc. Quite exciting.

Went for walk with David and Chrissy at lunchtime round local roads, then a bit later by myself. In evening went with D & C to pizza place and picked up pizzas from Maya, who welcomed me to Canada. Watched a funny series on TV, Only Murders in the Building, then went to bed quite early. Wrote another poem. Oliver and Amy in Wales at hotel, on way home. 

Saturday – Cloudy start, with a little rain and then sun. Before we woke, David and Chrissy went to Farmers’ Market and grocery store. Both of us had showers. Watched a couple of football matches – including a 3-0 win for Spurs over West Ham. Had plum doughnut plus one or two other things, then we all walked over to the mall. Dot and I took the longer route via Old Abbey Road, and we spent some time after arriving trying to find D & C. However, phones weren’t working properly. After much effort we ran into them near the food hall, and Chrissy bought us muffins and tea/coffee. They then continued on their way. I waited while Dot set off to wander round shops, and we eventually coincided at Indigo, as planned. I bought a book by Richard Feynman for David, and we walked back by the short route. Watched  another couple of episodes of Only Murders in the Building, then went to bed. 

Thursday – Message from Janet, who had tried to pick up Dot for orchestra last night! Ho hum. Cooler today, with early rain. Had some toast then after a lie down went out with David and Chrissy (and Jackson in his father’s car) to the Farmers’ Market, where we had brunch – Dot and I had a pretzel: very nice. Bought some fruit afterwards. Read quite a bit in the afternoon, then late on, after Jackson went to a wedding rehearsal, Dot and I went for a walk. I took a paracetamol: felt a bit dodgy for a while but was ok for evening meal – chicken curry and fruit cobbler, both very nice. Nova went out for a meal. Had a chat afterwards and in bed by 10pm after David had picked her up. 

Friday – Very windy, but sun warm. Got a message reminding me about a phone appointment with hospital on Tuesday. This arrived before the message arranging the appointment and so mystified me. By the time the appointment message arrived I had rung and cancelled. After shower and breakfast drove to Mall and bought groceries from Zehrs. Felt temporarily grotty after nibbles instead of lunch and lay down for a while. Then came up and watched excellent Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler concert on AppleTV which included Speedway at Nazareth. Plus several encores. Went for walk with Dot up through end of Grant and met David and Chrissy on our way back. Over 4000 again. Later watched Blue Jays beat Yankees 7-1 at baseball and ate a hot dog  with sides followed by fruit cobbler. Bed well after 10pm. 

Saturday – Bit chilly; clouds. Up just in time to greet Roger and Barbara. Had a kind of brunch with pancakes, fruit and maple syrup, which was very nice. Talked with them for quite a while, then drove to Brown’s for sharing meal (bit like tapas). I had two martinis. Chrissy brought me home. David walked. After more talk Dot and I went out for a walk: David caught us up and showed us another way home. Chatted about houses, scale and so on. Achieved 4000 again and got back in time to say goodbye to R and B (Rhythm and Blues), who had been waiting to see Jackson before leaving. He had been to meal with wedding colleagues (post-rehearsal and pre-wedding). Later watched part of Crazy, Stupid Love. In bed by 10pm. 

Sunday – Cool and windy, which was not so good for David, who cycled to Elora – about 20 miles – and back. Jackson went off for his friend’s wedding, and the three of us drove to Elora and met David there. We had a crêpe, which was nice, though in my case probably a bit too much. Dot bought a rather attractive scarf next door – she hadn’t brought one with her (to Canada). Then we walked up to the Elora Gorge path and looked down on the river, way below. Quite spectacular, but very hard to photograph. David then cycled home, and the rest of us drove.

I had a rest on the bed, and a bit later Dot went out for a walk. Earlier I’d received a message from Pam Goddard to say her husband Stuart had died: she left him for an hour to go to another room, came back and he had died of a heart attack. Went out for another short walk to reach 4000 and saw a snake, which I managed to photograph. Nova joined us for supper, and then we watched the end of Crazy, Stupid Love. Not bad at all. Bed 9.30 to read. 

Monday – Still a bit chilly, though sun was warm. Finished A New Science of Heaven, which was fascinating though hard to follow at times because of the scientific technicalities. After breakfast David and Chrissy drove to give Jackson a lift from his father’s to the airport, where he was flying home to Calgary. We walked the longish way to Conestoga Mall and made the mistake (for me) of getting food. Dot had Street Food, which she liked, and I got Kentucky Fried chicken, which was poor. Also had Pepsi, which was probably a bad idea because it messed up my stomach/energy problem and I had to miss the evening meal. Afterwards we bought coffee for Chrissy and were continuing to Zehrs when we ran into David and Chrissy, who had got back from the airport unexpectedly soon. Walked home with them, and I flaked out shortly afterwards. Later we all watched Licorice Pizza, one of David’s favourite films, which was quite unusual – and enjoyable. 

Friday, 29 August 2025 – Cooler with quite a lot of rain, but fortunately not when we met in the street at 5.30. A goodly crowd: Mark, John, Joe, Sam, Ciara, Des, Chris, Matt. And us of course. Des got us fish and chips. Feeling quite a lot better, though still not very hungry. Earlier we had our hair cut, I had a bath and Dot did lots of ironing. David asked for flight details, which I sent him, and I ordered a plughole cleaner, which is supposed to come within two days (took three). 

Saturday – More rain, but not too much. Still a bit cool and felt a bit dodgy until I took paracetamol in the afternoon. Then much better. Managed to do most of my packing with help from Dot and her tissue paper. She did a lot of hers too. David kindly FaceTimed late morning to check we had everything we would need. Had a light lunch but a pie for dinner, which I enjoyed. Des came round to check the meters and the flowers, just as Norwich were beating Blackburn 2-0 away. Both goals by Sargent. Sadly Spurs lost at home to Bournemouth. We listened to a very long sermon by Lou Engle on fasting and revival, especially among young people, on recommendation of Kim. His delivery was odd, but I couldn’t argue with what he said. Bit of an endurance course, but easier than fasting. 

Sunday – Not feeling so great at first, but took paracetamol and improved. Weather windy but quite warm. Had another go at the creeper and got enough down to be unworried about it creeping too far. Watched some football, then booked a cottage in Ballater for next June. Bit precipitate, but Dot was keen. Judy came round with news of prayer for us at church. Dot did a lot more packing, and I checked trains and hotel for tomorrow, as well as flight documents.  Did some more packing and got medicines together. Managed to eat a reasonable meal – egg, fried potatoes and mushroom. Watched some TV of course; especially good was Ben Fogle’s documentary on Skye and neighbouring small islands. Quite moving. 

Monday  – Showers. Not cold. Spent the morning preparing for departure and trying to make sure we didn’t forget anything. Went over to station to check which trains stopped at Stratford, but it was too long in advance. Checked timetables and thought it didn’t matter, but it did. So after putting the bins out, parking the car in the drive and eating a bit of food, we got the 2.30 to Liverpool Street, which didn’t stop at Stratford; so had to walk quite a long way at Liverpool Street to reach the Queen Elizabeth Line.

However, that worked quite well, except that after Paddington it was very crowded: I had to stand most of the way, though Dot got a seat after a while. Another longish walk from the Terminal 4 station to our hotel. We got there just before 6pm, which was not bad. I was pretty flaked out, so after a hot drink Dot went for a recce, as we couldn’t get the WiFi to work. Eventually things worked out and we had quite a nice but very expensive meal in the bar. Spoke to a couple of Australian ladies. Got into bed early and watched a programme on the Piper Alpha explosion. Oh, and our delivery hadarrived just before we left. 

Tuesday – Cooler. Terrible night: hardly slept. In lobby by 8 and caught shuttle to Terminal 2. Quite crowded, but got a seat. Usual confusion at airport but managed to get rid of bags with self-attached tickets. Also managed to obtain boarding passes from another machine and get through security, which wasn’t too bad. Got a light breakfast at Prêt à Manger and then took the long walk to Boarding Gate 43, picking up some water on the way. Skies pretty grey. Took a long time to board, possibly because someone was being chucked off, but seats ok – above wing, but window and aisle.

Departure very late, but caught up and arrived roughly on time. Felt quite ill during journey and slept a bit. Dot watched two films: Dune and the sequel. At Toronto  there was the usual confusion, with hundreds of people deployed to tell you what do and then why it was wrong. Eventually defeated the machines and found ourselves at baggage reclaim. Although it wasn’t raining, (the excuse last time) this took a very, very long time. The simple act of exiting the baggage hall was again ridiculously complicated and time/consuming, but at least David and Chrissy were there waiting for us. Lovely to see them. By now it was rush hour, and the drive home took a long time too. Too tired to unpack, but we had a lovely meal of chicken and rice before collapsing in bed. Good night’s sleep. 

Wednesday  – Sunny and warm.  Woke up in stages. Dot got me a cup of tea and we had showers. While Dot was having hers Chrissy took me to buy bread. Felt better during the day. We went for a walk with David and Chrissy and I managed to breach 4000. In the evening had fish, which was really nice. Read quite a bit of my Science of Heaven book, which is really interesting, both factually and spiritually. Jackson is here most of the time, and Nova returned for the meal today. Both seem on good form. In the evening watched Grosse Pointe Blank, which was very well done. Relaxing day. 

Sunday 24 August – Quite warm with some sun in the afternoon. Posted birthday cards to Barbara and Julia, then watched football. In afternoon went up with Dot to “picnic” in Old Library Wood, together with various neighbours and Matt playing his hurdy gurdy. Also spoke to Jude and her friend Bernadette(?), who moved up to Norwich from London a couple of years ago and then lost her husband. Really nice to see them, but wasn’t feeling great.

Nevertheless carried on after a lie-down and we had Matt and Amanda round for a meal – entirely prepared by Dot. Had a good time with them – Matt is an enthusiastic talker and very knowledgeable on the history of Norwich. We also watched a Channel 4 documentary on the reshaping of Norwich Castle. Nightmare for those involved. Felt a bit better in the evening but still heavy-headed. David FaceTimed and persuaded me to buy a new suitcase. He seems well, but Amy has a cold. Roger and Barbara are still stranded in Italy because of Air Canada strike, but have tickets for Tuesday flight. 

Monday – Warm and often sunny. Felt just about well enough to get up, bath and reach Un Café by just before 10pm to have breakfast with Brian and Tricia. Had a good time and definitely have been feeling better, though not well. Don’t know if it’s the antibiotics or the infection, if there is one. As I went to bed I felt my stomach wasn’t right, but… Earlier Judy came round for a cup of tea and brought us a card signed by church members and some flowers! Really nice. Before that, on the way back from breakfast we called at Dunelm and bought a new suitcase. Pretty quiet apart from that. Watched quite a bit of football, plus Ridley and a documentary on Orkney that included the Italian Chapel! Good to see it again. The Chapel, not the documentary. 

Tuesday – Still warm but cloudy, and some wind. Promised rain did not materialise. Rang Ray and then Barbara, whose 80th birthday it is. She was very bouncy, considering she had had a recent frightening experience involving a bee sting and a lifeboat. I spoke to her just after Kim had been to visit: very much the same vibe, if on a different level. Dot was in the city getting dollars, and fruit from the market, and having a pedicure; so I showed Kim our Channel Island pictures, which she seemed to like. She also brought us a lovely gift for our 80th birthdays – stunning “prophetic” mosaics that fit together. Later had scrambled egg, mushrooms and spinach and watched too much TV as usual. Final episode of Ridley and more about islands. Felt very tired at end of evening. Got in touch with Val Gemmell, who is at Bungay, aiming to see her tomorrow. 

Wednesday – Warm, sun and cloud; light rain in evening. Drove to Bungay (Outney Meadow), where Val had parked her camper van. Had a chat in the van, then drove her to Norwich, got a bus up to Red Lion Street and then had a lovely lunch in the Ivy. Really nice to reminisce with Val and talk about our families. She came back to the house for a drink and then we drove her back to Bungay. Tried to take her via Church Road and our Yelverton house, but needless to say the road was closed. Tried a different route back home after dropping Val, but it didn’t quite work.  Got home around 7.30 and I lay down and slept for most of the evening, followed by the rest of the night. Wasn’t feeling great: suspect I ate too much at the Ivy.

Thursday – Quite warm.  A little rain, but happily not till I’d cut the ivy back. Dot wouldn’t let me use a long ladder; so I had to cut the shoots lower down so that the upper part would die away. Not ideal, but… Dot rearranged the pots as part of the operation. Was feeling tired most of the day as has become normal. Headache too, though both improved at end of day. I have now taken the last of my antibiotics, which may help, and had a proper meal tonight (salmon). Watched a bit of dramatic football (Grimsby beating Man Utd 12-11 on penalties and Rangers going down 6-0 in Europe match) and first two episodes of a pre-1066 historical drama, which has been panned by historians as “not accurate”; so it’s probably spot-on.

Saturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17 – Still warm, but cloudy. Yesterday afternoon (Saturday) Dot and I decided to go for walk round the pitch and putt course on Mousehold, which was quite enjoyable, though I became very tired. Later lost my appetite and couldn’t finish my meal – though I did manage the salmon. Afterwards went to lie down – started shivering and felt pretty bad. Went to bed with hot water bottle (!) and eventually went to sleep. Surprisingly slept very well, but still felt shaky when I woke up, though the shivering had gone.

Yesterday (before I was ill) we had practised some songs for Bridget’s get-together today, but I wasn’t well enough to go. Usual UTI symptoms developed. Had a bath, but didn’t feel much better, though we were able to watch football. Spurs won and Norwich scraped 2-1 away win at Portsmouth. Judy came round and Dot took her and Howard to Bridget’s. They had a good time; I slept mostly. When Dot got back David FaceTimed and we had a chat – with Dot telling him more than he wanted to know about the party she’d been to. She brought me a scone back, which I ate and we watched Beck (very good) and another sacred Scottish islands documentary by Ben Fogle – this time Islay, Jura and something very small across the Straits of Corryvreckan and its impressive whirlpool. 

Monday – No change in weather. Had bad night and felt pretty rough during the morning, but gradually improved through the afternoon and even cut some ivy back and put it in the brown bin. That was after having a bath and watching some football. Dot got interested in getting me the right food to eat and went to Morrisons, where she met Claire and also had problems finding  ingredients; so was quite a long time. Later watched Ridley: very good. Also finished reading The Last Battle, the final book of C S Lewis’ Aslan trilogy. Brilliant, but probably wouldn’t get published today. 

Tuesday – Cooler; cloud. Still felt dodgy most of the day, but did some house-tidying while Dot went to Jarrolds in the afternoon for waxing and manicure. Nice to see things sorted out. Putting new cartridge in printer unexpectedly tricky, but did it. Got down big suitcase from loft. It doesn’t look like ours, but can’t think whose else it would be. Dot did me special lunch of poached egg on toast with avocado: very nice. In the evening drove to meal with Mary and Neville at the Cellar House in Eaton. Parking tight – came close to edge of drop but extracted the car later. Good food – had medium-rare rump steak and chips – then we went back to the Throwers’ house for cake and ice cream, and a talk about illness and getting old. Oh dear. Felt definitely improved by the time we got home.

Wednesday – Cloudy but quite pleasant. Dry. Again felt ropey on waking but improved as day went on. One dose of paracetamol at 12.30pm. Bridget came to clean at 9.30; so I had to get up and move car. Dot left at about 10.40 to pick up Joyce and take her to North Walsham to meet Sandra again for lunch. After Bridget left – shouting a greeting to a mystified Des, who was engrossed in a conversation with John – I went out for short walk and to post pic to Linda (Eric’s grave, which she had asked me about). Popped in at station for no good reason. Did a bit of picture editing and attempted to finish a poem. Dot cooked chicken in the evening – very nice – and we watched Masterchef and another episode of In Flight. 

Thursday – grey and coolish, especially in Norwich. Warmer and with the occasional shaft of sun in Essex, where we spent the afternoon. We travelled down (Dot driving) by the fastest but not shortest route, down the A11 and M11 to near Stansted, cutting across to Great Dunmow and then up to Duck End, where Liz and Pete live. About 90 miles. Had really nice time there, with Brian and Jacqui, Rob and Sue, Jeannie, Jan, Christine. Others couldn’t make it; Jan’s husband is too ill with dementia.

Lovely food, and I had a long chat with Rob and Pete, who I like very much. He is a businessman in the engineering industry with a special interest in cars. Rob and Sue have visited every corner of the known universe. I drove back by the more country route, with only the occasional diversion. Took in Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds and the occasional road closure which you could in fact drive round with minimal effort, using a parallel lane. Quite tired by the time we got home. Had a bite which I probably didn’t need and watched Masterchef and the penultimate episode of In Flight. 

After that, felt quite ill and was shivering. Very bad night – so bad that I determined to go to the walk-in centre and this morning (Friday) was seen by a lovely 60-year-old nurse, who listened to what I had to say and prescribed antibiotics, which I have started. She was very thorough. Have been feeling very tired and warm and not capable of much. Got the antibiotics from Boots on Riverside, where Dot met me. She has been quite busy: Anna called early to deliver some paint; Paul then called but left (mainly because Dot was not dressed) when Dot said I was ill. Later Howard called to do some painting; street meet as usual (I was still in bed), and then Dot picked up Howard and Anna and they went to the Bowers for a meal. Or at least Howard did: Anna had a migraine. Vicky was also there. Dot brought me back some blackcurrant tart, which was lovely with ice cream. I had been to sleep and felt much better. 

However when I woke up (Saturday) I didn’t feel so good. Head very heavy and general bad feeling. Meanwhile Carrie came round to see Dot about her group working in schools, and they had a long chat. Had a bit of lunch but wasn’t at all hungry. Then Dot went to football (lost 2-1, but Spurs top of table). I tried to sleep, then had a bath, then did a few puzzles in the paper. Took another paracetamol and shortly felt better. Had a small dinner – avocado and egg on toast – plus an even smaller sweet – banoffee pie. Watched a fair bit of TV about islands and also Annika. Earlier had seen last episode of In Flight, which was pretty good, though with some loose ends and a questionable moral compass. The good news is that Mark is home.

Monday – Very warm. Felt a bit dodgy with some stomach pain and funny head (what’s new?), but as usual improved at end of day. Dot went to see Anne for lunch and chat, and I wrote my three pieces for Parish Pump – Wright brothers, Margaret Thatcher and an American Seventh Day Adventist conscientious objector hero. In the evening watched a bit of T√, including Narrow Road to the Deep North, which includes much more violence than it needs to. Rang surgery and stressed my imminent holiday; so now have phone appointment with a clinician on the 26th and have been told it’s not urgent. So I hope they’re right. Elevated liver enzymes, since you ask. I am looking suspiciously at my perindropril. 

Tuesday – Still very warm. End of world near. Dot drove me to podiatrist to get my feet looked at: apparently they’re pretty good, except my toes are too close together: most people’s are at my age because we were designed to walk barefoot, and most shoes are too narrow, pushing the toes together. I also learned there are three beats to a pulse – and heard it. That’s good too, especially in feet and legs. Afterwards we came home through traffic and then caught a bus up to Red Lion Street. Popped in to M&S to try to get something for Dot’s hair, but they didn’t have any. We got it later at Boots, on the way home.

But first we had our afternoon tea at the Assembly House – a birthday gift from the Cake & Compline crowd. Very pleasant, though a bit on the sweet side. Service was first class. We took a few small items home to finish them in the evening. Called in at Hays to inquire about Canada, but had forgotten to take passports. Still, got some guidelines and were encouraged to call in again, which we will. Then walked through Castle Mall (including Boots) and on home. Felt very warm indeed. Met Des as we arrived, and had a chat, but we really just wanted to sit down. In fact we ended up lying down for quite a while: got some sleep, and we both read a lot. Dot has finished The Last Battle, which she is raving about and says everyone should read. Meanwhile I have been reading a really good crime novel called One of Us is Dead, by Peter James. Dot revived enough to listen to Norwich City beat Watford in the cup 2-1, and we watched a couple of comedy programmes before going to bed. Upstart Crow is very clever. 

Wednesday – Very warm but cloudy. Drove to The Foundry near Tasburgh to have breakfast with Robin and Shelagh, Brian and Tricia. Very nice meal and chatted till past noon. In the afternoon I drove Dot to have her feet seen to – by the same guy, Aidan, who did mine. I read while she had them done, and then we drove up to the chemist, where I picked up my pills. Bach home watched Ridley, a new two-hour police drama that was very good. David FaceTimed and we talked about Diderot , plus a new project he’d planning that might involve Philiosophy for Children material. Had a light meal. Nice messages from Eleanor (card) and Jennie (text). Blackbird died in back garden. Cat or natural causes? Mysterious loud aircraft noises as went to bed. 

Thursday – still very warm and dry. Dot and I bussed up to city to Hays and booked our seats on the Canada flight. Hadn’t been able to do it at home. Then on the way back (also by bus) called at the rail station and booked our tickets to Heathrow and back. Bridget came to clean and brought us ice creams. Dot sent away for printer cartridges and I ordered some wine. Then we had street meet one day early: Des, Chris, John, Matt, Sarah. Ciara was fishing and Bob and Mary are away, as are Joe and Sam. Des got us fish and chips – one of each, which was about right. Watched first episode of In Flight, a sort of thriller. 

Friday – Dry and quite warm. Went to Morrisons to stock up, then in the afternoon to Christ Church Eaton to hear a talk on plagues which, to be honest, wasn’t very good. Quite a lot there, though, including Eleanor, who we thanked for the very nice card she sent us. Had rock cake. At 5.30 pm had mini-street meet with Matt and Angela, who had had her sisters with her yesterday. Watched quite a bit of TV, including two more episodes of In Flight. Had light tea which included shrimps, which I think may have upset my stomach. Had a bad night and then stayed in bed quite late. Naked Wines and printer cartridges arrived. Got in touch with Evetts to arrange November dates at Blakeney. Finished One of us is Dead, which was very easy to read, though I would have preferred the protagonist to be less stupid. The writer, on the other hand, was quite clever.

Wednesday, August 6 was Andrew’s birthday. Sent messages to various people about St Augustine’s, and rang Ray. After lunch drove up to the Rosary and put some roses (courtesy of Dot) on Andrew’s grave after substituting a new holder for one that had been broken. Took bus up to Castle Meadow for evening meal at Côte Brasserie, one of my favourite restaurants. Had a really nice meal (steak frites de luxe and crème brûlée)and risked a Grand Marnier coffee. Chatted to couple at neighbouring table. Earlier had conversation with surgery (Donna) but still no blood test results. Ho hum. Watched a couple of things on TV, including a Songs of Praise featuring Keith Getty. 

Thursday – Bit of cloud, but mainly sunny and dry. Slept late and had a bath, but we were up in time for Bridget, who had switched from afternoon to morning for her cleaning. Felt unaccountably crappy for a while in the afternooon, but improved when David FaceTimed and we talked about his projects, among other things. Had fruit salad with bread, butter and paracetamol before  catching the bus up to the city for a visit to the Maddermarket, where they were putting on Dad’s Army, including “Don’t tell him, Pike” and the Brief Encounter classics, starring my former colleagues Trevor Burton and David Newham, both of whom I said hello to afterwards. Met Bridget and David in bar, and had ice cream at half time. Pleasant walk home brought me up to more than 4000 again. 

Friday – or rather Saturday, as we’ve only just got to bed after driving home from Snape, and it’s past midnight. But we’ll stick with Friday. It’s been warm all day. Quite late in bed this morning, and Dot watered the garden. I edited a few pix. Left for Snape just after 3pm after taking papers over to Des and telling him how good Dad’s Army was. Missed street meet, of course. Stopped at Two Magpies for drink and two sausage rolls, which we ate on our arrival at Snape. Also had a couple of glasses of wine from riverside hut. Very relaxing. Amazed everything else was closed.

Went for a short walk, then back to auditorium, but no entry until after a choir had sung outside. Not my sort of thing, but very fine of its kind. Bought some water and got to our seats, which were excellent – as they should be for the price. Everyone very friendly. National Youth Orchestra 160 strong and with flamboyant female conductor who was very good. They played Star Wars stuff and a piece called The Observatory, by Caroline Shaw.  Very well done. After the interval Holst’s Planets Suite, which was terrific, especially Jupiter. Great to hear 160 young people put everything they had into what was effectively I Vow to Thee my Country! Terrific tune, and not the only one in/on Jupiter. Getting out of Snape car park was a slow business, and so was the journey home. Accident in front of us, where a van hit a car at badly lit road works at junction with A12. Eventually made it home and grabbed some cheese and biscuits. As you do. 

Saturday – very warm and dry. Went with Dot to Morrisons in morning to stock up. After lunch walked with her to Carrow Road. She went early in the hope of getting a free drink, but she didn’t qualify. Unexpectedly Jonathan and Naomi were there: she seemed quite well, but Jonathan is suffering from shingles. I walked back by the river and was exhausted. Lay down for a while. Cooked an instant chicken meal which was a bit tasteless. Watched Annika, but it seemed as if we’d seen it before. 

Sunday – very warm. Odd not going to church, but we watched a documentary about the spirituality of islands, which was interesting. In the afternoon parked on Oak Street and walked down to visit Kim for tea and cake. She is having real trouble with an injured leg that doesn’t seem to be improving, but as always we had an interesting talk and a really nice time. Watched quite a bit of TV later, including a new series of Beck which was excellent. Then did a bit of reading, and had a brief FaceTime chat with David, until he had to sort out a problem for Amy.

I finished the second of two excellent books Dot got me for my birthday. The first was The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd, which is a highly original look at the Cairngorms; the second was The Place of Tides by James Rebanks, which is even more unusual and set in the islands of north-west Norway. Both very  highly recommended.