Another weekend, and the weather is a slight improvement on yesterday, which was unremittingly awful: continuous rain, high winds, very dark skies. Happily we didn’t have to go out. I spent most of day writing five Parish Pump pieces and battling with tech problems. Word went haywire on my iMac and kept highlighting bits for  no reason, then sticking on CAPS. I managed to switch to Dot’s old laptop, but for some reason Mail  fell out as soon as it loaded and was unusable.

However, I managed to finish writing the Pump pieces there, and then sent them by text message to my iMac. Almost lost the document again there when it failed to save, but happily I had had the foresight to copy it first and was able to get it back. It has now gone to Anne. I hope it arrived. Parish Pump will probably end within a year, if not six months – so many churches cancelled their subscription during lockdown. Anne has done about 25 years; so she probably needs a break.

Meanwhile Dot was doing a meditation day with Jess online, which she really enjoyed. Afterwards we saw the end of Innocent, a four-day thriller on ITV which turned out to be very good indeed. Also listened to the end of a five-episode Radio 4 series on Bob Dylan, It ain’t me you’re looking for, which was pretty good, and another Radio 4 programme on his Christian period, which was even better. 

Back to Tuesday. David FaceTimed us at lunchtime and unwrapped his wine table and one of the books. I transferred money to pay for some wine. Other things still on the way. We watched Motherland, and it started raining. Watched  part of Jurnets poetry on Zoom, but the featured poet wasn’t particularly good. 

Wednesday was mainly dry and sunny, but with occasional rain. Antibiotics failed to make an impact, which is quite annoying. I finished off a rough version of my next poetry book, which Dot has found a few problems with; so I shall be revising it. I went for a walk after lunch – posted my driving licence renewal application and wandered round the Rosary. Saw a deer, which took fright as I reached for my camera. Dot was writing up reports and letters to her heads; she got a really lovely response from Yarmouth yesterday.

Later Bridget came to clean, Dot went out for a walk and I watched a Paul Dickson tour on Heygo – from Pull’s Ferry to the Adam and Eve. Had Bridget’s fish cakes for supper. Dot went for a strings rehearsal at St Cuthbert’s, and I took grocery lists to Des, who would like to be prime minister. Promised him my backing. Depressingly, Liverpool won again, and Spurs lost, due entirely to two incredibly bad mistakes by their left back – one bizarre own goal and one giving the ball away.

On Thursday Dot Zoomed with Barbara: apparently they’re nearing the end of their p4c pack restructuring. Not a very pleasant day – frequent showers and becoming windy and cool. Walked up to Boots around 3pm, just after David FaceTimed to say another book had arrived, and picked up my new glasses. Walked back over Julian Bridge. In the evening Dot was picked up by Anne and they went up to Jarrolds for a special evening, including a meal. I cooked myself kipper, courgette and potato. Feeling very tired for some reason. But then I often am. Perhaps it’s my age.

We spoke to Dave and Julia on the phone last Friday and found that Dave has been having hospital treatment for various things. Excellent that he has been able to get treatment, but a bit worrying that two of the treatments conflict with each other slightly. We also had a FaceTime with Amy, who has produced some really terrific pictures. She’s now finished her exams.

Oliver gave us some dates for summer so that we know where they are and can arrange one or two things of our own at an appropriate time. I walked Bishopgate, Cathedral Close and into the Cloisters – the first time for ages that I had seen them open. There was a dinosaur in the entrance, which may or may not be symbolic of the Church of England. Came back through Recorder Road. Watched Up in the Air, a very enjoyable George Clooney film.  

Saturday’s weather was pretty awful, and we hardly went outside. Spent a long time at an online Church Times five-hour poetry event called Send these Roots Rain – on YouTube, not Zoom. Pretty good on the whole, though I went to sleep during one session. Malcolm Guite was very good, though I prefer his speaking to his poetry, which is a bit academic. The rest of it featured a homosexual and two trans people, so full marks for diversity (though they were actually rather good). Afterwards we watched the Cup Final, where Leicester beat Chelsea 1-0, I’m delighted to say. Watched quite a bit of A Canterbury Tale, but abandoned it because it seemed pointless and watched MOTD.   Heard Caren has had her gall bladder removed, which is sort of encouraging. 

On Sunday at church I preached and led the hymns. Was encouraged by very positive responses to my talk. Rain started almost straight afterwards; so after lunch we watched three episodes of The Killing, by which time it had dried out a bit and we went for a walk. Can’t really walk more than two miles without feeling very tired at the moment. We walked along river to Carrow Road, round the stadium and then back along the usual after-match path.

Watched another episode of The Killing in the evening – now up to 10/20: it’s really excellent. At one point we were interrupted by a FaceTime call from Andrew, who seemed ok. We also watched Call the Midwife and The Pursuit of Love. Decided not to watch MOTD after hearing that Liverpool won 2-1 in the last minute. It’s not good to go to bed feeling depressed. Heard that Phil K is having chemo as a precaution, but the prognosis is promising.

Yesterday was quite warm and still most of the day, but it rained at teatime. Did an AWA 10-strong Zoom meeting at 11 for an hour, but it was not inspiring, and I didn’t say anything, much to Dot’s annoyance. She is much better at that sort of thing than I am. After lunch we drove to North Walsham and put flowers on the graves. We then proceeded to Worstead, where we sat in the car and listened to a 15-minute Bob Dylan programme, part of a series to celebrate his 80th birthday this week. Dot spent 75 minutes with the school head while I did a walk round some fields – quite enjoyable, very still. Saw red kites, I think.  Later we watched a couple of things: Fargo (TV version) and a new thriller called The Pact, which seems quite good. 

As I write Dot is in Yarmouth on another school visit, and I shall shortly be going up to the Rosary with some flowers. Weather isn’t bad, but rain is promised later. It’s David’s 49th birthday. We had quite a long chat with him on FT yesterday, and will probably do so again today. I know one or two of his presents have arrived, but not sure about others.

Monday was warmer and mainly dry. I got up fairly early and caught up on e-mails etc. Discovered that you could contact your surgery by e-mail for an appointment; so I did that. I had had a slight infection for a long time. I was told that I would get a reply by the end of Tuesday, but in the end it was Thursday before I had a response – not really a diagnosis but a prescription of antibiotics from a Dr Ward, who I don’t recall ever meeting. Fortunately our chemist is extremely efficient, and I was able to pick them up that afternoon. I’ve now taken three tablets, and there seems to be a slight improvement.

Also tried to renew my driving licence (as I’m over 70, I only get one for three years at a time) but after going right through the process I got rejected for no apparent reason. Will try again next week and if the same thing happens, I’ll send the form. It all seems so unnecessary.

Did some more Paston editing and watched The Killing, part six and later Motherland and Call the Midwife, which is a class act … really gets over the love at the centre of Christianity. Cooked chilli, then we drove to Mousehold Street and walked from there to St Luke’s for the annual parish meeting led by Simon Stokes, the rural dean, who is a good guy. Dot went up at the end and told him so. Most of the meeting was pretty boring, but there were some nice people there. Walked back to pick up car.

Tuesday was warm and dry. Dot went to Alpington School, followed by a visit to Anne and a short walk. She is a bit worried about Philip. I ordered some wine and wrote a sermon. Also finished watching Fargo (the film), which is marvellous and sends shivers up your spine over and over again. I was waiting all day for a call from the surgery, which of course never came. When Dot got back after lunch I posted a parcel to David, then walked in Cary’s Meadow, taking in the hidden bridge beyond, which I found was locked and private property. Terrific. Came back and read the sermon to Dot, then chose hymns while she worked in the garden. Listened again to Pancho and Lefty, a totally brilliant song as sung by Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band. It was written by Townes van Zandt, who is a great songwriter but rather a sad figure.

Later rang Phil (while Roger rang Dot) and watched the new TV Fargo, which is decidedly odd, and In Pursuit of Love, which is also rather strange.

Warm again on Wednesday, but quite windy. Dot Zoomed with a couple of heads, one at Cringleford and another one heading there. I played through the En Passant chess games for last month and bought a  DVD player for Andrew from Amazon. It has now arrived and has been fixed up with good results, I hear. Also did a little Paston editing and other office stuff. After lunch we drove to Thorpe Marshes and walked round until we were blocked by an impressive amount of water, then turned back and came back to the car via Bungalow Lane. Quite tiring. Watched When Harry Met Sally and For Your Eyes Only, both of which we’d seen before. The former is even better than I remembered.

Yesterday was cooler, and a bit windy. Dot visited Newton Flotman school. I looked at Jennie’s funeral again and sent a hymns e-mail to St Augustine’s musicians (no connection). After lunch I picked up my antibiotics from the chemist while Dot was Zooming with Barbara (it’d been raining for 24 hours non-stop in Devon), then walked in Harrison’s Wood and the plantation opposite (off Blue Boar Lane). Met Dennis from Archant pensioners in the chemist, but can’t really place him. Bridget came and cleaned upstairs, and I did even more Paston editing while Dot did a walk round Riverside. We watched Danny Boy, about a British soldier in the Iraqi war getting ludicrously accused of murder. Very well done.

This morning it’s quite a bit cooler, but dry. Dot is having a violin lesson at Anna’s. I have a feeling I’m putting too much detail into all this. Even Dot doesn’t read it.

Thursday was chilly, with showers. After lunch we drove up to vote, then I walked back via the Rosary. Later Bridget came to clean and gave us some fish cakes she had bought, which were excellent. Must have a word with her – she charges too little and then uses part of her proceeds to buy us food. Very sweet. We finished off watching the excellent Ted Lasso and The Blue Dahlia, an oldish film that was quite good, though I have doubts about Alan Ladd’s acting. Veronica Lake was much more restrained and therefore better. She also looked good. Dot rang Judy, who is better after a bad stomach day, and did some Paston editing, among other things. 

Friday was a very strange day. Martin Wyatt came round early to check the songs he is transcribing. He didn’t need to change much. Then we drove to Taverham for lunch in Janet and Derek’s garden. She cooked a lovely salmon dish, and the weather was just about warm enough, but it started to rain after dessert; so we went inside for tea and coffee. Derek reminds me of Basil Fawlty: we get on well.

Watched the end of The Bandwagon, which contains a truly stunning dance sequence by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. I don’t like musicals or men dancing, but I love Fred Astaire, who is synonymous with both. He is unique. We went into the street for a drink with Des, Chris, Mark, Jonathan, Freddie, Phoebe and Sabrina – a new woman in Number 3.  Afterwards we watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which turned out to be pretty good. Then watched Alan Partridge,  who is still almost funny.

Saturday was a miserable day – grey and with constant rain till evening. Caught up with some Paston editing and ordered some books for David, with whom we had a long FaceTime conversation, quite a bit of it on politics. Norwich drew 2-2 with Barnsley away and received the trophy on the pitch afterwards. Later we watched an interesting programme about Emmylou Harris and then a short Old Grey Whistle concert by her and The Hot Band, dating back many years. EH was beautiful when young, and, strangely, is even more striking now. Afterwards we watched most of MOTD, in which Spurs lost 3-1 after a wrong offside decision was given against Kane. This clearly took the heart out of them.

During all the rain and general unpleasantness, Phil and Joy made a successful move from 36 Anchor Street, where they have lived for 40 years, to Eckling Grange at Dereham. They got a lot of help from Surrey Chapel, and when Dot contacted Joy, she seemed quite happy.

Yesterday was a big contrast as far as the weather was concerned – much brighter and almost warm, though windy. Finished scanning some corrected Paston pages and sent them to Peter before church, where I was leading. Howard preached – he worries about strange things… After lunch I caught up with office stuff, then Dot and I walked to the Rosary, where we encountered a few drops of rain.

Watched a couple more episodes of The Killing, plus the Spanish Grand Prix, won by Hamilton. In between I Zoomed into Suffolk Poetry Festival for readings by Nicola Warwick and George Szirtes. I nearly dozed off during the former, which was totally lacking in spark or originality, but GS was brilliant. We got to bed late after watching some of MOTD2. 

Another rather miserable, rainy day – not tempting us very much to go to the polling station for the city and county election, especially as our vote will have absolutely no effect on the result. But I expect we will anyway. At the moment Dot is on another long Zoom call to Barbara about p4c, and I’ve just finished a couple of hours of catching up with my e-mails, which suddenly got very demanding.

To complete last Sunday, some of which was covered in my last post, after lunch we walked up to the Rosary, narrowly avoiding the rain. We then watched a lot of TV, including first three episodes of The Killing, a Danish noir which was really very good; Formula One; the Line of Duty finale, which worked without being jaw-dropping; and MOTD 2, featuring Spurs winning 4-0 against Sheffield Utd.

Monday’s weather was unpleasant again, but we drove to Morrison’s to buy a few odd things, and I left Dot to look round Hobbycraft and the card shop, though not Boots, which was shut because it was a bank holiday. Meanwhile I re-watched a bit of Fargo, then David FaceTimed and we had a chat about Jennie’s funeral. Dot arrived home towards the end of this.

Earlier we watched a river trip down the Shannon – a consistently interesting but low-key series narrated by Bill Nighy. We also watched Whiplash, which was compelling in a not particularly good way, but it featured some excellent acting and an amazing drum solo. We then started watching Ted Lasso on the recommendation of David, and it proved to be excellent. At the time of writing we have consumed six episodes. Walked indoors up to 4000+ steps: very windy and heavy rain during the evening. 

On Tuesday we drove to Coventry and met Jackie Duah, the new manager at Minster Lodge, who seemed nice, as did the other staff. Very showery day, but not too bad for driving, though there was plenty of traffic, despite the frequent MINIMISE TRAVEL signs on the gantries. The now completed stretch of the A14 north of Cambridge is brilliant, cutting down hugely on travel time and making it almost enjoyable. Dot and I shared the driving, stopping at Cambridge Services both ways. Not many people in there. On the way back I drove as far as the Memorial at Elvedon before we swapped, because Dot was drinking coffee purchased at the Services.

Andrew seemed very good – he has a new room on the ground floor because he occasionally had trouble on the stairs. Both of us had COVID tests and answered a questionnaire on Andrew’s care. We were with him for more than 90 minutes. Got home just after 6pm after filling up with petrol. Watched the final episode of The Syndicate, which was only satisfying in that the villain was in jail in France without his dog. The heroine was still an idiot.

Yesterday was showery again, and pretty nippy. We both woke early, and Martin Wyatt came round to write down three of my songs: we spent some time playing/singing them to him. Did a pile of office work, including ordering National Geographic for Andrew, at his request. After lunch I picked up some toiletries from Joy, who is decluttering for their move on Saturday. Spent some time talking to her – or listening to her, to be more accurate. Dot meanwhile walked into the city to shop and bought me three pairs of trousers. 

I went for an eye test late in afternoon: the whole process took a long tIme, and I had trouble finding my way out of the Mall, because the stairs were one-way, and that was down. Obviously, I wanted to go up; I eventually emerged on Castle Meadow, which was a bit of a waste of effort. Meanwhile, I had ordered a new pair of reading glasses. Watched half of The Blue Dahlia before going to bed – both of us very tired.

Tuesday was quite a bit warmer. Dot was in a Zoom DSSO meeting all day, which was very good, she said, including an excellent talk by the Bishop and good comments from others. Meanwhile I rang Thelma’s and Andrew’s care homes to make appointments, then walked to Budgen’s to buy a loaf – and chocolate biscuits for Thelma, who I saw for nearly 90 minutes in the afternoon, out in her garden. Had to wear a mask, though, and got quite tired speaking loudly! She seemed pretty well.

On the way home I called in at the Rosary to check on my gravestone cleaning. Mediocre. Earlier rang Joy to see how things were going – not too bad, apparently. Harriet called around teatime, and Dot walked up to the post office with her and her dog, posting a card to Philip Coomes. In the evening we watched Bullitt: amazingly Dot and I both fell asleep at the same point in the famous car chase. Neither of us could work out the plot, though we were awake for the rest of it. Later watched The Syndicate, penultimate episode. Quite good fun, though there are too many dogs in it and the heroine is an idiot. WhatsApped Sandra and sent her pictures of Thelma and the Cresta care home garden.

Next day it was chillier again and not so sunny. Feeling decidedly odd, very slightly nauseous and light-headed. Wondered later if it was the rather toxic stuff I used to clean the gravestone. Had a better sleep, though. Did very little in the morning, but after lunch walked with Dot over the Julian Bridge and back around Recorder Road – not too far. She went further. I enjoyed a good Heygo tour of parts of the centre of Coventry, which was unexpectedly new to me. Dot caught the end of it.

Watched Return of the Pink Panther. Very funny. David FaceTimed to check on us and remind us about funeral tomorrow. 

There was a coolish wind on Thursday, with light rain in evening. Dot and I had go at getting a couple of my songs written on a stave, then I wrote a website piece on books and started putting poems on pages for my projected book of Christian poems. After lunch Dot drove up to get her regular pills and to visit a garden centre. I didn’t do a walk but managed 4000 steps largely indoors, though I helped Dot tie up the roses for training purposes (the roses, not Dot). At 1pm we watched the webcast of Jennie’s funeral, which was quite moving, though her husband’s name was conspicuous by its absence. David FaceTimed just after funeral. Later watched Lord of the Flies, which was well acted but unconvincing. Felt quite a bit better.

Some rain on Friday. Managed to record three songs on GarageBand and convert them to mp3 via iTunes, ready to give them to Martin. After lunch Dot went to Hobbycraft and Boots while I got a bit further with my next poetry book. Des brought Dot fishnchips and I cooked rather too big a meal for myself: two kippers, mashed potatoes, courgettes and bread. We watched The Spy Who Loved Me, which is pretty good. David Facetimed again to say he had been vaccinated, which is great.

Watched the last episode of Viewpoint, which had been idiotically pulled from the schedules because of allegations against its lead actor. Thanks to David, we found it on ITV hub. Also saw first episode of the new Alan Partridge, which was quite funny.

There was lots of rain on Saturday morning, some of it quite hard. Linda came and cut our hair, then I had a bath. Practised hymns, then had a Face Time with Amy and Oliver, who have both got great results in their exams and seem well. They will drive up to see us in summer!!  Watched Norwich beat Reading 4-1 to become Champions. Videoed the celebrations. Watched Mary Magdalene (2018 film), in which Rooney Mara was very good. Not many steps on the first day of the month (Beltain, apparently). So off to a bad start…

Today we went to Holy Communion led by Liz Cannon, with Carrie “preaching”. Total of 17 people – average for last month or so. Quite warm outside in the sun, but later chilly when we walked up to the Rosary, with rain threatening but holding off. Dot wore her NCFC scarf to church. Rang P in the afternoon: he sounded a bit down after his surgery: I tried to be positive. He is due a CT scan this week.

On Friday it was sunny again, but still with that chill wind. Apparently it’s the coldest April for a very long time. Global cooling? Dot went up to the dentist for an 11am appointment, calling at John Lewis on the way. After lunch I decided on a few of my songs which might work chorally, in response to an offer from Martin Wyatt, a local conductor and congregation member at St Augustine’s. Then a couple of Amazon parcels arrived, and I wrote a letter and sent a poetry book to Thelma, posting it on the way to the Rosary, where I installed a new flower-holder (from Amazon) on my grandparents’ grave and attempted – not very successfully – to clean the gravestones.

Later we saw the end of The Far Country, which Dot thought was bizarre, and then all of First Man, about Neil Armstrong, which was pretty good, given that Armstrong was not at all charismatic. Apparently. David FaceTimed at about 5pm: the vaccination situation in Canada seems to have improved. Afterwards Dot and I went out for a drink in the street with Des, Chris, Mark, Jonathan and others. Freddie, Phoebe and Ciara joined us later. Feeling wiped out again all day – stomach very unsettled.

The weather much the same on Saturday. Felt under weather most of day, but better towards evening. Practised potential songs for Martin  with Dot, as well as tomorrow’s hymns. Wrote prayers too. Norwich beat QPR 3-1, but still need another win to take the title. Watched the end of Deutschland 89, which was excellent, and a documentary about bent coppers. Earlier Amy FaceTimed us, and we were joined by David.

Sunday was cloudy and cold, and I had another bad night. Stomach and head not right. Played guitar and read prayers at church, but didn’t feel at ease. Afterwards went to the car while Dot talked outside. After lunch walked some steps in the kitchen and was up to 4500 by the end of the day. Watched an extremely good film – The Girl in the Spider’s Web – starring Claire Foy. In the evening watched Call the Midwife and Line of Duty, of which the latter was slightly the more tense. In bed by 11 – best time of day for me at the moment.

There was some sun on Monday, especially in the afternoon, but it was still cold in the shade. Another bad night – up four times. Very tired, unsurprisingly.  Bridget came and cleaned the living room rather thoroughly. After lunch Dot and I took the brave decision to walk to Thomas Tawell House to leave a birthday card for Phyllis, then back along the riverside path. I was quite tired at the end. We watched Montalbano and then the start of a new thriller, Viewpoint, which seems promising as well as delivering loads of diversity.  We went to bed early, and I had a reasonably good night. Steps total for day over 7000.

Monday was quite warm in the sun, but chilly out of it. Anne came round and went into the city with Dot. Meanwhile, I walked along the riverside path to the Jarrolds bridge and back along the other bank, staying on the rarely open lower level along the quay. Practised guitar for a bit, and when Dot arrived home she waited on the step for ten minutes because she thought I was out – I didn’t hear the doorbell, and she misinterpreted the Find a Friend info, thinking I was walking along Riverside. Edited a lot of Paston pages.

Dot had PCC Zoom in the evening, and I rewatched some of Fargo – a truly wonderful film.  Then we watched Fawlty Towers, followed by Deutschland 89. Earlier saw Line of Duty, and both the latter coincidentally ended with a double gunshot, leaving us not knowing the outcome. Very exciting.

Tuesday was again quite warm, with a mixture of sun and cloud.  Did some more Paston pages, then edited my pictures (I do this regularly). After lunch we drove to Morrisons to buy some chocolates for Philip Robinson, plus a couple of other things. Then we progressed to the Rosary, where I cleaned up my grandparents’ grave pretty thoroughly. I have ordered a flower-holder from Amazon.

From there we drove to Cary’s Meadow for a short walk. We arrived home at the same time as Des and Chris, who had been out for lunch at village near Dereham; so we had chat with them – and were joined by Mark, then Bob and Mary briefly. Cooked salmon, then watched Norwich lose second home match in succession, 1-0 to Watford. Phil Coomes left a message with funeral details. Watched a bit of Robin and Marion, which wasn’t very good (we may not watch the rest), then all of The Mauritanian, which was brilliantly done but quite harrowing when it showed what happened at Guantanamo Bay. Did not reflect well on top people in USA, including Obama. 

Wednesday was mainly sunny, but with quite a chilly wind. I put together three Parish Pump pieces, on Sax (who invented the saxophone), Jesse Boot and Prince Philip. After lunch we drove to Poringland and spoke to Anne and Philip (delivering his birthday present of chocs) before going for a walk along lanes to Howe, then back via my aunt’s former house at the end of Leafyoak Lane. I was told that this would be two miles, but it turned out to be well over three. Felt pretty tired.

Zoom Compline (Dot made chocolate cake!) with a full complement, then watched some of Animals, an Irish comedy, followed by a bit of  MOTD, Spurs beating Southampton 2-1 in the last minute. Our blackbirds have returned – or at least two random and quite friendly blackbirds. Hard to tell whether they’re the same ones.

Today I finished the Pump pieces with one on Curt Jung, and did some fine tuning on the Paston Gresham Castle page. Did a bit more sorting of poems, then found some old songs, which I practised. Quite pleased with some of them. After lunch Bridget arrived to do some cleaning for the first time. Dot had the arrival time down wrong; so she was nearly two hours later than expected. Had tea in the garden first. While she was working, Dot took the old coffees up to the shop for recycling and bought some milk which had been unavailable in Morrisons when Des visited.

Later we went on a virtual tour in the Scottish Highlands, “climbing” the final 200 metres of the Pap of Glencoe, guided by Craig, who was excellent. Almost felt as if we were there! Weather conditions were superb. We then watched the end of Animals, a very strange film about two young women “finding themselves” – or at least, one of them did. Afterwards the first half of The Far Country, a western set in Alaska and starring James Stewart. We were both so tired, for some reason, that we went to bed at 10.30pm. I felt quite odd, but seem to be OK now.

Start of a new week (if you’re a Monday person), and Dot was up early because Anne is arriving for a walk – or possibly a shop, or both – in the not-too-distant future. It’s sunny after a cloudy start and still chilly, though it’s forecast to get quite warm later in the day. I’m tempted to go out and start the car, because the battery went dead yesterday and, although it was charged and I took it for a 30-minute drive, there’s always that smidgeon of doubt…

I’ll come back to the battery later. Meanwhile, last Tuesday was a bit chilly but dry, with quite a bit of sun. After lunch I walked with Dot up to Boots for her eye test (no problems) and then left her there and walked back through the Close, Bishopgate and along the riverside path. I was pretty tired at the end. Dot didn’t get back till about 4.30. We watched Too Close,  a new thriller that was very well done, though I wasn’t entirely convinced by the storyline. We also watched Alien: Covenant, which was also well done but quite frightening, and then a good documentary by Gyles Brandreth on Jane Austen.  Had five peppered mackerel between us because they come in packs of five.

Wednesday was a mixture of sun and cloud, with quite a cold wind. Nearly finished writing my sermon for Sunday, then after lunch drove to Caistor and we had a longish walk at Venta Icenorum. I was not impressed by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust, who locked the gate at the END of a path across the main site while leaving the one at the beginning of it open: so we had to climb over a gate to get back to car. There’s much more walking available there now: we crossed the river and walked along the bank on other side. There’s a new entrance, too.

We watched the postponed Masterchef final – all three finalists were excellent, but it was clear who was going to win, and the other two knew it as well. Returned a call to Ray and Chris in querying about our health, and Dot did lots of violin practice. I booked a virtual trip in Jerusalem and a week at Snape in October.

There was a cold wind on Thursday, with showers. Walked up to the Forum with Dot to meet Janet Bower for coffee, which we drank legally outside but mostly under the overhanging roof. It lasted an hour and a half, and we got quite cold towards the end. Picked up groceries from Des on way back. After lunch I drove to the chemist to pick up my pills: when I got back Sonata man had arrived with split-second timing to service the alarm. Nice bloke. Later we watched My Cousin Rachel, from the novel by Daphne du Maurier. It was pretty good, but the hero was an idiot. Finished writing my sermon and practised hymns with Dot.  In the evening we Zoomed with Heather, Simon and Sam for an hour and 20 minutes, which was very enjoyable. 

Still a keen north-east wind on Friday, and I touched up the sermon (bit of a theme here) while Dot Zoomed with Barbara. After lunch we went for a heygo trip on the border of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Very wordy with not much movement, but quite compelling, giving us the Israeli view of the situation but in a very fair way (he urged us to take a Palestinian virtual trip too). Then we walked to the Rosary.  The in-street drink was revived at 5.30pm. We split into two groups because of our numbers and I spoke to Phoebe, Freddie, Mary and Bob at some length. Dot had fishnchips, supplied by Des as usual; I had smoked salmon and boiled eggs. We watched Live and Let Die – great boat chase – and then Rewrite, a Hugh Grant romcom that I really enjoyed.

Saturday was not so cold, and sunny with very little wind. Dot spent a lot of time recording her Sillars violin piece and then trying to convert the file to mp3. I wasn’t really able to help, but in the end David happened to FaceTime, and he did it for her. He told us about the tighter lockdown over there, which is a bit disappointing, but they all seem well.

It was my father’s birthday; so I walked up to the Rosary and put three daffodils from our garden on the grave. Then we watched the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, led by the Dean of Windsor, who couldn’t have looked more miserable. Music was quite good, though. Norwich were promoted despite losing 3-1 to Bournemouth in evening after having a man sent off – wrongly, I think, because the Bournemouth player’s tackle was reckless. Pukki was injured too, and so was Handley, though he kept playing. Riotous celebrations outside Carrow Road, apparently.

Sunday was sunny and reasonably warm, but cold out of the sun towards evening. As mentioned, the car had a dead battery; so Des took us to church and we walked home, tired and hungry. I borrowed Carrie’s guitar and preached, though not at the same time. Sad news from Phil: he has bladder cancer, and is awaiting an operation. Obviously distressed. We spent some time with him afterwards.

On arriving home I called Mazda European Assistance after checking that I had renewed our membership. A guy with an impressive van arrived about 5pm after I’d told them there was no hurry. It transpired the battery was dead because the bonnet was open. I had filled up with petrol the previous day and pulled the bonnet catch instead of the filler cap catch by mistake. I meant to push the bonnet back down but forgot, and when we got home I didn’t notice that the car refused to lock. Apparently this was sufficient to drain the battery overnight, because it kept sending signals to itself that the car wasn’t locked and the bonnet was open.

After he recharged the battery and carried out various checks, I drove out through Thorpe to the bypass, then to the A140, Dunston Common, Stoke, Caistor, Trowse and back through the city. Almost exactly 30 minutes, as recommended. Before the Mazda man arrived I tok the opportunity to ring Alan and Rosemary and had quite a chat with Rosemary, who is suffering a lot with her stent, which keeps getting infected. The hospital won’t remove it despite the nurses and GP saying that it needs doing.

In the evening I cooked chilli con carne, and we watched the start of a new series of Call the Midwife, preceded by an exciting grand prix in Italy, won by Verstappen, with Hamilton second and Norris third.

Things were strangely calm last Thursday morning. It was still coldish, but warm enough for a walk. I went up to the Rosary, out the back and along to Gas Hill, which I descended after a brief excursion down St Matthew’s Terrace and St Leonard’s Terrace. I then walked home along Riverside Road and found Dot, who had been cleaning up the garden ready for Saturday, chatting to Mark. Surprised he was up and around, but he seemed OK. Finished my chess article and sent it off, then David FaceTimed to say Jannie Comes was seriously ill and on a ventilator. She had had a fall and a stroke. I rang Kristine to let her know and e-mailed Anne C, who rang me back. Spent some time replying to people who had e-mailed me after receiving a fake message when my Hotmail account was hacked. 

It all happened on Friday, which dawned grey and dull, with quite a bit of rain despite the forecast. Dot walked over to Boots in morning, and we got a surprise phone call, wanting us to fix our second jabs for the next day. After establishing that this would be in the morning and not interfere with our grandchildren’s visit, we graciously accepted. I rang Vicky to let her know, and we agreed that any reaction to the jab was unlikely to happen until 24 hours later.

I walked up to post a letter and then round to Morrisons’s, where I got some cash out for the children. Then it was announced that the Duke of Edinburgh had died at the age of 99. TV schedules were trashed, which was fair enough up to a point, but then veered into the wildly excessive. BBC1 and BBC2 were broadcasting the same thing at the same time, over and over again. I quite liked Prince Philip, but this rapidly got too much. It also totally overshadowed the new that Jennie C had died, which I didn’t discover till the next day, when Kristine rang us.

Before that, however, we had risen early on Saturday and driven up to Lionwood for our jabs. All went amazingly smoothly. Our appointment was for 9.10, but we arrived there at about 8.50 and went straight in for jabs. We were home by 9.20. It was a good day – dry, partly sunny and slightly less cold, with no wind. Kristine rang as were preparing for the children. We lit the cheminiere but decided it as too smokey for Oliver, so put it out again.

I texted David about Jennie as the grandchildren were arriving, just before 1pm. It was just about OK to eat in garden – it wouldn’t have been the day before or the day after – and we opened Christmas parcels with David on FT. Gave Oliver and Amy, who were quite perky, £50 each as well. Vicky was also in good form. Afterwards we all walked up to the Rosary, which was very pleasant. Vicky hadn’t been there before. Walked home and had a drink before they left at around 4pm. We then watched the second half of the Norwich game against Derby, which they won 1-0. After supper we watched a couple of things and both went to sleep during a play. Felt pretty awful when I woke, with a very fuzzy head. Went to bed early and had a pretty mediocre night. 

Woke early yet again on Sunday, feeling very tired. Dot too; so we decided not to go to church – after much indecisiveness on my part. Felt quite down. Showery, unpleasant day, often hailing fiercely. Had bath and sent off prayers to Phil and Howard for use in service. Felt a bit fluey, though not excessively. Carrie suggested singing national anthem outside at church – happily this was not taken up. She also suggested a Latin service at a medieval fair in autumn. Not convinced. Phone call from Debbie about updating Meditation website.  Apparently she, Howard and Martin (Smith) had had a Zoom meeting about it, which is interesting as I’m the only person who updates it.   

Had a deep night’s sleep.  Yesterday we had blue sky most of the day. It was chilly but not too bad, and I walked with  Dot to post sympathy card to Phil Coomes, then to Rosary for a shortish walk while Dot went home feeling very tired. Nobody in cemetery – wrote website piece about it. Found some writing training stuff and sent it to Anne C at her request. She seemed very happy with it.

In the afternoon Dot went to Verena for a massage. We watched Line of Duty, which was very good as always, though I’m not sure how they can spin it out for another three episodes. Too many people are getting killed or sacked. We then rewatched the play we had fallen asleep in – Sitting – and discovered it was really excellent: a three-hander written by Katherine Parkinson (who was also in it) and very cleverly staged and directed using Zoom, or some such. Brilliant idea and superb acting.