Thursday July 23 – Odd day, frightening at times. Warm and dry, though. Finished charity money in the end. Went up to Jarrolds by bus with Dot and left her there after we bought her some Chanel Mademoiselle for our wedding anniversary. Left her to have lip wax and walked home. Popped in Ryman’s to look at filing cabinet folders, but didn’t buy them.

Then through Cathedral Close ,and as I emerged I was called by someone called Carol, who was worried about Chris and Mandy. Because I had emerged from behind a van, she thought I’d come out of their house. Offered to knock at their door, but she didn’t want to disturb them. Odd.

Anne came round later ,and we had a drink in the garden. Some way into this I had an agonising pain in my tooth. Rang dentist and Dot took me up there. He (or receptionist Charlie) gave me some amoxicillin. I had already taken some paracetamol. Things improved a lot, but my head felt very odd. The dentist is going to arrange for me to see a specialist. Not sure why. Felt a bit odd for rest of day, but the excruciating pain didn’t come back, even when I ate beef pie for supper.

As a result of all this Dot cancelled her violin lesson with Anna, which she was a bit relieved about as she hadn’t practised. David sent over some terrific pictures of his holiday in Collingwood. After supper watched Tour de France and a bit of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, featuring the Tardis. Better than it sounds. Still, switched over to see another old episode of Endeavour, set in 1971, when everything was so much calmer unless you were being murdered. Went to bed early. 

Friday – Very tired, perhaps because of the antibiotics. But no other bad effects, and my teeth haven’t been too problematic. Had a long bath and read one of several books I’m in the middle of: Jesus, Man of  Many Names. By a Christian Jew – very good. Had smoked salmon for lunch – beyond sell-by date, but perfectly ok. Afterwards drove Dot to chemist to pick up her prescription. She also spoke to a pharmacist about some pustules on her arms and was reassured. Got an ice cream on our way back – bit of a wait because very poor signal and the people in front of us were paying by card. Put a new duvet cover etc on bed – very exciting.

Went out for street meet – Dot, me, Matt and Sarah, followed by quick chat with Sam – Chloe is 13 next week. Then watered Des’s flowers and cooked sausages and mash, which weren’t bad. Weather was pretty warm all day. Watched Tour de France, then Gardeners’ World, because Ian Limmer was featured: he won a medal after his 50 years at Peter Beales. To think he got his first job there because I worked with his father, and Dot is Peter Beales’ cousin. After clearing away and doing one of Dot’s puzzles we watched Ann Droid, a comedy. 

Saturday – Quite a good sleep. Helped Dot erect solar panel in the garden for her new lights. She had already erected the lights. Tidied house up. Did a bit of reading; watched a few things on television, including a couple of episodes of Bergerac (new version) that seemed strangely familiar. Cooked salmon and watched penultimate day of Tour de France. While doing this something went wrong with the TV box, and I couldn’t access recordings. Had to reboot the box, which eventually worked. Dot and I went out for short walk, but her ankle was very sore; so we abandoned it. Spoke to two blokes and two women on steps: bit rough but quite pleasant to us. And we to them.

Had decided earlier not to go into city to see The Common Lot perform On the Huh, though they have had good reviews. Last chance tomorrow. Very warm today, and more warmth forecast. Wildfire in Cairngorms threatening Nethy Bridge. Smoke as far away as Aberdeen. Fires in France and Spain too, obviously a result of human-caused global warming. Or not, of course. 

Sunday – grey and windy. Noisy people on steps from about 10.30. Decided not to go to Mass on the Grass and eventually gave The Common Lot a miss too because Dot’s heel was giving her pain when she walked too far, and On the Huh would have required a lot of moving round up and down and standing. Instead we decided to go for a short walk along the river. This turned into a two-hour marathon up to the end of the path and back, with frequent stops for a sit down.

By the end of it we were both very tired indeed and did a bit of reading: I’m making good progress on Clown Town, the latest Mick Herron, and Dot is enjoying Bryson’s Notes from a Big Country.  Had Pizza for supper and watched the last day of the Tour de France, which featured a win by inches by Van der Poul after he and Pogacar had broken away: P finished in the pack. Then watched another episode of The Dark on ITVX after failing to record it. 

Monday – Becoming warmer during the day. Dry. Had a bath and read some Herron. Then Dot and I got the bus up to Red Lion Street. There was a delay at the outset because cars had been directed down the bus lane on Thorpe Road to avoid a road closure, but idiotically no-one had adjusted the traffic lights to allow for this. So a long delay and a very short green light meant the buses in particular were screwed up. This went on all day.

Fortunately were were able to get on a bus that was already waiting and got to Côte Brasserie in good time. Why? I hear you ask. Well, it was our 58th wedding anniversary, and we were celebrating. Lovely meal and good service. Just under £100. Walked home very slowly, stopping at bookshop and at numerous seats in the Close. Perfect weather for a stroll. Home about 3pm. Both of us went to sleep for an hour or so, then I took a card to be posted. Long traffic queue still there. Watched a few things on television – Commonwealth Games, and the last two episodes of The Dark – then put the rubbish out. Earlier I spent ages trying to post some pictures on Facebook but things kept going wrong. Extremely frustrating. 

Warm and dry on Friday 17 July. Felt quite ill at first, but much better later. Edited pix and updated bank account. After lunch went with Dot to Morrisons to stock up. Quite busy, but young checkout guy and his female supervisor were quite funny. Congested while driving back. Des and Chris leaving tomorrow for a month’s rail excursion; so last-minute directions about plants, and he put garden rubbish in our bin. Good street meet, with Des, Chris, Ciara, Sarah, Matt, Angela, Sam and (briefly) Joe. Nice chat with Ciara especially: Phoebe has boyfriend. Cooked sausages and we watched Tour De France as usual: Pidcock did well. Then an old Death in Palestine and a new comedy, Ann Droid, about a robot carer, which was funnier than it sounds. 

Saturday – Started very cloudy and a bit chilly, but sun came out later. Checked my sermon for tomorrow while Dot went to garden centre. Earlier Des and Chris left by train for Europe and a month’s holiday. Watched Josh Kerr break the world mile record and Keely win her 800m despite the presence of Femke Bol. Cooked cottage pie, and Dot did some fruit. Advertising board was falling over: so I laid it on the ground. Later watched another couple of episodes of Clarkson’s Farm, then Tour de France and finally the World Cup third place match, in which England beat France 6-4 after having been 4-0 up at half time and 4-3 not long afterwards! Saka got a hat trick and Bellingham the winner.  Debbie fell off her bike and won’t be able to lead tomorrow; I offered, but Liz Cannon is doing it. 

Sunday –  Quite chilly for the time of year, but Judy still had all the windows open at church and looked deeply shocked when I said it was cold in there. Nevertheless she did relent when David Cannon asked for a window above his head to be closed. I did a guest sermon which was quite well received. Dot said it came over well. Matt was solo on piano: Anna was in Scotland but had chosen the hymns anyway. I don’t know why. Stayed behind for tea and a bite of fruit and again saw Leanne on the way out: think she is having a bit of trouble with her children. Parking difficult again, but good for steps of course.

Watched the World Cup Final in the evening.  Argentina were a bunch of thugs as usual, and the referee let them get on with it most of the time – again as usual. However he eventually sent someone off, and Spain won 1-0 in extra time, thank goodness. Needless to say several Argentina players assaulted Spanish players after the final whistle, but I expect they’ll get away with it. Getting a very bad press though – everywhere except in Argentina. 

Monday – Bit worried. Not only forgot to finish Sunday’s blog, but didn’t do today’s at all. Very unlike me. Also felt tired today, but this may have been something to do with my trying to cut down the ivy that was reaching for the top of the wall on the Library Wood side of the house. Eventually managed to slice the bottom part away with Dot holding the ladder. Cut some other ivy away too. Dot also did quite a bit of work in the garden.

In the afternoon we went up on the bus to Boots for Dot to get her new glasses, but they only had one of three pairs. Complimented one of the assistants on her green dress, which matched her lanyard, but this didn’t help, though she seemed pleased. Still, we came away with one new pair, and Dot got some cod liver oil too.  We then tried various exits from Castle Mall before suddenly emerging on to Timberhill, which was quite satisfying. However, from there we simply went to catch the bus home, which was a bit of an anti-climax. Entirely my fault.

So we sort of missed lunch and only had sea bass for supper, which is not very filling. Watched cricket and two episodes of a new thriller, In the Dark, and then remembered we had to put the bins out (including Des’s, of course); so we did that. David and Chrissy are on holiday too, near Collingwood on Georgian Bay. Sent us some nice pix. I think Andy Burnham became Prime Minister at some point during the day. Bit of a cloudy day.

Tuesday – Dot went up into the city in mid-morning to meet Bridget and Janet for coffee in St Stephen’s Church café. In the end Eleanor joined them too, having met Bridget en route. I had a bath, and then tried to catch up with some stuff, including getting the bins in. Dot called in to Boots and managed to get her other two pairs of glasses, which had just arrived. Meanwhile I was entertaining the gas man, who came to do our annual service and found no problems. Yippee!

The same could not be said for Jeremy Clarkson: we saw the end of his latest series, where he got prostate cancer followed by what appeared to be a reaction to his operation, and where had a go at DEFRA for what seem to be ridiculous rules about cattle with (or without) TB. All quite moving.

Felt very tired again in the afternoon and lay down for a while; also started reading another birthday present. I am also playing through games in the chess book David got me. Tony Miles to start with – always one of my favourite players. Watched time trial day on Tour de France, won by a Belgian on Belgium Day. Cooked lasagne and broke plate. Interesting because I dropped it but managed to catch the meal that was on it – not easy. Cloudy most of the day, sunny later. Spoke to Ciara and Sean while waiting for Dot to come home.

Wednesday – Again, cloudy at first, some sun later. Still dry. FaceTime with David and Chrissy, who are on holiday near Collingwood in a rather nice property, as Roger would say. Dot spent much of the day with her friends Joyce and Sandra at North Walsham, enjoying a nice lunch at the garden centre. Meanwhile I walked up to the Rosary, which was easier than I thought. Very dry up there, which is sort of attractive. Noticed that the council have repaired the path/road at the top where I fell over a few years ago. They don’t hang around. On the way back I had a chat with a guy who was doing up a house/flats on Rosary Road. Looked good. The house, not the guy.

Cleared up, made the bed and watched some of the last round of Open golf while I had lunch. Not terribly exciting, perhaps because little British interest. Still, it was won by a New Zealander, who was (a) nice and (b) not American. His name was Fox.

Started doing charity money. Dot got home about 3.30pm. Had a bit of tooth or jaw trouble early on, but quite a bit better by evening.  I had fish on toast for supper, followed by a scone and gooseberries that Dot had got me. She just had a scone because she’d had quite a big lunch. We both went over to water Des’s flowers, then watched Tour de France (again, not enough British interest), plus a bit of Hundred cricket, which was very boring and not cricket. Also a bit of Ice Road Truckers and University Challenge. Over 5000 steps today. 

It was my 81st birthday on Sunday. A perfect square. Last one 64, next one 100. Very warm again, though with a slight alleviating breeze. Went to church – had to park further away than ever. Small congregation and not a very inspiring service: both leader and lectio person spoke very quietly, and I could not hear everything. However they did sing Happy Birthday for me. Before the service I bumped into Leanne outside her place and had a chat. Ray looked very thin and tired. 

After lunch Dot and I went for a walk along the river: she was wearing a long white and black dress and looked good. I mean she always looks good, but this was especially striking. Watched a bit of tennis later and then Kim came round with presents – wine and a candle holder. David’s presents – two very appealing looking books, one on the Tour de France including maps and the other a new chess one featuring strong English players. Joy and Phil also sent me books and Dot gave me a number of things, many of them Scotland-related. Lots of greetings on Facebook and several cards.

Kim left about 6.30pm, when Dot had booked a table at Gem. She and I had a lovely meal including excellent cocktails. Afterwards we watched the last few strokes of Sinner’s win over Zverov and then the Tour de France. Also had FaceTime from both Amy and Oliver, and earlier from David. Oliver has moved to Stratford, but was ringing from Cheltenham, where he is on a course. Amy spotted a fake banknote at the zoo; so was a bit of a heroine. 

Monday – Cooler, with wind, but still dry. After lunch, and after posting various birthday cards, went to see Anne at Poringland. Had tea and cakes in conservatory. Her house and garden look really good, but it was a bit chilly with all the windows open. Not used to that sort of thing! Anyway, had a good chat. Drove home around tea time, and I cooked cottage pie for supper. Watched an old episode of Endeavour, which was good, with an excellent ending, then cleared the house up and put out the rubbish for tomorrow morning. Managed to get my steps up to 3000, although we hadn’t done much walking.  Anne gave me a bottle of merlot and a bar of chocolate. 

Tuesday – Yes, it was quite warm. I spent most of the day writing my sermon for Sunday, while Dot got a bus into the city to get some food from Markys, as Mark calls it, for an afternoon tea tomorrow with Pam Goddard, who is in Norfolk for a while. Cooked some pies for supper, and we watched the Tour de France and France v Spain.  Unexpectedly Spain were much better and won 2-0. Got three more birthday cards, all with first-class stamps – one of them from Vicky, Matt, Oliver and Amy. Managed 4000 steps, almost all of them indoors. Keep checking shed, but no sign of wasp return. 

Wednesday – Still warm, but with a breeze. Not feeling great today, but kept going, I’m glad to say. Moved car to one side so that Pam Goddard could park in our drive if she came by car, but she didn’t. She arrived just before 3pm, having walked down from the Castle.  Dot had put together a lovely afternoon tea, which we all enjoyed. At the end of the afternoon I drove her back to Sparhawk Road in Sprowston, where she is staying with a nephew, I believe. Then back and watched England inevitably lose to Argentina 2-1 after taking the lead through Gordon, who was then substituted. Needless to say Argentina got away with numerous fouls. Then watched Tour de France. David spoke to us on FaceTime, mainly about the football.

Thursday – Warm and dry. Dot got lots of washing dry. Had a bath. Bridget came round in afternoon with her broken arm, which is not giving her too much pain. Tea and chat, largely about her meeting Anne on a train in Cornwall, and how they both got home. Anne came via Cambridge, where she was picked up by Charlotte; Bridget and David stayed at a friend’s in Chelmsford, although the friend wasn’t there. Later we went over to Des and Chris, who will be away for four weeks from Saturday and want us to water their plants. Had cup of tea and chat. Cooked salmon for supper then we took Judy to Claire’s for Cake and Compline. Only David and Bridget there apart from us. Claire having rough time at work: both she and David want to retire. When we got home we watched Tour de France. Again.

Monday, July 6 – Very warm. Dry. Slept quite late, having failed to watch England beating Mexico 3-2 in the early hours. After breakfast got the bus up to the city with Dot, who had a noon eye test. She has chosen three new pairs under the guidance of me and Melissa, a very helpful young woman who also advised me on how to sort out my own glasses. Not something you would think necessary, but in fact very helpful.

Afterwards we walked home and picked up some potatoes from the one-stop shop. We then watched the England match. I trimmed some Ivy and other hanging branches, and also noticed some water on the bathroom floor. Where this was coming from is a mystery: I may have to get a plumber in. Aaargh! Meanwhile had a chat with neighbour Mark, who returns to Brazil tomorrow, and later with Des and Chris on their return from Anglesey.   Much earlier Eleanor’s friend from the woods called to say that a branch had fallen off one of the trees. Dot had heard the crack earlier in fact. Later we saw someone checking it out. Cooked some duck, and we watched Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in the 91st minute. Huge van parked outside. 

Tuesday – Very warm. Drove up to the Town House after I’d managed to arouse Dot, if you see what I mean.  Small but select group, including the editor, Peter, and – for the first time – his wife and former secretary, Kate. Also Eric and Linda, Batso, David Newham and Bill, plus Tricia. Robin and Shelagh will probably not be coming any more: he has a more or less permanent chest infection, apparently. Brian is also feeling quite low.

Afterwards went to Morrisons and, after unpacking and resting, to the plumbers up on Kett’s Hill to get a new sink plug (more complicated than it sounds) and shower sprayer (the old one fell apart). Then back home to relax. Dot feeling particularly tired; so she watched a fair bit of tennis, and I checked to see if I could still sing and play guitar. I can. Then we fixed the plug in the sink and waited with bated breath after Dot cleaned the sink to see if it works properly. I made the bed, almost started writing an article for my website but made dinner instead. Then spent the evening watching much of a five-hour game of tennis between Djokovic and a Canadian with an unpronounceable double-barrelled name. During it David FaceTimed to show us his new phone, which is orange. Late in bed. Canadian lost.

Wednesday – Very warm. Decided to sort out shed, get rid of wasps’ nest and make everything clean and tidy. Bit ambitious. After the first session, Dot was feeling quite ill: wondered if she’d inhaled some of the chemical used to destroy the nest. But after a rest she seemed OK. I took over the movement of objects under Dot’s direction, but this was not easy, as might be imagined. Lot of dust to be washed away and cleaning to be completed. Eventually we managed to sort it out. Dot decided to clean up the leaves as well and, later, to water the flowers in front and back. Needless  to say, she was exhausted. Distracted, I tipped some leaves in the wrong bin and almost did myself an injury trying to transfer them to the right one. But no harm done, I think.

I had a bath and so missed the last set of Arthur Fery winning yet again: I put his 6-0 in the final set down almost entirely to my not watching. He is now in the semi-finals. Did  cheese on toast for supper because Dot couldn’t eat anything substantial, which was fine. Afterwards she had a shower. We caught up on the Tour de France – Channel 5 coverage is growing on us – then watched an old and forgotten episode of Death in Paradise. Water in bathroom has dried up; so have left some in basin to see what happens. 

Thursday – Very warm again. Jon has supplemented the boards at his downstairs windows with a blanket upstairs. Must be very hot in his house. No more water on bathroom floor, but decided to let plumber come anyway. He did, very late in the day, but was very friendly and professional. Renewed some piping under the sink and put new washers in. Also left the stuff we’d bought yesterday as a reserve, which was nice. Wrote an article for my website on Scotland – not sure it was very good. Also put the slightly adjusted Oyster Catcher poem on there. Quite like that. Heard that Phil passed his driving test, which is great for him. Birgit took him this time – must be her influence. Watched tennis and World Cup – France 2-0 Morocco. Pretty boring. Wore shorts today – says it all. 

Friday – Yes, still warm. Linda came round and cut our hair just before lunch. Later we went to Morrisons to buy stuff for tomorrow – our visit to the Knox Whittets at Beachamwell and hopefully a drop-in with wedding anniversary presents for Phil and Joy. Had a bath before that, of course. Later we met in the shade of our driveway with Des, Chris, Matt and Angela. Still pretty warm. Cooked lasagne then watched a couple of episodes of the Tour de France – I’m quite enjoying the new format – and Spain beating Belgium 2-1.  Close game. Earlier Fery lost to Zverov despite putting up a good show, and Djokovic lost to Sinner. 

Saturday – Cloudy with spells of warm sunshine. We were invited to Beachamwell, in the wilds of west Norfolk, for lunch with James Knox Whittet and his wife Ann, but before we left David Bowman surprisingly walked by: he had been our neighbour in the early days at Aspland Road, together with his older brother Derek, and his mother Diane and father Derek, who was Ella’s brother and so first introduced us to Ballater. It was good to have a chat with him – he now lives in Devon with his wife and two adopted daughters.

We then drove to Phil and Joy’s via another change in the back road layout, to give them card and presents for their wedding anniversary tomorrow. Then on to the Knox Whittets for a nice lunch of salmon in their garden. Stayed till end of afternoon, then went home via Swaffham, where we handed a birthday card to Julia Higbee. In the evening we watched the final two episodes of Two Weeks in August, which we could have ignored, because there was no-one in it we liked. Also watched Tour de France before tackling the England-Norway match, which ended 2-1 after extra time, with England in the semi-final. Didn’t get in bed till 1am (on my birthday). 

Tuesday, June 30 was warm and dry despite a few clouds. Busy day, despite unpacking everything yesterday. Had a bath – the first for some time. Thanked Des and Chris for looking after our plants and later had a long chat with Mark about the heat last week. In between drove Dot to hospital for her physiotherapy from Charlotte. She was very good despite keeping us waiting for 20 minutes. Had an ice cream afterwards (Magnums) and came across Lisa Campling and her sister, who seemed pleased to see us. Their father was having a stent put in.

Drove back through city to Morrisons, where we stocked up on food and filled up with petrol. In the evening we watched some football and the jolly aftermath of Serena Williams losing at  Wimbledon. Norway 1-0 v Ivory Coast. Later watched an old episode of Vera, cleared away and crawled into bed after renewing my Genes Reunited subscription with some difficulty. Before that, had a chat with David on FaceTime. He seems fine. 

Wednesday – Cloudy but dry. In bed late. Caught up with quite a lot on e-mails and (with Dot) chose and posted birthday cards to Eleanor, Joan Brown and Holly.  Checked accounts. Put water in piano. Booked a Bob Dylan play for next February! Opened remaining correspondence and disposed of unwanted paperwork. Teeth still irritating. Watched England beat Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1, thanks to two excellent goals by Harry Kane. Gordon made a big difference when he came on as sub. England had been 1-0 down for much of the match. David FaceTimed as I was cooking sausages. Pretty similar views on the football. Watched Death Valley episode. Felt very tired. 

Thursday – Warm but windy. Rang dentist and got an appointment for 2.30. Dot dropped me off on Ber Street after lunch, and I got there about 20 minutes early, spending the time chatting with receptionist Charley, who is 47 and off to the Lake District with her family tomorrow. Tooth was much better today, but Adam took an x-ray and poked around. Couldn’t really find a problem, but consulted NHS (after I left), and then suggested by phone another appointment in a month’s time. Possibility of replacing crown, or it may be a nerve problem. Walked home, where Bridget was talking to Dot before cleaning.

I managed to put some photos on Facebook, then Mark and Sarah came round for a drink (because we won’t be at home for street meet tomorrow, and nor will Des and Chris). Had a good chat with them for about a couple of hours (our politics are similar). Much earlier Dot went to the shed and got stung, largely because there was a large wasps’ nest in there. Contacted some people who deal with that sort of thing, and they should be coming in a day or two. Annoying. Cooked some salmon, and we watched a bit of Spain v Austria (3-0). 

Friday – Mainly warm and dry. Bit cool in the evening, but perhaps that was because we were on the river. Earlier Dot walked to Boots and got a few things while I got gradually nearer catching up with my to-do list, including working out why none of my passwords (or possibly user names) worked on BT. Very irritating. Started editing recent pictures. At around 5.40 our two passengers (David viola and Nova violin) arrived for their lift with us to Horning. I apologised on WhatsApp to our usual streetmeeters, and we made good time despite traffic, parking at the village hall. 

We were quite early so had a drink with a few others from orchestra: yes, you’ve guessed it: it was Sillars Centenary Boat Ride and Buffet. The boat, the Southern Comfort, was packed and the food was good. Talked to a number of friends, including Jaya, Neville and Mary, Janet and Graham, Penny, Vicky and Anthony, Bev and a number of others. Got some quite good pix during the evening. Towards the end  Dot and I went downstairs at the bow, where it was not so chilly. Got back exactly on time – 10pm – and got home in good time too. Watched 20 minutes of Argentina failing to score against Cape Verde, then went to bed. Tooth hurting a bit. (Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time.)

Saturday – Quite warm. Very tense day and still feel uneasy. Robin turned up at 8.30 as planned and came back twice more, each time painting the rail on the stairs and waiting for it to dry. Total cost £120. Not worried about that: Robin is very professional and does a superb job. Wasp nest remover due between 3 and 7 but didn’t turn up till just after 7. I had cleared a way for him, removing drier and sunshade, but all he had was a cylinder and hose with nozzle, and no protective clothing. He insisted I stay indoors and took very little time to destroy the nest and, he said, killing all the wasps in the process. Well, most of them: I shouldn’t clear up for a few days in case of angry nestless wasps in the area.

He then asked for payment in cash and so I had to go to the station and then Prince of Wales Road ATMs to take out the money. He couldn’t give me a receipt, apparently. So I photographed his car registration number. He doesn’t know I did that. Still feel I shouldn’t have paid him, but hope all goes well and I get a receipt from the company. While he did all this I was cooking dinner (chicken), which miraculously turned out OK. All day long there have been police in the road, partly to do with a stolen motor bike dumped opposite and partly some other reason which remains obscure. There was a possibility of going to a concert, but of course that was ruled out. Watched a bit of tennis, with a British wild card, Arthur Fery, winning in the 5th after losing most of the way through. Very tired. I mean me, but I expect he was too. His nose kept bleeding. His parents are French. 

Sunday – Quite warm and dry but cloudy. Woke up late for some reason; not sure I ever caught up. Didn’t go to church. Dot washed towels. Over to Library Wood to join in Music in the Park, which had started at 1pm. Spoke to Jon Sissons, who had earlier been fixing a table in his window: he said it was to keep out heat. Spoke to Jude and sat with Mike and June Webb. Mike sang a song with the very good three-piece jazz band that was playing. Helped June and Mike to carry their chairs home: they live at The Nest, off Rosary Road.

All day we were expecting delivery of parcels from Joy – I kept popping back to see if they’d been delivered. But no.  Dot checked with Joy, who said they were arriving in the evening; so Dot stayed at home while I went to the Seagull – pointlessly as it turned out because the parcels were put through the door. Ho hum. Watched a bit of Wimbledon and when I came home the end of Brazil-Norway, which Norway won 2-1 despite a ludicrous penalty award against them. Read six poems at the Seagull – five of them from Scotland: The Shape of the Sky, Oyster Catcher, Local Heroine, Fingertips, Birkhall and Encounter at Castleton. Kaaren absent ill, but Sue, Peter, Lynne, Joan Murray and a few others I knew were there. Home journey straightforward apart from annoying 45-50mpher who I eventually managed to overtake just before Hellington.

Friday, June 26 – Quite a bit of rain, but still warm. We gave up the idea of going to Cairngorm, partly because of the weather and partly because of Amy’s exertions the day before. Walked into town and had lunch at the Rothesay Rooms, then called at the bookshop and the chemist. Later filled up car with petrol and drove to the Burn O’Vat, where we walked, and the rain reduced. Amy and I climbed into the Vat, but Dot wisely abstained again.

After popping into the visitors’ centre we drove to our favourite spot the other side of the Dee just beyond Dinnet , where the rain increased and we stayed put. Amy rang her mum and and I read a little bit. Then home and settled in for our last night together. Had a light tea after watching the cricket, where Duckett was lucky and New Zealand unlucky, losing two wickets that were probably not out. Cleared up and Amy got ready to go at 8am tomorrow.

Saturday – Threat of rain but mainly dry. Windy. Alarm at 7am, and we were ready to go just after 8am. Only one slight error en route, and we arrived at Aberdeen rail station in good time for Amy to catch her train. Slight problem for us on exiting when I lost the car for a minute, and then couldn’t find the right pay point, but we drove out for free again, so that was all right.

Straightforward drive back to Ballater, where we decided to book at the Green Inn. This turned out to be an excellent decision: meal was the best of the fortnight. Started with limoncello spritz and olives, then both had lamb with mashed potatoes, vegetables and superb sauce. This was followed by tiramisu made with limoncello for Dot and an absolutely superb chocolate mousse with icing, fruit and ice cream for me.

Earlier we finished clearing up for tomorrow’s departure, then had a rest before doing an unintentionally long walk round the golf course river path – much changed from before floods. Threat of rain didn’t really materialise but Dot was tired; so I went to fetch the car while she made her way to the barracks, where I met her. Then she called at the Co-op for last-minute stuff. All the while we were checking Amy: she was making excellent progress.

I had a bath and Dot had a shower before going to the Green Inn   Afterwards I managed to get the Test Match on iPlayer and Dot made sandwiches for tomorrow. Steps today ( about 12000) longest on holiday; monthly total for June longest for a year (155,000 so far). 

Sunday – Windy but reasonably warm. Up early and packed and ready to go at 09.30. Went to Brown Sugar for breakfast, but it wasn’t open. Nor was anything else; so we went back to house so that Dot could have some coffee. Still out by 10. Dot drove as far as Blairgowrie Starbucks, where we had coffee/tea and croissant/pain au chocolat. Waitress so Scottish it was hard to understand her, and I needed help opening the loo door, for which we had been given a code.

Then I drove, and we stopped at Kinross Services as usual – but this time for a loo break after eating sandwiches in car. (Dot had prepared them.) Then on through ludicrous and unintelligible speed limits, past zero-action road works. Dot suggested one lane was being allowed to lie fallow so that it could regenerate. Also very heavy traffic around Edinburgh, nearly all of it exceeding what seemed to be the speed limit.

And on to the bottom of Scotland at Berwick and into England until we reached the Lindisfarne Inn, where we booked in. We had been given a disabled room for some reason, but it was quite comfortable, though no bath. Drove down to Holy Island crossing and took a few pictures (it was high tide). Lovely views. Then back to the inn, where we were pestered by a fly, and the WiFi was feeble. Had a rest, then up to the restaurant, where I had steak and ale pie and Dot didn’t. We both had cocktails afterwards, then went for a short walk.

Later watched an old Death in Paradise and the day’s Test highlights on YouTube. Couldn’t get iPlayer. Ben Stokes retired from international cricket in the middle of it, and England’s batsmen then started hitting wildly. Lost four wickets by close of play. Somewhere in there I killed the fly. It was the least I could do. Dot took out her computer, which was also dead, and spent some time trying to get it to work properly…. Apparently it had been switched off for a fortnight. 

Monday – The long journey home. Dry, but cloudy much of the time and very warm in places, especially near Durham, where we had a water break. Earlier we had a good breakfast at the Lindisfarne Inn and drove over to the island, just to say we’d done it. Also filled up with petrol. Dot drove as far as Durham services – not a very inspiring piece of road with confusing speed limits – again. Some fast bits of road going south on the A1, and some mysteriously slow bits too – presumably because of heavy traffic. Not sure why.

Took the A1 shorter route, which has the downside of being boring and quite slow. Stopped at services somewhere (everywhere looks the same) and I went to the loo, where there was only toilet paper in one cubicle – not enough. Dot drove down A17 towards Lynn – a horribly slow road with horribly slow drivers on it. Eventually we swapped again to stop her screaming (mentally) and I drove the rest of the way, taking in the extensive new work after Dereham and before the southern bypass. Didn’t recognise much of it.

Drove down Unthank Road  and then through the city, arriving home about 5.45pm. No sign of neighbours, but we managed  to unpack everything and put the cases in the loft. Not only that, we saw the end of the third test, won by New Zealand, as was the series. Exhausted, we got to bed at about 11pm. Both phones almost out of charge. Why is this? Replies and suggestions welcome. 

Sunday: Midsummer’s Day. Warm; sometimes very warm. Quick breakfast and a call at the Co-op and Delicatessen by Dot, plus booking at the Indian by me. Then to Spittal of Glenmuick, which was fairly busy, but no trouble finding a parking space. Had a bite to eat, then to visitors’ centre, where Dot recorded birdsong. We then walked down to the beach at the end of the loch, which a family of eastern descent had mistaken for Bombay beach. So a bit noisy. Amy and I had gone on ahead, but Dot eventually made it: she said she found it easier walking on her own because was still hampered by pain in her leg. I went back a bit to accompany her on the last bit to the bridge, while Amy explored a bit more.

Views very good: Lochnagar totally clear. Amy and I went ahead on the return trip, and after going to the loo walked up to the ruins of an old settlement near a stream. Amy nearly trod on an adder. Got back to visitors’ centre at as Dot arrived: she was in conversation with a woman who also had leg problems. Then drove home and rested. Went to Indian at 7pm and had a good meal. I was mistaken for Jeremy Corbyn, which is a first. Very jolly waiters in the restaurant. Nice atmosphere. Walked home very tired indeed – over 11,000 steps today. Spent a long time looking at each other’s photos, especially those from when Amy was   young. Put blog on website and then wrote today’s, just before midnight. We lost the second test. No surprise there. 

Monday – Warm but some rain. Slept late. Drove to log cabin for breakfast. Had my usual egg mayonnaise sandwich, and we all enjoyed the food. Went over to graveyard and saw two oystercatchers (parents?) with one active little chick. Managed to get a couple of photos. Then – having earlier dropped in at the Lecht and the Watchers – we revisited the valley bridge, which Amy remembered. Quite a steep walk down and up, and it rained while we were there. Dot and I walked back ahead of Amy, but she almost caught us up at the top.

Then drove down to Lochnagar view, which was good – the rain had stopped. Amy walked down Ben Avon track on her own and visited the remains of the old village. We then drove home, calling at the Co-op, and eventually had our evening meal. Dot and I had pies and mash, and Amy had something plant-based pretending to be chicken. Later I had another game of chess with Amy, followed by a discussion about tactics! Dot is enjoying a Tom Clancy novel in which lots of people get killed. I edited my pix and put some of them on shared album – Scotland. Amy ended evening by playing us a song by Halsey and Lyndsey Buckingham. Very good, as it happens. 

Tuesday – Very warm and dry. Bit slow to get going, but eventually drove to Balmoral and parked in the shade for £6, which is a pretty standard fee. Walked quite a lot inside the estate, starting with a snack (quite a large one in Dot’s case) and a quick look round the expensive gift shop. Then a tour of the ballroom, not as interesting as usual because it concentrated on the late Queen and ended up with much fewer pictures.

Then down to the river, where Amy ventured out on the rocks, then was disappointed not to be able to find the pet cemetery. This area was new to Dot and myself, but we got back on familiar ground by visiting the guest house and then the gardens. Amy tried to find the path up into the hills but was blocked by closed gates for gardening work. So back across the lawn to the restaurant for a drink (Amy and Dot shared a cake). Getting towards 4pm when the estate was closed, so we headed for the exit. I went ahead and brought the car up to the gate. We drove home, and Dot and I went to sleep. Think Amy may have done too. Later had light meal – salad, cheese and some fruit – and Amy solved a chess puzzle. Then watched dreary 0-0 draw between England and Ghana. Lots of fouling by Ghana, no inspiration by England. 

Wednesday – Pleasantly warm. Drove to Cambus O’May bridge to give Amy a look, then on to Aboyne, where we met Ella for lunch. We were a bit early, so walked to bridge first. She didn’t look any different. I had a fish board followed by a risky afrogato, which included coffee and whisky. Really nice time together – Amy took to her.

Then drove by a very lengthy route including many back roads to Pennan, which was looking very smart, apart from the Inn, which has become a restaurant. We stopped in there for a drink when it opened at 5pm. Before that we walked up and down, Amy did some exploring on the rocks and Dot met a 50-something lady in blue who runs a coffee shop. She also lives in the village – much of which is second homes. But owners come very frequently, and Shona said there was quite a community.

Sea very calm, nice colours. We drove on to Corvie, with its clifftop view, then Dot took over for the drive home, mostly by our usual route on the A97. Back at Ballater we went to the Co-op and had had something to eat. My left thigh muscle was very sore. Dot and I watched the first half of Brazil v Scotland, but Amy went to bed, wondering whether to climb Lochnagar tomorrow. Scotland lost 3-0.

Thursday – warm and dry, with a bit of a distant threat in the sky at evening. Went to Brown Sugar for a snack, then we set out on Amy’s Expedition. We drove to Glen Muick and then set her on the path to Lochnagar. We followed her at a distance. Dot turned back after a bit more than half a mile; I went further, aiming to get beyond the woods until I realised I was already tired. So turned back and joined up with Dot on the bridge.

We drove back to Ballater while monitoring her progress. After refreshment walked to butcher and bought something for the evening, then drove to Lark’s Gallery and bought some cards and a dish. Then Co-op and later parked in a lay-by just outside town as she reached the summit. She then disappeared for a while as she made her way down past the waterfall.

We returned to Glen Muick and had some contact with Amy as she emerged by the loch. Worked out she would arrrive about 8pm and saw she was crossing by the beach. Eventually I saw her through my binoculars and went ahead to meet her. She was in surprisingly good condition. and not thirsty enough to drink our peach-flavoured water. Back. to the car – and a bit beyond for Amy, who was completing an electronic trail. Then home again and an evening meal – we had pies from the butcher, and Amy had her own thing. Climbing Lochnagar was a great achievement for her – few other walkers about. She loved the views and the whole experience, I think.

Monday, June 15 – Dry and warm in the sun, but a cool wind.  Got up quite late, had breakfast and then drove over to the log cabin and on up the Lecht – mainly to check if the road was open. There were notices warning of closure, but on closer inspection I think these referred to a few dates in the future. On the way back we stopped at the Watchers viewpoint, and I got a couple of good pictures. Also nearly lost the car because the handbrake was only half on: I detected a movement when I opened the boot and was able to retrieve the situation. Also saw an eagle in the far distance, pointed out by someone with really good binoculars.

Back down to the cabin, where we had broccoli and stilton soup and tea and cake. Looked round but all the stuff we used to look for (such as shirts) was no longer stocked. Dot bought a small Highland cow for Bridget. Looked in graveyard and disturbed an oystercatcher that had nested there. It was quite indignant, but didn’t fly off because it had two chicks. So got good view of it and pix.

After that drove back via Lochnagar view route. Had phone call from Kim and arranged her visit on Thursday/Friday. Later walked round town, called at Co-op and checked out  some restaurant menus. Also looked for Ella’s temporary cottage but couldn’t find it. Dot had problem with her leg – she seems to have pulled a  muscle; so she waited outside the Co-op while I fetched the car. Bit worrying.

Had a light supper and watched Belgium 1 Egypt 1. France have also drawn 0-0 with Cape Verde, wherever that is. Dot went to sleep during the match, but then cleared up while I searched fruitlessly for the food caddy. Car is now parked up the road, where it’s wider and safer, apparently. Saw a hedgehog on the way back from checking it. Why a hedgehog should be checking our car, I don’t know…

Tuesday – Cold wind, especially at first, but dry. Woke late. After breakfast I went and booked a table at the Indian, while Dot went to Byzantium, her favourite clothes shop. I joined her there and picked out a yellow top and some brown patterned trousers for her. Fortunately, she liked them too. Then drove down to Loch Muick – practically nothing on the road. Paid £6 to park and then walked to cabin, where we got talking to a couple of cyclists from Kinross. There were just retired.

Dot used walking poles and her leg felt much better as we took the path along to the Chapel Mounth junction. Spotted some deer up on the  hillside and managed to get a few pictures, though they were some distance away. Back to the cabin to research some birdsong, and then to the Birkhall turning, where the bridge was destroyed in the 2016 floods. The bridge is now completely gone  and all approaches to it blocked, mainly by nettles, gorse and so on. We couldn’t get a decent view at all. Royalty taking advantage of nature to increase privacy, you might say.

Proceeded home and had lunch; message from owner revealed that he no longer used the food caddy because of the sort of thing he found in it. Intriguing. Had lunch, including strawberries and cream outside for Dot, read a bit, after I’d retrieved the books from the car. then went to sleep, and Dot woke me just before 6pm, which was just as well because our table was booked for 6.30pm. Quick change, and a nice meal at the Lochnagar, but too much rice. Chatted to manager afterwards and Dot got a free limoncello. Watched France beat Senegal 3-1 after being denied an obvious penalty, then Dot phoned David and gave him and Chrissy a tour of the house on FaceTime. So a bit late going to bed in the end. 

Wednesday – Rain overnight and again at end of day, but in between plenty of blue sky, though the wind was chilly. Walked into town together and went into Wilkie’s – Dot bought some coasters and one or two other things. Then popped into the library, which used to be the tourist office until the Government stopped funding them.  Woman in newsagent who was taught by Ella (for whom she had much respect) said the way the station had been refigured after the fire was all wrong.

Back to the cottage, then drove to Braemar, where we had soup (Dot) and scone (me) for an exorbitant price. On to Linn of Quoich, where we crossed bridge and walked up to the cottage, which has been beautifully recrafted as the place where Queen Victoria had picnics. Really well done. After sitting by the Linn for a while we walked down the long way, because it was easier on Dot’s leg. Sat in car for a while reading, then drove back to Ballater, dropping in on the cheese factory at Cambus O’May to check that it was still operating.

Had supper (sausage rolls) and then watched highlights of the second test match v New Zealand, followed by live action from England’s first World Cup match, in which they beat Croatia 4-2. Quite an exciting match. Dropped TV remote and then couldn’t find batteries cover despite an exhaustive search. Perhaps there never was one… Trouble with teeth today for some reason. Very sensitive at times. 7500 steps. 

Thursday – Cold at times and windy. But mainly dry. Kim arrived a bit later than expected, accompanied by Kian and Alex, who comes from Norfolk. They left to look round Ballater, and we took Kim to the Lecht. Stopped at the Watchers, where it was extremely windy; then put our nose into Moray before heading back to the log cabin. Dot and Kim had cake, and I had a delicious egg mayonnaise sandwich. Checked on graveyard and found oystercatcher again, but on the wall. Still noisy.

Back in car, drove over to Balmoral past Lochnagar view, which was non-existent in view of heavy clouds. On to Lochnagar distillery, where we were entertained by very knowledgable whisky man and bought a few things, including some whisky. Loads of potholes in back road. Back in Ballater I bought a shirt. In the evening we went to the Clachan Grill and I had steak. Met a couple from Norfolk: the man was in the year after me at CNS! Now living in Beverley, Yorks. Walked home – Dot’s leg playing up again. Had quite a long chat about the Church – nice to speak to someone on our wavelength. 

Friday – Showers, quite chilly at first. Milder later.   Drove down to Linn of Quoich again. Deer at far side of overspill car park. Road through to them closed for resurfacing, which was ongoing. Walked with Kim up to junction with Chapel Mounth path again, but visibility poor. Returned to Ballater and did shopping – Dot in Co-op and Kim in wood shop. I went to fetch car because Dot’s leg bad again. Drove to Cheese Factory for light lunch – I had really good croque monsieur. Then on to Burn o Vat. Kim climbed in, but Dot couldn’t and didn’t really want me to, so I stayed with her.

Then on to Kian’s place at Dyce – only the satnav led us astray and Kim failed to realise the centre of Aberdeen wasn’t really right. So I stopped and we re-entered the postcode; it turned out we were nowhere near Dyce and heading in the wrong direction. From there, though, it was straightforward, though it took an extra 20 minutes. East Lodge, Kian’s place, is lovely with a beautiful garden including a model railway.  He and Alex laid on food and drink, including lovely lavender biscuits made by Alex. Discussed going to Dyce station and getting a train in, but glad we didn’t. Despite dire warnings from Kian, the journey was straightforward and station parking easy to find and – it turned out – free. Waited about 20 minutes for Amy, who turned up as scheduled. Drove back to Ballater – again straightforward. Had tea and a conversation with David and Oliver, then went to bed. After midnight. Very tired. 

Saturday – Warmer and dry. Up pretty late, then went to corner café for breakfast. I had Amy’s egg. Went to Co-op and some other shops, including the charity shop, where Amy bought some walking boots for £8. Dot drove to Braemar and beyond; then I took over and drove to Linn of Quoich. Dot was feeling much better; so walked up to punchbowl with no problem and looked round house again. Amy did a bit of exploring on her own, then I walked up with her to a point further upstream, which involved uneven steep steps. Amy was going further but I think she was reluctant to let me go down the steps on my own, so we returned to Dot together.

All used the usual return path, which is a bit steep but interesting. Drove back to Braemar, where we took a quick look at the Highland Games arena, which has had a bit of a makeover. Then drove back to Ballater, hampered a bit by cars not going quite slowly enough to overtake, and bought some petrol at the 24-hour serve-yourself garage. This worked all right: we had tried but failed at Braemar. Had salady supper and watched a bit of test cricket, which England appeared to be losing. Also had two games of chess with Amy – she’s not bad. Sky bright.  Earlier Amy showed us a vlog of her adventures in Paris with her friends. They seem a nice bunch. 

Tuesday, June 9 – Sunny and warm to start with, but began raining at lunchtime. Showers after that, with thunder and lightning in the distance. However, Dot managed to finish her washing in time. Meanwhile I was transferring another large batch of slides to my computer, and have now finished. Some of them good, others disappointing, until you realise some of them are nearly half a century old. Tidied up the study by  removing slides: they are now back under the bed in the spare room. Tidied up rest of room as well.

This evening went to Cake and Compline at Bridget and David’s. Gave Jude a lift. Claire, Phil and Nikki absent, and Vicki had to leave early to meet her brother at the station. Their mother is recovering at home from an operation to remove a benign tumour from near the top of her spine. Bit late home: watched part of a programme on the 2006 World Cup. 

Wednesday – Lots of heavy showers, occasional bursts of blue and rainbows. Mild. Went to Morrisons, bought enough food to cover rest of week, plus some petrol. Message from Tricia asking for help with computer and phone problems. Not enough time to go over there; so recommended she call Chris the computer man, which I believe she did. Suggested buying a cheap phone for Brian, possibly from Amazon.

Kim called to ask us to take a sleeping bag to Scotland for her. We called in later and picked it up. That was after we drove to Salthouse to a Private View at the church: we go most years. Drink and nibbles. Spoke to vicar, Ian Dyble, who I know and who is also an artist. Also Tracy Ross and Charlotte Ashenden, who was delighted to see us. We kept trying to get together over last year but were never able to. Her husband is an Orthodox priest. She paints mainly portraits, and they’re really good.

Drove back and picked up sleeping bag, then had late meal of salmon, which was delicious. Watched Amandaland and a bit of another programme about Norfolk, during which I went to sleep. Woke up to clear stuff away and went to bed. I do that a lot. Earlier owner of Ballater cottage texted, and I responded. Also cancelled papers. 

Thursday – Wet and rather dismal weather. Not too cold though. Moved car into small space on road – which has become very congested recently – so that Linda could park in our drive while she cut our hair. Later moved it back in drive so that Sam had somewhere to park when she came home. After haircut had a bath and then an unusual lunch – bacon on toast. Got a few things ready for holiday. Start of World Cup: three red cards as Mexico beat South Africa 2-0. England had beaten Costa Rica 3-0 yesterday in warm-up friendly.

Over 3000 steps again, most of them indoors. Watched another episode of Clarkson’s Farm; not impressed by Christmas sequence, which betrayed appalling ignorance and some offensive elements too. Very sad. Watched a couple of episodes of The  Fortune, which seems to depend on everyone, especially the lead character, behaving in an irrational way. Last episode tomorrow. Des came round earlier to check on plant-watering duties! Rang Ray, who didn’t seem too bad: he’d been out to lunch. Dave E’s operation went all right, though he’s on crutches for a bit. 

Friday – Windy, threatened rain not materialising. Very windy but quite warm, especially in late afternoon and evening. Prepared for holiday with packing and sorting, and cut back ivy clinging to wall beside front porch. Felt extremely tired after that and lay down for a while. Street meet included Des, Chris, Mark, Jon, Ciara, Matt and new neighbours Simon and Josie (I think). We left before Sam arrived and had a meal at Gem – quite full, quite young, quite noisy.  I had some mezes followed by baklava, limoncello and Turkish coffee.

When we got home we did some final clearing up, and Dot finished reading her book. We also saw most of Canada v Bosnia in Toronto (World Cup).  Result 1-1 but Canada were better. Earlier saw final episode of The Fortune, a drama containing two suicides and a murder but no police. Intricate plot not entirely believable and succeeded only because the lead character kept rushing round without talking to any of her friends or family, and taking time off from her job in a small restaurant, which miraculously kept going. Would you lend this woman your car? No, nor me, but the restaurant owner did. 

Saturday – Cloudy, but only a few drops of rain. Chillier, though. Not a good night, but finished packing and set off at 11am, just half an hour late! No real hold-ups, though the unnecessary speed limits for non-existent road works became pretty irritating. Dot drove first, up to Cambridge Services (Boxworth), where she got a coffee from the Costa machine. I then drove to the M6 toll services, where we had sandwiches, and Dot took over. At the toll booth she got behind an idiot who blocked her lane while changing drivers – which they could easily have done after paying. Oh well – on to the M6 and good progress – we changed drivers and filled up with petrol at Charnock Richard, then on to Tebay Services in the Lake District – probably our favourite. Had a couple of scones, then back on the road to Annandale, which we reached about 7.30pm, having covered 380 miles. Interesting receptionist, but quite likeable. Had a McDonald meal after Dot persuaded assistant to explain how you ordered. Not great – the chips were practically cold. Took stuff up to room. Great view of the lake.  Watched long documentary about Harry and Meghan

Sunday – Bad night for both of us, though the room was good. Really like it there. Had breakfast after 9am at the pastry place: two delicious croissants. Liked them so much we took two more with us. Dot bought some tweezers from Smiths. Discovered Scotland had beaten Haiti 1-0. Dot drove north, and all went smoothly till we hit bad congestion just before Stirling. Usual thing – about 400 yards of actual activity surrounded by miles of lane closures.

When we got through it we called at Stirling services and bought some M&S stuff to go with pasty and sausage roll for supper. Then I took over and drove along the M9 through miles and miles of average speed cameras. Don’t think they realise that by making everyone go the same speed means it’s more dangerous to cross on to another carriageway.

Did the usual trick at Perth and headed up the A9 then across country via Stanley until we reached the great hedge of Meikleour, where we ate our second croissant each. then onwards through Blairgowrie and to Braemar, where they are still mending a bridge after two years, thence to Ballater. Bought some more petrol, and even then were three minutes early at our cottage. Total of over 550 miles.

Not overwhelmed by cottage. Furthest distance from bedroom to toilet of any house I’ve been in. Also owners eco-fanatics, which meant everything was very complicated. Still… it was fine weather, we looked at the river and a few shops and some menus. Bought a few things from Co-op and had our supper, finishing off the wine we brought. Unpacked and watched something about tigers, then wrote to Kim about her projected visit. Amy is in Verona.

Thursday, June 4 – Mixture of sun and (sometimes heavy) showers. Picked up Mike Read just before noon and drove to Fornham, near Bury St Edmunds, to see chess master Owen Hindle, now in his late 80s. Stayed there about 2 1/2  hours, watched some cricket on TV, and Owen and Mike talked chess with a little help from me. Owen went through two of his games – really fascinating thought process! He has a huge library – some of the books extremely valuable, since you ask.  His other interests include watching world news and sport on TV, plus Shakespeare biographies. He can’t walk very far. Liz (one of my former trainees) has new job with BBC at Ipswich. She and Mark help Owen a lot.

Usual hold-up on A11 – home just before 5pm with Bridget in mid-stint. A bit later her husband arrived and we had a chat, largely about his desire to retire: his job is taxing and unsatisfying.  Bridget wants him to retire, and I encouraged him to do so. In the evening we had pies and watched highlights of the first Test against New Zealand. England managed about 140, and by close of play NZ had lost six wickets for less than 50. Great fun. Heard from Ella and hope to see her during our second week: she is fishing all the first week!   

Friday – Much nicer day. Mainly dry but with a chilly wind, especially on the coast. Drove to Joyce’s house near the airport to pick her up and take her to Beeston Regis, where we met Fred and Sue at the  Priory Maze café just before noon. After sorting out a phone call from Ray, who wanted Sophie’s address, we went in and had an OAP meal! I had bangers and mash and apple crumble and ice cream, and Dot had jacket potato and sticky toffee pudding. Fred and I split cost – it was a kind of 80th birthday present for Joyce. Afterwards we all went to Fred’s caravan and sat outside to have a cup of tea. Bit chilly; so Fred and Dot erected a windbreak!

Drove home, dropping off Joyce and arriving in good time for the street meet. Much warmer in Norwich. Good attendance: Dot, me, Des, Chris, Matt, Joe, Sam, John Sissons, Paul from down the road and Mark back from Brazil! Dot and I had rosé. Afterwards Dot cooked fish and we watched the final episode of A Very Peculiar Practice, which was excellent. Dot couldn’t find a card she’d written for Jenny, and I had a peculiar sensation in my jaw – cross between a toothache and a strain. 

Saturday – Chilly again: mainly dry during day, but wet later. Late change of plan saw us picking up Sophie and driving to Briston, while Carrie drove Judy. All for Jenny’s birthday party at The Pavilion in Briston. Really good food. Bit odd not knowing hardly anyone there except those already mentioned. Sat next to Martin, who produces children’s books and told me all about it. At least Dot was on the other side, but she was being monopolised by Carrie,  who seems to be getting over the very recent death of her husband.

We know Jenny because she comes to church quite often despite living a long way away. She is very sweet and may or may not be between 60 and 70. She says 35.

Not very hungry after large meal and both felt dozy when we got home. Had a few biscuits later. Watched replay in colour of 1966 World Cup Final. Skill level very low. Possibly due to heavy ball, crap pitch and lack of fitness. Refereeing and commentating also dismal (not BBC). Pleas for cash for Alzheimer’s Society got very irritating, as was David Baddiel’s comment that it was a good job they had no goalline  technology. England’s third goal was clearly over the line, as you can tell by Hunt’s reaction.

Later watched another episode of drama that made us both very uncomfortable. A Few Days in August – could have been called A Few Days in Hell. Rounded off the evening with first half of warm-up match England v New Zealand. Not very impressed. Remembered I hadn’t paid Bridget. Feel like the left side of my face is falling off, but very, very slowly. 

Sunday – Warm and dry. In Norfolk anyway. Snow on Cairngorm. Up earlyish to get three plants from Heather up on Library Gardens to put in our garden – part of project to persuade bees and butterflies to look kindly on us. Afterwards went to church. Eleanor led, and Howard did a fascinating bit on Revelation – with projected pictures.

After lunch Dot went to look at updates to Harriet’s house, but dropped me off near Puppet Theatre so that I could walk round St James Quay – discovered there was only one way in or out by car. Walked back home via Adam and Eve and Cathedral Close. Later Dot planted one of the plants and I cooked supper – salmon. Afterwards watched England win at cricket plus a couple of other programmes, but went to sleep during documentary on tigers. Nice pix, but you kept wishing the film-makers would leave them alone. I don’t know why. Had a chat earlier with David on FaceTime: he has plan for new project linked to Diderot. 

Monday – Plenty of rain and not much sun, but Dot managed to plant a couple of the donated pro-bee items in pots in the back garden. Before that we drove to Muspole Street to pick up the repaired table from Richard McPhee, or Mr R J McPhee as the bank prefers to call him (yes, we did a bank transfer for £105).

I spent quite a long time catching up on various things – for instance, editing pictures and sending some to Joyce and Jenny; updating our bank account; and trying to decide whether a communication from O2 was a scam or not. I don’t think it was, but I ignored it. Wrote to Kim, Ella and Kristine, plus Anne Coomes to see if she can do without my Pump pieces this month. 

During a break in the rain I cut back ivy that was encroaching on the front door and put it in the bin. Cooked sausages for supper and in response to a phone call gave Nikki Carrie’s address so that she can go there and help with funeral preparation. Bit odd, but there you are. Walked round the house to reach well over 3000 steps and an average of just over 3000 for the month so far. Strange sensation in my jaw and head on the left side, but there you go. Forecast for Ballater next week not great. Must take a book or two.