Monday – Pretty miserable weather. Overcast and plenty of rain, though mainly light. Someone has damaged Mark’s car, but he caught them in the act. You don’t mess with Mark. Spoke to him on the way to church. I was there by 10am because Carrie expected to be late, but she wasn’t. Only a small gathering – Judy, Robert, Alison, Paul and his daughter (3) and dog, and Dot when she returned to pick me up. Discovered that Judy’s son and Alison’s partner Dolly are both poets. Dot made cake in afternoon. Watched some more football. David FTd us at teatime: he is now not coming to England this month, because both Oliver and Amy are going to Canada for Christmas. After supper we watched The Keeper, an excellent film about goalkeeper Bert Trautmann, who broke his neck in a Cup Final and played on. 

Tuesday – mixture of rain and dry. First rain timed exactly to coincide with our walk up to restaurant – Georgian Town House on Unthank Road. Excellent meal – scotch egg followed by venison, followed by peanut parfait sweet. Went with Des and Chris as part of Norfolk Restaurant Week. Afterwards looked unsuccessfully for picture frames in Jarrolds, then Dot went to chiropodist and I went home. In evening Cake and Compline: Bridget, Eleanor, Judy, Vicky. Dot baked chocolate cake , which went down well. 

Wednesday – Cool but dry. Dot had two school visits, to Long Stratton and Sutton, with lunch at home in the middle. I finished reading Imagine Heaven, an extremely good book about near-death experiences which demonstrated how the latter are not only remarkably consistent with each other, but tie in closely with biblical descriptions, especially those I’d formerly thought of as imaginative fantasy (from a human point of view). Very encouraging in the descriptions of overwhelming love and light. I also started reading Keiron Pim’s biography of Joseph Roth – Endless Flight. Watched a bit of football and University Challenge, in which a girl from Norwich made a disappointingly brief appearance (for Balliol, who were overwhelmed by Southampton). Cleaned out car in preparation for service tomorrow, largely in order to find the wheel locking nut – which was where it should have been, in its slot in the boot that I’d forgotten about.

Thursday – Dry and not too cold (about 13C).  Drove up to garage to take car in for service and MOT. Walked back over ring road and caught bus to Tombland. Bought sympathy card for Linda  from Revelations and walked home. After lunch Dot walked to Anna’s for violin lesson and I got bus from Tombland to pick up car at 3. But because of mix-up at MOT place it wasn’t ready till after 4pm. Meanwhile Carrie had come round to talk about Darsha, who is being abominably treated by Norwich Housing Dept, and found herself talking to Bridget, who had come round to clean. I eventually got back about 4.30, shortly before Dot. Carrie had gone. In evening watched first two episodes of The Crown, and some football, which was marginally more exciting. 

Friday – quite mild and dry. Dot and I drove up to chemist to get pills and then to Morrison’s for £125 worth of groceries. After lunch I filled the brown bin full of leaves, and had a long chat with Michael, as he returned from a five-mile walk in tee shirt and shorts. Later still out for drinks at 5.30pm – Des, Chris, Mark, Mary, Ciara and John. Joined briefly by Anglia TV news presenter who lives up in Old Library Mews. David FTd and we chatted mainly about sport. Watched a couple of episodes of Rogue SAS Heroes, recommended by Mark. Not bad.

Not a good week as far as the weather is concerned – and the same goes for mortality. Discovered last Tuesday that my old chess colleague Paul Buswell had died, and on Friday my first girlfriend, Lily, eventually succumbed to pancreatic cancer. She was about 84. Sad that I could not see her in her last couple of weeks, but I rang on Wednesday and was dissuaded from going by Roger, her niece Linda’s partner, who said they were overwhelmed with carers and other helpers. Probably I should have gone anyway, though I believe she was barely conscious.

Tuesday was a bit chilly with some rain – including a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Got to Archant Pensioners’ Breakfast in the dry, though, and had a good meal. Tables were split up, unfortunately; but chatted to Robin, Brian and partners about Canada, then spoke to Bill Woodcock, Richard Batson and first-timer Steve Snelling on the way out. 

After lunch caught up on computer, chose songs for Sunday and wrote some e-mails. Dot went to see Phyllis. In the evening we watched the final four episodes of The Capture, a quite frightening thriller about AI and computer manipulation. 

Wednesday was quite cold. Wrote most of the Alternative Carol Service, then took Dot up to Taize at the church. Left the car there and walked home, taking in a Hostry exhibition on the way. Old photographs, but not especially interesting. Dot took Nikki to pick up Indie from school off Earlham Road. She (Dot) has repainted cabinets in the bathroom today, after getting expert advice from an assistant in Homebase. No, really.

Re-watched the final half of the final episode of The Capture, and it turned out to be brilliant: I had missed a section of it last night because I went to sleep. Same old story. Cooked a chicken breast for supper and in the evening went with Dot to watch Norwich draw 0-0 with QPR. Very good game that City deserved to win. Light rain on the way home. 

Thursday was somewhat colder, with lots of rain in the morning and flooding on Riverside Road and elsewhere – White Horse Lane in Trowse was impassable. Dot drove me up to the dentist’s, where I had a rather painful filling (numbing not very successful). Cost £400. Afterwards the rain was very light; so I walked to Morrisons, where I met Dot, who arrived at the petrol station precisely when I did. Filled car, then did shopping. £111. That’s just the shopping. After lunch I had a lie down, then Bridget arrived to do cleaning. Dot’s violin lesson was cancelled. Dropped her off at the Greens’ for handbell ringing. Read a bit. Dot walked home, and Jaya walked most of the way with her. Watched documentary by A N Wilson on T S Eliot: extremely interesting.

Friday was bright but quite chilly. Went for lunch to Julia and Allan’s at Swaffham – made good time there, and coming back wasn’t too bad either. Nice lunch and interesting conversation. Outside for a drink at 5.30 despite cold: Des, Chris, Mark, Ciara and, for a moment after he arrived home, John. Tara still fighting “long covid”. Afterwards watched Dances with Wolves, a long but very good film.

Saturday was quite cold with lots of rain. Didn’t go out. Linda arrived at 10.30 to do our hair. Had a bath afterwards. Other Linda rang to say Lily died yesterday at about 4pm. Very sad, but good for her of course. I used to walk her home from Surrey Chapel, and there was a certain amount of kissing (he revealed) behind the pub on City Road, but I don’t think we ever really went out anywhere together. She was seven years older than me and wanted to get married – generally, not to me particularly. I felt she could achieve this objective better without me in tow, but was always fond of her.

Norwich beat Rotherham 2-1 away. Watched very good Storyville documentary about volcanoes – more particularly about two vulcanologists who were killed in Japan by a pyroclastic flow. Some great pictures. Later watched last two episodes of Wisting – again excellent. 

Yesterday the weather was still miserable. Poured with rain during the morning, flooding on Riverside Road again and elsewhere, and it rained on and off for the rest of the day. Cool. Gave Heather Cracknell a lift to church; she decided to do a Communion, which meant we didn’t have enough hymns, but we got round it. Big congregation, surprisingly. New people from  Esdelle Street.

In the afternoon, after watching football I caught up with e-mails, then we had a fairly early meal and drove to Lowestoft for the poetry group, which again was surprisingly well attended. One of my poems (Magdala) was read on Friday at Aldeburgh by Ivor Murrell at launch of Ripples book. Have ordered Ripples book.  I read six at the Seagull: got home after 11pm. Those read: Aircraft Incident, Possible Coyote, Different Mountains, Hurricane, White Shipwreck (1120 AD), Magdala. I have discovered that I have lost my list of poems read at various venues over the years: it was on my Notes app but must have been deleted accidentally. Very annoying.

The weather’s been a bit up and down. Last Wednesday it rained quite hard early on, but improved later. A bit chilly because of the wind. Dot went to visit Phyllis in the morning, while I wrote a bit about buses for my website. After lunch I ordered some wine and put some pictures on Flicker. Then we went to St Luke’s for a ceilidh rehearsal with a proper caller (George). He was nice, and it went reasonably well. After supper we watched Oscar-winning film Parasite, which was very well done but rather soulless. Then the final episode of Doc Martin, which was the opposite: heart-warming – although also well done.

On Thursday it rained in the morning again, but became dry and quite mild later. Wrote a couple of articles for Parish Pump, then we went to Morrisons just before lunch – bit of a mistake because Dot becomes very lethargic if she’s not fed at the right time. Nevertheless we completed shopping. Visit from artist Charlotte Ashenden in afternoon – first time we’d seen her since her exhibition at Salthouse. Had a really good time with her: hope to see more of her.

Watched a bit of football, plus Unspun World, which is becoming more and more spun, unfortunately; Repair Shop with (then) Prince Charles visiting and saying what we’ve always said – that more children should be encouraged to go for apprenticeships and learn a trade, which is just as fulfilling as academia, probably more so. We also finished watching Four Quartets with Ralph Fiennes. Earlier we took delivery of Naked Wines and a book from Amazon: Keiron Pim’s latest. Oh, and practised a few ceilidh tunes.

Friday was still mild and dry. I finished my Parish Pump articles. Dot went to shops. Richard McPhee returned our bookcase with tan leather on top. Looks really good. Filled it with books and put it in the hall. Practised guitar. Went out for drinks early and left at 5.45pm for St Luke’s, where we played in a ceilidh band – Matt, Anna, Dot and me. We had a professional caller (George), and everyone seemed to appreciate it. The band got special applause. Very tiring. Home  by about 9.45 and watched Professor T – a particularly good episode.

Saturday felt like Sunday, partly because we were in church in the morning – Carlton Colville Church, for the long-delayed induction etc of Sarah Quantrill. So there was a bishop and archdeacon present, plus other dignitaries, such as the local MP. A Few people from St Luke’s, but no one else from St Aug.  Nice service, music and food but quite chilly in church, though it was a warm day. Drove back in time to get Dot to the football match, which  Norwich won 3-1 against Stoke. Practised hymns for tomorrow and watched some football as well as three-parter Maxine, which was about the Soham murders and very well done. 

Sunday saw quite a bit of rain and was rather chilly. Clocks back: so rather disorientated. Got to St Luke’s at 10 for rehearsal for joint service.  All went well, but as many St Aug people there as St Luke’s, which is pretty astonishing. Afterwards went to the Golden Star for lunch with Anna and Howard, and Dot gave them great detail on our Canada visit (illustrated). Very good roast lunch which I had no problem eating, though I had a stomach upset earlier. Lost door key, but Dot said she had seen me drop it, and we drove back to St Luke’s and found it. Don’t ask. Watched a bit of football and FTd David. All ok in Canada. Watched Wisting x 2, which was a bit gruesome but well done. Very tired – tried to read on Kindle, but went to sleep roughly once a page.

Yesterday was mild; rain in the evening. Dot dropped me at church – odd morning. Darsha and her husband (fresh from Sri Lanka) came, plus a couple of women I didn’t know. Stacy brought her dog – an unpleasant creature. Steve stayed a while, then went to Rollesby with his dad. Not much happened.  Leanne didn’t make it – lots of problems, apparently. Walked home because Dot  had gone to see Anne. They went for a walk, and she was home quite late for lunch.

Cleared up leaves with assistance from Des. Mark cleared steps. Pretty tired. Dot had sudden diarrhoea, so instead of taking her to church hallowe’en event I went and fetched stuff I’d left earlier. Church eerily quiet. Back home changed bed completely – Dot had done washing earlier – and flaked out. After supper watched some football and The Capture – first episode of thriller – which was excellent. Then the first half of Mr Bean Goes on Holiday. Dot’s stomach now OK.

At the end of Thursday Dot went to handbell ringing at the Greens (I drove her), and I did a bit more on my sermon, but nowhere near enough. Felt very tired. Cleared stuff out of utility room into garage. Dry in the evening. 

Friday was mild and dry: foggy to start with. Spoke to Amy on FT and checked arrangements for next day.  Dot did a lot more sorting out, and I finished my sermon. After lunch Dot went to the shops. I put my Canadian poems into final form, and we packed Amy’s presents. Evetts rang around 4pm, and we had a long chat about various things, including Seckford Hall and Vicky’s health. Out in the street at 5.30pm, with Des, Chris, Mark, Ciara, Sean, Mary and Matthew. Waved goodbye to Phoebe as she went out on the town for her 17th birthday. Felt a bit under the weather (probably too much to drink + fish and chips) and laid on bed for a bit, but got up to watch Professor T, then went to bed early. 

Saturday was a very busy day. Fairly mild and dry.  Amy arrived with Vicky and Matt (and David’s table and chairs) at 10.30, and we had a cup of coffee before V&M departed for Reepham to see Kerry. We had lunch with Amy before taking the bus up to UEA for the open day there. Easy journey. She checked in, and we had a look at the library before walking down to the Sainsbury Centre, where she was going to a talk on art history, which she wants to combine with archaeology and anthropology. Very interesting talk by a couple of lecturers, but Dot started coughing and had to go out towards the end. Amy stayed for tour of the Art History area while I found Dot and we went to have a drink. But Amy’s tour ended pretty quickly, and she came up and joined us at the cafe.

Walked back up and caught the bus halfway up. Incredibly slow journey into town. Got off at Orford Place and walked home via The Walk, White Lion Street, the Arcade, Back of the Inns, London Street and The Close. Looked at Canada pix till V&M arrived at 5.30 to take her home. Earlier we had given Amy her presents – some earrings and a picture by Kasia Coleman that she had wanted us to leave her when we died! She seemed very pleased.

In the evening I took Dot up to St Mary Magdalene for a concert. Wasn’t sure whether to go myself, but I was glad I did. They had some singers and did some good dramatic stuff, particularly Gilbert and Sullivan. Dot was worried about her lack of practice, but it all sounded good to me. Beverley Aspinall was playing again. I spoke to Neville, Mary, Vicki and one or two other people. Capacity audience. Earlier Norwich City were 2-0 up against Sheffield United away but managed to draw 2-2. Pukki missed a penalty. On the plus side, Liverpool lost to Nottingham Forest. 

Very wet Sunday. Thunderstorms in afternoon. Had to park car in St Matthew’s Road overnight because the bottom of our road was inaccessible from 9 to 11 because of road runners. Wonderful! At church played guitar and gave sermon on humility (a strong point of mine), which was quite well received, though I’d been a bit worried about it. Afterwards spoke to Nikki, and to the Rev Hilary Wakeman, who comes occasionally and who asked for a copy of the sermon. So either she liked it or I’m in trouble with the Bishop. Fairly quiet day after that: I caught up with my e-mails, and later we watched a couple of episodes of scandi noir Wisting, which was very good. 

Monday – was dry and quite pleasant. Went to church in the morning – dropped off by Dot, who then called in on Phyllis. Had a Bible study with Leanne and Alison. Went pretty well: Leanne brought little Evelyn, but she was pretty well behaved. Dot came later. Annette came to see us at 2pm, and we spent a long time talking and showing her the Canada pix. Caught up on (rather sad) news about Lisa, Caroline etc. Annette stayed till after 5.30pm, when I made the meal. David FTd and we heard about his time with Chrissy in Kingston. Sounds pretty good.  Quiet evening; bed fairly early.

Tuesday was a bit cooler than I expected when I was deciding what to wear to travel to Coventry to see Andrew. Not too bad, though. Caught train at 10am after taking a Covid test! Train fairly full because it was half term – a fact I had overlooked – but not too bad. Got to Liverpool St on time and got tube to Euston Square, walking the rest. Caught train immediately and was in Coventry before 1.30pm. Got sandwiches from M&S and ate them before walking over to Andrew’s via an impressive new Coventry Station building.

Spent about 90 minutes with Andrew – he was bit all over the place and stooping, but not in pain. Spoke to girl with green hair, who was quite impressive: she managed to sort out his DVD player and said she would take him to buy a new razor. Was not asked for Covid test result or required to wear a mask. Got a train to Euston at about 4.15pm (delayed) and found a non-optimal seat near a woman with a cold. Easy transfer via Euston Square again, and just in time to get the 5.50pm to Norwich. Pretty full, of course. Dot met me at the station, and had a meal of smoked salmon on toast before listening to Burnley v Norwich, which  ended 1-0. While I was away Dot reorganised my bathroom, removing the bookcase and putting it in her room. Looks quite good.

Two big events this week: the Prime Minister resigned and our guest bedroom has been redecorated. Not sure which is more chaotic. Strangely the redecoration of one room seems to affect the whole house. Similarly the resignation…all right, you get the idea. Actually there were three big events: today Amy is 18!! Rather puts the other events in the shade, now I think about it.

So, back to last Saturday, which marked three days out of four without a bath! Quite clean, though. David FTd us following Norwich City’s 2-1 loss to Watford, which we watched on NOW TV, after I had spent about half an hour setting it up. Went through long process and was then told I needed the app! Aargh. It’s as if they don’t want you to use it. Still, was just in time for kick-off. Watched it on my iPad.

Earlier went to see Paul and Holly, who was up for her mum’s birthday. Maryta still pretty bad, scarcely saying a word to her daughter. Paul looked very tired. Even the dog is in a bad way, its legs very weak. Renewed our membership of Scottish National Trust – £87.  Dot spent a long time preparing the guest room for Barry to paint it, and I helped in a small way, as well as keeping the kitchen tidy and improving my study. Rang appliance repair guy twice but had no reply. Still, managed to cook a pizza in the upper oven. Took some old clothes up to St Luke’s to assist those in need, and had a chat with John Easton. 

Sunday was fairly mild; dry till evening. Felt quite under the weather in the morning: not sure why. Better later. Drove to church and led service. Carrie came late because she had been Ill and Al was also in a bad way. Afterwards Dot went with Anna and Sophie and Graham to see Phyllis, who is very frail. I took Ray and Chris home and waited for Dot in Thomas Tawell car park. Went for walk with Dot after lunch – brief encounters with Sarah and then Bob and Mary. Started watching Wisting – a new Norwegian noir. Also saw an hour of Nicola Benedetti playing various pieces – stunning talent and a really nice person too. Went to bed early to read. 

Monday was drizzly to start with, but later quite warm and sunny. Dot got up early to greet Barry, who arrived at 8 to paint the guest bedroom. He’s done quite a lot. Later Andrew Brierton rang and then came to fix the cooker, but we couldn’t reproduce the fault. He did however show us how to fix the filter on the hood and the easy way to replace the bulbs. We are now testing the cooker on and off to see if it’s OK. It is so far.  

I went up to church and we were able to have a Bible study, with Leanne, Alison and Stacey. Lots of other people around too, including Darsha. After Barry had gone Dot and I went to Homebase to buy cooker bulbs and to Dunelm to get curtain rod, then to Morrisons to buy food. Later did dome reading; also watched MOTD2 and two of the Four Quartets performed by Ralph Fiennes; followed by a film, The Running Man, which had some good points – specifically Lee Remick – but was weak in script and photography, though fairly entertaining.

On Tuesday I spent too much time trying to make my Facebook account work properly on my Desktop. Gave up in the end. It’s fine on my iPad and phone. Quite a pleasant day weather-wise. Barry is still painting. I gave Stacey (church) a lift to Hughes on Hall Road to buy a fridge-freezer. In the end she paid about £320 for one she hadn’t seen because it was in the carton. Hmm. Dropped her off at Steve’s, who had taken an autism test and done “badly”.  Not sure what that means.

Caught up on stuff again, then went to see Norwich City lose 0-1  to Luton. This was definitely “badly”. City had a man sent off and didn’t seem to have any energy or much idea what they were doing. Luton weren’t particularly good either, but they scored. We should have scored twice. Took Des because Jonathan was at the theatre. Watching Ralph Fiennes recite (by heart) the third of Four Quartets. Interesting. 

Wednesday was quite pleasant, dry and mild. Barry with us from 8am again. Spent some time helping him to get the curtain pole on straight. He also painted the downstairs loo. Total for three days: £350. Dot got the guest bedroom looking really nice, and I spent ages putting the books back in the bookcase, but in some sort of order. Quite pleased with the result.

Started writing sermon, but didn’t get far. Bridget came and did some cleaning. Still lots of stuff all over the house, waiting to be put away. Dot went to orchestra with Janet in the evening, and it went very well. I took some more clothes to St Luke’s and tried to give them some books, but they weren’t interested. Afterwards walked over to station and got some cash out – mainly to get my steps up. Read some of Imagine Heaven, and when Dot got home we watched the penultimate episode of Doc Martin. Sadly Spurs lost 2-0 to Man Utd.

Today it rained most of the day, often quite hard, but it wasn’t too cold. Dot went to buy boxes to pack up redundant stuff. Helped clear up in morning, but by lunchtime was exhausted, partly because I had a bad night last night. And of course there’s a lot of dust about, largely as a result of the Prime Minister resigning…

Finished Monday by watching another episode of Karen Pirie on ITV hub, which is a bit of a trial because of the numerous and long adverts. Persevering because it’s pretty good and the last episode is recorded on “proper” TV. Earlier had a long talk with a BT guy about a new HomeCare contract, but sorted it out in the end. He arranged for  an engineer to look at the radiator in my room tomorrow. Miraculously, after I spoke to him, the radiator started working.

Tuesday, October 11 –  Again didn’t sleep too well. Up in time for arrival of Anne , who is having lots of problems with Philip (though he was well enough for them to go to Blakeney on Friday). We showed her all Dot’s Canada pictures on TV, and Dot gave her a couple of small presents. Still feeling very tired. Quite a big shop at Morrisons and filled up with petrol. Took Eleanor to Judy’s for Cake and Compline. Dot told everyone about Canada and the book she’d read – Imagine Heaven. Watched University Challenge earlier and a new comedy called Stuck, by Dylan Moran, which is pretty good. As I was cooking supper the downstairs power went off, and it took some time to persuade it to come on again. Problem is with the cooker, but not sure what, why or where.

 Wednesday was quite chilly but not too bad for walking. Bit of rain around teatime. Interesting day. Gas man came around 8.30 and fixed our radiator – problem was the pin in the switch, as I suspected. He also checked the boiler and turned it down “to save money”. He left just after 9am, and Dot woke up at 9.30am, not knowing he’d been! At first she refused to believe it, but I convinced her.

We went into the city about 11.30am to see Charlotte’s exhibition at St Peter Mancroft, and bought four cards. Then went to Jarrolds to buy a card for Amy, but there was nothing that was any good. Ended up in The Bay seafood bar and shared a plate of salmon – very impressive. Then Dot went on to church to help with the Taize event, and I went home, intending to pick her up at 2.30pm. Sadly I discovered she had the car key with her; so I walked to meet her in The Close. Both of us have done a lot of steps today! Dot went to orchestra in the evening, picked up by Janet. I caught up with e-mails and finished editing pictures. Watched Doc Martin – good stuff.

Thursday – Dry after overnight rain. Bit chilly. Got up early. Darsha, a Sri Lankan woman in need of a place to rest during the day, arrived with Carrie about 9.40 and stayed till about 2.30 – we gave her lunch. We had a chat, then she watched TV while Dot went shopping for her music room project and I caught up again, creating a shared album of edited pix, among other things. In afternoon Bridget came and did some cleaning: I had a chat with Des and Jonathan about inept bush-cutting by council.  Watched Ridley and another episode of Karen Pirie. Both pretty good. 

Friday – Fairly mild, but damp. Darsha with us again, but I managed to get a bath in first. Went to dentist’s with Dot, both had check-up, but I need a filling next month. Tried again to get birthday card for Amy and eventually succeeded. Also a bit of food from M&S and some fruit from the market. Called in at St Peter Mancroft, on the off chance that Charlotte might have been packing up, but she wasn’t there. Instead bumped into Sophie (formerly of The Lathes), whose very athletic children are having trouble with injuries.

Very tired in the afternoon after assisting Dot with wrapping curtains for Darsa and moving a bit of furniture. Went to sleep on the bed, and Dot went out without my noticing. Usual 5.30 drink with Des, Chris, Mark and Ciara, but D&C left early for an engagement at Reepham. Dot went to buy fish and chips at 7. We watched final episodes of Ridley and Karen Pirie. Very impressed with latter.

The Canadian saga comes to an end:

Thursday, October 6 – Went to bed at 8.30pm after both falling asleep during Shetland. An. exhausting day, which started as Wednesday. After a nice meal supplied by Barbara, David and Chrissy drove us to the airport, parking expertly very close to Terminal 3 and taking us in, directing us to the baggage drop and then security , where there was a huge queue. Got through eventually – D&C waved goodbye after about 20 minutes.

We went and sat in the Gate area (39) after buying a banana each. Eventually boarded and thought we might have an empty seat next to us again, but eventually a youngish woman who might have been a Russian spy came and sat in it. She was very quiet except for one trip to the toilet. Rubbish meal and pretty uncomfortable flight, but did get a small bottle of wine. Watched Cry Macho, starring Clint Eastwood, which was pretty good, but I went to sleep halfway through. Not for long, though. Watched second half towards end of flight.

Easy at Gatwick; caught Purple Parking bus (lively driver) and reached car easily. Now 11am Thursday, and sunny. Drove home – long queue on M25 because of failed traffic lights on A12, apparently – and stopped at M11 services. Sandwiches at Starbucks in fairly leisurely fashion. Carried on driving because I felt Ok despite streaming nose, which was very irritating and still hasn’t stopped. Dot took over at War Memorial. Unpacked my case, and we both made some essential payments and did some sorting out.

Friday – overcast with rain in the evening. Woke at 9.15, just in time for Linda coming to do our hair at 10. Had bath afterwards. Harriet came round in afternoon and at 5.30 we went out for the usual drink, despite promised rain, which arrived shortly afterwards. Quite chilly. We retreated to underneath shelter of roof. Mark , Sarah, Ciara, Matthew and John, plus Des and Chris. Quite political. Home for omelette and baked beans before making another attempt to watch last episode of Shetland. This time successful. Earlier FTd Amy because I thought her birthday was the 10th for some reason, and started panicking about presents. She put us right, and we discovered she is coming up to UEA for visit on the 22nd! She may be going there, because she likes the course! 

Saturday – Bit chillier: four layers at football, which Norwich lost 3-2 against Preston, rather unluckily. Gradually catching up with stuff. Phil let me know about his operation, which was successful but painful. Wrote prayers for tomorrow and practised some music. Not particularly good. Watched a couple of episodes of Doc Martin. David FTd – he’d seen most of the match. I recognised his house. Very tired at end of evening.

Sunday – not a good night. Legs still itchy. Woke Dot up in time to get to church, where I did the prayers. Liz had “vision” towards end of Chris in golden robes – not like Liz at all. Strangely Dot and I had just sung in Communion “I will fill this house with glory”, one of my short songs. Meeting of DCC afterwards to discuss building hire rates: managed to miss most of it by saying hello to Ed, who dropped in, then taking Ray and Chris home. After meeting practised music for ceilidh. Phil worried about his hands. After lunch FTd Amy, who is coming up to UEA in a couple of weeks and wants us to look round the campus with her, because her mum is not well. We said we’d pick her up on the Friday if necessary. Watched all available episodes of Doc Martin and caught up with Norwich football on TV. Bed fairly early.

Monday – Still feeling very tired. Rain overnight, but sunny later. Chilly wind. Dot dropped me at church, then drove home and eventually took a taxi up to the hospital because the buses were abysmal and therefore too risky. She had an annual eye test; so couldn’t drive. Session at church was OK, but no Bible study. Had long talk with Carrie afterwards about function of hall – agreed with her that it shouldn’t be run as a business. Walked home (small part of way with Robert), and got there before Dot because bus was very slow. After lunch caught up with football on TV, and then both of us were immersed in catching up with other stuff.

After supper on Friday (chicken wings) we watched The Martian, which was excellent. 

Saturday, October 1 – Very pleasant weather most of the day, despite a chilly start. Drove to Creemore, about an hour north-east, where they were holding a two-day arts festival. Had sugar-heavy breakfast at the bakery (cherry Danish for me), before visiting the old station, where a couple of guys – guitar and bass – were singing Last Thing on my Mind,  then various studio exhibitions. A few of them were excellent (eg Susan Auld, Martha Bull and a friend of Roger’s called Sarah); others were very average.

Visited a few shops too, and I chatted to a number of people. One guy liked Dot’s perfume or maybe just her. We took more sugar-heavy stuff home to eat with a cup of tea, and Dot bought one or two items. David is apparently not too bad, but his team lost to Arsenal, whereas ours beat Blackpool 1-0 away. Roger spent some time on his machine, cutting the lawn. Many messages saying last night’s NIE reunion went really well. Did a bit of reading and fell asleep. Lovely steak for supper – afterwards watched pilot of Lewis: excellent. 

Sunday October 2 was quite cool to start with, but became warmer, especially in the sun. Had big breakfast at about 11am (pancakes, bacon, sausages and fruit) then half an hour later did a three-mile walk in the Albion Hills, genuinely just down the road, off Old Church Road. Nice autumn colours and a few turtles. Later read and slept a bit. David and Chrissy arrived just before 6pm, and we travelled to Orangeville for a meal at Greystones, paid for by David. Dot and I had lovely burger. Merry ride home, and all in bed by about 10.15pm.

Monday October 3 – Sunny with early frost. As I came down into the kitchen to get Dot an early cup of tea (Barbara, David and Chrissy were there) three coyotes walked across the frosty lawn. I was too slow, but Chrissy got a couple of pix, which she sent me. David and Chrissy did work in the small room: we had breakfast. Dot and I went out for a walk, then  David, Dot and I had a talk out on the deck while Barbara was cooking the lunch.
Afterwards, David and Chrissy left, and the four of us went for another shortish walk. Having problems with itchy ankles and shins for some reason. Did a bit of reading after we got back. E-mail from brother Phil saying he was having an operation to repair an umbilical hernia at King’s Lynn on Wednesday. Later watched a couple of episodes of Lewis, then went to bed.

Tuesday October 4 was our last full day; beginning to feel tense. Latish breakfast – scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. Finished reading Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, which was often good. Went for a walk in the Hockley Valley and found a weird caterpillar. Quite good views, but felt very tired , as I did for most of the day. Later had salmon and mashed potatoes, and a discussion about Covid which wasn’t very helpful. Sent some photos of our Orangeville meal to David at his request. Later watched another Lewis episode – one of the best. 

Wednesday October 5 – Bad night, undoubtedly because we’re leaving today and I “discovered” that our seats on the plane weren’t together. However I checked in this morning and found I could change Dot’s seat to next to mine. We did most of our packing before breakfast, and afterwards Dot and I walked right and down to Mount Hope Road, then 100 yards or so up it. Very quiet except for man delivering mail to boxes. Back home via Scott Road. 

Still in Canada:

Sunday 25th – Mainly rain, but went for a walk in the middle of the day when there was a break in the clouds, and did about 4000 steps, down to Mount Hope Road and back. Finished reading The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena, about a couple whose child is taken. Very good. Great meal of roast chicken in the evening, then watched Dune again. Still good. Message from Oliver said he would be climbing Snowdon on Tuesday. Feeling a big sinus-ropey early on, but better towards the end of the day.

Monday 26th – Forecast rain didn’t materialise until afternoon – in Toronto, anyway. Suspect it started much earlier in  Caledon, but we had travelled to the Sherway Mall, which is upscale, unlike the Conestoga one. Roger and I looked round !ndigo, which had a copy of the Amor Towles book, A Gentleman in Moscow, so I bought it for Chrissy. Wandered round a bit on my own, then we all met up for lunch at Joey’s (I think). Very good meal, which we paid for. I had steak with innovative crispy mashed potatoes and asparagus. Plus wine and introductory free champagne because we had to wait for our table. Heavy traffic on way back, and I dozed off for a few minutes. After a short break we watched Page Eight, a thriller starring Bill NIghy. Again, very good. Quick snack – rest of pavlova plus cheese and biscuits – we played cards, unfortunately. Quite late in bed.

Tuesday 27th – Skies very threatening in the morning. We got up late and after breakfast travelled to the Dufferin Museum, about 40 minutes away. Interesting stuff there, including a reproduction of an early Dufferin house, and a section on Cornflower Glass, which is very impressive. Took a few pictures and then home, arriving just after 2pm for lunch of chicken pie and salad. After lunch went for short walk – rained a bit as we returned home.  Watched four episodes of State of Play, which were excellent. Supper of cheese and biscuits after Episode 3. Oliver messaged to say he had climbed Snowdon by Llanberis track – up and down in five hours. .

Wednesday 28th – Overcast and quite cool, but not uncomfortably so. After breakfast we drove to Alton (about 35 minutes) and visited the Mill, where we had been once before. Looked at some exhibitions, and I spoke to a young woman called Sam, who was being advised by Roger on fonts for a forthcoming book she was writing (imaginary letters). We had a chat about visual arts/poetry combination and the possibilities with reference to Inprint. Gave her my website address. Afterwards looked at a couple of waterfalls and then home via a quick stop to buy food at Bolton. Roger had a phone call to say his new car would be ready next week. Cake and tea, then Dot and I went out for a walk, round to the right and back via Scott. Chilliest it’s been, and a mite damp, but not too much. Had supper of salmon, then watched final two episodes of State of Play, which were well done.

Thursday 29th –  Sunny but cold at first. Woke to find Hurricane Ian had smashed through the causeway at Sanibel, leaving the islands without road connection to the mainland. No aerial pictures yet, but we fear Captiva may have been breached again. Soon warmer, and we all went out for a walk; the others did the full eight, and I did a slight variation. Then for lunch we went to an Italian restaurant in Kleinburg called Belsito’s Trattoria. Excellent meal. I had a veal steak recommended by a man at the next table, and it was delicious. Dot and Roger had fish, and Barbara calamari. I had a Laphraoig! Excellent service and nice atmosphere, but parking tricky. Walked up and back through town afterwards. By now very warm. Tired on way home and collapsed on bed when we arrived. Later walked round garden, then watched The Politician’s Wife (all 3 episodes) with a break for nibbles. 

Friday 30th –  Sunny and warm after a sharp start. Dot had a bad night; so we were a bit late up. Drove north to Hockley Valley and walked part of the Bruce Trail and an offshoot of it. Beautiful and quite hilly, though no great views because of trees. Walked over 9000 steps; so over four miles. Have walked in total further this month than any month since last October. Afterwards we drove to Adamo winery, where we had celebrated our golden wedding anniversary, and had a mista board and wine, defying local hornets. Then home via East Caledon, where I bought some wine.

The Day of the Queen’s Funeral, Monday 1, was warm and dry, in both England and Canada. We woke at 5.30am and caught some preliminaries. The service started at 6am (11am BST). Watched pretty much all of it, including processions and services at Westminster and St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Good sermon by Archbishop Justin Welby – lots of emphasis on the Queen’s faith. Slow moving but dignified series of events. Took about five hours altogether. Brief chat with Oliver at one point.

Chrissy had got an early train into Toronto to meet the subject of her book, Mr Manji, and while David went to meet her on her return we did a longish walk. Before that we had an interesting talk with him about former homes and memories of them. Had something to eat when they got back and did quite a bit of reading. They went out for a walk, and Dot did part of it with them to bring her steps up to 6000. Later had meal and discussion about balanced diets. Helped clear up and went to bed just after 10pm – a long day!

Tuesday was mild; very warm as we walked home from the Conestoga Mall, where we had spent much of the morning. Bought a pair of trousers and some Tommy Hilfiger socks. Enjoyed Indigo bookshop and eventually bought tea and a croissant in the Starbucks there. Dot had a snack of apple, peanut butter and trail mix that she was euphoric about. Read in the afternoon, and I finished Frost and Fire – a collection of short stories by Roger Zelazny, bought for me by David. Very good, especially a sequel to Larry Niven’s The Magic Goes Away. In the evening the four of us went to Bauer Kitchen in the middle of Waterloo, where I had steak frites. The steak was delicious. In fact the whole meal was very enjoyable. Dot had a gnocchi dish recommended by Barbara. Waitress was excellent. 

Wednesday was mild on the whole. Read a lot to start with, then went for a walk just as rain threatened. Fortunately it held off: we met Lucy, a Hungarian who knew who we were presumably by recognising my resemblance to David. After we got back it rained quite heavily for a while. David drove us to Farm Boy and we picked up enough for lunch, plus. Came back and had lunch – chicken, sausage rolls etc, then read again. Sent off e-mail to George Kelly about the NIE reunion. David and Chrissy had to take a neighbour, Janet, to hospital. Dot did a walk on her own, and I did one alone later (to avoid leaving houser unattended). Rained again, quite heavily, during supper, and Seth arrived home from Venice about 10pm, transported by his father’s girlfriend (and his father).

Thursday was markedly cooler, with a a little light rain. Up by 8am to go to Farmers’ Market with David: he sat and did some work while we walked round (after having a very light breakfast). Bought a few small presents, and bracelet and earrings for Dot. Then home. Sophie arrived after lunch. Very windy weather and a bit threatening, but we risked it – wearing our raincoats – and did a longer walk than we intended, taking in something Rustic and Old Abbey Road up to the mall. Autumn seems to have arrived right on schedule, overnight. I finished reading The St Zita Society by Ruth Rendell, which was not as good as I hoped it would be. Ted got very jumpy in wind, going in and out. D&C went to the shop, I think. Anyway, they disappeared with Sophie and possibly Seth. After very nice evening meal, Sophie returned to her home. 

Friday was pretty cold, but mainly sunny. Went for longish walk after breakfast, and met Ted on the way back; then did some reading. In the afternoon we watched England lose 1-0 to Italy, playing very badly. David and Chrissy took us to Costco, an amazing warehouse store, and then we all went for a slightly shorter walk after  D&C got coffee from Tim Horton with Timbits (doughnut pieces). In the evening ordered pizzas from Domino – delicious – and watched Licorice Pizza, an offbeat and funny film. Then a bit of baseball, with New York beating Boston 5-4. Put article and poem on website.

Saturday 24th – Transfer day. Dry till evening, but a bit chilly. David and Chrissy drove us to Caledon, stopping en route at the covered bridge, where we took some good pictures. Saw a Mennonite on a bike. The six of us had an excellent brunch, including waffles and deconstructed hash browns, with fruit. After the sad departure of D&C – we had had a great time with them – we went for quite a long figure of eight walk. Felt pretty tired, with a bit of a headache. Light supper and long conversation before bed.