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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s the Thursday after Easter, and just a mite warmer than it has been the last few days. I am in the process of writing a chess article for the local magazine, En Passant, and have been looking up some games from my early days. Surprisingly, I’ve found all the ones I was looking for and am starting with the one I won the school chess championship with – a Queen sacrifice, no less. Possibly not sound, but there you are… Dot is Zooming with Barbara about her p4c pack, which I have been editing with her this week so that it can go online. Des should be bringing the groceries over shortly.

Easter Sunday was sunny and quite warm. We had Holy Communion at church – a lovely service led by Liz Cannon, with Howard speaking, or should I say conjuring – a word he uses very frequently. I played guitar and sang; I also read the lesson because Ray has eyesight problems and was nervous in case he couldn’t decipher it. We sang the last hymn outside (I played guitar), and apparently a woman from Sussex Street came over, having heard it from afar! Steve Fiske came to church at Anna’s invitation: he has been having health problems.

We (or rather Dot) gave an Easter egg to Sophie and family from The Lathes, and later to John’s kids and Phoebe and Freddie! We also sent several e-cards. After lunch we walked to the Rosary in very pleasant weather and then cleared the garage ready for the new freezer. We also watched the boat race, which was on the Great Ouse near Ely. Cambridge won both races narrowly. There were a couple of very good Easter programmes on TV. Later by contrast we watched Line of Duty, in which another policeman was killed. Not good for recruitment.

Huge change in the weather overnight. Bitterly cold on Easter Monday, with snow showers (not settling). I had a bad night and woke early. Sorted out some poems for a new book, then watched the original Death on the Nile (brilliant), Intruder (a new series), and Fawlty Towers (an old series, but still hilarious ). We FaceTimed with the whole family.  Too cold for a walk; managed 3000 steps inside. Dot ordered a vacuum cleaner.

Tuesday was still cold, with bits of snow on cars and roofs. Finished Godfrey’s book, Shifting Sands, which was very good but contained a number of errors and too few maps. I offered to edit the second edition! Lots of windy snow and hail showers. Dot had a violin lesson and long chat at Anna’s. I walked 5000 steps mainly indoors, and the new freezer arrived. Saw Norwich beat Huddersfield 7-0. Watched The Syndicate serial – not bad. Cooked salmon. Chris drove Mark back from hospital after the operation on his leg. Had a brief chat with them as I was putting the bins out ( a day late because of the bank holiday).

Yesterday was still cold, but not so windy. A bit of sun, but still stayed mainly indoors and had a very low step count. Strange day: we joined in a virtual tour of Old Jerusalem, which was very good, especially towards the end. I then had a What’sApp message from Vicky Myers to say my hotmail account had been hacked and was sending people messages asking for a “favor”, which deceived one or two people, although I’m not sure what the hacker was getting out of it. I changed the password, and toyed with closing the account, but Microsoft were making it very difficult to do anything.

In the middle of all this, Dot’s new hoover was delivered, and I started sorting out chess games for the article. Took grocery list over and chatted to Chris, then John, who was planting sunflowers for his daughter. Transferred some food into new freezer. Paul rang. Watched football, then Intruder, then The Terror, which was really not very good. I’m not sure why – perhaps the unconvincing setting, perhaps the ridiculous supernormal beast, perhaps the lack of women… Don’t know why they bothered.

It’s Easter Saturday, a dead day. But there was a kind of resurrection this morning when Linda came round and cut our hair. We now have a new life. It’s a bit chilly outside and snow is forecast for next week, but…

The current chilliness, though seasonal enough, contrasts sharply with the beginning of the week. Monday was pleasantly warm and sunny, and we drove to North Walsham, called at Sainsbury’s to buy flowers and proceeded to the cemetery. From there we went to Ebridge Mill, and walked along the North Walsham and Dilham Canal for a bit over half a mile. Very pleasant indeed. There was a lot of traffic on the roads, and hold-ups on the way home, but we got back just in time to have tea in the street with the neighbours, restricting ourselves to groups of six or less. I spoke to Jonathan and Mark, who has a badly injured knee following an accident in the States, and is going to haven operation very soon at Spire. I was tired after our walk, but cooked salmon, and later we watched the new Line of Duty, which is as mysterious and entertaining as always.

Tuesday was sunny again and almost as warm. We visited Phyllis at Thomas Tawell House, and she seemed pretty well. Afterwards we walked up to the Rosary after posting a letter to Andrew, then did some Paston editing. Spent an hour on phone to Lily, whose birthday was a few days ago, then ordered a freezer from John Lewis. Chatted briefly to Des and Mark.

Wednesday was still warm but cloudier. I finished preparing for our Zoom Compline and started getting  a new collection of poems together. Dot has been putting together some rather nice Stations of the Cross collages for church, and after lunch we dropped them off at church, then drove to Catton Park and walked round it. Beautiful area, but sadly overrun with dogs. Dot spent some time in the garden, and in the evening we watched The Lone Ranger film, which was to my surprise very good indeed, with great action sequences.

Next day, cold air returned, but it was dry. Dot spent a lot of time Zooming with Barbara, then spent the rest of the day working hard on her P4C pages, which are looking very good. I worked on my poems, then posted Easter cards and walked up to the Rosary, where I had a brief interchange with four women of about my own age or older, which was nice. Come home and had bath, then edited another Paston page.  Cooked salmon and watched The Terror , which has improved slightly. Spoke to Des and then Austin, the window cleaner.  Later we had our Zoom Compline, again without Kim, then watched most of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, mainly because part of it was filmed on a mountain we went up in Switzerland – the Schilthorn.

On Good Friday we watched the Riding Lights passion play again in bed – it was still brilliant –  and later had a discussion on it on Zoom, organised by Howard. Only four of us – Howard, Judy, Liz C and me, but Sister Pamela (living on the Isle of Mull) was also with us to begin with – sound only and with no idea why she was there. How can you join a Zoom meeting by mistake? Dot missed the discussion because she was watching Norwich City draw 1-1 with Preston after conceding a goal with the last kick of the game. I walked round Bishopgate and Cathedral Close. The weather was cool and grey, but not too bad. We finished  watching OHMSS.

Some time during the week we watched the final episode of Unforgotten, which must be one of the best police series ever.

Summer is in the air, the sky is blue, it’s reasonably warm, restrictions have been relaxed and we’re about to go to North Walsham. After lunch, that is. I’ve just written to Andrew, who seemed pretty down yesterday when I spoke to him briefly on the phone. I was told I could visit him, but of course there is still the distance problem. Maybe next month…

Last Tuesday, which marked a year since the first lockdown, I was tired most of the day and did very few steps. I did however manage to write three Parish Pump articles, and we watched Love and Mercy, about Beach Boys’ leader Brian Wilson, which turned out to be surprisingly good.

The next day was not too cold, and the sun came and went. I did the church rota and then walked up to the dentist while Dot was engaged in a Zoom DSSO meeting, during which she gave a good talk on the importance of DSSOs. I know it was good because I saw her notes, and because everyone said so. The dentist said there was nothing he could do except take my back tooth out, and it wasn’t really bad enough for that. Since then, however, I have been having trouble with one much nearer the front, which reacts strongly to cold. Annoying.

After lunch I did quite a bit of Paston editing on the QR pages, and managed 5000 steps. Later we watched Singing in in the Rain, which was good up to a point, but with some totally irrelevant dance sequences in the middle, the only compensation being the very striking Cyd Charisse. We also watched the last episode of the excellent Elizabeth R. Did she die of lead poisoning? No-one knows.

Thursday started very sunny. Dot had a Zoom with Barbara Vidion in the morning and a walk with Anne at Poringland in the afternoon. I walked up to the Rosary and home via Cotman Road. Later we continued watching The Terror, though it’s really not very good. We shall watch it to the end, not to see what happens but to show that we can. Norwich’s Dave Hanley, who can never get a header on target for City, scored with a header for Scotland. In the evening we had a Zoom DCC, without Matt or Phil. It was OK.

On Friday the weather gradually worsened – windy, then rain in the afternoon. My leg was a bit painful, as it has been for a while – happily, as I write it seems to be fine. We got up late, and I had a bath. Dot worked on a written version of her DSSO talk for wider distribution, and I did some work on a Palm Sunday liturgy, then put the rota on my calendar and on the website. We had a FaceTime with David, who now has official permission to be in Canada until the end of the year. Des got Dot fish and chips again, and I had an omelette. Early night, low steps.

Next day it was sunny and windy. I watched the end of the France-Scotland rugby match, and was glad I did, because it was extremely exciting. France inexplicably held on to the ball when they could have kicked it off field and won; then Scotland got a penalty and scored, more than four minutes into added-on time. The score was 27-23, I think. The winning pass was thrown by stand-in fly half Hastings after the first-choice fly half had been sent off .

Later I walked with Dot to the Rosary; then, after the TV jammed (I sorted it out later) we watched a film on Netflix called A Call To Spy, based on the true story of two women in the second world war. It was pretty good. We also watched the first episode of a new series of Keeping Faith, but both agreed we wouldn’t watch any more, because the lead actress was permanently hysterical and extremely irritating. Don’t know if it was her fault, or the scriptwriter’s, or the director’s. No football because of the international break.

The weekend weather turned out not to be as bad as forecast, but it was windy and a bit chilly. Start of British Summer Time, and we cooked our evening meal in daylight!  Led the church service while not feeling too well, but felt better in the afternoon. Liz Cannon preached and later we FaceTimed with Amy and Oliver, who both seemed quite perky. Wrote a piece for my website on free speech for minorities. Ended day by watching an exciting Bahrain Grand Prix – Hamilton just holding off Verstappen – and some international football highlights. Pukki scored a penalty for Finland, and (we discovered later) Hernandez scored for Cuba.

Had a terrible night last night – the worst I can remember for months, possibly years (except when I was in hospital). At 2.30 I took a couple of pills – one for my stomach, which was queasy – and at 6.30 decided to have breakfast and a cup of tea. The papers had arrived; so I took them back to bed and did the sudokus and other puzzles. Still couldn’t get to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. At some point I had a dream in which I was going mad, but couldn’t do anything about it. We were by the sea, and the tide came in on to the road. I’m sure it’s all very meaningful, but it’s now just after midday, I’ve had a bath and am extremely tired and a bit hungry, though not yet mad.

Last Tuesday was drizzly, but Anne came round and went for a walk with Dot. We had a phone chat with David Archer, then later of course he joined us for the Zoom Compline (minus Kim, for undisclosed reasons). At some point we watched a new detective drama called Grace, which was pretty good, and the Likely Lads film, which for me was nostalgic and good fun, and for Dot absolutely hilarious. It’s a long time since I’ve heard her laugh so much. Despite my bad back (now much improved), I managed 4000 steps.

On Wednesday, a major event: tree-cutting on the path behind our house, which had been promised for ages. It was cool and a bit rainy; so not much fun for the cutters. Dot took Harriet for a walk after lunch, an event she described as “a nightmare”. They lost the dog, and Harriet spent most of the walk on the phone to other people. I wrote the first half of Sunday’s sermon and watched the rest of Life on the Road, featuring Ricky Gervais as David Brent. Despite him being obnoxious as usual, the end was well done and rather sad. Also watched Norwich beat Notts Forest 2-0, then in the evening High Plains Drifter, and as a result were late to bed . Walked just over 3000 steps, all indoors.

Thursday was wet and cool again, but there was no stopping the tree men. I finished reading A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles, which was totally brilliant. Dot had a long Zoom with Barbara Vidion on P4C. My back was still quite bad, though slightly improved. Didn’t walk very far, but finished writing my sermon. Watched The Terror, which is really not very good, and Elizabeth R, which is 50 years old and very good indeed.

Friday was sunny and quite mild – a welcome change. The tree men finished and left a rake behind, which I rescued. Not a bad job, though I had been hoping they would cut more. I examined the ones remaining and decided they weren’t really a threat to our roof.

Posted a couple of cards and walked in the Rosary. Quite a few people about. Later Dot walked on her own. At 5pm we watched Riding Lights’ lockdown passion play, Breaking Day, which was excellent, as you might expect. Also watched The Falklands Play, from the 1980, which was well done, with Margaret Hodge a much better Mrs Thatcher than Gillian Anderson in The Crown. Over a few days we watched The Lost Tapes of Daniel Barenboim on Beethoven, which was extremely informative and, well, scintillating, I suppose. Printed some unrelated music out for Phoebe. Back still quite bad.  

Saturday was much duller and chillier, but no wind. Dot did some cleaning, while I went for a walk round The Close. Not all that comfortable, as I was still in a bit of pain. Norwich drew 1-1 with Blackburn – a fair result, though we missed a couple of easy chances. Dot and I cleared a pile of leaves by the steps that had been annoying me for ages, using the forgotten rake. Watched France v Wales at rugby – an amazing game won by France 32-30 in overtime. We had quite a long chat with David on FaceTime.

It was grey again on Sunday. I rewrote my St Augustine’s Way liturgy for Howard, then edited my sermon. I heard that my tanka and haiku had been included in a booklet called On A Knife Edge, which accompanies a national exhibition by the Lettering Arts Trust. Very pleasing. I filled in the national census form, and we had a philosophical discussion with David, Chrissy, Oliver and Amy. I also wrote report on St Augustine’s Sunday worship for the annual parish meeting, and then Dot and I walked on Cary’s Meadow, getting back in good time for the Zoom service at which I preached. This was recorded and is available on line if you have the access code. Watched quite a bit of Crock of Gold documentary about Shane McGowan while Dot watched Spurs match on phone.

Yesterday started out with blue sky, then intermittent sun. Dry, coolish. Walked with Dot on Mousehold after taking her to Tesco to buy water filters, then had an accidental chat with Des. Watched more rugby (recorded), then Unforgotten, which continues to be very good indeed.

Just a normal day in lockdown – well, not quite. This morning I woke before 5am and remembered I had to do a covid test before 8am, because the courier was due to collect it between 8am and 6.30pm. As I was awake, I thought I might as well do it then; so I did. It was quite unnecessarily complicated, as it was the other half-dozen times I’ve done it – even the box you put it in has to be constructed, and I have to work it out painstakingly every time. If I was actually ill, I’m not sure I would be able to do it. But I’m not – I had been selected randomly as part of a study; so it took me well under an hour. I couldn’t get back to sleep, of course (nor could my wife), and shortly after 7.30am I received a text message saying it would be picked up between 2.30pm and 6pm. Very helpful. I wonder how many billion pounds it cost setting that up.

Now it’s just after 10am, and I’m feeling very tired. Dot is waiting for her friend Anne to come and join her in a walk, which is now legal, apparently. It’s not quite raining.

I’ve had a bit of a bad back for a few days, which is annoying. It got worse after we discovered the freezer had broken down. It was probably not the discovery, which happened late on Sunday evening, but the extracting of various items and shifting the freezer away from its slot in the boiler room. I don’t know why I did that. Anyway, we salvaged a few items, threw some away and cleaned out the waterlogged appliance. Dot did that bit. I took some fish cakes round to Judy’s, who I happened to be speaking to on the phone the next day.

On the way back I called in at the Rosary and found that the flowers on my parents’ grave were looking good, despite the wind and rain of previous days. The weather seemed mild, but when I went out later with Dot we found there was a bitter breeze. Misled, I had not taken my hat. We walked over the Julian bridge and into Mountergate, then did the small circle through the Close and into Bishopgate. Later we ate some fish from the freezer, and I did a quite detailed response to the latest idiotic traffic plan, which includes closing Thorpe Road to cars coming into the city and making St Matthew’s Road and Chalk Hill Road one-way (going up). It’s only a question of time before they make Aspland Road one-way.

Obviously the plans will make our journey home from the east longer and more liable to hold-ups, but that doesn’t matter if it’s easier for cyclists. Not very green, as I pointed out. Interestingly I had just had a chat on the doorstep with our local city councillor, a nice bloke called Ben, who is probably Green (strangely, he didn’t say). We agreed on just about everything, including the traffic plan.

Let me run through the last few days, which included the annually significant three – Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday – some heavy showers – was the anniversary of my mother’s death. Friday – more showers and windy – was Phil’s birthday. And Saturday – same again – was the anniversary of my father’s death. On Thursday I walked up to the Rosary and for the first time I can remember since my uncle Paul’s, there was a funeral in progress. As it ended there was a particularly heavy shower, but happily by then I had reached the shelter of the chapel porch, where I chatted to a couple of workmen. Later I wrote my website piece and we watched the film Margin Call, which was about a Wall Street crash situation and was pretty good. You could almost see how it might have happened.

On Friday we took the car to deliver Phil’s presents (on the doorstep), then put a card through Howard’s door and drove up to the chemist to pick up Dot’s prescription. Afterwards we walked on Mousehold (the nearer side), which was bit muddy. I felt quite tired and had a bad stomach pain as we neared the car, but it was very short-lived. Later Dot had fish and chips, and I did an omelette. We watched a couple of films – Lady Macbeth (artistically excellent but not uplifting) and The Man Who Would Be King (a ripping yarn written by Rudyard Kipling and made a success by Sean Connery and Michael Caine).

Unusually we spent Saturday morning reading the papers. I walked on my own up to Bishopgate in the afternoon, and down a little path at the back of the bridge where I’d never been before. Got a couple of interesting photos. Later Amy FaceTimed us. I watched England beat France 23-20 at rugby – quite a good game – then we watched Another Year, a Mike Leigh film in which nothing much happened, but it was absolutely brilliant. Great performance by Lesley Manville as an office worker past her best (though she still looked pretty good to me) who tried desperately to fit in but couldn’t. The final scene, in which no words were spoken except in the background, was stunning. Highly recommended.

Sunday was strange. Still rainy, had a bad night and felt wiped out. I read in the bath for quite a while, then we watched Norwich beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1, followed by the second half of India beating England at T20 (or toytown cricket, as Paul Henderson and I call it). As we had paid for a NOW TV pass, Dot then watched a bit of the Spurs match, in which they lost to Arsenal but scored a brilliant goal through Lamela. I led our Zoom service, and David FaceTimed, though not at the same time. We discussed a number of books. Watched the end of the Finnish thriller The Man in Room 301, which was pretty good, with a pleasing finish (ho, ho). The same could not be said of Bloodlands, in which setting up a sequel was obviously a priority.

Still here, though at times it seems hard to register the fact. This might mean I have mental health issues, because most people seem to nowadays, but in fact I think it’s just the temporary effect of having my movements restricted. Bit like being in Moscow, post-revolution, or in East Berlin when the Wall was up. These two examples spring to mind because I’m reading an excellent book called A Gentleman in Moscow and have just started watching a very good TV series called Deutschland 1989.

At least I’m not in hospital. Our friend Harriet was in with a heart attack this last week, but is now out with a stent. Dot and I are both more or less OK, though the appalling weather yesterday didn’t help: it was raining hard most of the day, and cold and windy too. Today the sky is a little brighter, but it’s still very windy, and the rain isn’t far away. I’m still waiting for my voluntary covid test pack, and can’t log into the Boots site to fix the eye test they want me to have.

It’s no wonder I’ve taken to watching old films. This week we saw Brighton Rock, based on the Graham Greene book, and featuring Richard Attenborough as a 17-year-old who looked about 35. I guess people aged faster in those days. Good fit, if you can forgive the lack of subtlety, and an excellent ending. But then Graham Greene was a brilliant writer. Last night we watched In the Loop, a sort of sequel to the TV series The Thick of It, which was scintillating but depressing, and not just because of the continual cursing. No, I know it’s not an old film.

Last Friday was Doreen’s birthday, and the day Oliver had his vaccination. He seems to have had no side-effects. Both grandchildren are of course back at school now. Dot was busy recording music and having a Zoom meeting with one of her head teachers; otherwise we would have gone to North Walsham. Instead we went the next day. I was a bit nervous, because it was neither local nor essential, strictly speaking, but of course we posed no threat to anyone. We called at Sainsbury’s in NW and then went to the cemetery to place flowers. Beautifully sunny and calm. On the way home we had a look at the bungalow Roger and Debbie are buying in Spenser Avenue, close to the high school, and then put some flowers on Mum and Dad’s grave. Dot walked home from there.

In the afternoon we watched Norwich beat Luton 3-0 to go ten points clear at the top of the table. David and Chrissy FaceTimed to show us their new furniture – donated to them by Barbara and Roger, who are having a major refit. The next day Spurs won 4-1; so a good weekend, football-wise.

On Sunday, as well as our Zoom service, we watched The Godfather, which we had never seen. Very long film, but extremely good, and we really enjoyed it. On Monday Dot had a long Zoom with Barbara Vidion about expanding the P4C material for use online, and in the afternoon, although it was raining slightly, we fulfilled an appointment with Janet Bower, who was on one of her expeditions into the city (she lives in the wilds of Taverham). We met her at Pull’s Ferry and then walked her up to the Rosary, which she was keen to see. We gave her a kind of guided tour in less than ideal conditions, but she seemed to enjoy it. I think we got more (general) information from her than we imparted ourselves. I was very tired by the time we reached our house, and of course we couldn’t invite her in; so Dot accompanied her back to the Close, where her car was parked.

Afterwards we watched a lot of TV. I sent some poems to the Suffolk Poetry Society magazine. Don’t know if they’ll publish them. I’ve been writing a lot recently, partly because as part of Lent I’ve been trying to compose something every day after we read a Psalm together and pray. This seems to prompt other poems too.

On Tuesday the weather was still fairly spring-like, and again the milk was either not delivered or stolen from the step. I suspect the latter: it happened again today, and I think we’ll have to cancel deliveries. Pity. I did think of doubling our order and seeing if the thief would take one bottle and leave us the other, but Dot is not keen on this idea. She cleaned up the utility room while I did the charity money, and after lunch we walked to the sorting office and then round to Morrisons, mainly to buy some birthday cards. It’s Phil’s birthday tomorrow – which means that today is the day my mother died, and Saturday is the day my father died.

Dot extended her walk to King Street, buying a take-away coffee and drinking it on a seat by the Julian bridge while I walked straight home, still tired from the day before. As well as Brighton Rock, we watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a Narnia story that was very well done indeed. Highly recommended.

Yesterday, as I said, winter returned, and I did the lowest number of steps I’ve done for a long time. Obviously we didn’t leave the house. Roger and Debbie dropped in so that we could sign their wills: it was nice to see them. In the afternoon we did a Virtual Tour of Elm Hill, Tombland and the Cathedral led by a very soggy Paul Dickson. Brave of him to go ahead with it. Later David and Chrissy FaceTimed us; they seemed happy. In the evening we watched the latest episode of The Terror, based on Franklin’s expedition to find (or not find) the North-West passage. I suspect it’s not very good, really.

Dot has just taken advantage of a sunny interval to walk up to the sorting office to post a letter. I am staying in in case Des delivers our groceries, but intend to go out later, unless the weather deteriorates.

Not a very exciting day today. Very cold (a north wind), and intermittent rain. No plans to go for a walk. Our grocery has been delivered, and Dot has been walking in the garden. Briefly. I have registered for a survey that includes taking another covid test, following an invitation from the NHS. Looked at a couple of holiday cottages in Suffolk, but decided to put it off.

Last Friday seems a long time ago. We watched a brilliant film called Bringing up Baby, which featured Audrey Hepburn in amazing form. I didn’t know she was that good. Earlier I walked up to the Rosary while Dot did the garden: there was some tree work going on in the Rosary – not entirely sure what, possibly thinning out at the very top. Dot had fish and chips, and we watched Vera because it’s soothing.

Saturday was sunny again, and we got up late. After lunch we went for a walk on Mousehold and got pretty tired. Also had a cup of tea in Chris and Des’s driveway; it was just warm enough to chat comfortably. After that we watched The Plank, which was extremely funny, and later a modern film called Edie, starring Sheila Hancock as an old widow (83) who wanted to climb a mountain. It was surprisingly good, made even more so for us, because they used the rather esoteric hotel in Lochinver that we stayed at a couple of years ago. The mountain, of course, was Suilven – not tremendously high but quite inaccessible. Apparently SH actually climbed it; so perhaps I could… Probably not; so I wrote a poem about it instead.

My book got a euphoric response from Joy McCall, but then she is on my wavelength. Very encouraging, though. She put it on Facebook, which is more than I did. I have sent it to a few people.

It was extremely foggy first thing on Sunday, and quite chilly. I had a bath and finished Heather’s book, then wrote to her about it. Not the sort of thing I’d normally read, but quite nicely done, if you’re interested in cultural sexism. Norwich beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-0, and I led a Zoom service, with Dot doing the prayers. Howard preached. In the afternoon we walked round Bishopgate and the cut-through. Amy got in touch, and Dot spent quite a time on the phone to Anne.

Monday was cold but dry. I walked up to the postbox to post a few books, but that was it. Dot had a longish Zoom with Barbara about P4C, and a PCC meeting in the evening. We also had a conversation with the Evetts. I had a strange moment when I stepped outside the front door and suddenly realised it was completely quiet: no motor vehicles, nothing – and we are in the middle of a city. It was about 11pm.

The next day was still cold but dry. Dot had a Zoom violin lesson, and after lunch we both walked to the Greens’ to deliver some music – met Howard coming out of a neighbour’s house, then met Maureen (from No 6 ) at the bottom of the road and Sarah, who was popping into Mark’s. He is in Alabama again. I booked a couple of days at Blakeney while the Evetts are there, and a check-up at the dentist in about three weeks’ time. In the evening we had a chat with David and Chrissy (it was her birthday). They seemed to be having fun. Started watching a new Scandi Noir (Finnish this time), and saw the end of Marcella, which didn’t impress me. Almost everyone in it was borderline insane, and by the end conveniently dead, except for Marcella herself (spoiler alert) and a baby she had taken from its shot mother to replace the one she’d lost in an earlier series. Completely unconvincing.

I’ve started reading the book that Dot was very keen on: A Gentleman in Moscow. It’s very well written and heart-warming in the best possible way. Funny, too. The weather yesterday was very cold, but no wind at all. Posted a card and went to the Rosary with Dot, saying hello to our “mate” who does maintenance there. Norwich beat Brentford 1-0. Pukki missed a couple of sitters. I cooked the Hello Fresh meal while Dot watched the first half, and we watched the second half together. Watched the first two episodes of The Terror, a much-hyped series about Franklin’s ill-fated attempt to find the north-west passage. Not sure how they’re going to stretch it over ten episodes.

Beautifully sunny this Friday morning. I’ve already had a bath and been to the post office to send off a couple of my poetry books to friends. This costs £1.53 a time because each one is five grams over the limit for normal second class. The sorting office was closed; so I went to the post office at Budgens, where I discovered you couldn’t buy £1.53 stamps; so I’ve come back with a selection that may or may not add up. Like Government covid figures, really.

On Monday, after my Zoom session with Rob and Peter, we watched Suspicion, starring Cary Grant, who is always good value – but I don’t think the film really worked. Am also getting a bit fed up with Marcella, a TV series set in Northern Ireland, because the title character is just too weird. Another Northern Ireland series, Bloodlands, starring James Nesbitt, had just started and is far, far better.

Norwich beat Birmingham 3-1 on Tuesday, but didn’t play particularly well and looked as if they could lose it in the first half. I think Farke gave them a heavy pep talk at half-time. Earlier Dot went up to the garden centre. We watched the start of the new season of Unforgotten, which is pretty good, as far as I can remember 🙂

The next day we did a lot of work in the garden. I cut back all the roses outside the back door and spent ages squeezing them into the brown bin – almost a miracle. Multiple cuts, but probably not serious… Dot also cut the roses at the front and did a lot of tidying up. Later we both had a bath, though not simultaneously.

This was a big day, because while looking for the cricket on All4 I stumbled across P’Tang, Yang, Kipperbang, a brilliant film which I had been sort of looking for for some time. It’s the ultimate feelgood movie, so beautifully written and acted it made you want to laugh and cry at the same time. If anyone ever reads this blog, I urge you try to watch it. Dot and I watched it, and I’m happy to say she liked it about as much as I did.

We also managed to squeeze in our regular Compline, again with a full attendance, plus the first day of the third Test against India, in which England managed 112 all out. This was matched only by the second innings, when they achieved 81 all out, losing by ten wickets. They did manage to get India out for 145, but took no wickets in their second innings. The abject batting was matched only by pathetic complaints about the pitch (they won the toss and chose to bat) and on-field complaints about the umpiring, which was excellent, considering the conditions. They complained about a “catch” by Stokes that was given not out. It clearly touched the ground – bit surprised at Stokes, who is usually very fair-minded and walks when he knows he’s out.

Yesterday I did an online session with the Norfolk Record Office about how to use their new online catalogue. This would have been slightly better if they hadn’t assumed that everyone knew how to use their old online catalogue, but still it was useful and came with a workbook containing full notes. After lunch Dot and I went up to the garden centre and bought some new tools for pruning (note the excellent timing – we did the pruning the day before) plus various other things, including a sack of birdseed and some cards. Afterwards we went for a walk on the dark side of Mousehold, stumbling on St William’s Chapel remains. All very beautiful, but of course lots of people and a fair number of dogs. We did manage to find some quiet spots.

Watched the end of The Bay, which pulled up rather sudden but was pretty good, and the second episode of Elizabeth R, an old series starring Glenda Jackson that’s beautifully done, though amusingly pedestrian, or should I say equestrian. Lots of scenes with people walking and riding. One or two shots reminiscent of Monty Python, but still very well worth watching.

Have just discovered that Helen Champion, the brilliant manager at Andrew’s care home in Coventry, is leaving next week. Very sad news: she is a superb organiser and extremely kind. Things are changing all round. Phil rang the other day to say they had a place at Eckling Grange in Dereham, and they would probably be moving in May or June. He is a bit stressed about everything that has to be done before then, but who wouldn’t be? The same morning Dot’s cousin Roger rang to say that he and Debbie would be moving to North Walsham. They have been living at Heartsease, but Debbie is retiring (her eyes are very bad), and North Walsham has many advantages for them, as well as being his birthplace, of course. Su Lee is moving from Bacton after many years (I worked with her on the EDP), and of course Lucy is moving from Bowthorpe to Horstead.

Today I had a Zoom meeting with Rob and Peter about the future of the Paston Heritage Society. Bit unclear about what’s going to happen, but Rob is putting together some proposals, which involve him stepping down as chairman and possibly the PHS being dissolved. But we shall see. It’s hard to get people interested in being members, let alone trustees. I am likely to step down too at the end of the year, at least as an active member.

When the batteries in my PINsentry went flat mid-transaction this morning, Dot and I went for a walk and called in at Boots and Morrisons to get replacements. I wasn’t too happy at what was on offer, though they eventually turned out to be the right ones, and Dot went back for them while I was Zooming. But on the way back first time we bumped into Paul Dickson on the Julian Bridge: he is now doing virtual tours online, and we’re going to tune into one on Wednesday. May be able to persuade him to do a Paston one.

Meanwhile Robin has sent me his logbook of the yomps we did between 1996 and 2000, which proved very interesting as well as containing a very unflattering picture of me. I have submitted four tanka to the “On a Knife Edge” project being run by some Lettering organisation which is working with the Suffolk Poetry Society. I was persuaded to get my finger out by Lynne Nesbit, who is the copy editor for the project.

On Saturday Norwich won 1-0 against Rotherham, but should have won about 5-0. Thanks to other top championship teams losing unexpectedly, it turned out to be a very, very good result. Sadly Spurs have not yet come out of their poor run, though they played well in the second half yesterday against West Ham, losing 2-1.

Dot and I have been doing quite a lot of walking, much of it involving the Rosary. The weather is extremely spring-like. I was actually too warm on a couple of the walks. Yesterday I preached on Zoom at our church meeting. Bit odd because of the lack of visible reaction (no eggs or tomatoes). Later watched Finding Alice, a TV serial that seemed particularly pointless. Surprised Keeley Hawes went for it. Have finished reading Born Bad, a book on original sin by James Boyce, who used to come to St Augustine’s before returning to Tasmania. Interesting book, though I have one or two questions…