That was an extremely odd Christmas. With David, Oliver and Amy having a very noisy time in Canada, we expected to be quiet and relaxed, but it was anything but. It started last Sunday with the alternative carol service, which as usual – and by popular demand (ie no-one else wanted to do it) – I wrote and directed.

It seemed to go very well and received multiple plaudits. Sarah was there but was manifestly unwell. Howard was ill in bed, but Matt took on his role as first angel. Dot and I were certainly not 100% but both thankful to be up and running – or at least walking slowly. The service was followed by a lengthy meal. We’d forgotten the Yorkshire puddings, but their absence was not a huge problem.

We didn’t do much the rest of the day, but the next day we visited Rosie, getting the usual Christmas cake and sherry, both very rich. Rosie seemed on form, although she obviously has back problems. Had an interesting talk.

We called at Morrisons in Catton to buy some top-up food, and were back home in time to greet Philip, who called in with presents and received ours for him and his sons’ families. Then we had to prepare for the Neighbourly Nibbles, which went surprisingly well. All our neighbours turned up and were joined by Denise and Peter. All our neighbours =Jonathan; Mark and Sarah; John and his three children; Des and Chris; Mary, Bob and Oscar, who was home for a few days and who had a surprisingly good time; and Sean, Ciera, Freddie and Phoebe. A surprising number of bottles of wine were drunk, but as most of them were brought by visitors, that was no problem!

On Christmas Eve (I think) Roger and Debbie dropped in for a couple of hours. Later we were off to the Hendersons’ for another nibble evening. Chatted to Harriet and Neil, as well as to Jozef and Holly, but not so much to Paul and practically not at all to Maryta, who went to bed before we left. Dot drove, but I drank hardly anything. I don’t know why.

Last night we went to the Midnight Communion at St Augustine’s. Had to be there a bit early to take the Advent Candles, and I got landed with reading the Gospel, which I like doing as it goes (yes, there was a Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special). All good: spoke to Steve Fiske and to Chris Denton and her two children – a rare occurrence seeing them together, as Zoe lives in Melbourne and Ben in Guam. Lovely to speak to them afterwards. Didn’t get to bed till well after 1am and had to be up fairly early to help at the church on Christmas morning.

We weren’t in time for the said Communion at 9.15am, but we had breakfast there and helped with the buffet afterwards, speaking to some interesting and quite alternative people, including Chris, who had some interesting views on St Thomas’s and Park Road Methodist church; Tara, who had extraordinary fingernails; and Erica, a German who lived most of her life in Scotland. Judy was there, and Dot fetched Phyllis. There were others. Helped with washing up, and it was well into the afternoon by the time we got home.

We then cooked a Christmas meal for early evening, and it turned out to be very nice. We watched a bit of TV.

The next two days were Andrew-centric. We set off around 11, and called in at Sainsbury’s Pound Lane to get some petrol (we had a voucher) and something for the staff at Minster Lodge. Dot drove at first. It was pretty awful weather all the way: darkly overcast and mainly raining. We stopped at Cambridge Services and were pleasantly surprised shortly afterwards to find ourselves on the new section of the A14, which was brilliant, probably saving 10-15 minutes.

We got to Andrew’s just before 3pm, gave him his presents and then progressed to the Old Mill Hotel at Baginton, where we had an unexpectedly big evening meal. We had intended to have fish and chips but instead found ourselves faced with a Boxing Day set menu: three courses that we just survived. Watched TV afterwards, of course., but didn’t sleep very well, although I had brought my new pillow (a present from Dot).

Just about managed to get up in time for breakfast and got to Andrew’s at about 10.40. Took him out for a drive, but not before calling in at Oak Furniture Land and buying him a chair for his room. We then drove round where we used to live (Beanfield Avenue and The Chesils) and stopped for a walk to the Pond at Quinton Park. Andrew was obviously very tired and breathless, as he was both times we saw him. He looked better on this occasion, with a proper jacket and trousers instead of yesterday’s track suit bottoms.

Drove back in time for lunch just after noon and we left him appearing rather ill at ease. Possibly disruption of routine, or the complication of the chair… Dot drove the first leg home in much better weather (though still grey), and got on to the new stretch of the A14 without incident. The effect was ruined however by a huge queue as we reached the old section of the road, and we crawled for two or three miles before getting into Cambridge Services – which were full! Judging by the number of children, it looked like this was a regular spot for a family outing.

I eventually managed to locate a parking spot, and Dot bought a coffee, which she brought back into the car. But as I took an alternative route via Boxworth and on to the A14 near Cambourne, she found it hard to drink (rather bumpy). But it all worked out in the end. The A14 was the usual 40mph funeral for some miles, but after that there was no real problem apart from a short diversion near Barton Mills. We got home about 4pm, had another Christmas meal and watched some more TV. We fell asleep of course, but woke in time to see a good documentary on Fleetwood Mac’s Christine Perfect.

Today I have mainly been writing tomorrow’s sermon, but Naomi turned up to have a drink before accompanying Dot to the Norwich-Spurs match, which Norwich were cheated out of winning by inept VAR. It ended 2-2. I am cooking another Christmas meal as Dot makes her way home.

Feeling tired after a hectic week. Oliver and Amy are due to go to Canada tomorrow, hopefully avoiding the flooded roads in Sussex. IT has been raining here too, but nothing like as much, and it has been quite a bit warmer.

Last Sunday we had the familiar jacket potato lunch at church while discussing St Augustine’s Way. Quite a good discussion, actually, to which I unexpectedly contributed. Bridget and David came and joined in.

On Tuesday they were with us again for our Christmas edition of Cake and Compline, which went well. Surprisingly, everyone managed to come – even Claire, who was getting over a cold. Hope we don’t reap the results of that. I did a special compline – which is to say I put bits together from various sources.

On Wednesday Dot went to Alpington for a leaving assembly for the head teacher, where she sat next to Elaine Wright, who is a governor. i guess her name isn’t Elaine Wright now, but I don’t know what it is. She rushed back to get ready for the lunch visit of the Higbees, which went very well, I had considered going into the city afterwards, but decided not to, because it was unexpectedly 4pm and not very nice weather.

The next day we drove to North Walsham and called in to see Sheila and Bridget, whose day it was to look after her. I very much like Bridget, as I do her sister Teresa, which is odd because they don’t get on with each other. Sheila is still sprightly at 91, and her hearing is excellent – picks up on everything. Afterwards we went to Sainsburys to buy food and some flowers, then went to the cemetery.

Back in Norwich, I got a bus into the city, paid in a cheque and then went to Jarrolds, where I bought a few books before getting a bus home. In the evening we went to Yelverton for nibbles with Denise (if you see what I mean). Clive was there looking bright and breezy in a laid back sort of way, but Elaine was unable to come because of trouble with her boys. The Jarys and Pitts were there, as was Linda from Tanglewood, who we discovered had been in Sainsburys in North Walsham (with her husband) at the same time as we were. How fascinating is that?

Today we braved the rain to go the Cellar House at Eaton for a Christmas lunch with the CNS Old Boys crowd. As a result of a misunderstanding we got there early, but so did Neville and Mary, who bought us a mulled wine. Discovered (Mike?) Huggins had just had a similar prostate cancer operation to the one I had, with slightly different complications. He seems OK now, though it’s only three months on.

Very good meal, though I mistakenly had someone else’s main course of turkey, when I had ordered beef. This caused minor chaos, but it was sorted out fairly quickly. The woman whose meal I stole didn’t mind, and the waiter took it well. Adrian did a couple of quizzes afterwards, which our group didn’t win. He seemed surprised. I don’t know why.

Chilly and damp, but it’s been worse. Started the week with a visit to Verena, Plumstead’s top sports masseuse, and she had a go at my neck and arm, which felt pretty good. Can now just about play my guitar, which is nice – though only for me.

Wrote just about all our Christmas cards this week and sent off our parcels, including one to Waterloo, which we paid for online.

On Tuesday went to the Archant pensioners’ Christmas meal – by taxi, because the weather was so miserable. Peter Franzen also turned up. Food was a bit better than last year, and it was quite enjoyable. Sat next to Bill Woodcock, which was entertaining.

A clash of dates on Wednesday saw Dot departing to the Marsh Harrier for Christmas dinner with Sillars while I walked to the Greens’ for supper with them and the Bowers (Vicky’s parents). Dot had a frustrating evening because the service was funereal and the food less than brilliant. As a result she arrived at the Greens’ just as Derek and Janet were leaving. However she had to perform a piece of brilliant driving to achieve that, getting out of a very tight parking space by superlative manoeuvring. I rely on her own description, but it did sound good, and it certainly cheered her up. I had a great time, with a delicious meal and good conversation. Struck up rapport with Derek, I think.

The next day we gave lunch to the Eagles. Dot did some of her delicious carrot soup, I opened some rose, and we had a convivial time, partly discussing the Pastons and Dot’s philosophy plans for the schools conference organised by Sue. When they left in wind and rain they gave us a lift up to the polling station; so we were able to vote and reduce the Labour majority in our constituency by 0.000000001 per cent. Everywhere else in East Anglia returned a Conservative, and they got an overall majority of about 80.

Today we had our hair cut in the morning and discovered Linda had broken up with Mike again, though they are still living together. After lunch Paul came round for two cups of tea, a mince pie and quite a long chat. Earlier spoke to David on FaceTime, and he sent us some money.

Not the best of weeks, health-wise. While never being too ill to do things, I had a painful stomach and a very mild headache most of the time, with an occasional slight rise in temperature. Hard to spot the culprit. Dodgy duck egg? Too much seeded bread? Or are the pills I take for stomach problems disagreeing with me? In the event I have switched back to my original pills, and seem to be feeling better…

Got up to the Archant coffee morning last Tuesday and took a load of old Prospects home, which I have since scoured for items of interest and found a couple. Followed this by walking over to the Forum to see an art exhibition in which Lucy was featured. Her pictures were pretty good, but if I had money to spend on pictures, there were a couple of others I would have gone for. We then walked up to Revelation and bought 100 Christmas cards.

The next day I roused myself and went to see Andrew, leaving Norwich at 10am and returning just after 8pm. Miraculously all the trains were on time, but a couple of my walking routes were blocked by road works; so those bits took a bit longer than usual. Andrew was not in the most talkative of moods, but OK after a bit. Spent a long time talking to one of the senior carers about his care plan. He is not allowed out on his own any more because he is a bit unsteady and getting more forgetful.

I spent most of the next couple of days writing the Alternative Carol Service. On Saturday I felt I needed to get out of the house, so went into the city to do a little shopping and bought some more Christmas cards, among other things. Dot was already in the city doing her own shopping.

Yesterday it was a little warmer, though with a few outbreaks of rain and getting windier. Very windy today. I led the church service and afterwards attempted a little handbell ringing, but it was a bit painful on my left wrist. Howard is keen to so some bell-ringing in the church, but surprisingly few members of the congregation can read music. Dot left early to go to the football match with Fred, who had driven over from Banbury. Sadly after leading 1-0 at halftime Norwich disintegrated afterwards and lost 1-2. Not sure what’s wrong with them. Don’t seem to have enough energy. Fred dropped in for tea afterwards.

At long last a bit of sunshine over the last couple of days, and today Dot is in Yarmouth. I would be there too, but Joe Logan is here tuning the piano, and Hello Fresh are knocking at the door. They also serve who only stand and wait. Despite the sun, it’s pretty chilly.

Our dishwasher is still broken, but we have been out for a couple of meals recently; so it’s not making a huge impact. Yesterday evening we went to the Cottage on Thunder Lane with Des and Chris and had a roast, which was unpretentious but very nice. They came in for a coffee afterwards. Earlier Dot had been to watch Norwich draw 2-2 with Arsenal in a really good game that City could easily have won, but for a brilliant display by the Arsenal goalkeeper. I watched it on NOW TV. Earlier still I preached at St Augustine’s: it was Advent Sunday.

Dot is in Yarmouth today because Carrie, who was leading the service yesterday, took a party of people for lunch at Dale’s B&B hotel. He is keen to host a weekend or something for church people, partly because we are nice to his mother and his neighbours, and partly because the hotel is empty out of season. We might suggest it to our Cake and Compline group.

On Saturday Caren came round for coffee (Phil was not feeling so good; so he stayed at home). We took her along the riverside footpath to St Andrew’s Hall, where there was an Art Fair. Being American, she loved the riverside path. No, I mean she really loved it. The Art Fair was pretty packed, mainly with artists, because it cost £3.50 to get in if you weren’t one. There was some good stuff, but a lot of it was hugely expensive. We chatted to a few of the artists, but the only ones I knew were Martin Mitchell and Sarah Cannell. I didn’t chat to them, but not because I don’t like them.

Afterwards we went to Jarrolds for lunch, running into my former trainee Abigail Saltmarsh on the way, which was nice. Dot and Caren had Croque Monsieur, and I had Croque Madame (with duck egg). On the way out we ran into Kim from Carrie’s book club, who is lovely and probably Irish, I wouldn’t wonder. I went to the loo as Dot and Caren walked home, and arrived back just as Caren was about to leave.

The week as a whole had been quite satisfying, as I got through a long list of stuff and then realised I didn’t have to file a tax return because I’m earning too little. Which is good and bad simultaneously.

On Monday we also had a meal with Angela and Rodney at Gem, the new restaurant that has replaces Prezzo and Sasses. It’s sort of Eastern Mediterranean, but I chose the only dish with chips. Surprisingly, the chips were superb, as was the chicken. The others had moussaka, which they liked. Dot and I had a sharing sweet, which included baklava.

On Tuesday David went to Canada for Christmas, and Dot went to the ballet (Cinderella) with Ruth. On Wednesday the Hendersons came round in the afternoon for a brief cup of tea/coffee, and in the evening I had drinks in the pub with Neville while Dot rehearsed. Cold and wet, as I recall. The weather, not Neville. Or Dot.

The next day we went to the Book Club, but it wasn’t terribly inspiring. Much more inspiring was Friday evening, when we went to Choral Evensong at the Cathedral before the meeting of participants in the Holy Land pilgrimage, which is scheduled for the end of February. At the Evensong we sat in the choir, which proved quite fascinating – almost as fascinating as the fact that we were joined there by Ann and James (Knox) Whittet, who will also be on the trip. James is a very good poet who comes from Islay and has worked a bit on the Paston stuff. Ann works for the Bishop of Lynn, who is also coming.

From the Cathedral we walked to the Westron Room for the meeting, with Dot engaging in a chat with the Dean, who then took us all through the itinerary, using slides. I sat next to a lady called Sarah, who was very pleasant. Her husband didn’t want to go, which is interesting, because neither James nor I was all that keen, but our wives both were. Is it a sex thing? We are flying from Luton Airport. If only we knew someone who lives near Luton…

Actually, it doesn’t matter, because we are likely to travel to Luton by coach. There is a list of people who want to. We signed it.

Another busy week with mixed weather, quite chilly and a lot of moisture in the air. I am writing this while Dot attends a diocesan gathering at Mattishall, which meant we had to get up early.

Last Wednesday we drove to Sheringham in our new car for lunch at the Dales Country House Hotel with Fred and Sue Riches (celebrating their 75th and 70th birthdays). Needless to say we were late, but at least they hadn’t started. Also present: Liz and David Cannon; Janet and Graham Smith; Pat and Marjorie. Very nice meal and a lovely setting. We gave F&S a really nice walks book with artistic illustrations.

After lunch we drove back to Norwich to meet the Evetts, who had arrived early and gone for a walk.

The next day we went to a special event at Dipples (by invitation), and Dot bought a ring and some earrings (birthday and Christmas presents). She also had some new boots, a pie dish and a couple of other things. The event was packed. Afterward Dot and Julia went shopping, and Dave and I went for a walk – out to the architectural winner on Goldsmith Street and then back along the riverside path. Probably a bit too far. We had a fish pie by Dot in the evening and then went to see Le Mans 66 at the cinema – a brilliant film which, since it was true, couldn’t have the perfect ending. Christian Bale and Matt Damon were superb.

Friday was Dot’s birthday, and one of the busiest days I can remember for me personally. We started by going to St Benet’s Abbey after breakfast and inevitably ran into Paul and Maryta. I think we got away with it. After lunch we hurtled up to the Maids Head for a John Fenn talk by Rob Knee, for which again we arrived a little late, though fortunately not after the talk started. Needless to say, he was very good. I had a chat with Paul Dickson afterwards and then realised I had time (just) to walk up to the Castle Mall to get my phone fixed. while the others had tea and a tour of the hotel.

After leaving the phone I got a bus home and finished the washing up from lunch, then got a bus back to pick the phone up and buy a cover, which I was very pleased with. The only problem with the phone now is that it occasionally drops the phone signal and 4G, but I believe this is because of its recent upgrade. Easily put it right, as long as I notice it! I then walked home again, and not much later we were walking to Carrow Road for the birthday lunch at Delia’s.

This proved a huge success, largely because of Jordan, who greeted Dot warmly, having spoken to her several times on the phone and not only got us a free bottle of Prosecco but gave us a tour behind the scenes afterward, which left Dot all bright-eyed and bushy tailed. The food was good too. Anne was there but missed the tour because she wanted to get back to get Philip to bed: he is in a bit of a bad way after dislocating his hip for the third time.

On Saturday we had a reasonably early breakfast, and the Evetts left for three days at Blakeney after Dave helped me to load David’s table into the car. We then drove to Aylesbury via Hemel Hempstead, having intended to go via Cambridge until we saw the A14 was shut. This turned out well, though, and we went directly to David’s apartment, which is really nice and spacious with great views. Amy has a really beautiful room, and she later decorated the apartment for Christmas – though of course no-one will be there. Oliver was initially out having a driving lesson.

Amy accompanied us to the Premier Inn so that we could book in. By now it was dark, and it wasn’t easy driving through Aylesbury, which has loads of mini-roundabouts and bus lanes which were barely visible. Premier Inn room was fine. On the way back we picked up Oliver and David, who had been to Nando’s to pick up supper. Earlier we had watched the second half of Everton v Norwich on David’s private channel. City played really well and won 2-0, mainly because Zimmermann was back from injury.

We left for home yesterday after a breakfast of waffles that was delicious, and took on board quite lot of stuff that David wanted to get rid of, including a rather nice projector. The journey was good, taking in a bit of the M25, and we stopped at the new Costa’s at Royston for a sandwich. Very nice. I drove the first bit, and Dot the second. We arrived home just after 5pm after filling up with petrol at Morrisons.

The only problem with the car is that it continually shows a tyre warning. I checked all of them on Saturday morning, and they seemed OK, though all were rather lower than I thought they should have been. No problem on the journey, but I’ll check them again when I get time. Or I may drive up to the garage and point out the problem. On the whole, the car is very nice to drive, and the heads-up display is very handy.

I am writing this while Dot is being massaged by Verena. I’ve just been “done” – my arm, neck and back are now much looser. Verena is good for morale. Earlier today we picked up our new car and said goodbye to the Mazda MX5. Very pleased with our Mazda 3 Sport, though we haven’t worked out the navigation console yet. Very cold day, incidentally, but at least it’s not raining.

Busy weekend, centring on Blofield. Dot has had either a bad cold or an allergic reaction to the painting of our kitchen cupboards and drawers, and so I drove to Blofield on my own to see Hexachordia demonstrate their range of medieval musical instruments in entertaining fashion and to demonstrate my Paston alliegiance. Rob, Peter and Matt were all there, but weren’t going to be there for the concert the following day; so Rob asked me to introduce it. However it turned out that David Pilch was preparing to do it; so that was OK.

In fact Dot was better yesterday; so she came to the concert. We arrived early enough to put out the banners, but someone had already done it. When Barbara and I tried to hoist the other banner, it broke. Ironically, if we had waited for Dot she would have been able to do it, as it was similar to her P4C one. The concert was pretty good: I took some pictures for the group (three of them, and all multi-talented). Afterwards we had medieval pudding and pies, which were all right.

Before Blofield on Saturday I went on a Shardlake group walk with Paul Dickson, starting at the Maids Head. Again the weather was fine, and not so cold. This was intended as a birthday present for Dot, but she wasn’t well enough to go. I enjoyed it, though it was quite tiring. Paul was excellent, and I chatted with a crazy woman from Kenninghall on a mobile scooter. Crazy in the nicest way.

Dot probably made a mistake (health-wise) by attending a DCC meeting at Elwira’s on Friday night. She had been busy all day and it was probably too much. The meeting was OK – interestingly the attendance at the DCC was exactly the same as at Morning Worship on Sunday. Not the same people, of course. Maximum and minimum.

Barry was his usual self all week, doing an excellent job on the kitchen cupboards and providing music too. But it was hard avoiding all the sticky paint. Bit tense. Linda cut our hair on Friday and did it in Amy’s room, doing the washing in the kitchen while Barry’s back was turned.

On Thursday evening I was introducing our Paston session at Gresham village hall – after spending a disproportionate time finding it. Very dark, North Norfolk. I eventually asked a man with a dog, which shows you how desperate I was. Even then I drove past the village hall, thinking it was a house, and never saw the church. However, I got there in time.

The introduction went quite well, and the response was good. Peter’s wife Brenda was there, and if he didn’t have a contact with almost everyone, she did.

Last Wednesday – the only other dry day in the week – was Paul’s funeral. Phil came round here, and we drove upon his car together, arriving so early that they wouldn’t let us in. This proved just as well, because it was colder inside the Rosary chapel than out. About 25 people there, of whom I knew a fair number. Dot was not well enough to come. We walked up to the grave and got there well before the hearse. Afterwards we drove in Phil’s car to the wake at The Cottage on Thunder Lane, which was very pleasant. Spoke to Pat, Stephen and Mark and their spouses, plus a woman who used to clean for us but didn’t know I was related to Paul; the man who led the service, Richard Sadler, and his wife; Elizabeth Wurr; and Ada Wurr – widow of David.

One other thing – on Thursday Phil Gazley came round and we talked some more about his Community Support Teams project.

We are on the way to buying a new car. Test-drove a Mazda 3 Sport on Saturday – cherry red, nearly six years old – and agreed on a trade-in of £1000 for the MX5. So we will soon be officially a one-car family, though of course we have been one in effect since our crash on August 22. Just waiting for them to service the new car and give it an MOT.

Needless to say it’s raining. It’s also very cold. Dot has had a bad cough but seems better today, though she is not helping herself by going to the shops this morning and Saxlingham School at lunchtime. Also Eleanor’s for tea before Cake and Compline. Ho hum. Meanwhile Barry is painting the kitchen cupboards, for some reason, and we are listening to Slow Train Coming, by Bob Dylan.

Yesterday I had a massage from Verena, which felt very good. It was raining then too, and the roads round Little Plumstead were flooded, which didn’t too much for the look of the MX5. Still, it’s already been valued.

Going back a few days, I went with Dot to orchestra again last Wednesday, spending about 90 minutes in the Farmhouse with Neville, who is much better. We caught the last quarter of an hour of the rehearsal,which was pretty impressive.

The next day I drove to Bacton in the evening for a meeting introducing Footprints to the locals. Nothing there I didn’t know, really, but saw re-enactors Anne and Diana as well as Rob and Peter. Rob did the introduction: I may have to do the same thing at Gresham on Thursday, as Rob can’t make it.

On Friday, while Dot was visiting a couple of schools, I went to The Messiah in St Peter Mancroft by the Oriole Singers – not bad, without being exceptional. Had a chat with Carrie’s husband Al, then went over to Apple to ask about my phone, which has camera damage. They said they could replace it for £389, and I laughed loud and long (inwardly). Will take it to a repairer when the weather improves.

Had to wait ages for a bus on the way home, then found an art portfolio on the seat beside me when I sat down. It had a girl’s name and phone number inside; so I took it home and rang her. I have rarely heard anyone sound more relieved. She picked it up yesterday lunchtime with a friend. Nice girl, same age as Oliver. Lives in Lowestoft.

In the evening Dot went to watch NCFC play Watford and lose 2-0 after performing pretty badly. I had an offer of a ticket, but watched in on TV after I worked out how to access it (something had gone wrong with Apple TV). Weather yet again was bad, and Dot was not thrilled.

The next evening was Sillars’ autumn concert, which was a bit of a nightmare, as I had to “look after” too many people in a rather packed auditorium. Sat next to Anne, Angela and Rodney, with Caren and Phil in the row behind. Also present, who I might have sat with: Graham, Neville, Michael from down the road, Bernadette and Peter, Adrian and his wife, Maryta and Debbie (in a caring capacity). M stayed until half time, which was pretty good, and only shouted at two people (not during the performance). Also present and on the door were Joyce and Ivan: had a talk with them afterwards. Apparently the venue (St Catherine’s, Mile Cross) is their church.

The concert itself was excellent, and for once I had a good view of Dot.

The next day we had a moving Remembrance Holy Communion. I read Anna’s prayers, as she has been ill for about ten days (sinusitis plus). In the evening Phil and Caren came for a meal which we spent most of the afternoon preparing. Very nice evening. Were meant to go for a meal to the Greens’ last night, but Anna was still feeling rough.

Not raining, for a change. Dot has just been into the city, and I have posted a cheque to the Mint at last: it has been hanging around for an opportune moment to go to the post office. Only £2.50 for postage and packing, but still… I got a gentle e-mail reminder this morning. Our Naked Wines box has arrived with one wrong bottle – most unusual. I was very pleased that the delivery man remembered I had broken my arm and didn’t try to hand the box to me. You get a good class of delivery man round here.

David, Oliver and Amy went back home on Sunday before we left for church. Oliver was driving. He seems confident. We had a good talk on Saturday when we walked back from the city together, leaving the others in Jarrolds. Earlier we had all walked up to Goldsmith Street (near Old Palace Road) to see the architecturally prize-winning houses. The weather (rain, of course) didn’t do them any favours, but I still liked the look of them. Unfortunately they’re surrounded by really average flats. In the evening we played board games with Amy and Oliver, and there was quite a lot of table tennis, though not including me.

I cooked some salmon in the evening, with a little help from Amy on her special method (fried, with honey). Most of us had emerged from our beds at 9am to watch the Rugby World Cup Final, in which England lost to South Africa by not playing very well. Poor comparison with the semi-final, which was one of the best games I’ve seen. I know the result was very good for South Africa, and I wouldn’t want to take that away, but it was also a victory for very boring rugby. In a survey of commentators in my newspaper, none of the best matches included South Africa and nearly all the worst ones did. Good defence may be pleasing to the managers, but it’s not interesting. Brute Force 1 – Skilful running and passing 0. A couple of rule changes might solve it. Make the rolling maul illegal, for instance: it’s simply a form of legalised obstruction that you can’t prevent without giving away a penalty. Ridiculous.

Preached on Zacchaeus on Sunday – you’d never have found him in a rolling maul, although he did climb trees. Got some nice comments afterwards.

Yesterday we went to Archant Pensioners, when I found myself ensconced with David Wakefield and Bill Woodcock, which turned out to be convivial. Bill had done a dissertation at Harling on coypu, and Keith Skipper is trying to publish it. I suggested this could work with pictures and inserted jokes, because coypu are inherently funny, as is Keith. Bill wasn’t so sure.

Afterwards we drove to Swaffham for a very pleasant lunch with the HIgbees (Dot had parked in John Lewis). Used Apple Maps to find their house, and it worked well. Afterwards I drove home – not a great experience, as it was getting dark, pouring with rain, and there was heavy traffic on the southern bypass, occasionally at a standstill. (It was rush hour.) I turned off on the A140 and drove through the city via Hall Road. Not exactly lightning fast, but I think it was probably the best choice. My arm ached a bit afterwards, but no real problems.

Ignoring Hallowe’en in time-honoured fashion. David and grandchildren here for a few days, and this afternoon we walked up to Kett’s Heights, which is quite a climb for Norfolk. Felt pretty tired, but was happy to complete the course.

Yesterday I was signed off by the doctor at the hospital after a very swift journey through x-ray and everything else. My bone still looked pretty crooked to me, but he seemed satisfied, as did the registrar, a strikingly attractive Muslim woman. And the arm is certainly a little better every day in terms of use. However, I have arthritis in my thumb (apparently a side-effect of plaster casts), and certain movements are still quite painful. Still, could be worse.

We also spent spent quite a time yesterday getting ready for our family’s visit, part of which was shopping, and got fairly tired; so when Dot decided she would go to orchestra, I decided to stay at home.

The previous day Dot and I decided to go and see the latest Shaun the Sheep movie, Farmageddon, which was brilliant. Typically the cinema thought this was a children’s movie and so gave us a string of boring children’s ads, plus (for some reason) a very loud soundtrack. Are our children all deaf as well as obese?

Before this we played host briefly to Maryta and Holly, one of whom was very interesting and brought biscuits. Lovely to see my god–daughter.

On Sunday after church I was offered a ticket to see Norwich City play Manchester Utd; so I went with Dot. Jonathan and Naomi were there but left before Norwich scored in the 86th minute through Hernandez. By that time we were 3-0 down, having given away two penalties to VAR (one of them quite wrong, and probably both). To be fair, both were saved by Krul. We played quite poorly in terms of organisation.

The day before we had spoken at length to David on FaceTime after watching England beat New Zealand in a brilliant rugby match. Later Jo brought Maryta round. It was nice to see him. We were able to tell him we understood his job now that we had seen Official Secrets. He took this in the spirit it was intended.