It’s the last day of July, and summer is edging forward rather quickly. Dot has been discharged from her annual hospital appointments and been told she will not die of bowel cancer, because there is no sign of it and it takes years to develop. Cause of rejoicing. The same evening (last Wednesday) we went to the cinema and saw Dunkirk, which was rather chaotic – therefore true to life, I guess – and pretty effective, especially in the last third.

The following three days we saw a great deal of Colin Wright, who came to lay Astroturf in the garage and smarten it up generally with the use of wood where the walls meet the ceiling. Dot and I bought a spotlight and assisted slightly. The filing cabinet had to be emptied and refilled yet again, which was obviously fun.

In the midst of all this – and coincidentally on our 49th wedding anniversary – the HIgbees came to lunch, and we had toad in the hole, as well as quite a lot of wine.

Colin finished the garage work on the Friday but returned on Saturday to cut the hedge and a few other things. Dot spent a very long time sorting out the garage and the garden, and at lunchtime on Saturday we walked up to Phil’s to check that his garden was OK. I had watered it a couple of times, but we had also had plenty  of rain; so it looked fine. In the evening we had no food in the house suitable for a dinner; so we went down the road to Prezzos. I had a pizza and didn’t sleep too well, though the pizza was fine. I think.

We were very fortunate with the weather for Colin’s work. It was dry all the while he was here, but at night we had one thunderstorm and plenty of additional rain. As all the stuff from the garage had to be put outside while he did his work, rain would have been awkward, as it would for the hedge-cutting.

Yesterday after a particularly long morning service and a quick lunch we went to North Walsham, visiting  Sainsbury’s and the cemetery before descending on Jessie for a cup of tea and cake. As I write, Linda is doing Dot’s hair and will shortly be cutting mine.

Quite a bit of confusion about Andrew this week. First I had a call from the hospital to say he needed clothes. Helen at Minster Lodge said all his clothes had been sent to the hospital  and she would be investigating. Meanwhile it appeared that Andrew was about to be discharged, but no-one knew when. This is still the case. I have sent him a parcel with underclothes and a couple of tee-shirts and am awaiting developments.

The grandchildren are in Minorca.

Dot did a lot of reorganising on Thursday and Friday last week, with my study at  the centre of her efforts. Much of it has been repainted, and it’s now much more aesthetically pleasing. We also moved the main filing cabinet into the garage – a very tiring exercise, as we not only had to take all the files out, but all the drawers too. And then put them back.  We took a trip up to the tip and the charity shop yesterday to dispose of certain items that had been cluttering up the garage, which will be refurbished tomorrow (our wedding anniversary). Adrian O’Dell has been round to collect some books for a charity event he’s running.

Also last Friday I popped round to see Phil and Joy in anticipation of their trip down to Southampton, receiving instruction about keeping the garden watered and also exchanging presents. In the evening I drove to Halesworth and Pinky’s, where I duly read three of my poems, including one I’d written the same day.

On Saturday we met the Robinsons at Café Rouge to celebrate my birthday. It was a good meal, but the service was slow, which always annoys me. Afterwards they came round for coffee.

On Sunday we went round the Greens’ after Holy Communion and a certain amount of music-making, mainly in ceilidh vein and mainly involving Anna, Dot and Phil. As a result of the visit (for lunch) and various discussions, I drove Dot and the Greens to a lute concert in the evening at Park Lane.

On Monday I had been intending to walk into the city, but it rained, despite what our weather apps said.  Yesterday started damp, but after I’d had a cup of tea with Paul, the weather brightened and we played pitch and putt at Eaton Park. I was pretty much as inconsistent as usual, except that I putted left-handed, with a considerable degree of success. Afterwards I had another cup of tea with Paul – and Maryta, who had been doing walking netball with a woman who shouted.

In the evening we had Cake and Compline with Jude, Bridget and Claire. Dot had cooked an anniversary chocolate cake, which was delicious. During the day my tooth had come out again; so this morning I went and had a temporary filling. In a couple of weeks I will have a crown put in – at first temporary, then (in September) permanent. So that’s another load of cash out of our account. Good job we’re not pensioners. Oh, wait a minute: we are.

I have just watered Phil’s garden; so it will almost certainly rain soon. Amy has sent pictures of Menorca – they are only a few miles from where we stayed at Migjorn, and the beach we frequented at San Tomas.

Feeling tireder, but we walked over six miles altogether on Tuesday, starting at Holkham after a road closure took us on a detour through Binham and Warham – not too far out of the way really if you know the road. We had drinks at the Victoria, then parked on Queen Anne’s Drive and walked down to the beach before turning right towards Wells. As it was approaching high tide, I had to persuade certain members of the party not to go right to the water’s edge, though on reflection it might have been fun to watch.

As it turned out the high tide was not impressive (I believe the correct term is “neap”) and we were able to get fairly close to the edge of the sea during the latter stages of the walk, past the famous Wells beach huts, where I assisted a small girl chasing a large ball. There was quite a wind, and she was failing to catch it. It might have ended up at Thornham.

We stopped for refreshments at the new beach hut at the beach end of the Wells straight. This is now run by the Holkham Estate and is quite smart apart from an obsession with dogs. Afterwards we walked into Wells town, and Dot bought a couple of tops while Dave and I took a stroll. After the obligatory ice cream we all caught the Coasthopper back to Holkham. It was full, and we had to stand, which was tricky.

I got some petrol at Blakeney, and we tried to book lunch for the next day at Wiveton, but fortunately couldn’t.

We left the hotel after breakfast yesterday after financial arrangements masterminded by Dave. I gave an additional tip to the serving staff, who had been very good. We gave a joint tip to the staff in general. Rosemary was not feeling too well: we said goodbye and then joined the Evetts at Wiveton for tea/coffee after a nasty encounter with a refuse lorry, which I just about got away with.

We raided the shop for fruit and  couple of gifts for my brother and his wife on their anniversary, then headed home, stopping to buy bread on Silver Road. After lunch Jude (Sayer) dropped in for a cup of tea and a chat in the garden, which was nice.

In the evening we drove to Horning Ferry Inn for an orchestra get-together meal, where I found myself, embarrassingly, the only non-orchestra member present. Wasn’t too bad, though, as I know most of them. We had a carvery meal, which was quite reasonable. Still not sleeping too well.

Today I caught up on a lot of “paperwork” while Dot went to buy paint to redo the study. After lunch I took all the contents out of the four-drawer filing cabinet, including the drawers, transferred the filing cabinet to the garage (with Dot’s help), reinserted the drawers (ditto) and put all the files back. At the end I was exhausted. I do not recommend this to anyone, but Dot is redesigning study, hall and cloakroom. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Murrays coming over.

Yesterday I took too little notice of the forecast rain and ended up with soaking socks and shoes. However, most of the day was pleasant, starting at the Felbrigg cafe, which had quite a queue, and then proceeding to the church, where there was an interesting flower festival on TV themes. My favourite was the weather forecast.

We walked from the church across a field and then to a track which turned left through Marble Hill Lodge and on to the Metton  road (with extra triangle). By this time the spots of rain had turned into something serious, and someone had the bright idea of stopping at the Wizard Maze for refreshment. As we were only passing through, we weren’t charged the entry fee.

The rain eased off a bit then but unfortunately we had to cross fields soaked by the rain – not to mention several stiles. After more refreshment at Felbrigg cafe we headed back (Dave driving because he has an NT sticker on his car). I took advantage of the very hot bathroom tiles to dry the shoes overnight.

I had by now managed to adjust my Steps app to give a truer reading. It now gives almost the same as Dot’s Fitbit. Very satisfying – 6.2 miles that day.

Today was quite a contrast: very warm and sunny. We started at Burnham Overy Staithe, where we parked on the hard. As the tide was coming in I was a little worried, but I consulted a couple of local experts and was reassured.

After checking a few things as part of a kind of treasure hunt, we had refreshments in The Hero, which is a lovely pub/restaurant. Then on to Holkham, where we had an esoteric lunch in the Victoria (a kind of Ploughmans shared between us).

Then Dot drove us to Wells, where we took the light railway to Walsingham. Walked into a shop and met a talkative Barnsley man, then did a circle of the town, ending up at the cafe attached to the Anglican shrine, which is very nice. Popped into the renowned farm shop before getting the train back and driving back to  Blakeney. Got a reputation for being romantic by presenting Dot with two flowers I picked from the train.

Continue reading Disregarded rain and a reputation for romance →

The Julian evening was successful, thanks to Dot’s preparations. There were some lovely nibbles and some prosseco. Anna arrived first (off the train), followed by Howard, Judy and Elaine. We eventually got round to discussing Julian and completing the book. I loved the idea of the soul as a city.

The next day, despite a forecast of rain and despite the predicted absence of his doctor, I visited Andrew, taking the train again – first class. I say first class, but the Chiltern Line doesn’t have that. Greater Anglia does, though. The journey went smoothly, but by the time we approached Warwick, it was starting to rain.

Beacuse of an oversight, I failed to change at Leamington Spa and had to go on to Warwick Parkway, then get a train back to Warwick. That was Ok, though. I walked in the rain with my umbrella to the hospital, and found Andrew improved – rather more peaceful and responsive.  The nurse in charge was very nice, but not even a junior doctor was available.

Quite heavy rain all the way home, but of course I wasn’t out in it much, and  by the time I got to Norwich it had stopped. Dot walked over to meet me.

On my 72nd birthday Dot got me a new guitar case and baked me a cake. We drove to Blakeney to start a week’s holiday at the Manor Hotel with the Evetts and the Towns. Dot ordered prosseco for supper!

On Thursday we drove to Burnham Deepdale, had a drink in the cafe and then walked along the coast path and then inland to Burnham Market, where we refreshed ourselves in a lovely little cafe before looking round some shops and attempting to catch the Coasthopper back to Burnham Deepdale. This eventually arrived over half an hour late and almost failed to stop to let us off.

Yesterday we abandoned Blakeney temporarily to attend a CNSOB reunion in Norwich: first a meal at Cote Brasserie in Exchange Street, then three talks (two on a French theme) at the Charing Cross Centre. The last, by Rod Kemp, was a fascinating account of his time at Kodak, including Russian counterfeiting of their photographic paper. Fred and Sue were there, as were most of the usual suspects. We were back in Blakeney for the evening meal.

Today, with rain in the forecast, we walked to Cley, had a drink and then caught the Coasthopper  back after chatting to a young woman from North Carolina at the bus stop. Rest of day stayed in Blakeney for lunch, then a kind of fair on the carnser, including old films and a decent band. Dave and I walked out to the derelict houseboat, then found the girls and had some Pimms. In the end there was very little rain.

I drove Dot to the dentist  this morning to have her stitches out. She was intending to go to M&S afterwards to buy some nibbles for the Julian gathering here tonight, but as she hasn’t taken her phone with her, I don’t know whether she has or not. There’s a sentence that wouldn’t have made sense even ten years ago.

She has been in some pain from her teeth all week, but it all seems to have improved quite a bit over the last couple of days, and it didn’t stop her doing much, though she did cancel a couple of schools. She was able to rehearse on Wednesday for her concert and perform in the concert itself on Saturday. This was at the Walter Roy Theatre (former Hewett School), with tiered seats and everything. Very good acoustics. The Sillars Orchestra was performing with the East Norfolk Operatic Society, which specialises in Gilbert and Sullivan. They did some items together and some separately. I sat next to Neville Thrower, and enjoyed the concert very much, especially the G&S items.

I walked to the venue. I can’t remember why. Dot gave me a lift home.

Exercise earlier in the week included more pitch and putt with Paul, this time at Eaton Park last Thursday. Another enjoyable round, though no real improvement on last time, especially the putting. Afterwards Paul gave me an old putter which could be used both right- and left-handed, as I suspect I putt better left-handed. On checking my bag later I discovered I already had one…

On Friday I thought I was hosting a meeting of the Footprints steering group, but I had got the date wrong. Anne came round to see Dot, and they later went out for lunch and into the city for a while. I went to Morrisons.

Yesterday, after preaching in the morning and quoting one of Joy McCall’s poems (all fall down – a tanka sequence) I decided to go and check a walk in the Felbrigg area while Dot went to a chanting workshop with Liz Day at church. I parked at Metton Church and walked up through some fields, one of which was full of corn and another containing some crop that hadn’t been harvested and seemed abandoned. That was where I saw a deer emerge from the crop and run away.

Further up I joined a path I knew which led through Marble Hall Lodge and back on to the Metton road, which I crossed, climbed for a bit and then turned right, downhill back to the village. It seemed a long way but was certainly well under three miles. Metton itself had a very odd, almost derelict feel to it. It’s the village where April Fabb disappeared in the late 60s. Nothing much seems to have happened since.

I got home in time to cook dinner for Dot, returning from the chanting at about 7.20pm. We ate it while catching up with sport on TV. I am about to buy train tickets for Warwick tomorrow, despite being told that the doctor I was down to see won’t be there. I have told Andrew I’m going; so I think i’d better do so.

Not a comfortable week for Dot: she had the first stage of her tooth implant done on Monday, which wasn’t painful in itself, but it knocked her out for a couple of days, her mouth is still swollen and she has more or less dragged herself to a DSSO meeting at Easton this morning because it is Andy Mash’s farewell event.

She thinks very highly of Andy (as do I), and she was determined to wish him well. She also gave Paul a lift and took the new car to do so.

Yesterday she languished at home while I went to the Archant coffee morning. Maryta came to that but spoke so softly that I could barely hear her. Paul explained that this was because she was wearing ear plugs which bizarrely augmented her own voice to her. Stranger things… which coincidentally is the title of a Netflix series we saw in its entirety last week.

The big day of the week (pace tooth implants) was Sunday, when we took the Mazda on its first long run – to Ashtead in Surrey, where an Otterspool reunion was taking place at Susan and Bob Bushell’s rather nice bungalow . Very pleasant setting, but getting to it was typical outer London clutter. The drive down went well – we shared the driving – and the event itself was excellent.

Dot took a couple of salads, and the others took a rich assortment of other food. I could probably have eaten more, but Bob is very efficient at clearing away. I played a brief gamelet of croquet with Ruthie (or Anne, as some know her), and several of us went for a short walk on the common, which is reached by crossing the road. Very good to meet so many of the Otterspudlians again. They are a really nice bunch people.

Afterwards we followed our satnav, which kept us off the M25 for most of the way and took us more or less due north, taking in such places as Esher, Hampton Court and Feltham. We were calling in on David on the way back, and I guess the western section of the M25 must have been gridlocked. It was OK when we eventually joined it near Rickmansworth.

David showed us his new hybrid car, which is certainly impressive in both appearance and features. It was too late to go for a drive, and he was probably too busy anyway, but we had a quick cup of tea and Facetime with Chrissy. We then took to the road again. I had to drive all the way back because Dot had partaken of wine, but it was a very easy drive after leaving David’s.

It’s now Friday, we have a new car, and David is in the process of picking his new one up at Bletchley, if my App is to be believed. So quite a good week, on the whole, though the weather has been a bit iffy, and it all started badly with a visit to the doctor’s. I had hoped to talk to him about various concerns, but he wasn’t really interested after establishing that my blood pressure had gone down. This seems to be all doctors care about nowadays, once you reach a certain age. So I am just pretending I’m fine and hoping that will work out. It’s better than finding out you have some dread disease.

Also on Monday I went to Swintons and updated my car insurance, which was much cheaper than taking up the Mazda option. I had hoped to have a relaxing day on Tuesday, but I had to walk up to the TSB at Anglia Square by 9.30 to sign a document for the church account. So that was fun. Later on Tuesday it started raining and it all got pretty heavy by the end of the day.

It was still raining lightly the following morning when we picked up the car from Michelle at Wright’s. It would normally have been Dean, but he was at the Royal Norfolk Show, which must have been fun. We were given a quick explanation of what everything did (and there was a lot of it); Dot picked it up better than I did, but we’re still working some things out. It has cruise control, which I’m pleased about, and an electronic handbrake, which seems pointless. Altogether, though, I’m very pleased with it.

Later in the day I went up to City Hall to change the vehicle on the permit and in the end got a completely new permit, since the price was about the same.

Yesterday I played pitch and putt with Paul at Mousehold. I started abysmally but in the end played some pretty good shots; however, my putting was pathetically erratic. At the end I was pretty exhausted. Paul came back for tea and a chat with Dot about DSSO problems. Later we went for a drive in the car, but not far – ending up at IKEA, where Dot bought some crisps. This is what is known as getting off lightly.

Later still I bought a magazine for Andrew and sent it off, together with a selfie of us I’d taken on my last visit. I thought it would be nice for him to receive something fairly regularly, as nothing much happens for him in hospital. After that I wrote some articles for Parish Pump and watched a rather strange programme on Netflix.

Today Dot has gone to the funeral of a DSSO colleague at Mattishall – in her own car. She was a bit worried about parking. But not as worried as she is about her DNA results, which reveal that she is predominantly Celtic.

A new Mazda 3 is on its way to us: we pick it up on Wednesday, all being well. It’s silver, and the actual cost is slightly less than I thought it might be, but still quite an increase on our current monthly payment. As David seems on the brink of getting a new car as well (a white hybrid), this will be a noteworthy week.

At the end of last week, on the Friday, we had cake and compline with Claire, followed on the Saturday by a ceilidh at the Silver Rooms on Silver Road, to which Dot and I walked. It was a hot day. The invitation came from our neighbours the D’Souzas to celebrate Chris’s 60th. The Wakefields were also invited, and we spent much of the time talking to them. The food was excellent, but in my usual introvert fashion I declined to dance. Dot did dance, and so did Freddie eventually, though he had been as stubborn as I was to start with. He’s the same age as Oliver. Mairead and Phoebe put in an enviably energetic display.

On the Sunday, after I led the service, Dot and I went out to see Jessie after calling at the cemetery. We took her to Walcott and miraculously found a parking spot on the front. We bought ice creams, and Jessie sat on the wall with our Wimbledon umbrella to keep off the sun. It was even hotter than the day before.

The next day Colin and James came to erect Dot’s new shed. Watching them do this was considerably more interesting than the PCC meeting in the evening, which went on and on for no apparent reason. Again, very hot. Meanwhile some men from the council were erecting something on the wall on the other side of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s drive. Colin spoke to the men and told us this would be a chain link fence. This would obviously be appalling, what with litter and an unstable slope, and we were delighted to discover later in the week that they were building a rather nice wooden fence supported by concrete posts instead. They still haven’t finished, but it should look good when complete.

On Tuesday evening we went to our monthly Julian meeting, but I didn’t feel much like contributing, for some reason. The wine was good.

It was on the Wednesday that we test-drove the Mazda 3. Not the model we’ll have, but very nice. After a good offer from Dean, an extremely good salesman, we agreed to purchase one. In the afternoon we went to the Hendersons for refreshments, and Maryta told us all about her Polish lessons, which for some reason seemed to feature a lost frog. We got in a few words about our Scottish holiday.

On Thursday I went to Warwick by train. The journey to London was very good, as was the Tube and the Chiltern Line. It was still quite warm, though with some moisture in the air. I found a quicker walking route from the station to the hospital, and found Andrew not at his perkiest. I was told by the nurse that he was better than he had been over the past week or so. We had quite a long chat and went into the garden again for a while. There was some guy doing eastern chanting, which was a mite disturbing. Andrew had somehow lost his belt. I didn’t have a spare one, but I sent him one when I got home.  I spoke to the nurse (Jade), who booked me in to see Andrew’s doctor on July 11.

The journey home was fairly straightforward again, though marred by the Liverpool Street-Norwich section, where the train arrived 37 minutes late. This might not have been so bad, but I was sitting (in first class) opposite a couple of young men who had an extraordinarily high opinion of themselves and who got drunker and drunker and louder and louder.

No rest on the Friday: we were visited by Peter and Joan Altman, our friends from the Swiss holiday last year, who were spending three days in Norfolk, taking in Sandringham and (of course) Wymondham. We gave them coffee and then accompanied them round part of Norwich, including the Cathedral, ending up in London Street before letting them loose on their own. They eventually returned to pick up their car. We booked them into the Marsh Harrier for their evening meal – couldn’t join them as we had a previous appointment with Angela and Rodney, who took us to the Fox at Lyng, an excellent gastro-pub. I had fish and chips and a raspberry creme brûlée. The pint of cider was probably a mistake.

Up earlyish again on Saturday to travel to the Roman Camp Inn at Aylmerton to meet  former colleagues and family of Bruce Robinson for a commemorative walk. (He died a year ago.) This was led by his wife Cynthia and his son Mike and covered about a couple of miles from the highest point in Norfolk (to which we travelled by car: it’s about a mile away from the Inn). Very enjoyable – the forecast rain held off and it wasn’t too hot. Afterwards we had a meal in a private room at the Inn, which was very pleasant. I sat next to Lucy, who was a Quaker and neighbour’s wife and didn’t know anyone (apart from Cynthia, of course). Present from the EDP subs: Brian (with Tricia), Robin (with Shelagh), Ralph (with Lynne) and Maryta (with Paul). Enjoyed talking to Mike on the walk.

Which brings us to today, which started with a very long Holy Communion service with the vicar and continued with the Bishop’s Garden Party. Also present at the latter: Carrie, Jude, Andrew and Gill Partridge, David and Bridget Archer, Martin and Sam Smith plus one on our table; elsewhere the Wimhursts and Eastons; also ran into Peter Carroll (ex-Letton Hall) and Jill Wright from Mulbarton. Impressed that the Bishop remembered my name as well as Dot’s. Lovely food, then a walk round the garden with Dot and Jude. Later Dot went home to prepare for a chanting session at church with Liz Day. I stayed with Jude, and we got home (walking) just as Dot was leaving (in her car).

Tuesday was an odd day. After packing, we went to the Bean for breakfast (I had a full, minus the previously overwhelming beans) and then met Graham and Jenny outside the house – Graham for the first time: he had been laid aside with a painful arthritic illness, but was very cheerful today. After paying them for the final three days and leaving them a poetry book that I had originally intended to give to Ella, we set off at about 1pm.

This meant we had really too much time to get to Aberdeen. We took it fairly slowly, and got lost looking for the Loch of Skene, which it turned out does not have a road adjacent to it and appears to be private. It is described on the net as “a hidden gem”, which seems pretty much spot on. Well, “hidden”, anyway. Eventually we approached the airport and turned into a forested area, where we parked while Dot finished her novel.  Needless to say, by then it had started raining, and dropping off the car and travelling to the airport by shuttle was quite a damp experience.

We tried to drop off our bags, but we were an hour too early for that; so we took them with us to a cafe, where we both had an Emmental and ham baguette. The time passed quite quickly, and after check-in – using my mobile phone’s bar-coded e-mail – and the usual confusion of Security we eventually arrived at Costa, where we stuck for quite a while. The flight was a little late, but nothing to speak of, and the flight to Norfolk quite enjoyable. I had been a bit worried about finding a taxi (based on my last experience there) but it turned out to be very easy, though considerably more expensive than the journey to the airport ten days earlier.

The next day I made it to the dentist, who replaced my filling without much ado, though warning that if it went again I might have to have it crowned. I then wandered down to H Samuel to get a new watch battery, but they couldn’t get the back off my watch. I decided against sending it away for £30 because I’m thinking of getting a new one, with a dial I can read in dim light – possibly solar-powered, which seems sensible. Later we popped in to see Des and Chris to thank them for looking after our plants and give them a bottle of wine.

After taking the MX5 in for its service yesterday, Dot and I travelled down to London to see Kristine and David. We had an enjoyable couple of hours with them, but it was clear that David is deteriorating: he has had to sell his car and is not able to move far without difficulty. The next step, he says, is a wheelchair, which will raise problems about the possibility of moving from the flat. However, Kristine is not really in a fit state to do that, even if they could find somewhere. Her operation was successful in that it got rid of the cancer, but the restructuring didn’t go as planned, and remains to be completed. She may also have to have more precautionary radiotherapy and hormone treatment, which she does not really want. Despite all that she looked quite good, though she was obviously tired.

It took us some time to get through Leytonstone in rush hour, but after that the journey home was straightforward, largely because we arrived after a big Carrow Road concert by Take That had started, and so missed its attendant traffic.

Today we picked up the MX5 and discussed the possibility of getting a Mazda 3: I had discovered that my current deal doesn’t run out until February next year, but that doesn’t seem to be an insuperable problem. I an awaiting details from Dean of a possible deal, but we will have to have a test drive first. It could be quite expensive. Dot meanwhile has been to Fleggburgh where she saw some collective worship in advance of the school’s SIAMS inspection next week, and was boosted when the head said that most of what they’d achieved had been inspired by what Dot had done. Not surprised, obviously. She’s a star.