As Christmas edges ever closer, we seem to have done most of the cards, and the presents are on their way to getting organised. I have also obtained a new printer, which seems to be working all right. Yesterday we took some flowers up the Rosary for Mum’s 105th birthday. There seems to be an increased police presence in the area – saw another one today. Healthy trend, but how long will it last?

On Tuesday I went to the pensioners’ coffee morning while Dot had her feet done. In the afternoon we both went to St Luke’s to provide music for the Christingle service for Angel Road school. Sadly, none of the children knew the songs David had chosen; so we struggled there. Still, it was nice to be lending a hand.

In the evening we went to St Peter Mancroft for a carol service featuring the Norwich Community Choir, in which our friend David Archer sings bass. It was a really good service, and the choir were excellent. They had a first-class soloist too.

Out again on Wednesday for the orchestra’s Christmas meal, with Dot defying the after-effects of her flu job (there weren’t any). The Christmas-themed buffet was at the Cellars in Eaton, and was most enjoyable. I’m getting to know quite a few of the orchestra now, such as Beverley (violin) and Georgina (other violin), not to mention Mary (clarinet), whose husband I was at school with.

On Thursday I caught up with a few things in the city, paying in a cheque through Barclays complex new machine, booking an eye test, visiting the Forum to discuss the new PHS book, getting a new strap put on Andrew’s watch and buying a few more Christmas cards at the Christian bookshop. Today I feel as if I’ve had a flu jab, but I expect it’s a proximity problem.

Just back from Holt, having been forced to stop a couple of times on the way to look at the stunning skyscape: fiery sun and an eerie mist rising from the fields. Holt itself was lovely on a fine wintry day: I met Dot there, and we had a meal at Bakers and Larners – in my case a superb egg-and-cress baguette.

Afterwards Dot insisted that I buy a pair of trousers, not because I wasn’t wearing any but because it was time I got some. I also got two shirts and a jumper, for the same reason. Dot had already got herself a couple of things (top and scarf), and she stayed on in Holt after I left, so that she could look for Christmas presents.

Yes, we had two cars. How did that happen? I’m glad you asked. Originally Dot was supposed to go to Holt with Anne, but Anne called off because of domestic difficulties not unrelated to the delivery of furniture or construction materials, or both. I said I would go instead, but later realised that I had to go to North Walsham for a Paston Heritage Society meeting. So I did that, then drove to Holt to meet Dot for lunch. See how it all fits together?

The PHS meeting was a bit crucial, because it has become apparent that our UEA lead person was unable to carry through everything the big project demanded: she has been ill herself, and her sister died suddenly. So we are trying to arrange for her to have a project manager (Naomi). The project itself may have to be rethought.

The trip to Coventry last Thursday went pretty well, really. The trains were on time, and the meeting with Helen, her colleague and Andrew’s new CPN (community psychiatric nurse) was good. I was able to put over my worry about Andrew not having the freedom to go out and his consequent frustration, and it seemed that we were all on the same wavelength. Andrew himself seemed much better than he was last time I saw him, and I had a long and quite coherent conversation with him. He seemed to understand the problem about his  going out, though he said he was much better than he used to be.

On Saturday we were up early to go to a performance of part one of The Messiah at St Luke’s. Vicki Ellis was principal flautist, and Carrie Sant was soprano. Th orchestra was St Gregory’s, and the choir the Oriole Singers. Needless to say several members of the orchestra were the usual suspects from Sillars. All quite enjoyable (we sat next to the vicar and his friend, who has arrived from Ghana), though the male soloists – especially the tenor – were not very good.

In the afternoon Dot went to Carrow Road, and Norwich City broke their run of defeats by beating Brentford 5-0 in an exciting game. Spurs also won 5-0.

Yesterday I was preaching at church, and the sermon went down quite well (I even got a phone call from the churchwarden telling me it was good). We spent the rest of the day sort of relating, in between trying to fix the printer, which steadfastly refuses to work despite many forays by me into the Net to try to find solutions. I’ve spent so much time on it I could probably have built a new one by now. Very annoying.

Very cold for the time of year, but happily dry over the last few days.  Last Friday I took Phil to the doctor’s in the morning, had a long wait in the car park and then a longer one when he had to hang around for a heart monitor.  So I walked to St Benedict’s and bought some new pegs for my guitar: one of them had broken and jammed in the hole, but I managed to free it. I also managed to free a hammer that had got jammed in the drawer by employing an ingenious method involving a hook and a piece of string. Satisfying.

David, Oliver and Amy came over to celebrate Dot’s birthday at the weekend, arriving mid-afternoon and going back mid-afternoon on Sunday. We had a roast dinner on the Saturday, and Amy used the remains of it to make a curry on the Sunday. I went to church but left early, missing a DCC meeting about the fabric and forgetting to pin up Dot’s Christmas dinner list.

During the weekend we managed to get in quite a bit of table tennis, and David sorted out my Cloud problems on the computer, caused by duplicate file-saving to different places in the Cloud. Lovely time all round.

Dot left shortly after David, heading south for a hotel in Croydon in preparation for a philosophy session at Rotherhithe next day.

On Monday I felt listless but walked up to pay in a cheque and then on a whim went to the Castle Museum, to see (mainly) an exhibition on the photography of Olive Edis. I have to say her pictures of people were sensational, given that they were taken in the late 19th century and early 20th. She knew how to catch the light.

Dot arrived back just after 7pm.

On Tuesday Angela and Rodney came round. We went to Prezzo’s for a quite acceptable lunch and then they came back to ours for the afternoon and stayed for a light tea. I showed them some holiday photos, but can’t work out why the TV shows the ones I’ve discarded or edited, and in a very random way. We also listened to some tapes we found in Ethel’s stuff, but there was not much of interest – just one of Vicki singing as a child, with which they plan to embarrass her as a Christmas “present”. This would have been a really nice day if I hadn’t been feeling rather under the weather for some reason.

Today I got out of the bath just in time to discover that I had put a visit to the cinema in my diary: so I got a £3 ticket for a seniors’ showing of The Magnificent Seven while Dot was at Diocesan House for a meeting with her boss. Very much enjoyed the film.Bought a train ticket for Coventry on the way home. I am due to attend a meeting there tomorrow.

Leytonstone proved interesting for Dot. There was the parking, which involved leaving the car on the pavement and finding a shop about a quarter of a mile away where she could pay, and then wedging the ticket in a specific position in the window of the car. (She took a photo of it in case of queries.) When, later in the day, she actually went to the school, she found the security precautions such that she was almost refused entrance, and then had to be accompanied everywhere – even to the toilet.

That was on Monday, and the philosophy session actually went pretty well. The hotel was good too. She was home by about 7.30pm, but Barbara didn’t make it to Devon till 10pm, what with flooding and traffic difficulties. This was storm Alex, apparently, the first named storm of the season. I’m not sure when the season starts.

Meanwhile I was visiting Joy and Phil to collect Dot’s birthday present, and then the supermarket – primarily to obtain dishwasher tablets, which had run out because we mistook the salt for a spare packet (same brand). Later I went up and bought a printer, which I had been meaning to do for ages. I even managed to set out up before Dot got home. The old one had clogged nozzles. I know the feeling.

Tuesday was Dot’s birthday, and we celebrated it by cleaning the house, which was surprisingly satisfying, and then accompanying the Robinsons to a meal at Bishop’s. I do not exaggerate when I say this was the best meal I have had for a very long time, and that includes some very good ones. The starter, main and sweet were all excellent – not too big, not too small and extremely tasty. For the record, I had marinated black bream, then lamb, then banana spring roll. Even the wine was delicious.

After that, Wednesday was a bit flat, though not for Dot, who had to go to Wreningham in the afternoon and to orchestra in the evening. I had intended to go to the Maddermarket in the evening, but couldn’t summon up the energy. Today Dot has been working in her study and is about to go for lunch with Carrie. Happily, the weather has turned much drier.

I missed the big moon, which was covered by a great deal of cloud. I wonder what else I’m missing.

It’s been a quiet week for me, but a busy one for Dot, who was talked into doing some performance management with a head teacher not a million miles from Hempnall. She spent a long time worrying about it and checking all she needed to know – and a good bit more – but when the event arrived on Friday, all went predictably well.

Today she’s travelling to London to do some philosophy in Leytonstone. I’m a bit worried, because there’s some pretty unpleasant weather down there, but she’s a good driver and I think the storm is abating; so I think she’ll be OK. She should be there soon. (And now she is….)

Earlier today we went to church: I had surrendered my sermon slot to Liz Day, who spoke very well about the way we should react to Trump and other worrying world events. Afterwards we learned a Polish carol, as supplied by a couple who have recently joined us from Poland.

Yesterday we popped into the St Augustine’s Christmas fair at the hall, and Dot bought a few things. I won an oven glove in the raffle. Hmm. Afterwards Dot and I continued to North Walsham, where we bought some flowers and a few other things at Sainsbury’s, then left the flowers at the cemetery and arrived at Jessie’s about ten minutes late, but unfortunately in good time to hear the Norwich City match against QPR. City had someone sent off in the first minute and gave away a penalty (not scored), and ended up losing 2-1. To compensate, we stayed on to watch Andy Murray win his tennis match – a nail-biting affair; so it could have been worse.

Linda found her scissors and cut our hair on Thursday, and on Friday I went to Pinky’s in Halesworth and read three of my poems to a good reception. Frost on the road as I drove back, but no mishaps, I’m happy to say.

It’s wet, it’s very much autumn, and tonight we’re promised the biggest moon in 70 years. Yesterday afternoon a crowd of about a dozen youths were fighting outside our house, and I called the police (as did several others). Since my last post (an appropriate phrase) Trump has been elected President of the United States and Leonard Cohen has died. So things are not going too well.

Yesterday we had a Remembrance service at church, but Howard, who was leading, forgot to arrive early enough to have the silence at 11am; so we got round to it at about 11.08am. Still, it’s the thought that counts, and Howard did read a Cohen song (Anthem) that I supplied him with.

Later Dot and I drove to Lowestoft for a performance at the Seagull. We did two songs (not particularly well, though I think they’re good songs), and I read three poems: Looking at Foinaven, Saltmarsh after the War and The Return of Magic. It was an odd evening – not enough good quality poets there, and when I mentioned Leonard Cohen, I suspected that most people hadn’t heard of him.

The previous evening was more successful: Dot’s Sillars concert at Blofield, which attracted pretty much a full church on a rather miserable night. Dot was at the church from about 2pm, rehearsing, and I went with Paul, Maryta and Anna Green, who had made a last-minute decision to attend. Anna and I sat right at the front, which I would never have done on my own, but it was very interesting to see the musicians close up. Some good music, too. My favourite: Gideon’s Oboe from The Mission, but music from Star Wars and Jurassic Park was also impressive. At the interval spoke to David Pilch and his wife Barbara, who were doing refreshments. I used to go to school with David, and we re-met when we did a Paston event at Blofield a few years ago. Paul and Maryta called in for coffee afterwards.

Thursday and Friday last week were both strange. On Thursday I took Philip and Joy to the hospital for a 3.30pm appointment, and they didn’t get away till after 5pm. This wouldn’t have mattered normally, but I was due to have my haircut at about 5.30pm; so I drove in determined fashion through the rush-hour traffic and got back only a few minutes late – to find that Linda had forgotten her scissors and was going to do the cutting a week later.

While at the hospital I had a chat with Stephen Crane, a member of my chess club, who was there with his wife and granddaughter, who had broken her arm in falling off a horse.

The strange thing about Friday was not that Joe Logan came to tune the piano (£88), but that I went up to a planned reunion with some trainees in the BrewDog pub on Queen Street – I had received a reminder earlier in the day that I had not bothered to reply to because I was not sure when I’d be able to make it. I had a good look round and didn’t recognise anybody; so I came home. Later it transpired that they had rescheduled. Still, the walk did me good.

Just finished reading Smoke by  Dan Vyleta and Conclave, by Robert Harris. I preferred the latter, though the ending didn’t quite ring true.

Looking back over the last six days, I see I have not been at home much.  The weather has turned very cold, and I am not particularly comfortable in the respiratory tract area. I also shiver a lot, but I think that’s the drugs. Nevertheless, we continue.

Last Friday we visited Birgit and Joe at their new home in Mattishall and were impressed by its size and unusual layout, and by the fact that it had a bar. Apparently it also has a big garden, but it was too dark to see that properly. On the way home it became very foggy, and the tyre pressure warning light came on in the car, which was not reassuring. However, it felt OK; so we carried on. It’s still on, in fact, but I have checked that the tyres are up to speed, as it were.

On Saturday we went to London to see the Coomes in Dot’s car, just to be sure. They are understandably concerned about the future, but we had a good time and a very pleasant lunch, despite what Kristine said. On arriving home, we made a mistake that did not manifest itself for a few days. Read on.

On Sunday  after church we went to the Hendersons’ for lunch with my goddaughter Holly, who was in town for the weekend. She seemed very well and will soon be promoted to Lieutenant-Commander; so all those lieutenants had better watch out.

The highlight of Monday (I use the word “highlight” very loosely) was the PCC meeting, which turned into a bit of a marathon, discussing the financial situation. The rural dean was present. I’m not sure the outcome was entirely satisfactory, but what was satisfactory was that St Augustine’s members outnumbered St Luke’s. I don’t think this has ever happened before.

Yesterday Dot was about to leave for one of her school engagements when she found that her car’s battery was completely dead. This was a result of the mistake a few days’ earlier, when it seemed we had left the interior light on. Anyway, I called Green Flag, and a nice man came and sorted it. I had to drive the car for about half an hour afterwards to charge the battery up again, so I went to Blofield and back. Why not?

I also paid the house insurance and negotiated  a £75 reduction on the premium, though I’m pretty sure it’s still too high. But I couldn’t summon up the energy to try elsewhere, although I’d intended to. In the evening we went to the Greens’ for a Julian meeting and found that the only other person there (apart from the Greens) was Elaine, plus some sausages and prawns. Nevertheless we had a good evening, with some interesting theological byways explored.

Yesterday was quite a bright day, but today has been very cold and wet. Unfortunately it was the day we had arranged to meet Dot’s college friends Jeannie and Christine (plus Jeannie’s husband Andy) in Holt. We eventually joined forces in Bakers and Larners restaurant, after waiting for them in the food hall (which, to be fair, was where they said they would be). I went to see if they were lost and ran into Jeannie emerging from the loo. We had a good chat and meal, no doubt disrupting what would normally have been a quiet spot for Holt residents. Jeannie, Andy and Christine are staying at Syderstone. I don’t remember ever having been there.

In checking up on my two aunts still living (as far as I know) yesterday, I made a strange discovery: my mother’s maiden name is different from what I thought it was.  For some reason I thought it was Tooley, but it was in fact Harvey. How did that happen?

I’ve now finished the article for the diocesan magazine and have sent the relevant pieces to the four interviewees for checking. The two ordained people (one male, one female) wanted to rewrite everything, and the two lay people were quite happy. Who would have guessed?

Obviously I shall not let the clergy get away with it. You can’t, can you?

On Monday I had a pleasant surprise when a lay person, namely Anne Robinson, called in to go for a walk with Dot. Dot, however, was in Hounslow philosophising: there had been a diary mix-up. When we got over the shock I gave Anne a coffee and then decided to go for a walk with her myself , through the Rosary and Lion Wood, into Pilling Park and then down by Pinebanks and back along Thorpe Road.

Very glad I did, because it was (as Anne predicted) the last fine and warm day before autumn set in. It had turned decidedly chilly by Tuesday morning, when Dot and I went up to Archant for a coffee morning with a number of lay pensioners. Everyone was there except the Hendersons, who had recently returned from the USA and had forgotten.

In the evening it was even chillier. Two lay persons, Bridget and David, gave us a lift to Judy’s for a cake and compline evening, marred very slightly by the fact that I had lost my wallet. After searching the house thoroughly I decided we just hadn’t looked in the right places, and so we looked again afterwards, and I eventually found it on the shelf next to my computer, where it had got mixed up with some other stuff, including my old wallet.

The Paston Footprints meeting was cancelled on Wednesday because of Karen’s illness, and so Rob Knee, another lay person, called in on me instead. After chatting about it, we decided we would probably have to remain back our ambitions slightly and reorganise. Karen fell and broke a couple of bones in her neck, and now apparently has flu and has lost her laptop.

Yesterday I went to Coventry to see another stricken (and equally lay) person, Andrew. I called in to Minster Lodge to have a cup of tea with Helen, and as they were about to dispatch Abdul(?) to the Caludon Centre in a taxi to pick up some drugs, they let me share it with him, which made life a bit easier. I was also able to have a chat with Abdul: nice bloke, as all the staff at Minster Lodge seem to be.

Andrew seemed in better shape than last time, partly because he’d had a haircut, was dressed and was not carrying a teddy bear. He also seemed a bit more coherent and ate his food quite well. Nurses seemed positive too. However, he was walking strangely (rather in John Cleese fashion), and I pointed this out to the nurses, who said they would have a look at it. He may, of course, have been messing around.

I got the bus back to the station and caught the 1752 (running late) to Euston, walking to King’s Cross and getting the Metropolitan line to Liverpool Street, where I caught the 2000 with time to spare. Progress to Norwich was painfully slow, however, and we didn’t arrive till 2228 – some 37 minutes late. Deformed track at Manor Park, apparently, coupled with congestion.

It’s one of those weekends: Dot is in Hounslow preparing for a morning of philosophy training at a school there tomorrow, and I’m home alone, having led the service this morning and played a couple of my new songs for Phil, who was his usual uncritical self. I now have to record them for him. The most recent song is called Here I am, and I think it works quite well.

Yesterday Dot and I took some flowers to the cemetery at North Walsham and then drove on to Happisburgh where, after pausing for coffee/cider and a sandwich at the Lighthouse pub, we walked along the clifftop towards Cart Gap. We didn’t walk all the way there, which was a pity as we would have seen a shipwreck (a yacht had hit the groynes with disastrous results). Instead we turned inland and did a circuit, walking close to the actual lighthouse and then close to the edge of the cliff on the north side of the car park.

The sea was calm and the weather well nigh perfect for there end of October – and indeed the end of British Summer Time.

The previous day I had an engagement in the Cathedral Refectory, where I backed up Karen Smyth in a meeting designed to persuade the Cathedral to embrace the Paston Footprints project. It seemed to go pretty well, considering Karen had just come out of hospital after breaking bones in her neck. Present from the Cathedral: two clergy (Andy Bryant and Peter Doll), Gudrun Warren, the librarian; and Kristi Bain, the parish outreach officer.

On Thursday I did my final two interviews for the Magazine article: the first victim was Sybil Martin at Wymondham Abbey, where considerable user-friendly work had been done, courtesy of a marge Heritage Lottery Fund grant. I was much impressed. Sybil was quite impressive too, getting on in years (of course) but very lively and busy. Friendly too.

Later I went to see Matthew Hutton at Chedgrave, who was the kind of guy you’d expect to see on quangos: a farmer, solicitor, tax expert, author and curate. Nevertheless he was quite amenable, though clearly full of ideas. He would probably have liked to write the article himself. He lives at a beautiful spot between Thurton and Loddon.

I have written some of the article and have all the material I need. I now need to get down to finishing it.

To celebrate Amy’s birthday, Dot and I travelled to Caddington the day afterwards and surprised her (and Oliver) on their return from school. Dot had made a chocolate cake, and we had pizzas and various other things. Amy seemed very pleased: we gave her a new duvet cover, pillowcase and a throw, plus some other smaller things.

Our visit coincided with the arrival of their new neighbours opposite: David tried to turn on the oil heating for them, but there may be some work to do there. On the way down (with Dot driving, of course) I wrote a new song, The Sands of Luskentyre, which now has a tune. I am currently working on a new one, inspired partly by Leonard Cohen’s new album, You Want it Darker, which arrived yesterday.

We relaxed a bit on the Saturday after the Caddington trip, though at some point I tidied up in the garden and put some stuff in the brown bin, which is always pleasing. I also did some work on article for Parish Pump, which I completed on Monday morning.

I am also writing an article for The (diocesan) Magazine, and yesterday – a beautiful sunny day in North Norfolk – I did two interviews: one with the Rev Ruth Adamson at West Runton and another with Brian Wigg at Cromer. The former turned out to have taken Bruce Robinson’s funeral, and the latter is a friend of Philip Robinson. Small world. The article is on the older generation in Church, and I’m doing two more interviews tomorrow – one at Wymondham and one at Chedgrave.

Cromer was absolutely packed yesterday, probably because it was half-term, and for the first time ever I couldn’t get into the main car park. Happily i was able to park free on the street in a spot I remembered from previous visits to the EDP office.

The previous day (Monday) I played my second chess game this year and played pretty well, but I lost in the end. For the record, here it is. White is John Allison (151), who I lost to last year in the same tournament (the Dons Knockout). 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 a3 Bxc3 5 bc c5 6 e3 Nc6 7 Bd3 0-0 8 Ne2 d5 9 cd ed 10 f3 Re8 11 0-0 cd 12 ed h6 13 Rb1 a6 14 Nf4 Qa5 15 Qb3 b5! (Nxd5, Nxd5; Qxd5 Qxc3 looks good for Black) 16 Rd1 Ne7 (…Nxd4 nearly works, but not quite) 17 Bd2 Qc7 18 a4 g5 (a bit too aggressive, maybe) 19 Ne2 ba 20 Qxa4 Bf5 21 Qc2 Qc4?! (too flashy; the position had been about equal) 22 Bxf5 Qxe2 (the knight on g6 is hanging) 23 Bd3 Qe6 24 Re1 Qd6 25 Be3 Kg7 26 Bf2 a5? (…Nh5 is essential to prevent the bishop getting to Bg3, a threat I had seen but  underestimated) 27 Bg3 Qd7 28 Bb5 (another downside of 26…a5) Nc6 29 Be5 Qc8 30 Qa2 Nxe5? (panicking; Rc8 was a better try but probably also loses) 31 de Qc5+ 32 Qf2 Rec8 (moving the knight may be better, but by now we were both very short of time) 33 ef+ Kxf6 34 Qd4+ Qxd4 35 cd Rc2 36 Bd3 Rd2 37 Red1 Ra2 38 Ra1 Rb2 39 Kf1 a4? 40 Ra3 Rb3 41 R1a1 Rab8 42 Be2 R8b4 43 Rxa4 Rb1+ 44 Rxb1  Rxa4 and we both stopped writing our scores here because we were so short of time. Eventually 1-0

Sunday was almost as sad. The Communion service was fine, with David making a surprise appearance after having been reported seriously ill a day or two earlier, and this was followed by a bring-and-share featuring some Polish stew called something like Biggles. But then we all had to answer certain questions on our tables and then report back, with the usual result that people who liked talking but didn’t say much were in the ascendancy. We left early to visit Jessie, who is much more fun. Roger and Debbie also showed up for a cup of tea and cake. So that was good.