Saturday July 5th – Still warm but a little windy and cloudy, especially in the evening. Changed the bedclothes with Dot – not one of my favourite jobs. After lunch drove to Cromer for Dot’s concert. Dropped her off at church and parked in usual place. £4.50.  Back at church assisted Neville in preparing programmes and tickets; then we went over road to Huckleberry’s and had tea and biscuit. Back at church for a while then walked with him part of way to his hotel. Concert was very good. Sat with Angela and Rodney. Angela had a bit of a problem with vertigo. Chatted with Catherine at interval about Florida. Eleanor and her friend were there; also Claire, surprisingly. Afterwards chatted with Vikki on way back to car park. She seemed quite happy. Drove home in quite good time and watched cricket highlights: England on brink of defeat, but you never know…  

Sunday – Grey but mild with a heavy shower about midday. We were in church at the time – St Luke’s, that is. The original plan was to have a parish barbecue in the vicarage garden, but there was a forecast of thunderstorms; so this was aborted. Quite a sizeable band, but I played anyway, and so did Dot of course. Quite a good meal, nice to have a chance to talk. We gave Ray a lift home afterwards. For some reason felt very tired and lay down for a while. Did our packing for Scarborough and watched some tennis (Cameron Norrie winning), the first two stages of the Tour de France (highlights) and the last day of the Second Test against India, which India won – the right result. During the afternoon Anne came round to bring my birthday present. Two others had been delivered to Mark! Later David FaceTimed, and we had a chat. He had been on a long cycle ride. 

Monday – Cooler, cloudy, windy. Some rain the evening. Walked over to station to see if the bus replacement was running and discovered it was leaving five minutes earlier than scheduled. So we put on a bit of a spurt. It actually left seven minutes early and made good progress, landing us in Peterborough in time to catch the 12.01 to York. Quite crowded: sat in reserved seats and I started writing a poem. Arrived in York at 1.30pm    and relaxed a bit until boarding the Scarborough train, which was likewise crammed with reserved seats. A nice lady gave us a couple of seats which turned out not to be not reserved after all. Julia met us outside the station and we waited a while for Dave to find his way through the traffic and pick us up, taking us up to the apartment for refreshments. Spent rest of day there – bit of sleep, lovely meal and quite a bit to drink. Then watched some Wimbledon and Death in Paradise, during which both Dot and I went to sleep. 

Tuesday – Cool to start with, becoming much warmer. Dry. Not a good night, sleepwise. Drove to Thornton le Dale, one of my favourite villages. Then to Cedar Barn, which wasn’t as good as usual – waitresses not very wecoming. Bought some wine for our hosts. Had Sally Lunn (a kind of teacake). Drove back to Thornton and did shortish walk round lake, then upriver and round the back: very beautiful in the sun. Into café for lunch – much better service – had sandwich and chips. Diana George from Paston was at nearby table. She and her husband on the way to Scotland. Afterwards bought some chocolate and then back to car park. Dot and I both went to sleep on drive back to Scarborough. Later Dave and I got fish and chips. Had to pay with cash. Afterwards watched an episode of McDonald & Dodds that featured Delta blues from Robert Johnson and the crossroads story. Quite well done. 

Wednesday – Warm and dry. Sunny after early cloud. After another mediocre night (for me) we had breakfast and walked down into Scarborough. Stopped before reaching main town and had tea/coffee in promenade café. Then into seashore area which was highly populated with dogs and wheelchairs. Stopped at Bayview Café for lunch. Dot and I shared a ham and cheese sandwich and crisps. Dot and the other two shared a bottle of white wine, but I had a Coke. Owner (female) had really nice trousers. Afterwards Dave and I went for long walk down into the harbour, where we saw the Regal Lady, among other things. Then back to the funicular, up into town and caught the bus back to the flat. Home well before 4pm. Meanwhile Dot and Julia had gone to M&S among other things, and got back around 4.40pm. After having trouble earlier with iPhone, but it seemed to be back on an even keel. Had fruit and cup of tea and we all lay down for a while. Back in the land of consciousness we left at 6.30 to walk to the Italian restaurant, where we had a really good meal before getting a taxi back. Had some whisky and chatted about the past before going to bed. 

Thursday – Very warm and dry. Bad night — cramp in leg and worried about train seats. Breakfast as usual – toast, marmalade and cheese. Dave and Julia dropped us at station and we caught the 11.54 to York. Got home just before 6pm. First part was easy, except for difficulty of finding railcard on Trainline. Quite a delay in York before catching 1333 to Peterborough. Thought we’d have to stand, but nice member of LNER team found us seats – not together, though. At Peterborough discovered the Norwich train was late, but nice café on the relevant platform, and another helpful lady found us a cold white wine. When train arrived it was pretty full, and we were split up again, but we got together again at Ely. By now very warm, even more so at Norwich. Very tired but unpacked and cooked pie and potatoes. Watched cricket, some Wimbledon and some Tour de France.

Monday, June 30 was very hot and dry. Heatwave, one might almost say, as the BBC did ad infinitum, when not apologising for broadcasting Glastonbury hate speech. Wrote a reply to one our friends’ messages about Israel, and then Dot wrote a better one. We haven’t sent either yet. Went to Morrisons, then in the afternoon rang to get the results of my most recent water sample. I was told it was abnormal and I would need to see a doctor, but as I already have an appointment with a doctor in three weeks’ time, they weren’t keen to give me another one. I queried this but was told that although the results were abnormal, they weren’t urgent. So either it’s something relatively trivial or something they can’t do anything about. No worries. In three weeks I might know.

Mark is home. We watched a chunk of Wimbledon (Katie Boulder scraping through) and I cooked some cod which wasn’t as tasty as Dot hoped it would be. I quite liked it. 

Tuesday was also very hot. Strange day. Drove to Archant pensioners’ meeting in the morning, but it was very poorly attended. Robin had fallen over again, but Tricia was there, and the three of us were joined by the printer guy who I know well but whose name I forget, plus Andy Russell, Alan George and Ann Crane. We all sat together and actually had a pretty good chat. Later Dot and I got a bus into the city and got some corrections done to our travel documents for both Channel Islands and Canada (mainly Mr Dorothy Lenton). She then walked on towards Jarrolds for her nails appointment with Hannah; I went halfway with her then circled back to get bus back.

Really uncomfortably hot. Went to sleep for an hour (didn’t mean to), then drove up to chemist to get catheters I had ordered on prescription – except they didn’t have them. Checked in surgery, who were nice but not all that helpful: gave me the number of the place that supplied them. Back home I gave them a call (after Dot had arrived home with a present for Roger) and had a difficult time explaining exactly what had happened. Eventually I got someone who made sense, and it seems that the prescription was for ten, but they only supplied boxes of 60, which would last me for well over a year. So I had to bring the surgery back, and had difficulty explaining to them what the problem was. In the end I think they are now on order, but no-one knows whether they’re being delivered to the chemist or to me. Oh dear. Dot spent a long time the afternoon doing puzzles. Sent the Israel messages. Had pizza for supper and watched some TV, including an old episode of Vera. 

Wednesday – Startling reduction in temperature with the bonus of some light rain. Finished reading The Magician’s Nephew in the bath. Drove to church for Bible study with Steven, Debbie and Jude. James 3 and 4 – went quite well. Graham put in appearance in background. Not sure what he was doing. Planters still doing stirling work. After lunch I posted  birthday card to Joan and then we bought train tickets for Scarborough next week. Nice man in ticket office: £98 return each with Railcard. Then watched a bit of Wimbledon – win for Cameron Norrie against 12th seed. Cleared up while Dot went to orchestra with Janet and Nova. Checked hymns for Sunday. When Dot got back we watched an old episode of Yes Minister, as true as it always was. 

Thursday – Warm and dry. Watched cricket while eating breakfast and got an unexpected phone call from Paul, who invited us round for coffee. We went on the bus, which worked well, and we stayed for quite a while before getting the bus home. Got Holly’s new address from Paul: she is still in Bath but has moved to a bigger house with her boyfriend, Rich. So I was able to re-address her birthday card before posting it at the sorting office later. Cooked a Thai curry (in a box) and while we were eating it watched some Wimbledon (Draper being knocked out by Cilic) and then the cricket – Gill scoring a huge double century for India. After clearing up we watched a new murder mystery series. 

Friday – warm and dry. Linda came round and did our hair: she now lives at Guist with her new partner. Had bath and read more of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Everyone should read the Narnia series. After lunch my catheters arrived: I am now OK till the end of next year! We then went to Silver Road to buy some stamps and Morrisons to get some food for Sunday’s barbecue. Adapted my flash fiction Samaire for Bridget’s competition and submitted it. Sorted out my out-of-date catheters etc and bagged them up for disposal. Freed up quite a bit of space. Street meet with Des and Chris, Matt and Angela, Joe and Sam, Mary and Ciara. Felt quite odd and was glad when Angela offered me a seat. Result of haircut? Seems silly, but I often feel odd after having my hair cut.

Des got fish and chips and I managed to eat a fair chunk of it while watching cricket and Wimbledon – Emma Radicanu playing well and just losing to top seed. My cousin Sandra sent me a voicemail message about how she’s getting on in South Africa, which needs a reply. 

Wednesday June 25 – Warm and dry with a bit of wind. Sound familiar? Have now written four poems since Dot left. She is a distant inspiration! Gradually felt better during the day, though my head is still fuzzy and occasionally I feel off-balance. Had a call from the surgery this morning to arrange an appointment to discuss my ultrasound. It can’t be too bad, because the date is about a month away. Admittedly, that’s partly because we’re on holiday some of the time in between.

I eventually decided to go to see Barbara in Cromer, though I couldn’t raise her on the phone (turned out she had been out walking). Felt a bit guilty as I [assed the church, where I should normally have been leading Bible study, but it passed. Remembered in time to avoid the Holt road because of the road works and doubled back to take the back way through Buxton. That went fine, and I got to Barbara’s about 3pm. She didn’t answer the door at first, but I persisted and she eventually came. She had been sitting in the garden, which is where I ended up with a bit of cranberry juice. She always seems really pleased to see me, and we talked a lot about family. She’s had quite a difficult life in many ways, and of course no grandchildren, just the one son. She ended up praying for me (I think she has a healing gift), and I do now feel quite a bit better, though the dizziness is still there, off and on.

Kim rang while I was there, and when I rang her back I discovered she was going to Coventry tomorrow to help Kavana move (she had been hoping to go to Leamington Spa, but no luck). As she was leaving on the 8.30 train tomorrow I wouldn’t be able to have a chat with her, which is a pity. Got back to Norwich in rush hour as usual, but it wasn’t too bad. Watered the garden and cooked myself a chicken pie. Watched an episode of Death Valley I had slept through most of last time, and then a comedy programme. Both had Sian Gibson in them: she is a good actress and writer too. Cleared up and completed a couple of poems then caught up with blog. Dot got in touch about arrangements tomorrow evening and what they had to do to get to the airport at Rhodes on time. Sounds very organised (!), which is how I like it. Meanwhile I reached 4000 steps by walking in the kitchen. 

Thursday – Windy but quite warm. Up-and-down day healthwise. Woke quite late, had bath and wrote another poem. Can’t remember which order these things happened in. Sarah texted me and Des to see if we could get her from the hospital at 10am tomorrow – obviously I couldn’t, which is annoying, but in the end Des decided he could. Mark is going to be later back, hence the problem. Helicopter chaos, apparently.

At some point I tidied up the bedrooms and thinned out my study a bit. Felt grotty early afternoon, but better later. Watered the flowers while my supper cooked (yellow haddock), and I ate it partly while FaceTiming with Amy. We had a long chat, which was lovely. She is doing really well and got a first in her first-year exams. Earlier Dot called me (by mistake) while I was driving to Morrisons, but texted afterwards to tell me her plane was leaving late. I checked later and it seemed to have caught up and was scheduled to arrive on time.

Kim got in touch and said she had arrived in Coventry but had hurt her back again while moving a bed (??!) for Kavana, whose new flat is apparently a bit “tatty”. Drove to airport and arrived very early, but it meant I could wander round and got a picture of Dot’s plane landing. They got through arrivals by about 11pm and I drove Anne home (with Dot) so that she could go into the house with her. Then we drove home. Very little traffic about, of course. Dot had had problems getting to the airport in Rhodes, and I heard all about it. Got to sleep late. 

Friday – Warm with some wind. very warm later. Felt dreadful when I woke up, but as soon as I went downstairs, felt better. After breakfast drove to Wroxham and  parked in Roy’s medium- stay car park (free); then bought sandwiches and buns from Roy’s before meeting the others at Broadland Direct, including Fred and Sue, Neville and Mary, Ray Houseago, Michael and Cindy Huggins, Adrian, Tony and the usual suspects.  Boarded Cordon Rouge and started with talk by Chris Hart on his life of adventure in the UK. Good.

Moved up to top deck for the cruise, which started at 12 and finished at 3. Downriver to Horning, taking in Wroxham snd Salhouse broads with commentary by captain. Sun warm, and I got quite tanned without realising it.  Then a cryptic quiz, and I got in team with Fred and Sue, and we won (38/40). Dot formed duo with physicist  Peter Bussey, in which she was not outmatched. Then a singsong organised by Fred (G@S) followed by part of the school song. Young female bartender described trip as a “welcome change of pace”.

Dot and I walked back to car park and eventually found the car. Drove home via Coltishall to avoid traffic. Found some interesting backroads. Both of us very tired but went out for street meet with Des, Chris, Matt, Joe, Sam, Jon. Then I cooked salmon. We tried to watch TV but went to bed instead and wrote our blogs, which took a long time. That was after FaceTiming David to update him on Dot’s exploits. 

Saturday – Hot and dry. Despite having a good night’s sleep I felt tired all day. We gradually cleared up and had a couple of cold meals. Had a FaceTime with Amy, which was really nice. Dot prepared her prayers for tomorrow. I had a sleep in the afternoon and also re-read the first four chapters of The Magician’s Nephew. In the evening watched a few programmes, including the last episode of The Last Anniversary, which was so convoluted that I had to have Dot explain it to me. 

Sunday – A little bit cooler with a bit of cloud. Drove to church but took no special part in HC service, which was a joint one: unusually more St Luke’s people than St Aug’s. Two violins (one from St Luke’s). No guitars. Spoke to two couples I didn’t know – David and his wife; and Andrew and his Brazilian wife (think they live at Aylsham). Refreshments afterwards – and before, come to that. Took Ray home and dropped off Liz Day’s birthday card at Cotman Fields. Watched quite a lot of catch-up TV and we both slept on bed in afternoon. After we woke up I felt much better. Chicken Kiev for supper; David FaceTimed and we had a long chat, mainly about Dot’s holiday and David and Chrissy’s travels planned for next month. 

Friday 20th June – Very warm and dry. An odd day: kept feeling Dot was in the room with me. We eventually made actual contact: she hadn’t had data roaming on, but it all seems ok now. She is no longer at Norwich airport. Meanwhile I finished my Parish Pump articles – on the first atomic bomb, a clergyman who was also a top tennis player and Emmett Till, who Bob Dylan wrote a song about. (He was a black 14-year-old boy murdered by whites in Mississippi in 1955.)

Had a long conversation with Howard on the phone: he really wanted to talk to Dot about safeguarding, but we ended up talking about whether or not I should remain an AWA, and the different views within the church on Israel. Warm street meet: we eventually moved on to our side of the street, which is shadier. Present were Sarah, Des and Chris, Matt and Angela and later Joe and Sam. Des got me fish and chips. Far too much to eat. Dot sent a couple of pictures – looks as if she’s having fun in the sun.  

Saturday – Very warm and dry again. Some cloud later. Woke up feeling all right but quickly went downhill, after having a peppermint tea (though that may not have been to blame). Had late breakfast/lunch and a bath. Started shivering and feeling pretty ill. Went back to bed and eventually took paracetamol. Stomach felt tight and unpleasant. Spent quite a bit of time in bed – slept on and off. Dot seems Ok. Tried to avoid telling her I was ill. Eventually David and Chrissy FaceTimed me; so I told them. By then I was feeling a bit better, but not right. Saw a book in the hall bookcase that looked interesting; so have started reading it. It’s about the Hebrew language. Later on had a light supper and watched the Test Match against India. We were a bit lucky not to be further behind. Watered the hanging basket and the plants, then went to bed just after 9pm. Still have the feeling that someone’s in bed with me. 

Sunday – Cloudy but dry till evening – just after I’d watered the flowers! Unsettled sort of day generally, mainly because I was feeling ill. Hadn’t eaten much since Friday until this evening, when I had a lamb steak. Not sure it was a good idea. Have been drinking a lot of water. Didn’t go to church this morning – rang Ray to warn him. Spent a lot of the day in bed, part of the time reading that book – about how Hebrew was translated. Felt just about ok when I remembered to take paracetamol. Fortunately I was out of bed when Des came to see if I was ok for a meal with them on Wed. I opted out, saying I wasn’t sure I would be well by then. Anna sent a message to say she and Matt wouldn’t be here next week and Martin would be choosing the hymns. Oh joy. Eventually I had to admit to Dot that I wasn’t well, and she phoned to check. It would be nice to feel well in a normal sort of way. Nice to talk to her though.

Monday –  Cooler and windy. Felt pretty rubbish on waking up after another restless night. Certain amount of pressure from my wife and others – including Charlotte –  to see a doctor, but this is easier said than done. Evidence from my water seemed to indicate that I was getting better, but I still felt pretty rotten. I tried to e-consult, but that didn’t work: I was told I needed to see a doctor. Very helpful. Eventually I decided to walk up to the walk-in centre. The wait was slightly less than last time, and I was seen by a trainee, who was supervised except when his supervisor popped out to do something else. Ho hum. Anyway, I liked him, though as usual I forgot to tell him everything.

As I suspected, my water was OK. But they clearly realised something was wrong and told me to take another sample to the surgery tomorrow morning. They also prescribed antibiotics, but said it was OK not to take them unless I got obviously worse. I was definitely improving: walked down to Boots at Riverside for the antibiotics, then popped into Morrisons and bought some soup, which I had for supper. But my head was very odd, and still is. You may have noticed. Nevertheless I cut down a few straggling stems from in front of the window, and then put the bins out. At some point Natalie from up in the woods came and asked me for support in her campaign to get the council to trim back the two trees that overhang our houses. I agreed.

Several people messaged me to see if I was OK, including Judy, Kim, Kristine and of course David – and Dot, who is having a great time in the old town of Rhodes, including quaffing Retsina. I watched highlights of the fourth day of the cricket – all quite exciting – then an old Yes Minister. Lastly cleared away and did some work on Sunday’s sermon. PS at the walk-in centre the supervisor asked me if I lived with someone. I said I did – my wife. She asked me where she was, and I had to say “In Greece.” She seemed a little surprised.

Tuesday – Weather humid and windy; hard to know what to wear. Had a bath and after 10 went up to surgery with urine sample. Receptionist exceptionally helpful. Wanted to book me in for ultrasound feedback, but couldn’t find date; asked me to ring next week, when another week of appointments become available. Am seeing nurse at the end of July re additional blood tests. Have to ring on Thursday to get urine results. Ho hum.

Drove to Wroxham to reconnoitre parking for planned Friday cruise. Consulted woman parker who said the free medium-term Roy’s car park should be ok. You can get sandwiches at Roy’s. Did over 4000 steps and was pretty tired when I got home. Meanwhile Dot was boating around the Med. Tried to arrange to see Kim, but in the end I decided I wasn’t really feeling up to it, especially after I overbalanced and spilt some tea on the rug in the lounge. Graham offered to preach on Sunday because he’d heard I was ill, and I accepted. I also WhatsAppd that  I wouldn’t make tomorrow’s Bible study.

Had a rest and finished my book, then drove to Morrisons about 5pm and bought some stuff. Went quite well. Then I watered some of the garden (I finished it later) and cooked myself some salmon with some of the huge amount of runner beans Dot bought before she left. Gradually felt better. Watched the cricket, which England won rather too easily. Annoyingly Duckett got a large score. I hate reverse sweeps and paddle shots: I think they should be banned. Cleared up and went to bed, but only after watching a documentary about Birkhall, which managed to avoid saying exactly where it was and didn’t mention the big flood of 2015(?). Pity.

I am on my own. An odd feeling, especially since contact with Dot has been very erratic. My iPhone says she’s at Norwich airport, which is about par for the course. No problem picking up – instantly – Amy in Albania and David in Canada, not to mention Oliver in London. But Dot? No chance, even if she’s in Norwich. Which she isn’t. Anyway, to take the last five days in order…

Sunday 15th – almost entirely dry and fairly warm. Heard early in the day that Adrian Howes had died. Forgot my glasses when we drove to church and had to go back for them. Fortunately I had enough time. Anna not well; so band was Dot, me, Matt and Steve Fiske. Sounded quite good actually. Liz C forgot her Communion stuff; so we had Morning Worship as originally scheduled. Bit of anti-semitism in news slot; so I adjusted the prayers slightly to take it into account. David C asked me afterwards if I thought this appropriate, and I got a bit angry with him. Not like me at all, but I was getting quite frustrated about the whole issue.

Took Ray home as usual: he seems to be going downhill – has been prescribed morphine and cocodamol by palliative nurse. Watched a fair bit of TV, including the end of Mansfield Park, which I don’t think is that good really. Also a 2016 documentary on Greece which was strangely different from today. Cleaned out LED light on back porch, but it still doesn’t work. However I did manage to fix the printer after much effort. Dot and I did some research on Daniel, which was interesting. 

Monday – Very warm. Bit of dizziness, especially when washing hair in bath. Had had a bad night and felt pretty tired. Had a lie down after watching Death Valley. Dot very busy preparing for her holiday. Watched her water flowers so that I know what to do! Cake and Compline at ours in the evening because Claire’s house needed repairs following thunderstorm. She brought a cake by way of compensation. By walking in the house I made it to about 4200. David and Bridget, Claire, Jude and Vicky came. Phil on holiday. David C wants to meet me to talk about Palestine. I suppose I shall have to. 

Tuesday – Warm with a bit of wind. Suddenly remembered I had not picked up my pills from chemist; so drove up there about 10am and got them. Then at noon picked up Mike Read and drove to Bury St Edmunds, which was straightforward other than missing the turn in Thetford. So instead drove up on Diss road through Euston and cut across on road we have used in the past. Found Fornham All Saints with no problem and were in good time at Owen Hindle’s place. Had tea and biscuits and chatted to the accompaniment of tennis at Queen’s. Later Mark arrived, and hot on his heels his wife Liz (Nice), who I had helped to train as a journalist. She is now editor of EADT and Ipswich Evening Star. She said some nice things about the training, and I got a much clearer picture of what is going on there now. Mark was trained by David Paull before I arrived. It was really good to see them.

Drove home after they left (they live just behind Owen) and arrived in Norwich during rush hour. Tried the Unthank Road route, which worked surprisingly well, and I dropped Mike and got home around 5.30. Dot had been shopping and bought me some new trousers as an early birthday present! Plus some fruit off the market. Anne kept calling her to check things about their holiday. David FaceTimed later, and we had a chat. Lorraine’s sister has a similar vertigo problem to Dot’s. Amazingly, after walking a while in the kitchen before bed, I reached over 4000 again. 

Wednesday – Dot’s last day in Norwich, and as she’d completed her packing at an early stage, it was all a bit surreal. As an added complication, the EDP informed us that there were lengthy hold-ups around the airport and would be for the next five months. All to extend a cycle path. As keen cyclist Matt would say, we already have cycle paths. They’re called roads. What a useless council.

Dot and I went to Bible study and we continued with James. Leanne was there, as were Debbie, Judy and Steven.  Still a lot of planting going on in front of hall. Elaborate watering plans on church What’sApp. Meanwhile I was watering our own garden under guidance from Dot. After we’d been to Morrisons, that is. Short shop. Cooked egg , bacon, mushroom, beans and fried potatoes. Amy was still in Albania. We watched Long Hot Summer, with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward: very good except that in common with many films of that era, they didn’t know how to conclude: it just stops. Quite funny. About 4500 steps. 

Thursday – Very warm. Bit worried about traffic;  so left early to pick up Anne from Poringland and then take her and Dot to airport. Hold-up not as bad as expected, and I dropped them off as planned, then drove home. As I arrived home I met the window cleaner, who was about to do our house. Had quite a long chat. Cleared up and emptied dishwasher, then had a rest and made lunch. Remembered just in time that Bridget was coming; so moved car to one side as road was pretty full. Took EDPs over to Chris. Bridget did cleaning, and we had a chat about Fast Fiction!

Des came over later and asked about fish and chips for tomorrow, as well as inviting me to an evening meal on Wednesday! I chose the hymns and watered the flowers, then had tinned fish and stewed apple for supper. I also wrote a Pump piece before becoming worried about Dot, who I hadn’t heard from. Quite an odd feeling, thinking she might actually be in trouble. Eventually she texted me after midnight and said she’d had ”many adventures”. Quite a relief to find she was at hotel. My phone was showing her still in Norwich of course. Sorted out my trousers. Oh yes I did. 

Continuation of Monday June 9, which was not bad, weather wise. In the afternoon Dot went for a two-hour pedicure at Jarrolds. I lay down for quite a while, then did quite a lot of steps, amounting to a total of not far short of 5000. Dot got back around 5.45. Watched the news then had some smoked salmon, followed by the final part of Jane Austen documentary. Amazing woman. Also saw final part of documentary on The Flying Scotsman. 

Tuesday – Warm and dry, but a bit windy. Drove to Bawdeswell garden centre, where we met Angela and Rodney for lunch. We then went on to their house in Dereham (Angela with me; Dot with Rodney) via Swanton Morley and had a cup of tea in the garden. Very pleasant. Afterwards drove home by the main route, which was quite  busy, with progress round Riverside pretty slow. Quiet evening, watching a bit of football (England playing badly against Senegal and losing 3-1), then a new version of Shardlake (good) and another episode of The Last Anniversary, which was pretty incomprehensible. Earlier a short documentary about a village near Southampton called Bucklers Hard. Worth a visit by anyone who happened to be living in Southampton… Oh, earlier got appointment for ultrasound on Saturday. 

Wednesday – Sunny and warm. Bridget arrived to clean at 10.30am, and Dot and I left some time later for Bible Study at church. Judy, Steve and new member Morgan there, and we looked at the first few verses of James. Went quite well. Morgan introduced me to a new app, Parallel Plus, which compares different versions of the Bible. Installed it afterwards. Drove to chemist to get Dot’s pills, but it was shut; so came home for lunch and watched cricket highlights – T20. Not keen on T20 – it’s just hitting, and you can get 6 from a complete mishit. Really need to revert to lighter bats to make it interesting.

Anyway, after that we went back for the pills and drove to Morrisons, where we filled up with petrol and bought some food. Earlier Bridget had suggested writing some fast fiction (300 words) for a competition, and I suggested she act as my agent and try to get The Lost Princess published. I still think it’s a good little story. Wrote it for Amy when she was about 11. Later Dot went to orchestra rehearsal with Janet and Nova as usual. I cleared up after dish washer had cooled down a bit. Watched a few things on YouTube. Eventually remembered what Dervish were called. When Dot got back we watched another programme on Jane Austen. Getting to know Jane pretty well. 

Thursday – Warm and dry. Got up late and had a bath. At last entered poems for Crabbe competition: usual difficulty with Suffolk Poetry Society website, but I now have Apple Pay on my computer. Caught up with various other things, including latest EP chess. Had soup, then Dot and I got  bus to Castle Meadow and walked to Maddermarket for Agatha Christie play, A Murder is Announced. Very well done. Walked home and just managed to exceed 4000 steps. Plane crash in India killed hundreds. 

Friday – Very warm. Israel launched attack on nuclear facilities in Iran. In similar news, I caught up with my computer backlog and put a couple of items on Diderot. Then Dot and I drove to Christ Church for talk on C S Lewis by visiting speaker from Birmingham. Pretty good. About 30 there. Sat with Liz Cannon. Jude and Eleanor also there. Spoke to Julie and helped with washing up. Back home very warm street meet without Des or Mark but with Sarah, Joe, Sam, Mary and Jon. Ciara away down south. Afterwards cooked pies and we watched some comedy and first episode of Mansfield Park. 

Saturday – Heavy and prolonged thunderstorm overnight; otherwise warm and dry. Got up a bit late; Linda came to cut hair just after 11am. Couldn’t eat anything after midday because of my ultrasound at 4pm. Dot dropped me off at new building – Diagnostic Centre – pretty early: impressive new hall practically empty. Ultrasound on liver took about ten minutes (went in early) and guy said I had a fatty liver. I looked it up – it doesn’t seem serious – but of course my doctor will get the full results. Walked from Diagnostic Centre across to UEA by usual cross-country route and caught 25 bus, which made fairly slow progress before dropping me on Thorpe Road outside station. Managed over 4500 steps for day.

Cooked sausages and watched quite a bit more of Mansfield Park. Doing prayers for Steven tomorrow. Anna has had bad reaction to “jabs” and Carrie has narrowly avoided sepsis and can’t lead service next week. Had problem changing ink and printing out prayers – had to use Dot’s printer. 

It’s Monday June 9, and we’re just back from breakfast with Brian Caldecott and Tricia Pendle at The Foundry garden centre near Tasburgh. We were supposed to be joined by Robin and Shelagh Limmer, but Robin felt lacking in energy when he got out of bed. Nice meal, and we bought a hanging basket afterwards: we have just put it up with assistance from Mark. Or to be more accurate: Mark put it up.

OK. Last Wednesday (June 4) we had a little rain, but it was mainly dry and quite pleasant towards evening. Bridget arrived just as we were leaving for Bible study; so didn’t have time to talk. We got back just as she left. Lot of planting going on in churchyard. Leanne joined us: also Steven, Debbie, Judy, Dot and me. Turned into a bit of a discussion group, which I don’t like so much, especially as certain people have a tendency to drift away from the topic. Glad Leanne was there. We now have WiFi at the hall – without the need to erect a pole. Yippee.

Dot and I had lunch and later went to the foot clinic, where I left Dot while I walked around the other side of Dereham Road, which proved quite interesting. Back home we watched the first two episodes of a German crime drama (good) and then I cooked haddock. Janet picked up Dot and Nova for orchestra rehearsal. Felt very tired, but cleared up and did some puzzles. Microsoft Word suddenly stopped working on my iMac: very irritating. Not sure what to do: it’s ok on my iPhone. Odd pains in my stomach. Good day for steps – over 5000. 

Thursday – Mainly wet, but not too cold. Stayed indoors all day, though Dot went to shop. Problems with Microsoft Word, which stopped working on my iMac and eventually on my iPad. Had to repurchase it at increased price. Annoying. Did a bit of writing, watched a bit of TV, including Where Eagles Dare, which was very good. Discovered Oliver is back home. Spoke to David and Chrissy on FaceTime. Took EDPs over to Chris. Didn’t feel too great, but walked over 3000 indoors. 

Friday – Quite heavy showers, especially early on. Walked up to post office with card for Christine Potter, then got bus up to Unthank Road for Holy Trinity funeral of Alan Harrison. About 30 there, including Graham Drake. Good service – spoke to leader afterwards and thanked him for his sermon, which I thought was very good. Walked home – probably not a good idea – cutting through Castle Mall. So pretty tired by street meet, for which it started raining. We sheltered under flat until it stopped. Walk through city had been warm and dry! Des, Chris, Mark, Ciara, Matt and Mary for a short while. Didn’t have too much wine but felt unsteady afterwards. Cooked salmon, and we watched last two episodes of latest series of Clarkson’s Farm.  Good in a horrendous sort of way and if you could ignore the language. Called his new pub The Farmer’s Dog, which would put me right off. 

Saturday was not the greatest day weatherwise, but not as wet as we thought it was going to be. Very grey, though. Met Kristine off the train at 12.18 while Dot was finishing the cooking, and we had a lovely meal, though I felt pretty groggy afterwards. Wonder if I might have developed lactose intolerance, because it was pretty creamy and the symptoms are very similar to what I’ve been having. Anyway, had to doze afterwards, which was a bit embarrassing. K is retiring at the end of August but continuing her freelance work. Had a good chat – led primarily by Dot – and I showed K some pictures. She left on the 17.30 and of course we took her over to the station. Afterwards watched come cricket and a comedy before clearing up, which took over an hour! Then last two episodes of German crime story based on real life: very good – interesting to read the English and hear the German equivalents. 

Sunday – Coolish, but not too bad. Some showers, one of them very hard rain, as forecast by Bob Dylan. That happened while we were in the Weaver’s Arms having lunch with Howard, Anne, Matt, Amanda and Phil. This followed a ceilidh rehearsal which was a bit chaotic as far as I was concerned because there wasn’t enough music. However, at least I played some – which I didn’t during the service, partly because I thought they had enough with two violins, piano and Phil’s guitar, but in the end Phil didn’t play because he had a bit of a problem with his left hand (Parkinson’s) and he wanted to make sure it would be all right for the ceilidh rehearsal.

Four new people at the service, but still only 21 in all. Graham did very good sermon for Pentecost Sunday. The lunch – a huge amount of beef and stuff – lasted till 4.30pm. Because of road works and having to park a long way from church, we were a little late. I dropped Phil and Dot off and then had a bit of a problem finding somewhere to park (again!), but in the  end parked on Colegate. Dropped Phil off at church to pick up his car afterwards. Had a sleep at home, then watched quite a bit of TV, with only a brief bite to eat later on. Amy e-mailed us some old pix of Norwich that she found in Exeter. 

Last Friday (May 30) was warm and dry. Phone call at 8am changing my appointment to Thorpewood at 11.45, instead of Dussindale at 11.10. This was so that I could see a GP. And so I did – Dr Okeke, who was very pleasant and thorough, though he didn’t leave me much the wiser after well over half an hour. Heart all right, and so are blood pressure and a number of other things. However my PSA is raised, which is very surprising as I don’t have a prostate. Also liver function down. He examined my body, but nothing was obvious.  He wants to test two more things and arrange an ultrasound. Hope they don’t interfere with holidays. Met Carrie in the waiting room and she was still there afterwards! Her husband is quite ill with probable kidney cancer, and she’s not too great herself.

Watched some more of Clarkson’s Farm and a couple of other things in the evening, but before that I went for shortish walk and got steps up to 4000 again. Then had street meet in the sun: Des and Chris briefly with Charlie, then Mark and Sarah, Matt and Angela and Joe and Sam plus Jon, Mary and Ciara, back from her wild swimming. A has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. I went in towards the end to start cooking our salmon, which was very nice. Felt quite a bit better during the evening. 

Saturday – very warm and dry. Adrian O’dell’s 80th birthday bash, as highly organised as you’d imagine. We got there a bit early, despite taking the wrong road and having to ask a man mowing the verge. Seating was designated; so we couldn’t sit with Fred and Sue as hoped, but it was ok. We sat with Mike and Cindy Huggins, Graham Drake and Richard Archer. Fred and Sue sat with Neville and Mary. Buffet meal was really excellent , and so was Adrian’s autobiographical film, but I had a headache and was feeling a bit unwell; so went out and missed part of the speeches and the quiz. Adrian on ukulele, son-in-law on bass guitar and grandson on drums did some good music. Even Adrian wasn’t bad.

Spoke at some length to Fred and Sue; so that was OK. Dot joined in birthday phone call to Barry Brown, who was 84. This happened while I was resting in the car. Dot drove both ways. Lay down for a bit and took more paracetamol, and I felt better as the evening progressed. We watched part of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and then cleared up and checked our service for tomorrow. Phil and Anna will probably be away, or at least inactive. 

Sunday – Cooler, windy but dry. Still quite pleasant. Drove to church and led service. Only 14 present. Dot (in nice dress)  and Martin joined by Steve Fiske in band. Howard arrived with wheelbarrow and plants and somehow got a lot of water on his Bible. He preached on Mongolian Christianity, which was a lot more interesting than it sounds. Anna didn’t come. Illness now described as flu – still, it’s not malaria. Took Ray home: he was a bit down, especially as Steve is going for a liver scan.

Watched European final, PSG beating Inter Milan 5-0, which was a bit humiliating. Also saw end of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which was good, bad and ugly, as well as being extremely long. Compelling, though. Also a few other ongoing crime dramas, and documentaries about Scandinavia and the Flying Scotsman. Took my last antibiotic pill and didn’t feel too bad at the end of the day. 

Monday – Dry and quite mild. Gas man came to service boiler – all in order, though I had a nasty moment when I couldn’t remember where the gas meter was. Totally ridiculous: I read it every month and know exactly where it is. Beginning of the end? Afterwards Dot and I went to Morrisons and stocked up. Slight problem in that Dot wanted to get some Pyrex dishes – free with More card, but she didn’t have her phone with her. They sorted it out, though.

After lunch Anne came round, and she and Dot walked to shops…for quite a long time. Dot bought some tops and a dress for her holiday. Meanwhile I drove up to Rosary with flowers from Morrisons. Graves in a bit of a mess (see picture); so tidied up a bit. As usual someone was walking a dog, although dogs are prohibited there. Back at home lay down for a while. Cooked pie for Dot and lamb steak for me. Watched a couple more episodes of Code of Silence – very good. Feeling quite a bit better, though getting strange head pains. 

Tuesday – A little rain, drier later. Up reasonably early to get to Archant Pensioners’ breakfast; in fact we arrived well before anyone else and were halfway through our breakfast before Tricia arrived. Robin and Shelagh also there and two “new” women – in fact a goodly number including Peter Franzen, with whom we had a chat.

In the afternoon Dot drove me to a Thanksgiving service for Derek Haylock at CityGates (Surrey), where  I met Phil, who was delivered by minibus from Eckling Grange. Chatted with a few people I vaguely recognised and one or two I knew. Sat next to Helen, Lucy’s mother. Interesting. Brief chat afterwards with Pastor Andy Rees, who did a good sermon. Three eulogies that in total gave me a huge inferiority complex. Walked home afterwards, after being closely questioned on the Lentons by former Surrey centre forward, who is black – unusual in those days. In the evening watched Jane Austen documentary and the last two episodes of Code of Silence, which was a brilliant thriller involving a lip-reader. Feeling a bit fragile, as if I was only partly here, which may be true. 

A difficult week. Last Sunday (25th) weather was ok, I think. Got back from church – where was quite a thin congregation and I played in the band – feeling pretty ill and went to bed. Not sure: I may have just lain on it. Slept a bit. Some pain in stomach. Headache, etc etc. Dot looked after me. Eventually she came to bed and we went to sleep. 

Monday (Bank Holiday) – Weather pretty nondescript, but dry till evening. Woke with temperature up. Dot dropped me at walk-in centre, and I spent two hours waiting to be seen (initially thought it would be longer). Very good nurse practitioner prescribed antibiotics and cream and told me to go to doctor’s first thing tomorrow to get more detailed blood test. She sent them a message, which should make things easier. Seemed to think it was mainly a UTI.

Dot met me (she had been in John Lewis after initially returning home) and we walked home. Had cheese sandwich and watched last two episodes of Long Bright River, which was very good, if a bit slow at times. Then feeling pretty grotty so went to bed and slept a bit. Dot did me a fried egg and toast, and we watched a good programme on Scandinavia – primarily Finland. Then watched football. David FaceTimed with Oliver and we had a chat. Apparently Chrissy & Co have colds. Anna, returning home from New York, apparently has Covid. 

Tuesday – Pretty wet, especially later. Tried to ring surgery at 8, made 17th in the queue and then noticed that I already had am messages giving me an appointment at 11.10. Amazing efficiency, presumably as a result of the walk-in centre’s message. The appointment was with Emma, my favourite Thorpewood nurse, but it turned out it was just to take blood. I have another appointment on Friday to get the results – at Dussindale (later changed to Thorpewood). Felt a bit better during the day, though still very tired, and I lay down during the afternoon. Des brought plants over for charity project at church and later came again to tell us our car boot was open. Nothing taken, though. Dot had been to shops earlier. Watched first two episodes of Series 4 of Clarkson’s Farm. Very good. Pity about some of the language. Also first part of a documentary about Jane Austen. 

Wednesday  – Very wet to start with, but dry later. Fairly warm. Helped Dot load car with plants to take to church for planting by charity. When she got there it poured with rain for ten minutes; so she had to wait in the car till it relented. Plants were appreciated though. Tim-free Bible study with Debbie, Ellie, Steven. Judy was at the funeral of her husband’s second wife and had left her car in our drive. She picked it up about 3pm –  all went well.

Meanwhile Mark has had new windows and a new front door installed: the door looks particularly good, and it all took less than two days. Even John was impressed. Dot and I watched Death Valley, a new comic crime series which I rather liked. Stars Timothy Spall.  Nova arrived too late to go with Janet and Dot to violin rehearsal; so I gave her a lift. I think she now feels an eternal obligation. 

Thursday – Warm and dry but a little windy. Very quiet. Dot did some work in the garden. I gradually improved healthwise through the day and risked not taking my final paracetamol. Tidied my room up in the afternoon and chose some hymns for Sunday (after sleeping for a while post-prandially). We have new harder pillows – well we’ve had them for a while but not used them. They seem good. Bridget came to clean about 4pm – seemed very perky and full of ideas.  Des brought us fish and chips at 7pm, and we watched a couple more episodes of Clarkson’s Farm. I walked over to the station to get cash out and somehow, with a little indoor walking, brought up the 4000. 

Oliver is now (Sunday the 25th) in Canada. Here, last Tuesday (20th) it was warm and dry. Dot found my summer shirts in the loft, and I wore one to go to Bawdeswell Garden Centre to have lunch with Julia and Allen. Had whitebait – nice. Felt a bit iffy all day but better in the evening. Have been drinking water for usual reason. Also peppermint tea. Spoke to Mark and Jon when we got back. Sarah not having her op till next time Mark comes home. Watched some football and finished off Parish Pump – though not happy about one of the items. Lots of conflicting information. (First rocket lunch in 1950). After light tea – biscuits and ham and cheese, plus leftover salmon – we watched first two episodes of a thriller called Long Bright River, set in America and pretty good. Had another search for Dot’s book The Case for Heaven, but it still eludes. Headache. 

Wednesday. Cooler, some sun; showers elsewhere. Went to church for Bible study.  Discussed “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”, but not very successfully really. Probably better to revert to reading a book, or part of one. People who are revamping church  “garden” started work today – they seem very nice. Phil back from Italy but didn’t come till Taizé. Dot and I took short walk to Anglia Square to see changes: thought it would be shut, but only the shops were shut. The square is still open. Wrote new article for Parish Pump to replace one I wasn’t happy with; so went with Sir Robert Peel, the 1935 Yangtze floods and the 2005 London suicide bombings. Dropped: 1950 Cape Canaveral rocket launch, which had lots of contradictory info. Wildly different estimates of how high it went, for instance. Not entirely clear why the first launch should be called Bumper 8. Anyway… Dot went to orchestra in evening with Janet and Nova. I managed nearly 5000 steps through the day. We watched another episode of Long Bright River as well as (after several attempts) brief highlights of Spurs’ 1-0 win over Manchester United in Europa Cup Final. Feel quite a bit better but still getting very odd sensations in head and stomach. On the plus side, still alive. 

Thursday – Some light rain very early, but mostly dry and not too cool. Still feeling fairly odd, but able to carry on with stuff generally. Chose hymns and took card for Paul’s birthday up to post; Dot and I went to Morrisons to stock up. Altogether managed over 4000 steps. Cooked complicated meal of duck, then we went to DCC meeting at the new vicarage. Managed to park eventually. Stopped Dot driving up no-entry street: she had been confused by my directions. Didn’t enjoy DCC meeting.  Watched first day highlights of Zimbabwe test, which was so easy for England that it was boring, then a Villages by the Sea episode on Alnmouth, where I’d stayed with Andrew. Didn’t look very familiar, but then I did go to sleep during the middle of it. The programme, not the holiday. 

Friday – Reasonably warm. Up quite late. Think I’ve worked out what might be wrong with me: enlarged spleen. Sounds weird, but can’t find anything else that fits the symptoms. Most of the time I feel all right, though. Perhaps it’s shrinking. Caught up with playing through EP chess games, edited pix and checked bank account. Did quite a bit of walking up and down and reached the high 4000s again. Did some work in the garden, mainly cutting back ivy. Later met in street as usual, but without Mary, who has a migraine. Des, Chris, Ciara, Matt, Joe and Sam there. Mark arrived very late – had been out for meal with friends and had enjoyed the cocktails. Interesting conversation with Ciara (mainly) about Whitsun, which is a couple of weeks away. Cooked pie for Dot, and lamb steak for me. Watched more cricket, Austen and Red Dwarf, as well as another go at Villages by the Sea, during which we managed to stay awake and Alnmouth looked more familiar. 

Saturday – Warmer than it looked. Rained early on but threatened later rain did not materialise. Had a bath and then walked over to the bus with Dot, but got a different one to go further, intending to walk home from the RC Cathedral area. However, this plan fell through when a Polish woman asked me where the city centre was and if she had time to look round before her train left at 2pm. I got off with her at Red Lion Street and set her in the right direction, heading down The Walk.

Then I walked up to Chapelfield Gardens and from there through Little Bethel Street to the City Hall, where some kind of demo was going on. Not sure what it was. Looked in at an exhibition in the Undercroft but didn’t like many of the pictures. Headed on through the market and from there through the Arcade and on to London Street, where Dot was busy in Jarrolds. Up towards the Cathedral, and in Queen Street bumped into Stephanie Caine, a friend I hadn’t seen for a while and who was having trouble with subsidence, as well as asthma. Had a chat, and I then went on down through the Cathedral, past Paddington and into the cloisters for a quick look: then home, feeling very, very tired. Had worn a raincoat, and it was too hot.

Had lunch: meanwhile Dot was having lunch with Kim in Jarrolds. She bought several things with Rhodes in mind. Had soup for supper, watched Zimbabwe lose Test (but play quite well) then Dot prepared prayers for tomorrow. Watched two more episodes of Long Bright River – not enough rapids for my liking. Took paracetamol. Still feeling weird.