Friday evening (Oct 4) was not too cold for the time of year. Des was visiting a grandchild so wasn’t at the street meet. Instead Mark, Jonathan, Matt, Angela. Quite a long talk. Bin still not emptied and nor was Matt’s. Watched documentary about sinking of superyacht. Needless to say this was linked to climate change. 

Saturday was sunny and warm, becoming cooler later. Day of the cake and compline trail. Dot and I walked to Eleanor’s, where we all had a cup of tea and a biscuit, plus a bit of a chat. Left just after 11am and took them all to the start, paired up: David and Dot; Judy and Claire; Bridget and Eleanor; Phil and Vicky. I went back and forward, giving encouragement and assistance. Dot left about 11.40 to go to the football, where City beat Hull 4-0. Glad she went – I had to encourage her to.

Proceeded with trail. Several people went badly astray in the middle, but we all eventually got to the Assembly House, where I gave the results. Most of them got most of the clues. We all walked back to Harriet’s in London Street, which Bridget had booked. I had a breakfast and some Darjeeling. We shared the room after about half an hour with some nurses celebrating someone’s retirement. Quite loudly.

Walked home through crowds emerging from match. Dot already there. Had a rest while Dot went to shop and then cooked salmon. Watched two of three episodes of Reginald Perrin and a documentary on Wild Arabia (third episode). Also a bit of football. Steps exceeded 10,000 for day. Wore Christmas socks Chrissy bought me a while ago, and they helped my feet quite a lot! Meanwhile Oliver is in Boston, Mass. 

Sunday was mostly dry but cooler, especially in church! Rain towards evening, but not too heavy.  Drove to church in morning. Played guitar: Phil led and Anna did lectio: Dot led prayers. We gave Ray a lift home, and Angel Road was open – at last. Had a fairly quick lunch and then picked Kim up to take her to Blofield for concert by St Gregory’s Orchestra, conducted by Martin Wyatt.

Spoke to Barbara and David Pilch. Excellent performance, including a madrigal sung by orchestra and a piece conducted by one of the violinists. But highlight was Bruch violin concerto with young local soloist, Dylan Latham, who was superb. So was orchestra. Outstanding  refreshments at interval. After dropping Kim home we didn’t need full meal. Watched three episodes of drama Joan and one of a thriller we have been following. Also a bit of football: Spurs threw away game against Brighton. David FaceTimed. He seems well. Oliver is in Boston, visiting Harvard, among other places. Apparently he prefers Boston to SF. Just managed 4000 steps. 

Monday – Mainly sunny and seeming warmer, but perhaps that’s because I had too many clothes on when I walked up to the dentist for a “review”. Appointment less than ten minutes, including an x-ray, and either free or someone forgot to ask me to pay. Called at St Julian on the way back. Very still. Oliver flying to New York today. Tired after my walk; so lay down for a while after watching the rest of last night’s football. Dot practised violin, then walked to shop. Later watched the last three episodes of Irving Welch Crime series, which was quite good but a little contrived. When we went to bed looked at where Oliver was on Google Earth: 44th Avenue on Long Island. He gets around. 

Yesterday was showery, but still reasonably mild. In the morning I walked up to post a birthday card to Birgit. Afterwards Dot drove up to Hellesdon to visit Joyce: she seemed to be making good progress. Meanwhile, I had a bath. Dot did quite a lot of household cleaning, plus violin practice, and I caught up with stuff. We both watched a fair bit of TV , including the drama Joan, a bit of cricket highlights and a film, Strangers on a Train, which was excellent. Also another, quite long, episode of The Chosen. Had a bit of trouble getting it on screen from Dot’s phone, but eventually managed it from mine. 

Today was overcast, not too cold, except in the church hall, and with occasional rain. Judy came round to see the last episode of Series 3 of The Chosen, and I  left early to get to church, carrying a curtain, neatly ironed, which Dot was giving to Steven. Met Steven at church hall door and we returned to the car to transfer the curtain to his house (I was parked more or less outside). Met Dot and Judy as we were doing so. 

Had quite a good Bible study session on Acts 5 (mainly). Present were Debbie, Phoebe, Steven, Dot and me. Dot stayed for Taizé and on her way home called in at a jeweller’s on Magdalen Street to pick up Joyce’s watch, which had been left for repair. I watched a couple of programmes (or part), during which I had fallen asleep when we first watched them! Cooked chilli, and Dot was picked up by Janet for orchestra rehearsal. Cleared up  and attempted to tidy room. It is Fred’s 80th birthday. I guess I was being conceived just before he was being born. Oliver is still in New York.

Late on Sunday (Sep 29) it was still pretty cold. Watched the end of Nightsleeper, which was very good, then Spurs beating Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford. Also very good. FaceTime with David – sadly he couldn’t get visa to meet Oliver in Las Vegas, where he arrived today. 

Monday was quite wet, and windy later. Bad night for some reason. Drove to Helen and Chris Banks’ house for sugar charity meeting. Sue and Roger also there of course. In a weak moment I offered to write a letter to the EDP about it the charity’s work, which I did and sent it to Helen later. Very pleasant couple of hours. Chris and Sue both having mobility problems after hospital operations but both cheerful and optimistic.

Later wrote piece for website on positivity re speed limits! Cooked meal and then we watched first two episodes of new crime series, which is a big grim. Then after clearing up and putting bins out we watched a nice documentary on the Yorkshire coast, with special reference to Whitby, Bempton cliffs, Bridlington and Scarborough. 

Tuesday was very wet. Rang Jenny Downing to see if she wanted a lift to Archant coffee morning, but she decided against it. I had my usual breakfast, but Dot and Tricia had a bacon roll. Robin and Shelagh on way to Dartmoor, I think. Present: Bill, Batso, Eric, Linda, Ann, and about three others. Plus Andy Russell, who we spoke to quite a bit near the end. Afterwards drove to Morrisons and bought a few things we needed.

Rather tired during afternoon – slept for about half an hour. Dot cooked bream and we watched an episode of The Chosen. In the evening we went to watch Norwich City draw 1-1 with Leeds. Both sides very good. Jonathan was there: both Lucy and Naomi quite ill. Man sitting next to me annoying – couldn’t stop commentating. A living cliché. Oliver has flown from Las Vegas to San Francisco. Expected Mark home today, but he didn’t arrive. Garden waste not collected. 

Wednesday – Showers never quite dying out. Mark home. Council made usual false claim that bin wasn’t out. Jude came round to watch The Chosen, and we went to church for Bible Study as usual: Dot, Jude, Stephen and Debbie. Went pretty well, and Dot stayed for Taizé: she chose the songs.

Later she went to orchestra rehearsal as usual with Janet. I cleared up and lay down for a bit, then got my steps up to over 5000. Played through latest En Passant games. In wider news, Israel has launched big attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran has fired missiles at Israel. Government evacuating UK citizens from Beirut. When Dot got home watched most recent episode of Slow Horses, then checked whereabouts of Oliver on Google Earth: he was on Mason Street, San Francisco. Long way away.

Thursday – Sunshine! Dot rang her allocated schools to persuade them to take part in the sugar collection for charity. I checked out the Cake and Compline trail (at home). In the afternoon I drove Dot to Anna’s for her violin lesson, then returned while Bridget cleaned the house. Des returned from his holiday and got fish and chips for us, and after we’d eaten that Dot drove us to St Luke’s for a discussion about Christmas services. Not all that inspiring as far as I was concerned – mainly technical things like how, where and what. Graham wants us to get involved in a thing called Being With, stemming from St Martin in the Fields. 

Friday – Oliver leaves San Francisco today for Boston – told Nana he enjoyed SF. I took Dot to do some gardening at Carrow House to help June at church: Dot is not sure on whose behalf. However, she was very happy with her weeding. I left the car at Carrow House and walked the. length of King Street to meet Kim at the Cathedral, where we trialled tomorrow’s C&C trail. We had a cup of tea at the Refectory after doing the first bit, and after a while Kim got the hang of it (the trail, not the tea), and it didn’t take as long as I thought it might. I was pretty tired at the end, though.

We watched the first episode of Life on Mars from 2006 (it’s being repeated, and is surprisingly good), and Des came round to say he was going to see his grandson and wouldn’t be coming out for our usual drink. Mark, who was passing, said he would. I had a half-hour sleep while Dot had a shower, and then I cleared up the kitchen. Dot potted some stuff in the garden.

Last Tuesday (Sep 24) was showery, but mainly dry. We drove to Beeston Garden Centre café first thing and met Brian and Tricia. Had breakfast with them. Brian seemed quite a bit better than last time I saw him, and Tricia was OK too. Had bacon and egg sandwich.  After about 80 minutes drove home, and Ellie arrived a few minutes later for long talk about life, the universe and everything. She is probably moving to Wales, but there are lots of imponderables. She wanted advice. Became a Christian fairly recently (she is about 60, I guess) and is keen to do the right things. We reassured her!

After a light lunch I walked into the city to test the C & C city trail we’re doing in less than a fortnight. Made a few adjustments. It now has 39 questions, which is a multiple of 13; so that’s all right. When I got home we watched an episode of The Chosen and then I finished editing my photographs. Wrote up blog. After meal (duck) watched What We Did on our Holidays, which is a brilliant film in the style and by the authors of Outnumbered. Also watched the second episode of Zelensky documentary. 

Wednesday was cooler, showery with more persistent rain later. Chose hymns. Wrote card for Cresta Care Home. Discovered where Kim was – on train to Bath. Judy came round to see The Chosen – the episode we’d seen the day before – and we watched most of it with her. It’s pretty. compelling! Then I drove to church for Bible study, and Dot and Jude followed. Quite cold in church. Afterwards Dot stayed for Taizé.

I wrote to Oliver and Amy sending quotes: O was still in Vienna and Amy is no doubt immersing herself in student culture. I drove Dot to orchestra in evening: she found rehearsal hard because quite a few people were away, including her section leader, Janet. I picked her up with Nova in the rain. Dot and I watched Ludwig – new series with David Mitchell as puzzle-solver impersonating detective brother. Good stuff. 

Thursday was overcast at first, then very wet. Spent quite a long time sorting out charity money! Then walked up to sorting office (before the rain) to post cheques and the card to Cresta Lodge, thanking them for looking after Thelma.  Later on watched the final episode of Zelezny: he comes over very well. Bridget came to clean. In the evening we watched the first episode of Nightsleeper, which is much better than I thought it would be. Also the latest episode of Slow Horses. 

Friday – Sorted out Mail file. Oliver was home from Vienna. Windy with rain at first, then showers. Bridget left her car in our drive about 9.30 and went by train to Ely to see her sister. We drove to St Luke’s around 11.30 for Andrew Partridge’s funeral. Parked but left car window open, and seats got pretty wet. It was pointed out to us after the service, which was pretty big. Lots of people from the post office, where he worked. He was 57 – died of sepsis brought on by cellulitis, brought on by diabetes. Lots of nice things said about him. We sat near the music group: Nicky, Steve and a couple of women whose names I ought to know. A guy named Graham (Irish) sat next to us. Couldn’t place him in my mind, but apparently he used to worship at St Luke’s. No-one from St Augustine’s apart from us.

Food and drink afterwards. Spoke to lots of people: Val Kibble, who is in a bad way; John and Jean; Elizabeth, who I sort of recognised – very nice; Karen Wimhurst; Sam Pittam-Smith; and a guy called Steve from Evesham, who was in a wheelchair but amazingly self-contained – has his own van, which he drives and where he can sleep and look after himself. He had driven down from Worcester and is married (though his wife can’t drive because she’s visually impaired). He knew Andrew from Norwich (Witard Road Baptist) and is very positive about life. Now worships at Evesham Salvation Army, and it is growing – he feels that churches generally are growing. Uplifting sort of time: Graham K-S led very well.

Later Bridget called in as I was cooking supper and had a cup of tea. Stayed while we ate it. Always good to see her. After she’d gone we watched Nightsleeper – have now seen two thirds of it – plus Death in Paradise. 

Yesterday was quite chilly – summer seems to be over – but dry. Watched England win at cricket, then Dot did a lot of meal preparation, with a bit of help from me, and Kristine arrived on the 12.44 train. I met her and took her the ”pretty way” so that Dot had time to change. Had a cup of tea, then a lovely meal – salmon tart and pavlova, plus a very tasty avocado starter prepared by Dot.  Talked a lot during afternoon, and I showed some of our pictures on screen. Meanwhile Norwich beat Derby 3-2 away, with the help of a dodgy goal (ball out of play). About time we had a bit of luck. Kristine missed the train she meant to catch because of a phone glitch – it ran out of charge after she showed the ticket on arrival – so had to buy a new ticket and left on the 18.32. We cleared up before she reached Ipswich, and I wrote the prayers.

Today it is still chilly but the wind has gone. Bit cloudy. Drove to church – it was a joint service led by Graham (Michaelmas). I did the prayers, and as music group we had Matt, Dot, Steve Fiske and me. Felt good. Apparently Anna has migraine, and Howard is in London. About five people from St Luke’s. Had quite a good chat afterwards, while eating food left over from the funeral. Gave Ray a lift home as usual. Angel Road shut as usual.

Last Thursday (Sep 19) was dry and mainly sunny. Didn’t sleep too well. Wrote most of sermon, based on an old one from 2006. Julia and Allan came round for lunch. Dot did salmon and pavlova (not together), plus a pear starter. Had a good talk and showed them some photos on screen. Later Anne came round, and she and Dot walked up to a Jarrolds open evening. She bought a jumper, some underwear and a ring, and two Barbour jumpers for me. She also had a Caesar salad. 

Friday – Mainly sunny and warm. Spent all day writing four pieces for Parish Pump – on Clive of India, Far from the Madding Crowd, Gabriel Fauré and the Vatican II decision to abandon Latin for the Mass. Then went out for street meet with Des and Chris, Matt and Angela and Jonathan. Bob’s older brother has just died, quite suddenly, at 76. Mark has 11 days to go in Norway. Watched last two episodes of Sherwood, which had its points but had some pretty unpleasant people in it. 

Saturday was extremely warm and sunny. Did rota and dealt with e-mails. Walked to Carrow Road with Dot and back along the river. Norwich beat Watford 4-1, and I met Dot coming back, running into Clive as I did so. Denise has a slight problem, but nothing serious. Find Friends not working properly (temporarily), but earlier saw Oliver and Amy get to Southampton. She is now a university student! Dot did ironing while I got washing in and cleared up kitchen. Phil rang to say his printer wasn’t working and could I print off his liturgy sheet for tomorrow. I did. Leanne’s daughter (18) has an ectopic pregnancy and ins in a great deal of stress, as is Leanne, of course. In the evening had only a light supper. Watched City highlights on YouTube, then an interview with Lauren Bacall (didn’t like interviewer). Finally latest episode of Slow Horses and today’s ODI cricket – another loss to Australia. 

Sunday – Showers, but mainly dry. Still quite warm. We drove to church in the morning, and I preached and played guitar. Think it all went quite well. Nikki was there, and Leanne popped in at the end. Sophie back after having shingles badly. Drove Ray home by very difficult route: Angel Road completely closed after half a mile, and Denmark Road also closed. Council hopeless. Edited nearly 100 pictures in the afternoon after watching football, then went out for walk with Dot up to Bishop Bridge and back via Recorder Road. Cooked lamb shoulder and then watched Grace. Not bad. David FaceTimed: not much news from Amy apparently. David is planning to meet Oliver in Los Angeles. 

Monday – overcast but mainly dry. A bit cooler, but still ok. I’ve nearly caught up with editing my photos. Nikki came round for a couple of hours and had a long talk about herself and about Leanne and her daughter. Can’t go into detail here, but we feel very close to them both and would like to help them wherever we can. Later Ellie texted and also said something nice about us; so we’re feeling quite encouraged at the moment. In the afternoon we went to Morrisons and stocked up – probably the most we’ve ever paid for a food shop! About £179. Of course that included stuff like dishwasher tablets and water filters. Dot cooked very nice salmon tart but I couldn’t eat it all. Felt very tired. Watched interesting programme on Zelensky. First of three. Des and Chris have left for Sicily. 

Today marked the end of Oliver’s visit with us – a really enjoyable week, marred for me only by a two-day bout of diarrhoea. Happily, it did not occur on key days, and we had a great time overall. It was cloudy at first this morning (Wed 18 Sep), but it became much sunnier and a bit warmer, as per forecast. I drove us to Houghton Hall, where we spent nearly four hours, starting in the grounds, looking at Anthony Gormley’s figures and some of the permanent sculptures, then moving back into the stables for a delicious sandwich and cup of tea, then back to the house itself, the gift shop and finally the walled garden, where the flaming fountain startled us at first by not showing any flame, but then performed as it should.

We drove back by a very slightly different route (Kettlestone) and after a cup of tea for Dot and Oliver went down to Gem for a final meal. I had chicken thighs again. Excellent. Dot left with Janet for orchestra at the same time as Oliver departed, and as I write he is on the Newmarket bypass.

It all started last Thursday with showers – some quite heavy.  Felt tired, but no more tooth problems. Adjusted my eulogy and answered some e-mails. Postponed hospital appointment on Monday. Cleared up while Dot went to Morrisons and Bridget did the cleaning, and rearranged my Reminders. Oliver arrived around 4.15pm, and I booked tickets for Houghton Hall on the Wednesday, because they’re not open on Monday.

We all walked up to the Ivy for a meal at 7.15pm, just after what looked like part of a wedding reception. Oliver and I had steak. Very good food and wine. At home watched Slow Horses episode two again (Oliver for first time). Oliver told us about a planned trip to Hamburg (with friends) and then on his own to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, New York and Toronto. 

Friday – Showers; a bit chilly, but mainly sunny. Long day. Had to get up early to get to the crematorium for 9.30 service. Traffic bad – hold-ups at Sprowston Road roundabout and on road between Spixworth and Horsham – but reached crem at 9.15. Other four were waiting: Sheila, her friend, her daughter and a bloke (not sure who). All went smoothly, including my eulogy and poem) and afterwards Dot and I found her aunt Jessie’s “grave”, then joined the others for tea and coffee in the Black Swan. I paid for that and left a donation for Cresta  Lodge. Very pleasant chat – simultaneous rain and sun outside.

Then drove home and prepared for Dot’s talk at Christ Church. Oliver had meanwhile been into city. He drove us to the church after a salad lunch, and we spent a long time setting up. Fortunately Oliver had the necessary connectors. Dot’s talk was really good. There were at least 20 people there, and everyone engaged with the questions and moving around. They also spent time afterwards looking at the display items. Matt and Amanda came from church and Mary from next door. Bridget was organising, of course. We gave Mary a lift home after a cup of tea and extensive clearing up. Dot was very pleased – almost everyone complimented her. She deserved it after all the work she’d put in. David FaceTimed after we got home and got the feedback!

We then went outside for street meet: it was sunny and not so cold. Des, Chris, John, Matt, Mary and the three of us. Des got us fish and chips, and afterwards we went upstairs to watch Memento, Oliver’s favourite film. Sadly I slept through most of it, and Dot missed quite a bit too. Will try again when we’re less tired! 

Saturday was warmer, and dry. Calm. Woke up quite a bit later than the day before and had croissants. Paul Henderson came round at 11, and we had a good conversation. He is heading for Vienna soon: he is also looking for possible interviewees for Chatteround – a new bit of Chatterbox, the newspaper for the blind. Possibly Dot on Sillars. He’s waiting for scan results on his coughing, but the hope is that it’s not too serious.

In the afternoon Oliver drove us to North Walsham, where we put flowers on the graves and then visited Roger and Debbie. Their house now looks really good with a new patio and pool. Later walked with them to the King’s Head for a meal. I struggled because  I wasn’t really hungry but everyone else enjoyed it. I enjoyed it, but couldn’t eat much. Walked back to pick up car and drove home via Wroxham. Felt heavy headed. Watched T20 win over Australia and then three YouTube videos: Ken Robinson’s brilliant TED talk on creativity, one recommended by Oliver which consisted of a guy saying absolutely nothing but making it sound very important, and the one about the father and daughter cyclists that Dot uses in P4C.  

Sunday was sunny, with a little rain in the evening. Diarrhoea prevented me from going to church: so Dot and Oliver went together. Holy Communion and quite long, apparently. Nikki was there. Afterwards they went over and church-sat for Heritage Day. I had hoped to go but was still afflicted. Also developed a temperature; so took paracetamol. And went to bed when they got home. Slept for a while and felt a bit better, though I had another smaller attack. However was able to go down and eat a very small amount of supper – one of Dot’s chicken dishes. Definite improvement after that, though my head was hurting a bit. Meanwhile Oliver was arranging a trip to Vienna with his friends. Hamburg turned out to be too expensive (Oktoberfest).  

Monday was dry with some sun. Still feeling a bit groggy, so stayed at home while Oliver went to shops and later met Dot for meal in Jarrolds wine bar. He bought some trousers and one or two other things. I felt well enough to walk up and meet them in The Close, and we did first section of compline treasure trail. Very tired afterwards. Dot did very nice salmon and spinach tart with mustard, then pavlova. Later watched last two episodes of Sambre, which were quite satisfying. Also MOTD2. 

Tuesday brought cloud and sun. Cool wind, but not cold. Hair cut in there morning: Oliver went to gym. Had bath. In the afternoon he drove us to Fairhaven, where we had a walk and a 20-minute boat ride on South Walsham inner broad, with brief excursion to main broad. Saw kingfisher, some cormorants and a couple of herons. Walked back to car park by different route, then drove to St Benet’s Abbey. Brief walk there, then home. I cooked chilli and then we watched some of Milan v Liverpool. Sadly, Liverpool won. Watched a bit of Outnumbered, then went to bed after Oliver gave me some advice on computer. Felt better and better during day after early paracetamol. At some point I played Oliver at chess, and he beat me twice – once on time and once with a genuinely good attack.

The weather has changed quite a bit over the last few days. On Sunday (September 8) it was dry, with some cloud, some sun. Parked our car in Chalk Hill Road overnight because the Norwich Run was closing Riverside Road between 9 and 11. Took a bit longer than usual to get to church, but no real difference. It was Holy Communion, with vicar Graham making a rare appearance and doing a good sermon. Carrie is now back and volunteered to take Ray home. Not sure why.

Caught up on a bit of stuff in the afternoon until I was interrupted by D on the phone, in a bit of a state about NCNC website. Problem is she gets other people to do things and then wants to change everything. I tried to advise her, but not sure how much I helped. Later went to a performance at Chapel in Park Lane by a string trio who were really good: Anna gave Dot tickets because they couldn’t go. Sat behind Peter Bright and had a chat with him: former EN sub. Invited him to Archant breakfast. Yesterday we saw Jenny Downing in Morrisons and said we’d take her next time. Bit rash.

Cooked mussels and started watching Grace, which was quite good. Halfway through David FaceTimed briefly. He seems well. Even later got message from Oliver saying he would try to get here next Thursday so that he could hear Dot give her talk on Friday. 

Monday was overcast; some rain, but reasonably mild. Finished off Order of Service for Thelma and sent it off to Sheila and Jill, who seem happy. Dot spent a lot of time on her P4C documents, but we walked down to Carrow Road and bought a shirt for Oliver for his birthday, then a card on the way back. Oliver FaceTimed late afternoon, and we worked out details of when he was arriving  (Thursday afternoon) and how long he’d be here (probably till next Wednesday).

Later we went down to Gem for a meal. We both had cocktails, and I had chicken thigh and chips in Mediterranean style, then Turkish tea, and half a baklava. Dot had a moussaka. We watched the end of the cricket – nice to see Sri Lanka win – and the next two episodes of the French true crime drama, Sambre, which is fascinating.

Tuesday brought quite a lot of rain, though not heavy. Dull and chillier. Felt below par in the morning, but had a sleep in early afternoon and by the time we went to the theatre in the evening – to see The Unexpected Guest, by Agatha Christie, at the Maddermarket, I felt much better. Saw several people I knew there, primarily Bridget and David, but also Pye, from CNS, and Colin, from EN. Note that I know only half the name in each case. I should also mention that I knew two of the principal actors very well – Trevor Burton, in the title role, and David Newham, as the Liberal councillor, which must have been tricky for him. Good play. We drove to the theatre because of the rain, which ruined my intended steps plan. Earlier I wrote a bit for my website on Thelma being the last of her generation. Dot did a lot of catching up, communication wise.

Wednesday was fairly chilly, with showers. I went to an appointment with a nurse practitioner at 9am, and she said my cholesterol was so low that I could experiment with stopping taking statins. Yippee! This could improve my feet: we shall see. Judy came round at 10.30 to watch 3:5(2) of The Chosen, which I have now seen three times, and cried each time. There you go. Afterwards we had a Bible Study with Dot, Debbie, Judy, Steve, Rachel, and it went quite well, I think.

After lunch Dot and I went to Thorpe St Andrew church to see an exhibition on the Thorpe Rail Disaster: it was pretty poor, really, just words and blurred pictures, not even well lit. Afterwards Dot and I walked down to the scene of the crash, but this was similarly underwhelming, until we went round the back of the Rushcutters, which revealed the bridge from the other side. I had (very nice) lamb chops for supper while Dot had egg, bacon and baked beans. She was then picked up by Janet to go to orchestra rehearsal. Arrived home fairly early, and we watched the latest episode of Slow Horses. Sudden repeat of a tooth problem I had a few days ago. Feels like an exposed nerve – sharp pain, but then goes away. I hope. 

Today is Saturday, September 7, and it’s still warm and dry, though much of the country has had loads of rain. There are plenty of clouds, but also some very warm sun, as we found this afternoon, when we went to Mautby church for a reading from a new book on Margaret Paston by the author, followed by questions from Rob Knee. The main session wasn’t so great –  I was feeling on the brink of sleep – but had some interesting conversations afterwards, not least with Rob, Penny, Peter and Brenda. Also with a woman who was the PhD student of the author and seemed to know all there was to know about Richard Calle’s family. Good refreshments: we donated, and bought the book.

Earlier we’d been to Morrisons for some vital shopping and then had a quick lunch in order to get to Mautby by 2pm.

Last Sunday (Sep 1) was also warm and dry. Drove to church and parked in old spot at entrance to The Lathes. I was leading, and Liz did one of her Godly plays – not one of her best, to be honest. Several extra people there – 31 in congregation. Had DCC afterwards, but had to drive Ray home first in case he heard what was going on – according to churchwarden. So did that – delayed by road closure on Angel Road, which has been closed for ages. DCC meeting was fairly brief and we had a late lunch.

Chilli for supper in time for me to go to Seagull. Fewer than a dozen people there; so no repeat of last time’s late finish. Sat with Julia and Doug Duke, and Kaaren, who forgot her poems and had to read from her phone. Before readings I walked up to clifftop because I was early. Read six poems –   Thelma, Sermon, Grandparents’ Grave, The Crowd, Snape to Iken, Living in Shadow (from Mist and Fire). Drive home went quite well. As I arrived home Dot was having FaceTime with David and Chrissy. I joined in for about 40 minutes. 

Monday was quite warm and dry, but plenty of cloud. Got up at 7.40 and took car to be done at New Image. Was given a Kia courtesy car with no instructions – but it drove quite well. Back home for breakfast and puzzles as usual. then watched England stroll to another cricket win and went to Morrison and Boots. Sean and co just back from Ipswich celebration – amazing, apparently. Later we walked up to Bishop Bridge, across and back down the riverside path. Felt very tired. Met Mary Cozens and a friend of hers and had a brief chat. Later Des offered to lend us his four-hour permit if we needed it, because we couldn’t put our courtesy car on the road. Dot made a blackberry and apple crumble. 

Tuesday was overcast, but dry. We drove up to the Archant breakfast event and sat with Tricia. Brian seems pretty bad and is not keen to come out. Robin had laryngitis; so they didn’t come. Had a chat with David Newham, and as a result booked to see the Christie play he’s in at the Maddermarket next week. Felt strangely lethargic most of the day, but the two of us went for a walk round the block about teatime. Dot cleaned up in case the Altmans come round tomorrow, but they rang very late and said they wanted to meet us at the Theatre Royal at 10.30m.  So cancelled Bible study. Watched Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh, which was pretty good. Earlier we had a longish Facetime with Oliver, who told us all about his time with friends in Greece, which sounded great.

Wednesday was overcast much of the time, with rain threatening, but none actually arrived – in Norwich, anyway. We got the bus up to Orford Place just after 10am and then walked up to Theatre Royal, where we were scheduled to meet Peter and Joan Altman, our friends from a Swiss holiday in 2016. Their coach arrived just after 10.30, and we walked down to Jarrolds (Peter and I losing Dot and Joan on the way), where we had coffee in the small area downstairs. Talked for quite a while about health and other things, then walked over to the Exchange restaurant, where we paid for lunch. I had an Italian sandwich. All of us had a lot of rocket. We then walked back up to the Theatre Royal by a slightly different route and said goodbye. Really nice time with them.

Dot and I went to M&S, and she bought some new jeans, and then we got some fruit from the market and walked home, by which time I was very tired. Still, I’d had a call from New Image, and so I went to pick up our car, which had been done – looked very good. I had only done about 11 miles in the courtesy car, which cost us about £140 (three days) – clearly stupid. But then so was the accident. 

Back home we watched the first episode of the new series of Slow Horses – very good, of course – and then went and lay down for a while. In the evening Dot was picked up by Janet for the first orchestra rehearsal of the new term. Oliver got in touch to say he’d seen Slow Horses too.  I transferred some more slides; Dot was a bit late home, and we watched a French real life police thing (first of six). Dot is now reading the Mick Herron book The Secret Hours. 

Thursday – Overcast again, but quite warm and no rain, unlike the south of the country. Drove to chemist to pick up my pills. In the afternoon we got a bus into the city and walked up to the Theatre Royal to book tickets to a musical based on the welcome Canadians gave to plane passengers stranded after 9/11. Very nice ticket office woman. Then walked down to Jarrolds, where Dot booked a table for her and Anne for open evening, then stayed on to get her lip/chin thing. We had a pear and ginger tea each before I left and walked home through The Close.

In the evening after I cooked basa we watched Jailhouse Rock, delightfully interrupted by Amy FaceTiming: she is very busy and received her uni timetable while talking to us. She seems happy, though. Told us about concert she went to. Her degree is Biology with Marine Biology. While she was on, Dot got call from Roger about going out to see them. She rang him back and heard about an accident he’d been involved in some time ago in North Walsham. No one hurt, but car a write-off. 

Yesterday was warm and dry again, unlike London and southern England. Drove to Poringland in the morning to see Sheila Crisp and a cremation celebrant – Jill Yaxley – about Thelma’s funeral. Spent about two hours on it, choosing music, reading etc. They liked my poem and wanted me to use it. After Jill went, spent another half hour or so discussing the eulogy with Sheila. In the afternoon wrote the eulogy, which I sent to Sheila: she liked it. Quite tired after all that. Out for street meet: Des, Chris, Sarah, Mary, Bob, John, Jonathan, Matt and Angela. Out there for about a couple of hours. Very busy day, but not many steps. Gave Des advice on Air Transat: his cousin has died, and he wants to go to the funeral. 

Bank Holiday Monday was a very good day. Mainly sunny and quite warm. Wrote up my blog and sent quotes to Oliver and Amy, then we left for Snape. Quite a good run via Alburgh and Halesworth, and we timed our arrival at Two Magpies, Darsham, just right to get a table for lunch, despite a huge influx of people. A waitress told me to sit down and gave me a menu!  Had an amazing full English, and Dot had a superb ham, pesto, tomatoes and fig on sourdough bread. Also bought a couple of huge croissants which we ate later (evening meal!).

Arrived at Snape, parked and read our books for a while to allow food to digest! Then went and looked in shops; bought some soap, an oven glove and oil, among other things. Admired much else. Then got an ice cream, and Dot had a cup of tea. Went back to car for a bit, then decided to go for a river trip down the Alde to Iken. Beautiful weather, high tide. Four other passengers in boat. Woman in charge was good with info.

Back in time for drink in Plough and Sail before concert by United Strings of Europe. Very talented group – 8 violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos and a double bass. All pretty young. Five pieces, two longest by Strauss and Schoenberg. Britten Studio not full, but audience very enthusiastic. Very hot – had ice cream and water during interval. Four from boat in audience. Left just before 9.30pm and home by 10.30. Came via Beccles. Watched a bit of MOD2 before going to bed. Noticed when driving that my eyes aren’t opening wide enough. Wonder what that’s a symptom of. 

Tuesday – Weather very similar. Drove Dot to violin lesson with Anna, which ran over, apparently. Meanwhile I went home, had lunch and then drove Mike Read to Cromer to visit Owen and Kathy Hindle.  Took the direct route and arrived a little early. Owen was worried about his pills and eventually went by taxi to pick them up (they should have been delivered).

Mike and I chatted to Kathy, who speaks very softly and is often hard for me to hear.  We discussed eyes and ears, persuading her to get an eye test for reading glasses. I also tried to help with her keyboard learning programme, but her iPod needed charging; so we didn’t get very far. Stayed quite a long time and I arrived home at 5.15pm. Had smoked and peppered mackerel, which doesn’t need cooking. Watched start of new “thriller”, Sherwood, which wasn’t very uplifting, and a documentary about midges. FaceTimed with David, who seems well. Oliver is headed for Athens. 

Wednesday – Pleasantly warm and dry again. Edited my Snape pix, some of which are quite good, and Dot and I drove to church, getting there surprisingly early. Steven not there for Bible study, but Rachel joined us; so an all-female cast except for me. Went reasonably well. Afterwards had lunch, and Dot went to shops while I cleared up generally. Met John in street: he’s just returned from Greece, where it was pretty hot – we said Oliver was on his way out there. Had quite a long chat. Late in afternoon dropped Dot at podiatrist – all well afoot – then drove up to cemetery and tried to find my grandparents’ grave, but failed. Had good walk though – saw two deer. Picked up Dot and drove home through city. In evening watched two episodes of Kafka on More 4, recommended by Jonathan. Really good: very unusual. 

Thursday – Still pleasantly warm and dry. Drove up to New Image car body shop off Thorn Lane and arranged for car to be done – cost over £1000. Wonderful. Tried to ring Cousin Barbara to arrange visit, but no answer. However, got call from Sheila re Thelma’s funeral, and am going to meet celebrant at hers on Sep 6 to put a service together. Got half of big ladder out, and with Dot’s help tore most of the creeper off the back wall. Quite satisfying. Brown bin full. Bridget came to clean and told me I should not use a ladder, but I felt very secure up there. Watched episodes 3&4 of Kafka. He was a very odd fellow. Great writer, though. 

Friday – Weather remained much the same: very pleasant. At long last extracted the old tractor from the narrow pathway at the side of the house and managed to get it into the car, together with some assorted rubbish that had accumulated there, such as a broken table and a heavy can of what might once have been paint. Drove up to the tip on my own, and amazingly it was not at all busy. I extracted the tractor etc and deposited it all in the appropriate bin. Glad to have done it: I had been meaning to do it for such a long time, and it was much easier than I thought it would be. How often that happens.

Before that I’d managed to grab a couple more bits of creeper from the bedroom window. Dot has been preparing her talk for Bridget, and today she did a run-through for me. It seemed pretty good. Put a new bit on Diderot. Tried to ring Barbara again, but no answer. Went out for street meet: Des, Chris, Sarah, John, Tara, Jonathan. Fish and chips. Pix from those not present again: Mary and Mark. Watched cricket, then another episode of Kafka. Have read quite a lot of The Secret Hours by Mick Herron. Excellent writing. New series of his Slow Horses starts next week.

Saturday 31st August – Still pleasant enough, but much cloudier and slightly cooler. Dry, though. Walked up into the city quite early and bought some clipboards for Dot’s talk, plus some chocolate for Joy’s birthday, then Victoria plums and blackberries from the market. Then while Dot listened to Norwich beating Coventry 1-0, I watched the last bit of Kafka, which I had missed last night when I went to sleep. Nothing unusual there. Really good series, though. After lunch we drove out to Dereham to deliver Joy’s birthday presents, most of which I had got from her wish list on Amazon. They were preparing to go for a meal at Joe and Birgit’s. Apparently Joe is not feeling too upbeat at the moment. Drove home and had chilli con carne. Watched cricket: superman Joe Root was the star. England winning easily again.

Extremely active week, all in all. Oliver appears to be getting around in Athens.

Another week shoots by, and here we are at August Bank Holiday, about to go to a concert at Snape. The past week, however, has not been without its incidents. Yesterday Dot found her lost ring: it was stuck in our card box, and we found it as we looked for birthday cards for Kristine, Anne (Coomes) and Julia. Not only that, Oliver returned from Canada – a journey we missed entirely because our WiFi was down. Anyway…

Last Tuesday (August 20) was quite warm and dry, as I may have mentioned in my last post. In the evening we drove Howard to Vicky’s for a cake and compline birthday party. Anna had a migraine. Good evening, with lovely food and drink, but as I wrote this at 11.15pm I had quite strong acid reflux (very rare nowadays) and took another lansoprazole. At least, I think I did. I may have taken a Vitamin C tablet. Quite uncomfortable, anyway. And Dot lost an earring. So not the ideal end to the day. 

Wednesday was fairly warm but breezy. Disaster continued as I got up early to go to the surgery with a specimen – part off my “annual” review – but in the process of doing so collided with the end of our wall and knock the top off as well as scratching the car quite badly. No idea how it happened. Not like me at all. Replaced the pillar and put T-Cut on car but the latter wasn’t all that successful. Still, no dent and no-one hurt. Annoying, though.

Had to wait for receptionist before I could leave the specimen, but the chemist came through again with my pills. Jude came round for The Chosen 3:4 and I drove to church, but Debbie was late so had to wait for Dot and Jude before we could get in. Still on beginning of Acts. Discussed Pentecost and speaking in tongues generally. Then I drove to Vicky’s to pick up the marrow that Dot had forgotten in the process of losing her earring: had quick look round, but no sign of earring. The marrow was there, though. Had chat with Jared about his job. Later cut down ivy on the front of the house so that it would stop growing up towards roof space. Cooked venison grillettes. Watched test match v Sri Lanka, then another episode of Vera. 

Thursday was cooler and quite windy. Remains of hurricane blowing over tonight. Showers last night: possibly tonight too. Got up early because Bridget came to clean at 9.30am. Started writing sermon and have now almost finished it. Also chose hymns. After lunch Dot drove me to Ber Street, and I picked up special toothpaste from dentist. Full of fluoride : have just discovered it’s toxic and may lower your IQ. 

Walked from dentist to market and bought plums, greengages and blackberries. Then on up London Street and eventually Magdalen Street, where I discovered Rupert Mallin’s exhibition was right at the other end, beyond Anglia Square. As a result did lots of steps. Had good chat with Rupert: he was showing big drawings designed as scenery for a play. He told me Hilary Mellon was very ill. Walked home. Have tried to arrange for a company called ChipsAway to fix the paintwork on the car, but have reached an impasse on the precise paint colour: can’t find anything that says what it is. Watched some more of Battle of the Bagpipes. Strangely compelling. England seem to be winning cricket, but amazingly it’s dull and rainy in Manchester. 

Friday – Warm and dry, but a bit windy. Tricia rang early to say Brian was unwell: so our visit to The Foundry was cancelled. Rang Robin to let him know. No progress with ChipsAway : they got in touch late in the day to say they couldn’t do a three-stage paint job. Went to Morrisons in afternoon – mainly to get mince to go with our marrow. Wrote quite a bit of article on Chopin for Parish Pump, but not as much progress as I hoped. Spent a long time organising pix to send to Otterspool girls. Out for street meet – Des and Chris, Matt, Jonathan. Late meal of mince and marrow, then Naomi came round to make mojitos. I’m not sure why. Had a good chat with her though. Finished watching bagpipes. Very good. Cricket. 

Saturday – Rain overnight, and continued wet and windy all day. Cooler. Early call from Dr Prior about my medication: she was very nice and has fixed me up with an appointment in a couple of weeks to discuss effects of statins, which may be making my feet hurt. Spent most of the day finishing my Parish Pump articles, then couldn’t send them because our Broadband went down. Still don’t know if it’s an external or internal problem: tried all the usual things. Very frustrating. Dot went to football and saw Norwich draw 1-1 with Sheff Utd. Another good game, apparently, but after three games we have two points. Watched England win at cricket but mystified as to why Root was not given out LBW when the ball was shown to be going to hit the wicket. Sri Lanka unlucky with ball change yesterday too. Saw odd bits of TV, including someone called Sam Smith singing at Proms. Not sure what he was doing there. 

Yesterday was dry; coolish breeze but generally quite warm. As mentioned, Oliver came back to England, but we missed tracking him because our WiFi was down. I eventually fixed it, but by then we’d received a message from David, telling us he was back. Went to church in morning, avoiding convoy of trucks taking kids to seaside. Phil led and I preached: only three of us in worship band (Dot, me + Matt). Only 13 there because a few were at Greenbelt. General agreement that it was a nice service, though. Discovered that Mike and June, two fairly new members of our congregation, live on Rosary Road. Sent off my Parish Pump stuff as soon as WiFi was fixed. Dot and I walked up to sorting office to post three birthday cards. Watched a bit of TV, including The Eagle has Landed – a good film with a couple of continuity issues. You don’t often see good Germans in a war film. 

Bit cooler today (Tuesday 20 August), but still comfortable enough for us to have coffee in the garden with Robin and Shelagh Limmer. Good couple of hours’ chat: Robin has a remarkable memory for a 92-year-old. Dot and I watched a bit of bagpipes documentary on TV while we ate lunch.

Last Thursday was another warm day, but some rain from late evening and overnight. Sad news – Andrew Partridge from St Luke’s died quite suddenly from sepsis. David LeMoir’s En Passant book arrived and contains quite a few items from me, including a poem and my games when I won the Norwich Dons June Swiss in 2000. That’s a year, not a time. Again preparing for tomorrow. Went to Morrisons in the afternoon, and later fixed the rail in the back garden, which had been working loose. Bridget came to clean for two hours.

 Friday was very warm again, the overnight rain having dispersed. Busy day of course, because it was the Otterspool reunion. Spent the morning completing preparations. Just after I’d moved the car I saw Christine and Jeannie on the path above the steps – they were staying at the Premier Inn and were reconnoitring! Called Dot, had a quick chat, and they continued walk.

Everyone turned up – first Pete and Liz in his Bentley 6; parked on street. Then Christine and Jeannie (again), Pat and Barry, who parked in the drive, Jacqui and Brian  and Rob and Sue, who parked by the garages opposite with kind permission/connivance of Des and Mark!  Everyone seemed well except for Brian, who was shaky and had an oxygen machine. He was driving, though – in fact he is an Advanced Driver, he told me. We sat in the garden for Pimms and lemonade, followed by food – over-catered as usual. All very nice though. Had chats with several, particularly Christine and Pete. Got quite hot. Later had tea/coffee and looked at some old Otterspool photos on screen.

They all left by about 6pm, and we spent some time out on the street. Feet hurt. Watched Chariots of Fire.  Pete and Liz were staying at Caister Hall, Sue and Rob at Stalham, Pat and Barry camping somewhere near Kelling, Jacqui and Brian at the Holiday Inn (not sure which one). 

Saturday – Warm and dry, but wet and cold in Cape Town, apparently. My cousin Sandra got in touch to send me a podcast of her daughter, Karen (Coetzee). Had trouble accessing it, but I have it now – it’s on YouTube. We spent quite a bit of time clearing up. Dot went to the football match in the afternoon – I walked with her. Good game, apparently. Norwich 2 Blackburn 2. On the way back by the river I met Jonathan Burrows and discovered he no longer plays chess. Had some leftover salmon for evening meal after going with Dot to post a card to Jennie Downing. Watched a programme about the NC 500 in Scotland, then the first part of a murder mystery called We HuntTogether. Discovered Oliver was on Lake Erie, or very close to it – but without David. (It turned out he was with Jackson).

Sunday – Warm again and dry. Church in the morning. I was leading, and Anna did a very good sermon/lectio on Psalm 111. Minute’s silence for Andrew Partridge. All went pretty well, I think. Took Ray home as usual: he was complaining about stomach pain, relating to his cancer. Call from care home as we arrived at house saying my aunt Thelma died this morning “peacefully”.

Had lunch, then Dot dropped me at Plantation Garden, where Annette’s band, Daisy and the Continentals, were playing. Kind of jazz, quite entertaining. Had chat with Annette and took a couple of videos of the band, then walked home. Got quite hot and tired. Dot had been clearing up. In the evening, after mackerel kippers, we watched more episodes of We Hunt Together, which is pretty good from many aspects. Had FaceTime with David, Oliver and Amanda, who clearly does exist. Bit rainy over there. Watched a bit of Match of the Day 2, which was pretty boring: too much talk. 

Monday was warm but a bit windy. A little rain in late evening. Linda came and cut our hair, and I got a call from the surgery to see if I could make an appointment with nurse at 11.40. I could, if I cut short my bath; so I did. Glad I did because it was my favourite nurse, Emma Richardson, who is always very kind. She had also had a TiA experience similar to mine – no real problem, but banned from driving from four weeks and life insurance on mortgage cancelled. Aargh! She did my blood and took a sample. I have to supply a urine sample in a couple of days.

On way home I bought some stamps. In the afternoon I went up to solicitors to sign another Phyllis document and managed to get Anna there at the same time. Almost there! Only have to read meter now. I think. While I was out Sheila Crisp rang about Thelma’s death and said the funeral had been paid for. Put a bit about Thelma’s death on Facebook fairly late in the evening and have already had several responses, including one from Joanne, Edward’s daughter. Watched the end of We Hunt Together, which was excellent but for an irritating non- dénouement.