Big storm threatening: it has just started to rain. Dot is at orchestra. I hope she’s feeling OK, because she had a stomach upset earlier. I have been feeling a bit down and was in bed most of the day, but I thought I’d come down and write this – as well as renewing my parking permit. Did not receive a reminder, but I did get a parking ticket the other day, in the midst of all the other problems. Will pay that soon, if they don’t let me off.

Things are a bit chaotic, but let me start last Tuesday, when they weren’t. It was fine and fairly warm. Dot drove out to Catfield for a DSSO session. Everywhere she goes people say they’re sorry she’s leaving, and they obviously mean it. She is a star. From Catfield she drove to Rosie’s. Rosie was a little more talkative, with a different carer. I was at home, of course, preparing for our retreat next month and sorting one or two other things out. Dot’s new radio arrived yesterday, and Naked Wines arrived just after lunch. She spent the afternoon writing up her reports – the bit she won’t miss.  Cake and Compline was at Claire’s; so there was a small gathering at ours first! Jude and Eleanor went with Dot, and I went with Phil. Full house – eight of us. Later watched England beat Bangladesh rather easily at cricket. 

Not in a position to write anything on Wednesday and Thursday; so let’s skip to Friday, which was a very wet day, especially afternoon and evening. Torrential rain as we drove back from the hospital by a strange route that took in Hethersett. That was around 5pm – not the best time, but I had just been discharged from hospital with mixed feelings, glad to be at home but concerned because I hadn’t been fixed.

I went into hospital on Wednesday with much blood in my penis and an inability to pass urine.  Very odd. In A&E for a long time, then taken up to Urology Surgery. Here I was seen by a doctor who seemed run off his feet. He left me with a catheter half-inserted, and when he came back he tried a lot of painful methods of getting different sizes in.  This resulted in quite a lot of bruising, especially when he used a camera. Eventually I was left to try to get some sleep, then early on Thursday morning I was moved into a different ward – Edgefield.

Happily I didn’t see that doctor again, but did see various nurses, nurse practitioners and a female doctor, who did their best to sort things out. I was in a private room; so that was good. But I was still in quite a bit of pain and disappointed that they were concentrating on getting a catheter in, whereas I wanted to know what the problem was to start with. (I still don’t know.) Had a little to eat and had some morphine by canula, which enabled me to get a fair bit of sleep. Situation was eased because Dot sat with me for quite a lot of the daytime.

In the morning she had been to Wreningham for DSSO, then bought some petrol. Meanwhile I was still getting a lot of pain. Eventually they decided to send me home with a catheter in place. Dot came to fetch me, but there was the usual long  wait. I was – am – still worried, but David on FaceTime cheered me a bit by saying it sounded like his kidney stones. At home had a hard time sorting out catheter bags, but I think we did it right in the end. Dot informed most of Norfolk about my plight (I’d had to cancel Bible study on Wednesday). On the plus side I’ve finished All the Light We Cannot See, which is a brilliant novel. 

Had a good night, but on Saturday the pain returned, off and on. Seems to be provoked by eating or drinking – but at the same time I’m told to drink more. Much nicer day outside, but cool. Dot went to shops to get something for me to eat. Had a shower. 

Tuesday – losing track of time. Weather over the last couple of days has been quite pleasant. Frustrating day in many ways. Still feeling quite groggy much of the time. Had several phone conversations: with woman on urology ward, who told me my appointment was on November 9, which was pretty depressing. She arranged for someone to phone me back (from Cromer!) who spoke to me for quite a long time and was fairly reassuring. I also spoke to the company that supplies catheter bags etc, and some are on order.  Oh joy. Dot went to the doctors and the chemists to pick up my statins – Dr Hampsheir has prescribed a smaller dose. She then visited Brooke school and called in to see Anne. I wasn’t able to get to the the Julian art PV, which was pretty annoying.

Phil came round and we had quite a long conversation. He had bladder cancer and so shared some of my experiences! After he went I looked at the car battery because Dot had had a warning sign. Brushed powder away but then found the parking ticket: obviously cheered me up no end.

Can’t remember much of Sunday and Monday. Dot didn’t go to church because I was still pretty bad. I had a very good Cocodamol night on Sunday and woke up feeling quite good, but the whole thing is a huge worry. Dot is brilliant. Today (Wednesday) not much fun because we were both feeling very tired. Watched cricket after lunch, and Dot had a stomach upset. I had a much milder version. She had to cancel a visit to Taverham School at the last minute and does not seem her usual perky self. I wonder why.

Sorry if some of this is incoherent. Just can’t remember in which order things happened. Main problem as far as I’m concerned is that my GP (who I spoke to on the phone) is very concerned about my TIA, which I’m not at all concerned about. But he doesn’t seem worried at all about the bladder problem, which to me seems much more critical. I am now on six pills a day; probably don’t need four of them, but I don’t know which four.

The weather has been very pleasant for the last week or so: dry and fairly warm since last Thursday, when Dot spent most of the day in the Cathedral at a DSSO meeting which included a trip to the first-floor gallery. I read quite a bit and wrote a piece for my website. Walked up to meet Dot at about 4pm. We watched a lot of TV after that, including cricket and football, and the first episode of a thriller, Playback, that seems extremely promising. Lot of head pressure later in the day, which is uncomfortable.

On Friday we meant to go to Swaffham for lunch, but Allan had a TIA (there’s a lot of it about) and needed to rest. Chose hymns with Dot. Went to shops: sale at Clark’s, which is closing; so bought a pair of shoes each. Also bought food from Morrisons. Felt quite well. Street meet with usual suspects: D’Souzas, John and his eldest daughter, Jonathan, Matt and Ciara. Des got us fish and chips. Phoebe has a French exchange student – seems nice girl: smiled and waved well, anyway. Phoebe looked happy.

Saturday was still dry and reasonably warm, but cloudy. Amy travelled to Canada successfully. Meanwhile Hamas invaded Israel from Gaza, killing loads of people: Iran possibly behind it, or involved in some way. Very worrying. Walked to Kim’s for lunch – had a great time. Lovely food – brought some home and had it for tea. Norwich lost 2-1 at Coventry, but Spurs won. Ireland beat Scotland convincingly in World Cup rugby, and unfortunately England managed to beat Samoa by one point.

The pleasant weather continued on Sunday. To church in the morning: played in the band, which was very large: Matt, Anna, Steve F, Phil, Adrian, Dot and me. Followed by church lunch (jacket potatoes) to say farewell to Jim and Sue, our Stop Oil enthusiasts, who are moving to Halesworth. Rest of day indoors; finished watching Black Snow, the impressive Australian thriller, and also saw some football, cricket and so on.

Yesterday was what I would call ideal weather: just the right temperature, with a mixture of blue sky and high cloud. I posted a card to Birgit in the morning, and in the afternoon Dot drove to Newton Flotman for a DSSO session. After a rest when she got home we both walked up to the Rosary, which is much the same, I’m glad to say. Des borrowed our sack carrier to move some bags of compost. Quite tired in the evening. Watched some football. Bed early. Started taking blood pressure again. Pretty low.

Last Saturday was warmer with some sun and a bit of rain in the evening. Watched the end of The Inheritance, which lost its way towards the finale. Went with Dot to football –Jonathan’s also there for the first time for many weeks. City beat Birmingham 2-0 and played quite well. Watched a documentary on Jupiter which seemed more conjecture than fact, despite a visit from Juno, a space vehicle.  Spurs beat Liverpool 2-1 with the  help of two red cards and an own goal. Makes a change for Liverpool to suffer from bad refereeing. 

Needless to say, this error has now escalated into an international incident, with Liverpool, the eternal victims, suggesting a replay. Since this would open the door to many more replays, I hope it will not happen.

Sunday was quite warm really. Went to church, played music and did a sermon which may have been OK, but I didn’t think flowed very well. Lots of solicitous inquiries about my health. Drove home and watched quite a bit of football, and Ryder Cup golf in the evening. Exciting (Europe won), but BBC coverage was messy and could have been better. Did quite a lot of clearing up. Later spoke to David, who had been at Roger’s exhibition at Creemore with Chrissy and the kids. He is much better, but still suffering from after-effects of whatever it was, as is Chrissy. Des brought some plants round for Dot, and I photographed some documents for David. 

Very overcast on Monday, but dry till around 4pm, then rain, becoming very heavy and prolonged. In the morning we drove to Ray’s and spent about 90 minutes with him till Ollie arrived (Lyndsey’s ex). Then home for lunch and out to see Rosie, who now has a carer with her all the time – Grace, in this case. Rosie seems very thin and hard to hear, but knows what’s going on. While we were there  Simon called (he rents a tunnel from Rosie) and Aran, a community nurse who spent some time with her. She is in pain but has no specific disease that we could make out. Afterwards we called at Waitrose and picked up some shopping, then drove home. Raining quite hard by the time we got there. Dot cooked delicious stuffed marrow, and we watched first three episodes of thriller Black Snow, set in Australia and very well done. 

Lot of rain in the air on Tuesday, but dry. Noticeably chillier, though. Drove to Town House for Archant breakfast. Chatted with Brian and Tricia outside – probably Brian’s last appearance, because his legs are very bad. Quite a good number there, including Steve Snelling, Peter Franzen and an IT guy who I didn’t really remember. Robin was late because of traffic. At home, caught up with chess games and picture editing. Watched Barbie, which I bought by mistake. Quite good, but not brilliant. 

Wednesday was reasonably pleasant, becoming warmer in the afternoon. Walked to church for Bible study, which went well; usual suspects, plus Ellie. Walked home again, just in time to catch Bridget finishing cleaning house. Dot did violin practice and went to orchestra in the evening. I checked car insurance with AXA and DVLA sites and found I don’t need to do anything about the alleged TIA. Norwich managed to revert to losing ways against Swansea in Wales. Missed lots of chances and lost 1-2.

Last Monday (September 25) was pretty nondescript at first, but this changed when Oliver and Amy arrived at 12.30pm for lunch. Was feeling pretty tired. In the afternoon Oliver went into city and Dot followed later with Amy while I had a rest on the bed. Oliver then drove me up to the doctor’s to deliver the TIA letter, and we had a chat with Des when we got back. Then I cooked a salmon meal. Afterwards we looked at each others’ photos on TV and ended up by watching an episode of Outnumbered. (The Dinner Party.) In bed about midnight. 

Tuesday was quite pleasant: warm and dry. Had our hair cut in the morning. Also the window cleaner called. Oliver and Amy drove up to Asda for flu shots at the pharmacy. After lunch we all drove to the hospital, and I returned the contraption I’d had round my neck. Then on to Caistor St Edmond and a walk round the walls. Felt pretty tired of course. Had a lie down when we got home. In the evening we walked up to the Ivy for a meal, which was really nice. Afterwards watched the last James Bond film, No Time to Die. Bit late in bed. 

No change in the weather on Wednesday. Dot was at Costessey from 9.30 to 4, assisting with a curates’ course from a DSSO perspective. Meanwhile Oliver drove Amy and me to Roman Camp and then to Felbrigg Hall. Went for another walk, but the path near the lake was blocked; so we diverted along Weavers’ Way and the road near where we recorded for Paston. Had nice lunch at the cafe, then browsed in shop and went home. Dot and I went to Morrisons when she got back,  and later we had a full-blown roast beef dinner with dumplings requested by Amy, followed by pavlova. Watched Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was much more risqué than I remembered. Bed late after clearing up. 

Thursday was a bit cooler, but dry. Oliver drove us to Urban Jungle, and we bought a couple of plants. O and A also made small purchases. Had cup of tea and cake. After lunch at home Dot drove to Sussex Street, and we managed to follow my old church mystery trail from 2004.  One or two things had changed, but it still worked. Came home and watched bits of TV – songs and odds and ends. Then Dot drove me to the fish and chip shop, and I picked up her order for the four of us. After eating it, O and A left about 9pm and by the time we were in bed – just after 11pm – they were nearly home. Bridget came earlier to clean, but she did most of it while we were out. Had great time with O & A over three/four days: really enjoyed it. Happily David also seems to be getting better.

Friday was coolish but dry, and quite pleasant. Aroused Dot from her reading and puzzling just in time for her to get to the surgery for a scheduled blood test. I went with her, and she then dropped me off at Tombland (roughly) so that I could deliver a document to Bethany – and have a word with her. Also rang Anna so that she could deliver her document; also asked Bethany for our invoices to be paid. Walked home, pausing only to try to rouse someone who had left a key in the door; but it turned out to be a painter working in the courtyard. Ho, hum. Spent most of the rest of the day writing my sermon for Sunday, while Dot worked in the garden putting her Urban Jungle plants in and fixing up a fallen birdfeeder. Street meet a little curtailed: Des and Chris left for Reepham for a meal, and John, Matt, Ciara left earlyish. Spoke to Jonathan about NWT signs and trees. Almost finished The Inheritance: quite good. 

Really bad few days. David is ill, and have just heard that Rosie appears to be on her last legs. I had a nasty turn, and after spending the day at the hospital TIA Clinic yesterday, they decided on practically no evidence (all the tests were normal) that I’d had a mini-stroke and lumbered me with acres of medication. Still trying to decide which to take. Not allowed to drive for a month. Bastards.

Last Wednesday was the calm before the storm. Quite a lot of rain, but not too cold, though it continued windy. Dot drove me to church in the morning for Bible study. there was a new  member, Ellie, who asked a lot of questions, but I think it went ok. Walked home. Watched quite a bit of TV  – finished one thriller and nearly finished another one. In the evening walked in light rain to football with Dot and Des. Lost 2-0 to Leicester. Heavier rain on way back. 

Thursday was cooler but dry. We drove to Helen and Chris Lamb’s for a meeting about the sugar charity. Eagles there. After lunch went to Morrisons for food and petrol. Later in the afternoon, as Bridget was arriving, I had a medical problem – couldn’t get up easily from study floor (where I was picking something up) and was very unsteady and apparently not making much sense. Dot and Bridget insisted on calling 999 and a couple of paramedics (Megan and Hannah) came round and did several tests. I felt better quite quickly but they rang the doctor, which took ages, and fixed an appointment for me for 10 am tomorrow. Bit of a relief, as one option was taking me to A&E. Bit shaky, but got back to normal quickly and cooked meal. Bit annoying really. Dot got in touch with David, and I went to bed early. Weather dry. 

Friday was cool. Went to doctor’s in the morning and was in with Dr Ranasinghe for very long time, much to annoyance of other people waiting. He was thorough and spent ages filling in a form online so that I could go to TIA clinic some time next week. Meanwhile I can’t drive and have to take aspirin. Don’t know which is worse. At first decided not to take aspirin, but am now taking half prescribed dose, plus extra Lansoprazole to avoid side-effects. Just the sort of thing I hate. Have been feeling fuzzy and tired. If I have another episode I have to call 999 again and will probably end up in A&E. Nightmare. Also feel cold and have a heavy head. Still, managed to do street meet with Des, Chris, Sarah, Matt, John, Sean and Ciara. Dot cooked toad in the hole, and we watched a film, Manhunter, which was ok. 

Saturday – Dry, not too bad. Slept in. Dot drove us to Costessey to see where she has to go next week. Costessey is horrible – all closed roads, speed bumps, 20mph limits, cameras, chicanes. Nightmare. Quiet day after that. Discovered David is not well – more worried about him than me.  Watched film Don’t Look Now. Not sure why. And ODI cricket v Ireland, which was mildly interesting. Norwich lost 6-2 at Plymouth, which wasn’t at all interesting.

Sunday was fairly mild. About to leave for church when I got a call from TIA clinic, asking me to go in straight away. Made a few phone calls and Dot drove me up – she decided to stay with me. Went pretty well until the technology failed – couldn’t get the images from the CT scan because they’d been mislabelled; so bit of a wait. In the end the doctor said all my tests were normal, but despite that he prescribed loads of pills and said I couldn’t drive for a month. Over cautious, in my opinion. Felt very down, especially as David is still ill too. Dot took me home, then went to Cathedral to assist with special service. I watched Scotland beat Tonga at rugby then went for short walk. When Dot got back at about 7.15 we had something to eat and then watched some TV. Got up in night to eat bread and jam and drink a little wine. Alarm went off, but Dot didn’t notice.

The tide is turning. Last Friday (the 15th) was pleasantly warm. Sue and Roger Eagle came for lunch. Sue had a heart operation a week ago; so she did well to make it. Dot did an elaborate series of courses, which seemed to go down well. They brought some nice rosé. They left just before 5pm, and we managed to clear up almost everything by the street meet at 5.30pm. Des, Chris, Sarah, Matt, Angela and John, who met Tara off train at 6.30pm. She had been submitting papers concerning her stay in Britain – 29 years on. David FTd, and he suggested she employ lawyers. Had quite a long chat with him. Then watched end of Screw – very good. 

Saturday was again pleasantly warm. Drove up to church at midday and sat in church as part of Heritage Day duty. Quite interesting. At 1pm Dot returned home for lunch and then went to the football. I stayed another hour, then ate sandwiches in the church hall and walked to Carrow Road along King Street. Got there in good time. Met Steve outside, and he asked us not to say anything about his father until he came along to church after the service. HIs father (Ray) is very ill with cancer and may not last more than a few weeks or less. Met Dot in Carrow Road lounge, and we watched the match, which Norwich won 1-0 against Stoke. Could have gone either way, to be honest. Walked home together of course. Tried to contact Howard about service tomorrow – unsuccessfully – but spoke to Judy. Oliver and Amy are back in Aylesbury.

Sunday was a bit cooler, with some rain in the afternoon. Went to church in the morning: Howard leading, Carrie preaching. All waited afterwards for Steve to come over and tell us about his father. It being Steve, this went on for some time. 

Monday was pleasant in the morning, but heavy rain in the afternoon. Discovered we hadn’t locked the car, and some items had been stolen, including the leather bag in the boot and my driving glasses. No damage, though. Dot and I went to see Ray, and he seemed a little better than I’d expected, though obviously quite bad. Had quite a long chat with Lyndsey, and to a lesser extent with Derek. Called in at church on the way back to pick up bag I’d left there, and ran into Leanne and Nikki. Nice to see them. Dot went to chemist and garden centre while I had lunch. Got calls from police about thefts, and eventually a forensics woman came round – very pleasant, very young. She took fingerprints and checked various points in the car as we were having supper. Earlier I had looked around the area to see if anything had been thrown away: Dot’s glasses on pavement. 

Tuesday was cooler. Bits of rain. Dot drove me to Magpie Road, and I walked the rest of the way to Ray’s. Derek was there with a couple of nurses. He thought I wasn’t coming because his sister had told me not to. But she hadn’t. Ray not too good – is getting hospital bed tomorrow. Alex, Derek’s girlfriend, came – very nice, good with Ray – then Ollie, Lyndsey’s  (possibly) ex. Then Nikki, from church, who got on well with Ray. Two more nurses came, and Nikki and I left. Walked with her to Magdalen Street – she was really inspiring; felt that she was already in heaven with her (dead) baby at the same time as living here. She got £20 out to pay for something she and Leanne were going to. I gave her an extra £20, then was a bit worried it looked bad! Walked home; quite tired. Dot got back from visiting Anne and we had lunch.  In evening we drove to Golden Dog Lane for DCC, which went quite well. Debbie and Carrie not there. Turned heating on for short while in afternoon. 

Last Saturday (9 September) was hot, and a very quiet day. Didn’t go anywhere except for taking thank-you card to Mark and Sarah for their wedding party the previous day. Watched athletics and cricket. Cooked a light meal (omelettes) in the evening because Dot had diarrhoea suddenly. Later she recovered and prepared prayers for tomorrow. Watched the end of Danish noir DNA, which was exceptionally good. Forgot to mention earlier that Dot has decided to end her diocesan schools work at Christmas. Their loss: she is brilliant at it. 

Sunday was hot again. Drove to church and had to park quite a way away; extra steps! Led service, and Dot did the prayers. Good sermon on forgiveness from Graham. Visitor from Huddersfield on holiday. Ray still quite bad. both of us felt very tired during the day and dozed off. Watched rugby, Scotland v South Africa, which was  a bit of a mistake. Later watched half of a thriller, The Tower, which was actually quite good. Sent e-card to Oliver for tomorrow and did a transfer.

Monday was still very warm, despite Amy warning  us about a storm. Don’t know where she got that information  from… Oliver’s 21st birthday, and again a bit quiet. Dot spent a long time in the garden, and I helped her cut back the ivy. Drove out to see Thelma in the afternoon. She seemed in good health but was very grumpy – then apologetic for being grumpy. Many times. Discovered she was being visited quite often by Sheila and Bob, though she denied it. Spoke to manager about her hearing, which is terrible. In the evening went to St Luke’s to discuss Christmas services – bit previous to my mind. Lots going on. Finished watching The Tower, which is very well done. 

Tuesday was not cold, but from around 3pm there was a lot of rain, much of it quite heavy. It caught us on the way back from the supermarket.  I had been in favour of going earlier, but Dot had a number of essential things to do first… Anyway we got a lot of stuff, some of it for a meal with Sue and Roger on Friday. Met Linda Shingles and Roger in shop. Read quite a bit of a commentary on Revelation in preparation for our session at church tomorrow. Watched a war series and Scotland v England football. The latter wasn’t very exciting, despite the 1-3 scoreline  No word from Scarborough. Judy left her car in the drive while she met a friend in London. Booked our car in for service and MOT on Nov 2. 

Wed was not as warm as recent days, but quite pleasant. Dot dropped me halfway to church, and I led the usual Bible study, this time on Revelation. Usual group.  Discovered from Judy that Ray has terminal stomach cancer, with a prognosis of 4-6 months. Very sad. Walked home and spoke to Des, who also got soaked yesterday! Path up to Rosary Road closed all week for repairs. In the evening Dot went to orchestra and I drove to Halesworth for poetry reading, which was displaced to local Co-op, a move that turned out to be better. Met Ian Fosten in the car park. Read three poems – Incoming, Sky Space and Where You Stand. Last was best received. Sue and Elizabeth Bracken in charge. No Lynne.

Thursday was quite pleasant, weather-wise. Drove to Catton Park and walked round it, then proceeded to Gunton Arms by a devious route and had lunch – a toasted sandwich and small glass of wine. Walked round a bit, then drove into North Walsham – Sainsburys for food and flowers, then on to the cemetery; quite hard work, for some reason. On the way we called in at Rosie’s – to find she was in quite a bad way. We were greeted by Alan (relative on the father’s side) and Daniel (gardener) and told that she’s been behaving erratically , and carers were coming in. Spoke to the carer who was currently in – very nice woman who knew Rosie previously – and found Rosie had UTI, though whether that’s all she has I don’t know. We had a chat with Rosie and the carer for about 20 minutes and then had a look at the garden before moving on to North Walsham. Dot rang Angela in the evening and found she had spoken to Rosie on the phone just after we left!

After North Walsham, drove back to Norwich and put flowers on Mum and Dad’s grave (and Andrew’s). Then Dot prepared stuff for tomorrow, and I got a phone call from Howard to say he’d (unsurprisingly) found Phyllis’s original will, over which there had been a lot of problems because Anna had submitted a copy instead of the original (thinking it was the original). E-mailed Bethany, who responded. Hope Howard will deliver will to her. Watched end of World on Fire.

Very warm week. On Monday drove to Morrisons and restocked; also filled up with petrol. After lunch walked up to solicitor’s and showed Bethany my copy of Phyllis’s will; but it wasn’t any improvement on Anna’s version. Don’t know what Howard did with original. Felt pretty tired; watched football and cricket on TV. After supper (Dot did blackberry and apple crumble) we watched a couple of other things, and David FaceTimed around 10pm. All seems well.

On Tuesday drove to Town House for Archant Pensioners’ breakfast. Not as many as usual – Robin has an “improving” infection, and Brian’s son Nigel broke his femur so couldn’t drive him there. Sat with Richard, David, Jenny. Afterwards drove Des and Chris to Urban Jungle to buy some ferns for Mark and Sarah, who are getting married today. Took in a parcel for Mark – it was sitting on their porch. Caught up with some computer stuff and some tidying. Watched next two episodes of DNA, a Danish noir that is particularly well done.

Wednesday – Even warmer; so of course the BBC gets very excited and says some pretty stupid things. Back in real life, Dot and I watched the cricket, in which England lost to New Zealand, making it 2-2 (T20). Then I walked up to the church. Dot would have taken me, but we were awaiting a wine delivery. Had a good Bible study, with Jude, Debbie, Steven and Stacey. Then I fell over while I was walking through the churchyard. Fell quite hard, and twisted my ankle slightly and cut my knee. Nothing broken, though. A young lad rushed over to help, but I was Ok and could even walk home without much trouble. Fortunately my face hit the grass and not the path.

Arrived home just before the wine, and Des and Chris came over so that we could all give the ferns to Mark and Sarah as a wedding present. Earlier Sarah had picked up the parcel I had removed from her porch yesterday. Late lunch, which meant neither of us was really ready for supper, but Dot had a shot at it, because she had to go to rehearsal. I put mine aside to heat up later. I drove Dot up to orchestra because her usual lift was not available, and she was worried about parking. Came back and laid down to listen to one of the sessions from Kim’s conference, which was largely about prophecy. Quite moving. Ate my food afterwards. Vicki gave Dot a lift home, and we had a drink to celebrate!

Thursday – Very warm again. BBC goes into full panic mode. (I’m just guessing. I haven’t listened to it.) Actually I didn’t feel too good, but later on things improved. Dot did an imaginative card for Oliver, and I posted it – to Scarborough. What could possibly go wrong? Wrote a piece for Square One about sham consultations, among other things. Tried to help David with a gift for Oliver, but had the same problem with Amazon as he did. He sorted it later. Bridget came and did since cleaning while I laid down and read some of Labyrinths, which is brilliant. Cooked pies and watched a bit of athletics while we ate them. Also watched the first in a Channel 5 series about Norfolk and Suffolk: this particular episode majored on Peter Beales Roses and featured Ian Limmer very strongly. Dot drove me and Jude and Eleanor to the Archers for compline.  Everyone there except for Phil. Told them about prophecy talk. Felt better at end of day. 

Friday – still warm, bit of cloud but not much. Mainly quiet, but in the evening went over to Mark and Sarah’s to celebrate their wedding. Nearly all neighbours there – except Bob and Mary but including Nina and Neil from Chalk Hill Road. Really good time: drinks and nibbles Had interesting conversation with Scottish Angela, among others. Lovely atmosphere. Neil is insulation expert; Nina works in Jarrolds. Handbags at the moment, but she’s been there a long time.

Today is very warm. A week ago it was reasonably warm, but with a cool breeze. Put my jumper on, then took it off. Put heating on. Read quite a bit in the bath. Put rota in the calendar and on website (correcting a couple of mistakes). After lunch walked up to solicitor, which was shut. I realised later in the day it was a bank holiday. Posted document through the door.  Looked in Cathedral shop for birthday card for Joy but without success – they were selling Christmas cards! Eventually bought card and chocolate in Jarrolds and some sweets for Dot.

Very tired on the way back. Couple of young teenage boys asked me directions to the Riverside Arcade. Think they were surprised I was pleasant to them. Quite cheeky! Watched final two episodes of Wolf, which turned out to be better than I thought it would. Also two episodes of DNA – a second series of the Danish thriller. Also good. 

Tuesday was reasonably warm, but cooler and some quite heavy rain in evening. Have now written five poems in a few days, which is quite satisfying. Sent three entries to Twelve Rivers magazine. Got my new pills from the chemist, after waiting while a woman told everyone about her father dying at 94. Collaborating with Des and Chris about buying a wedding present for Mark and Sarah. Watched documentary on failure of Cornwall space launch, then got cases and pillows out of loft. 

Wednesday’s weather was mIxed. Bit of a chill in the air, and some heavy showers. Busy day too. Had our hair cut (mine very short) , and then Dot dropped me off at church for Bible study, together with pillows for Steven (not to go to sleep on during Bible study) as requested. Dot then picked me up (with a sandwich), and we drove to Dereham with parcels for Joy’s birthday next week. Phil and Joy both quite cheerful, but obviously not well. We got back a bit late for Bridget, who was cleaning a day early, but no problem. Paul Henderson came round at 6pm to return our exercise bike (aargh!) and he stopped for wine and pizza plus. Had quite a long chat. 

Off to Blakeney on Thursday. Fairly warm, but quite cloudy and with some cool wind. Paul left his car in the drive while he went to London with  a friend. We left just after 2pm, and after the usual slow journey arrived in Blakeney just after 3pm. Evetts were ready there. Had checked in online, so we were soon in our room, which was quite superior to how they used to be. Said hello to Evetts then unpacked and met them at the Two Magpies around 4.15pm. Then back to our room to relax before meeting them at 7pm for drink. Meal was at 7.30pm and extremely good. I had steak frites, as did Dave. After meal we walked down to the quay to catch high tide, but it had gone down quite a bit, though it had obviously been pretty high. Back for final drink in bar, then bed. 

Friday was grey and drizzly at first, but warm. Very high tide: went to take pictures before breakfast. Dot and I both had a very bad night. Later drove to Holt to check train times, then parked at Baker & Larner and bought a little food while Dave and Julia went to Byfords. Caught train to Sheringham and walked into town. Had lunch at The Kitchen – good food with excellent toilet! Then walked to seafront and visited Upcher lifeboat. Walked back through town (recognising where I used to go with Mum) and got train back. Lots of kids and dogs. Quite funny. Dot drove back to Blakeney from Holt. Relaxed and had bath. Anna rang from solicitors’ about Phyllis’s will. Evening meal (8.15) at The Moorings. Steak again. Last drink back at hotel. Quite late in bed. 

Saturday was warm, sunny and dry. Walked down to the quay before breakfast and found tide high again, and still coming in. Afterwards we all went to have a look, but it soon started falling. We were going to  Wiveton cafe, but the path was shut, possibly for a wedding. So we walked out through freshes and joined coast path to Cley. Enjoyable but tiring. Went to cafe at Cley, and Dot and Julia bought stuff in the attached shop. Bus back to Blakeney: walked down High Street and called at another hotel (Blakeney House) to look at prices, but they were having a private wedding. Lot of it about. I went back to the hotel while Dot shopped: found they hadn’t cleaned our room. Picked up teas, coffee etc and made do. Later FaceTimed David, who was cleaning the compost bin but seemed happy. I felt very tired and had a coolish bath. Cosmopolitans the at bar before going to the Moorings for meal. Sea bass. Ok. Back for drink before bed – felt very tired. Had trouble keeping balance, but wasn’t drunk. New pills?

Sunday was very warm. Packed and checked out, then drove up to Felbrigg Hall, where we met the Evetts, sitting at a table in the sun. Had cup of tea and felt very hot. Decided to look round the house, then had lunch (egg mayonnaise sandwich), again in the sun. Walked round the walled garden, getting tireder and tireder; eventually Dot and I left, and I drove home. Felt pretty rotten. Lay on the bed for a while, then had sardines on toast. We drove to Lowestoft for a Seagull session. Wanted to go because I’d missed the previous one. Read five poems – Not Phoenix, Oystercatchers, A Question (of Time), Where you Stand and The Sands of Time. Ivor did a piece on following his lay preacher father around – very similar experience to mine in Coventry. Drove home after chatting to Lynne and Ivor, and Ian. Felt considerably better. Quite a bit of mist on the road.

Last Tuesday it was still warm in the evening. The Murrays were safely in the Heathrow Hilton. I worked out the rota, and we FaceTimed with David. The next day it was warm again. I walked up to the church (feeling very tired) and did a Bible study on 1 Corinthians 13 with Steve, Judy and Stacey (after a while). Went quite well, I think. Walked back home and had lunch; then rested on bed. Dot walked to Morrisons, and I picked the shopping up in the car while she walked home.

After supper (mussels) we watched world athletics from Budapest: Josh Kerr won a surprising gold in the 1500m. Also saw a couple of short programmes about island people (Hebrides and Welsh). Amazingly, Dr Hampsheir himself rang me up in the early evening about my blood pressure results; apparently the lower readings were a bit too high. He is putting me on new, improved beta blocker tablets at a very small dose for a month’s trial. The Murrays got in touch to say they were home.

Thursday was sill warm, but cloudier. Humid. Walked up to funeral director’s for 10am – on my own because Anna had migraine again, though she recovered enough to give Dot a violin lesson when I drove her down there in the afternoon. Spoke to Glynn and sorted out what the headstone wanted, but have to drop off the deed of burial rights that Anna had. Dot picked it up for me in the afternoon. She walked home. Both of us feel exhausted for some reason. Des and Chris also not fully recovered from “cold” after two weeks. Bridget came and did cleaning. Watched two episodes of The Chosen and some athletics.

Friday was (you guessed it) still pretty warm. Mixture of cloud and sun. Kim came round for lunch and we had a long talk: she is going away on Monday until the beginning of October. Spoke of devious goings on in Hawaii concerning the fires there. After lunch took the certificate to Glynn at the funeral director’s so that he could proceed with Phyllis’s gravestone. Street meet with Des and Chris, Mark, Matthew, Jonathan. Drank Barb’s Prosecco. Watched athletics again. 

Saturday was a bit cooler. Lunch date with the Gazleys was cancelled because Phil has a stomach upset. Caught up on editing pictures (quite a few of them) and wrote a new poem. Norwich beat Huddersfield 4-0 away. Watched more world athletics – surprise bronze for Ben Pattison in 800m, and less surprisingly for 4x100m women. Started watching a very weird thriller called Wolf.

Yesterday was definitely chillier, but warmer in the sun. Went to church and played in worship group and gave sermon, which I think went over quite well. It made me think, anyway. Watched football over and after lunch. Wrote another poem and a bit, then – after an omelette – the last day of World Athletics and another episode of Wolf, which I wish we hadn’t started watching. Now of course we have to see what happens.