The cake made by Amy and her grandmother (see earlier post)
As February rolls to its end, we roll home from the Sainsbury Centre, where we have been to an art private view and auction, at the invitation of Anna. Wasn’t really looking forward to it, but it was actually a lot of fun. We put in a few bids in the silent auction, but don’t expect to win any of them. Dot bid in the actual auction and went up to £50 before dropping out. Anna and Howard were both there, of course, and so was Nick Castor, who took over my journalism course at UEA in 2006. Nice to see him again.
Unfortunately there were sandwiches and prosecco. Not unfortunate in itself, but we didn’t know that was going to happen and so we took out some lamb chops from the freezer, which we now have to eat. We went by bus, which took nearly an hour from the point where we arrived at the bus stop to the point when we reached the Sainsbury Centre. Half that time coming back of course, but again we did have quite a long wait at the stop.
Yesterday I drove to a Paston trustees’ meeting at Dayspring. Quite nice weather (it’s been reasonable over the last few days, though cold). Lengthy discussions about plans for the year, budgets and particularly the planned DVD and the new website, which is all very exciting but confusing. Today I attempted to do the minutes after editing Lucy’s piece for the newsletter in which she spelt not only the patron’s name wrong, but also the chairman’s – and that’s only four letters (Knee). Still, she’s not well.
I’ve been managing to keep to my 30-minute brisk walks each day (more or less), and as a boost, today I also cleared up a lot of foliage that Dot had cut off the bushes in the front garden. I’m sleeping better too. Still writing tanka with Joy, and she sent some of them to a reviewer she knew, who was quite complimentary.
House feels very empty today. Dot is out working under her free governor’s hat, I haven’t done much except put a BBC producer in touch with a St Peter Hungate trustee, and David and the children are back home (or in two cases, at school). They arrived here on Thursday, and we had a relaxing three days, because it was too cold to do anything much outdoors. Nevertheless Oliver and I did manage a lovely 2½-mile walk up through the cemetery and Lion Wood, while Dot and Amy went shopping and David ventured into the city.
We also fitted in a very nice lunch at Prezzos on the Saturday, before listening to Norwich beat Everton 2-1 with a goal in the last seconds. Amy and Dot made a cake, and several games were played. Oliver is progressing well with his chess. He took away my old iMac: not sure his father was overjoyed by this idea, because it’s quite big, but Oliver seemed happy enough, though Amy wanted half of it to go with the new clothes Nana had bought her. Both children still delightful and growing up quickly: both enjoy writing and are creative as well as lovely. After a bit of uncertainty, they left at around 7pm on the Saturday and had a straightforward journey home.
Sunday featured the first of our projected post-service talks, and it was an impressive start. Louise Øhrstrøm spoke on St Julian, who she has translated into Danish, and there must have been about 60 people there, about a third of whom attended the Communion beforehand. Nicholas was in his impresario mood, which I have to say he does very well. Louise’s talk was very good, despite being quite difficult to listen to because foreigners, however good their English, always have a different intonation and flow. Good response generally.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, we had an evening meal with the Higbees at Newton Flotman after having difficulty getting out of Norwich because of road works on King Street, creating traffic jams. Not feeling at my best ( I was a bit below par all week), but an enjoyable time as always.
Have finished Into the Silence, a book by Wade Davis on the attempts on Everest in the 1920s. Fascinating stuff and very thorough research. I learnt a lot about Tibet and the huge organisation that seemed to be required to even get near the mountain. The book casts doubt on several reputations, and makes others. The early section on the Great War left me extremely angry at the arrogant incompetence of the generals, especially Haig, but there was plenty of incompetence during the Everest expedition, not least from the people organising it safely at home (as Haig was safely behind the lines).
Having read the book, I doubt that Mallory and irvine reached the summit, though it’s not totally impossible. Amazing that Reinhold Messner (my favourite mountaineer) did the whole thing on his own without oxygen in 1980.
Rather a lot going on at the moment, which explains my lack of posting. Dot took quite a while to recover from her cold after Buxton, and she still has a bit of a cough, as have I. Feel more or less all right, though, especially as I’ve just booked a fortnight in Ballater at a house called The Coyles in Golf Road, just round the corner from the legendary wee house.
Today is a lovely winter’s day, with blue sky and not really cold after an initial frost. I walked up to the Rosary for about half an hour, under doctor’s orders. He took my blood pressure last Wednesday and pronounced it too high. I declined his offer of more pills, and he gave me a month to show some progress. Have booked an appointment online for March 15. It was the only one available.
Took Phil to the doctor’s last Thursday, and after returning him home and calling on the vicar with cheques, took the car in for servicing, which came out at an unexpectedly high £400. Walked home (of course), but Dot drove me up to fetch it at tea time.
The service included cleaning the car, which was fortuitous, as the following day was Peter Beales’ funeral, which was big enough to make it on to TV as well as into the newspapers. Dot and I drove to the nursery and took advantage of the coach into town to avoid problems with parking. Fortunately seats were reserved at the front of the church for us (as family), and I managed to keep three chairs plus a wheelchair space for Angela, Rodney, Vicki and A Ethel. The latter survived the whole thing remarkably well, even when the lock to her bungalow jammed when we took her home, and we were stuck outside in the cold for about quarter of an hour waiting for the warden.
She had been taken to the church by a specially adapted taxi with R, A and V, and she also came to the refreshments in the nursery bistro, which coped splendidly with about 200 people. She got lots of attention, and it was a nice occasion. Richard and Mandy both gave good tributes (read by the vicar), and the service featured the Shipping Forecast, by special request of Peter. No-one knows why, but it certainly got people’s attention.
The taxi did the same return journey with Angela & Co, but we met them at A Ethel’s, which is how we came to be involved in the jammed lock situation. After we go tin and they left we stayed with A Ethel for a while, but she was nowhere near as badly affected as we thought she might be. Ironically (I suppose) I received an e-mail while we were there telling me that our friend Jan Miller had died of cancer at the age of 64. Totally unexpected; we had no idea she was ill.
On Saturday we had booked to go to a Riding Lights performance at Lowestoft, but the tickets never turned up, and Dot was coughing quite badly, so we decided to give it a miss instead of ringing up and demanding action. Not very good on their part, though, especially as when I originally tried to book, their website malfunctioned. Spent most of the day finishing off my sermon on Jesus’ temptations, which I delivered on Sunday, of course.
On Sunday evening we met Heather, Simon and Sam at the King’s Head and progressed to the Ali Tandoori for our usual Indian meal. Miraculously, Dot did not cough while eating, though she did have quite a lot of red wine. Had a really good evening: we get on very well with them. Pity they will soon be going to Bournemouth: Heather has a job at the university there (she is already commuting) and Simon is looking for one in the area. Sam is due to go to Chester University next year, and his band, The Upgrade, is playing at the Waterfront next month.
Monday afternoon saw another Paston event: a cafe conversation led by Elizabeth McDonald at the White Lion Cafe. About a dozen took part, and it went well: I was able to make some contributions. Kay Riggs was there, as was Adrian Ward, which was nice. In the afternoon Dot and I did a mammoth shop at the supermarket and ran into Barbara Vidion, which was also nice.
View from bedroom window yesterday morning, with Dave removing snow from his car
Left for Buxton at 11am on Friday, rather nervous at a forecast that seemed to indicate we would have trouble getting back. Too pessimistic, as it turned out. Stopped nearly an hour at Cambridge Services, then had to divert because the M1 was closed, so went up A1 – missed a turn because it was badly signed and went up to the A57, then through Staveley and Chesterfield.
Deadly slow: thousands of speed cameras, but they didn’t need them because the drivers were so snail-like. Eventually reached hotel at 4pm. Quite crisp and bright after a very soggy start. Hotel has reduced size of rooms and is still redecorating; so not ideal. Dot had trouble with paint smell throughout, and we should probably have asked to be moved at the outset. But great view from the room as always. Fair bit of snow on hills. Dave and Julia had arrived earlier and were having coffee in town when we arrived.
Excellent meal – steak. But had a very bad night with stomach gas. Powdery snow overnight, but nothing significant. After breakfast we went into Buxton and had a look inside the university dome. Impressive. Then a bit of shopping – Dot bought some bowls – and tea/coffee at Charlotte’s Chocolates. After a bit of discussion and rethinking decided to drive to Lyme Park, where we repeated the 3.5-mile walk of a couple of years ago, over to the Macclesfield Canal. Very muddy in places, and a light drizzle developed. After a snack we returned to he hotel through low cloud above Whaley Bridge. Not a bright outlook, and Norwich 0-0 against Fulham. Improvement on 5-0 loss on first day of season, but lack of goals worrying.
Good fish and chips for supper, followed for second night running by port in the Evetts’ room. Slightly better night, but didn’t sleep much after 5am. More snow this morning as we headed to station to catch 10.29 for Manchester. As we neared Manchester snow disappeared, to be replaced by rain, which persisted for rest of day. After coffee we caught tram to Salford Quays then walked to The Lowry. Saw film, talk and exhibition: all fascinating stuff, but by now Dot was beginning to feel ill with symptoms of a cold. Returned by tram to Manchester Piccadilly and caught train back to Buxton: full, but not as full as the one in the morning. Happily we got seats both times. Carriage quite cold, and snow appeared as we neared Buxton.
Walk back to hotel was icy in sleet and snow. Dot and I had shower and bath respectively, then supper. Had been geared up for steak, but there was none left, so I had ham terrine followed by linguine: Ok, but nothing special. Got into bed very early, passing up the opportunity of more port. Snowing outside.
Plenty of snow lying in the morning, and we had the usual excellent breakfast before leaving just after 10.30 for the drive south. Road by hotel quite slippery, but once we got on the main road, there was no trouble. Interesting to see on the way back how it had snowed in some areas but not others.
Got some petrol at Morrisons in Buxton and drove via A6 and A610 on to the M1, where we stopped for coffee in a near-deserted service station near Nottingham. Then on southwards, across areas where there had been no snow at all and others where there had been quite a bit. But it was all fading away. Stopped again at Cambridge Services, where Dot was feeling so bad she had a Kentucky Fried Chicken, and of course I had to have one too to keep her company. It’s the salt, apparently. Still quite like the taste.
Arrived home about 4pm. In the evening I went to a DCC meeting and delivered the financial report. The rest of it was all a bit hazy, as is today. I’ve been food shopping and have never seen Morrisons so full on a Tuesday. Odd. We’ve cancelled the Tuesday Group tonight, of course.
Mary Paulson-Ellis in King Street, viewing a beam that is said to have come from a Paston house in Princes Street
It’s turned very cold again, with a sharp wind, but the snow that fell briefly last night has gone. I drove Phil home while it was falling: he’d called to print something out, and we had a long conversation about various problems, especially his roof. In the end I arranged for him to meet Vicky tomorrow: coincidentally, she’s in charge, for Orbit, of work going on next door to him.
It’s been raining most of today, but I’m glad to say that on Sunday and Monday it was dry, because on those days I was showing Mary Paulson-Ellis, a writer from Edinburgh, round some Paston sites in North-East Norfolk and in Norwich. She was accompanied by a colleague, Nic, from UEA, with whom she’s working on a Paston project for the 26 writing group. It’s all Norfolk-based and connected with the fact that Norwich is England’s first Unesco Creative City of Literature.
On the Sunday I rushed to Paston from church lunch to meet Mary and Nic at Lucy’s house, Lucy being still in Benjamin Court at Cromer, recovering from her broken shoulder and bruised foot. Mary was brought by her brother, and Nic had his wife and young son with him. Jonathan was very hospitable and good with the young lad, taking him up on the roof and out into the garden while Mary, Nic and I looked at various Paston-related books (eg Fenn first and second editions and our own handmade book).
Afterwards we went on to Paston Church and then Bromholm Abbey, where Nic and his family made for home while I took Mary to meet Lucy at Cromer. On the way home from Cromer (in the pitch dark) I showed Mary Oxnead Hall and the church, but we decided not to get out of the car!
On Monday I met them at St Andrew’s Hall, and we went in and looked at the roof and the Paston coat of arms in the doors, thence taking in the usual Paston sites: Peter Hungate, Elm Hill, Cathedral and King Street, before going via the Julian Shrine to the Museum, where we viewed the Paston Treasure before having tea and cake. I walked them down past the Guildhall bef0re leaving them. Quite a stimulating time. They want me to do an MA in Creative Writing. I don’t know why.
Continuing the Paston theme, I met Sarah Power at Dragon Hall on Tuesday, drawing up a rough plan of what we would do there on May 31. I now have to get a couple of paragraphs of publicity to her before Feb 22. It’s all go. No Tuesday Group last night, though: several call-offs, which was just as well because of the snow.
Having the usual problem with getting our brown bin emptied: alleged to be “not out” again, but of course it was. I have now been promised a site visit, whatever that is. It still hasn’t been emptied. Have just seen that a new prime number has been discovered, containing 17 million digits. It is so big that even Norwich City Council bin emptiers would be able to see it.
Went so see Norwich play Spurs on Wednesday, as the month neared its end. Much milder, but quite windy and certainly not in any way a warm evening. It was a good match, with Norwich the better team in the first half, but Spurs coming back with a superb Gareth Bale goal and threatening to win at the end. I felt encouraged by the spirit and skill shown by the players after their previous two disastrous outings a 5-0 defeat at Anfield and the appalling 1-0 home loss in the Cup to non-league Luton. Today they play QPR away, and I fear the worst, even though they have been strengthened by buying two new forwards.
Dot has just gone to the supermarket and will be hastening back to watch the match on Sky TV, for which she has an iPhone app.
Yesterday I travelled to Cromer in the MX5, while Dot attended a NAfPHT conference at Mangreen and did some networking. I visited Lucy in hospital at Benjamin Court, and she was in good spirits despite her broken collarbone and bruised foot. We talked a lot about Paston but also about other things, including our families and why things happened. I was there for over 90 minutes and arrived home after Dot. Tomorrow I shall be standing in for Lucy to show a writer from Edinburgh some of the Paston sites.
Nice big obit in the Telegraph this morning for Peter Beales. The funeral has been fixed for February 15, and on Thursday I bought a new overcoat and two pairs of trousers from M & S, encouraged by Dot. Yes, these items are connected. Afterwards we called in at Presto, which is Caffe Italia reincarnated, because Roberto and Kathy have come back from their retirement and repurchased the premises. Had a quick drink and shared a scone, plus much repartee with the owners. Good to have them back.
