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

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

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

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

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

Dot arrived back just after 7pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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