On Friday, August 10 Dot and Barbara went into town to get a manicure. Meanwhile Roger and I went for a walk in the woods at Mono cliffs, initially to find some ancient cedars, but we took an early wrong turn and found ourselves negotiating lesser used parts of the Bruce Trail, which was OK.

Later we all went to Adamo’s winery for a small-plate meal, and Dot and I had another bottle of Gamay Rosé, which is excellent. A two-man group were playing, and they did an excellent version of a couple of Elton John songs and The Weight. We congratulated them on the way out, while they were taking their break. Back at home, watched episodes 3, 4 and 5 of State of Play.

Saturday was warm, and we all walked the Palmer Circle figure of eight, before watching the final episode of State of Play, which was a bit disappointing. Still, as a whole it was very good. Then drove to Oakville for meal with Nick and Shirley (barbecue), after which we walked into town to see the music festival in progress. Excellent group called Whitehorse playing, but unfortunately while we bought gelato it started raining, which made the walk back to their house a bit damp.

Had a chat before driving home. Nick and Shirley’s house was very unusual, getting a lot into a small space. Impressive. I have booked a cottage in Ballater (18 Golf Road) next August so that we can host N&S with B&R for five days on part of their European tour. Before then, however the Murrays are going to Australia and New Zealand, and as I write are looking at a tour of Peru and the Galapagos for November.

Sunday was warm and dry, and the four of us walked the Mount Hope loop (about three miles). We then went to Adamo’s for a wine tasting but returned home to eat after we couldn’t get into the either Adamo’s or the nearby resort to eat. One had a wedding reception, and the other was full. Still, we had a nice meal at home and then watched all three episodes of The Politician’s Wife, which was satisfying. Couldn’t quite remember if I’d seen it before, but we all knew what was going to happen. Not enough Minnie Driver.

Afterwards we went outside on damp grass to try see some Perseids, and we did see one or two.

Yesterday was cloudy, but warm as usual. We drove to Sherway Gardens Mall, where we split up. Roger and I went to Indigo bookshop, but then separated. I did quite a lot of walking and almost got trapped in Hudson’s Bay. Roger and I got back to the cocktail bar in time, and I had a Cosmopolitan, but the girls were 22 minutes  late, though they did have cocktails anyway. Noted that Indigo had four sections on pets, but none on poetry.

Later finished my birthday present sci-fi book from David. Really imaginative stuff, and compelling. Interesting that it was written by a Chinese and so saw everything from their angle.

Later still went to the resort (after booking to make sure we could get in) and had an excellent meal. The best chicken I’ve had in a long time, with some cheesy fries as starters! At home watched film – Catch me if you can – till 12.40.

Today has been warmer. Dot and I started with figure-of-eight, then had a swim followed by a  shower, followed by packing. Before this had checked in and booked seats in co-ordination with David; so we will be sitting with Oliver and Amy on the flight. Not expecting either of them to be very happy. We’ve also been for a drive round the north country, taking in Hockley, Violet Hill and Rosemont. Within the hour we shall be starting off for the airport.

August 6 was Andrew’s 70th birthday, and of course we weren’t there. I did however get in touch with Minster Lodge and arrange for a present to be delivered. They made sure he had a celebration. In Canada it was still warm but breezy, and I walked round Palmer Circle before it started raining at about 3pm. Meanwhile Roger was giving an art lesson to Amy who, by the time they left yesterday, had produced a pretty good still life – unfinished, but well on its way.

I finished About the Size of the Universe and started the book David had given me as a present, The Three-Body Problem – a Chinese sci-fi epic.  Am now about a third of the way through. Really original and thought-provoking. Roger thought it might be a detective novel.

On Tuesday Dot and I went with Roger to Bolton, where we withdrew enough cash to pay Barbara for the Niagara tickets. We also paid for the wine and accompanied Roger with the food shopping. Nothing much happened after that, but I went in the pool for the second time and remembered how to swim. I didn’t do it; I just remembered it. Watched an episode of Gilmore Girls that we’d already seen.

Heavy rain yesterday. Barbara decided we were all going to the Mall, but then made the mistake of going to the farm shop, and during her absence we revised her scenario. As a result, following a fried late breakfast Dot, Amy and Sophie went to the Mall with Barbara, and the rest of us stayed here. It cleared up during the afternoon (though there were downpours and flooding in Toronto), and I walked to the mailbox with Roger, David, Chrissy, Oliver and Seth. No phone, and we walked the long way back. I was unexpectedly tired. Talked to David about the future. More rain here later.

In a bizarre twist I received an e-mail from Margaret Blackman, who I used to work with at the BGEA, and who is now Maggie Rome. She was contacting me to see if I was the same person. I assured her I was, but I haven’t heard any more. Earlier I wrote my tenth poem since we came to Canada – about David Coomes and Kristine, called Since You Left. Last night watched Page Eight, a movie by David Hare starring Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz. Very good. Quite late in bed.

First of two visits to Treadwells on August 2, just after I bought a new baseball cap – top quality, of course, from Beauchapeau on Queen Street. The meal at Treadwells was excellent, especially the starter, which was very thin strips of duck breast with goat’s cheese and water cress. Jewish couple at next table queried it (they thought it might be ham), but it was actually both duck and delicious.

The meal was followed by a play at the King George III Theatre – Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl. Totally brilliant in every way.

On our final day in Niagara on the Lake, we did a little tourist shopping and then walked down Queen Street to where it hit Lake Ontario, and then back down a parallel street. Had a light lunch at Treadwells (mussels in my case), then saw two more short plays at the George III – both by Shaw. Well acted, but not a patch on Stage Kiss. Admittedly I was dozing off a bit after 6oz of wine. There was a dash of rain while we were in the theatre, but it had cleared up by the time we walked back to the car (still at the hotel) and drove to the Ravine Winery, where I had a burger (pretty good) followed by Blueberry Tea cocktail, which is basically a mixture of amaretto, Grand Marnier and tea. New to me and superb.

From there we drove home quite quickly and watched some more of W1A.

Very warm next day (Saturday), and the children arrived early afternoon. Excellent buffet around teatime. David brought me birthday presents (an owl coaster spotted by Oliver, a Chinese sci-fi novel and a book on why Canada is so wonderful). Later Dot and I had a drawing game with Amy, and then watched some more W1A. We are now halfway through the last series.

Today is August 5, and by the time I got out of bed, the Paston Mannington event was more or less over, the children had done two walks, and Dot was off to the farm with everyone else of a female persuasion. I had a bath and read quite a lot more of the Icelandic saga. Later I took a dip in the pool after everyone else came out, and David checked Dot’s phone details, marking it as lost on the Apple site and noting that no-one had used it on O2.

I have now written seven poems plus two tanka, which is quite pleasing. For me, anyway.

Golden wedding meal at Adamo’s winery: Roger, Chrissy, David, Barbara and Dot

We went to the Greens – insanely or not – and had a very interesting evening with Greek orthodox priest Brendan Pelphrey and his wife Sharon, plus Carrie. Lovely meal and good conversation. Carrie gave us  lift home afterwards.

On the Wednesday we drove to our hotel near Gatwick, and for some reason missed it at first, but found it easily enough when we went back. Quite a pleasant hotel: we had an evening meal there despite reading bad reviews online, and it was fine. Good breakfast in the morning and caught the hotel shuttle to the airport. We were the only people on the shuttle.

We went through all the airport procedures easily enough, had a drink at Starbucks and bought an improved adaptor while walking through to our gate. The trip went pretty well – watched a couple of films – but on leaving the plane Dot must have left her phone behind, because despite many efforts we have been unable to locate it since. She fell over on the way to customs, but we don’t think she dropped it there, though it’s possible.

Baggage reclaim took a couple of hours because of “extreme weather conditions” (rain), and it was at this point that Dot discovered she didn’t have her phone and reported it to Air Transat. No luck, so we eventually emerged into the rush hour with the thousands of others, to be greeted  by huge crowds including Roger and Barbara. Back at Palgrave Circle, we had nibbles outside. Very nice too.

A surprisingly good sleep followed, and in no time at all it was our actual Golden Wedding Anniversary. It was a pleasantly warm day. Dot and I walked to the mailbox in case the airline had sent her phone, but no luck of course. I gave my first lot of completely wrong directions when  a driver asked where Palgrave was (to be followed a couple of days later by the second when a guy in a truck asked me the way to Highway 50, which someone had apparently moved).

Later we drove to Adamo’s winery, about half an hour away, and had a really nice meal with David and Chrissy, who had driven much further. Great to see them. The winery experience included a singer (a blonde with a guitar) and a really nice rosé which Dot and I shared. The cost of it all was shared by David and Roger, which was nice. We swapped cars, so that D & C had a seven-seater to convey all the children home from the airport on Tuesday. Meanwhile in Norfolk it was apparently raining. Quite hard.

The following day (Saturday) was quiet, though I did have a cooked breakfast. Later I walked to the mailbox again (second misdirection), and we had charcuterie, though not at the mailbox. Later we watched a couple of films – Mercury Rising, which I thought was really good, and Miss Sloane, which was less so, though it had its points. We then started watching W1A. We have not finished it yet. Three series.

Sunday was almost entirely dry despite forecasts, but a little cooler. Lyn and Jim came for a a rather spectacular lunch, the details of which now elude me. Jim is a really nice bloke – very upbeat despite having cancer badly in his sinuses and then his arm.

The next day (30th) was pleasantly warm, and we went for a long walk around Island Lake – about six miles plus. The heat made this tiring towards the end, and my legs and feet were having trouble moving at any speed. Fortunately Dot stayed with me as the others forged ahead. Happily we went straight home afterwards, stopping only to buy fruit at a farm shop. I don’t think I could have managed the suggested walk in Orangeville.

August dawned still warm and brought with it the start of an action-filled few days. The children arrived in Canada on the 1st while the four of us at Cedar Mills drove into Toronto (well, as far as York) fairly  late on for a meal at the Cheesecake Factory, which wasn’t bad. The wine was very good. Following this we walked to the cinema for a showing of Mission Impossible: Fallout, which was of course totally impossible but extremely entertaining. Meal and viewing took place in a huge mall which vastly increased our number of steps walked.

Yesterday we drove to Niagara on the Lake, where it was warm but windy. We are staying at the Harbour House Hotel, which is very pleasant in many ways, but has a very loud air-conditioning system, which kept me awake last night. We walked into town and had a drink at Starbucks, then strolled back by the shore of the lake, with the USA a short distance away on the other side (New York state). Later I walked down to the end of our road by the water and took some pictures of baby geese.

At around 5pm we drove to the Two Sisters winery, where we had a first class meal (I had steak and vegetables with croquette, all just right) and excellent wine. Service was very slow, however, and we had to rush to the Shaw theatre, where we saw the musical Grand Hotel, which was set in Berlin in the 1920s and had definite echoes of Brecht-Weill. Extremely well done indeed. We had very good (and very expensive) seats.

It is now late afternoon and I am typing this in the hotel, hoping that Dot will return soon. I can’t contact her, of course. We did a winery tour this morning in the company of some people of a Chinese persuasion and led by Corey, who was excellent in a very enthusiastic way. Barbara was also enthusiastic. We bought her some wine.