I think I’ve more or less finished my next poetry book, and the sun has been shining for several days. Pandemic? What pandemic? Well, Zoom hasn’t gone away. As I write on Bank Holiday Monday morning, the last day of May, Dot is Zooming with Barbara, putting the finishing touches to their P4C pack, and last Wednesday she also spent all morning on a DSSO Zoom meeting.

Later that day, Jude (Sayer) came for nibbles and wine at 5.30pm and left at 11.15pm. It was an interesting conversation, what with her being a pagan and having a goddess. Sadly it wasn’t quite warm enough to sit outside; so we sat on opposite sides of the kitchen table. For a long time. Dot had cooked bread and rhubarb soufflé. Separately.

Thursday thought about being warm, but kept veering into cool. Dot spent a long time at Long Stratton School in the morning. Unusually, we had a cooked lunch – kippers – and at intervals through the day watched Paris, Texas, a brilliant film with a slightly unsatisfactory outcome. In the afternoon we walked up to the Rosary… again, it was very still. Saw a little girl having a great time, couldn’t stop running. David FaceTimed to say he’d received our parcel, containing two poetry books (one of them mine, one requested). In the evening we gave Eleanor a lift to Vicky’s for Cake and Compline round her Fire Pit, which went pretty well. Had longish chats with Jared and Amy, who’s getting quite grown-up.

The next day it got markedly warmer, and for some reason a feeling of pessimism swept over me. Don’t know why. It went away quite quickly. I wrote a website piece on Bob Dylan and watched a TV programme on Dylan covers, which unaccountably omitted two of the best  – Jimi Hendrix’s All along the watchtower and Boots of Spanish leather by the Irish band, Dervish, which is worth a look IMHO.

Walked with Dot to Carrow Bridge along the river path and then back just in time to catch Bridget arriving to do the cleaning. Dot did a rather longer walk and got back about ten minutes later. Rained a bit, but despite threatening clouds it stopped in time for us to meet for wine in the street. Watched quite a good Mexican cartel thriller called Sicario2: Soldado.

Saturday was really warm. It might almost have been summer. Just in time for Anne’s birthday celebration in their garden at Poringland. We stopped at Morrison’s on the way to buy flowers. Also present at Anne’s: well, Philip, obviously (very quiet); Louise, David and Freddie; Charlotte, Chris, Daniel and Thomas; Sophie, Richard, Charlie and Iris. Lovely afternoon with sandwiches and cakes. Left about 6pm. Had kippers later. Charlotte and Chris are still suffering some effects of Long Covid.

Earlier Des and Chris came round so that we could witness some documents, and we had a cup of tea/coffee.Watched another mysterious episode of Fargo, plus a few of Cher’s songs (surprisingly mediocre) and an interview with Bob Dylan that I had never seen, plus the last-ever episode of A Question of Sport in the Sue Barker format. Quite sad. Amazingly, during the day I managed to notch up 4000 steps. 

Yesterday was warm again, with a touch of coolness in the wind. Had tea and biscuits outside after church, during which I spoke to Kim and Howard. Howard was conjuring up life 5000 years ago on Orkney, where they had just been on holiday, and Kim was revealing how difficult life was for her, though not in a poor-me way. She has lots of trouble with ME and migraines; her son is having problems getting a job (as a helicopter pilot) as a result of a series of unfortunate events and timings that were not his fault; and her daughter is having difficulties at university related to Covid restrictions which are preventing her doing her PhD in the way she had hoped.

After lunch Dot worked in garden and I went out on my bike (up and down the road) for the first time in years – discovering that I needed to get used to it again. Quite astonishing. Later watched three episodes of The Killing, which is still brilliant. Saw an Arena programme on Dylan’s Christian songs interspersed with so-called sermons. Songs very patchy, sermons also. Earlier we saw highlights of the Championship play-off final, Brentford 2 Swansea 0. The right result, especially as Brentford had finished third, seven points above Swansea.

We’ve had some pretty dreary weather recently; so it was nice to see the sun when I came down to make a cup of tea at 7.45am. It’s now 11am and has reverted to grey skies, but at least it’s not raining. Dot is engaged in a Zoom DSSO meeting, which will last all morning, I should imagine.

Last Saturday was a similar day weatherwise, with a bit less rain than the day before. Again stayed in and didn’t get much above 2000 steps. Saturdays have been very bad for walking this month. After lunch we called in at the Hendersons – first time for months. M was in a pretty bad state, kept relatively quiet by medication but repeatedly asking to go out. Holly and Joe were both there (with dogs) and in pretty good form, though Paul didn’t look all that well.

After supper we watched a one-man online play put on by Ancient House Museum at King’s Lynn, for some reason. It was actually very well done, based on two Sherlock Holmes cases. The actor answered some questions afterwards and came over very well. We then listened to another Radio 4 Bob Dylan programme, during which Tangled Up in Blue was voted by listeners as the best Dylan song ever, which is clearly absurd for so many reasons. Bob Geldof talked too much and didn’t make an awful lot of sense. A poet (can’t remember who) picked out Visions of Johanna and She’s Your Lover Now, which are two great songs. You can always rely on poets.

At the the other extreme we watched a few minutes of the voting on the Eurovision Song Contest, in which the UK got zero points. Happily we missed all the songs. Happily too Brentford and Swansea went through to the Championship play-off finals – they had finished third and fourth; so it was a good result. Sorry, Hilary. Sunderland also went out of their play-offs. Sorry, Paul.

Sunday was showery but not too cold, and we got to church and back in the dry. It was Pentecost Sunday, and Liz C did an inspiring sermon. I did the prayers. Had tea and biscuits after the service for the first time I can remember since normality reigned. While eating lunch we watched highlights of those football deciders I mentioned, then spent some time sorting out my songs – was somewhat surprised at how many I’ve written. We found a spot between showers to go for a walk round the back of Carrow Road – a route Dot has calculated as ideal, step-wise. Then watched another three episodes of The Killing, which continues to be first-class.

Andrew FaceTimed during one of the episodes, and we had a short chat. He was watching Frozen on TV, but I think his DVD player is working OK. He is very vague about stuff like that – and all other stuff. We also watched the deciding Premiership games on MOTD, though they worked out badly as always. Liverpool won (yawn) and Chelsea came fourth despite losing because Spurs chose that moment to come good and beat Leicester 4-2 away. The only good thing was that Spurs finished above Arsenal – oh, and Kane got the Golden Boot.

Monday started sunny; so we walked into the city early on, though I wasn’t feeling particularly well for some reason. Bought some marmalade in Jarrolds and then Dot got some new shoes in Shuropody. We had tea/coffee outside at the top of London Street, then walked home through the Close, arriving just before it started to rain. The afternoon was pretty wet, but it was sunny again in the evening. Spent some time in the afternoon on the computer and submitted a couple of poems. Poetry books – On a Knife Edge – arrived from Suffolk Poetry Society containing one of my tanka series.

David FaceTimed later and seemed very well: it’s pretty warm in Canada. Later still we watched Call the Midwife and The Pursuit of Love, during which I fell asleep. We also listened to another Dylan programme on Radio 4: Verbatim, which cleverly interspersed some of his own words from interviews with the odd song. Sometimes very odd. Put water in the piano, which I do every three months on the instruction of the tuner.

More rain yesterday, but Dot dodged it as she drove to Thurton School – got very confused trying to avid roadworks on the way back, but eventually ended up at Morrison’s, which is normal. Meanwhile I caught up on the bit I missed in The Pursuit of Love, which proved to be quite a long bit. In the afternoon Dot Zoomed with Barbara and then spent a considerable time finishing off her p4c pack. It looks pretty good, though I haven’t read it all the way through yet. I hope it’s successful – she’s put an awful lot of work into it.

I sent out some charity cheques, walking up to the post office during a lull in the rain and then taking in the Rosary, which was very green and lush, and also very still. Earlier I had rung Phil K to see how he was, and discovered that he may well have Parkinson’s as well as bladder cancer. Obviously he’s very worried, but the Parkinson’s is still to be confirmed: no obvious symptoms yet. The cancer may have been successfully removed – he is on precautionary chemo. So all results are possible.

Discovered I didn’t much care for Goan Tomato Soup, which was no surprise, and watched two more episodes of The Pact, which is intriguing and marginally ridiculous at the same time. The leading heroine would have to be insane to behave the way she does, and in real life all the sealed lips on which the plot depends would never happen.

Another weekend, and the weather is a slight improvement on yesterday, which was unremittingly awful: continuous rain, high winds, very dark skies. Happily we didn’t have to go out. I spent most of day writing five Parish Pump pieces and battling with tech problems. Word went haywire on my iMac and kept highlighting bits for  no reason, then sticking on CAPS. I managed to switch to Dot’s old laptop, but for some reason Mail  fell out as soon as it loaded and was unusable.

However, I managed to finish writing the Pump pieces there, and then sent them by text message to my iMac. Almost lost the document again there when it failed to save, but happily I had had the foresight to copy it first and was able to get it back. It has now gone to Anne. I hope it arrived. Parish Pump will probably end within a year, if not six months – so many churches cancelled their subscription during lockdown. Anne has done about 25 years; so she probably needs a break.

Meanwhile Dot was doing a meditation day with Jess online, which she really enjoyed. Afterwards we saw the end of Innocent, a four-day thriller on ITV which turned out to be very good indeed. Also listened to the end of a five-episode Radio 4 series on Bob Dylan, It ain’t me you’re looking for, which was pretty good, and another Radio 4 programme on his Christian period, which was even better. 

Back to Tuesday. David FaceTimed us at lunchtime and unwrapped his wine table and one of the books. I transferred money to pay for some wine. Other things still on the way. We watched Motherland, and it started raining. Watched  part of Jurnets poetry on Zoom, but the featured poet wasn’t particularly good. 

Wednesday was mainly dry and sunny, but with occasional rain. Antibiotics failed to make an impact, which is quite annoying. I finished off a rough version of my next poetry book, which Dot has found a few problems with; so I shall be revising it. I went for a walk after lunch – posted my driving licence renewal application and wandered round the Rosary. Saw a deer, which took fright as I reached for my camera. Dot was writing up reports and letters to her heads; she got a really lovely response from Yarmouth yesterday.

Later Bridget came to clean, Dot went out for a walk and I watched a Paul Dickson tour on Heygo – from Pull’s Ferry to the Adam and Eve. Had Bridget’s fish cakes for supper. Dot went for a strings rehearsal at St Cuthbert’s, and I took grocery lists to Des, who would like to be prime minister. Promised him my backing. Depressingly, Liverpool won again, and Spurs lost, due entirely to two incredibly bad mistakes by their left back – one bizarre own goal and one giving the ball away.

On Thursday Dot Zoomed with Barbara: apparently they’re nearing the end of their p4c pack restructuring. Not a very pleasant day – frequent showers and becoming windy and cool. Walked up to Boots around 3pm, just after David FaceTimed to say another book had arrived, and picked up my new glasses. Walked back over Julian Bridge. In the evening Dot was picked up by Anne and they went up to Jarrolds for a special evening, including a meal. I cooked myself kipper, courgette and potato. Feeling very tired for some reason. But then I often am. Perhaps it’s my age.

We spoke to Dave and Julia on the phone last Friday and found that Dave has been having hospital treatment for various things. Excellent that he has been able to get treatment, but a bit worrying that two of the treatments conflict with each other slightly. We also had a FaceTime with Amy, who has produced some really terrific pictures. She’s now finished her exams.

Oliver gave us some dates for summer so that we know where they are and can arrange one or two things of our own at an appropriate time. I walked Bishopgate, Cathedral Close and into the Cloisters – the first time for ages that I had seen them open. There was a dinosaur in the entrance, which may or may not be symbolic of the Church of England. Came back through Recorder Road. Watched Up in the Air, a very enjoyable George Clooney film.  

Saturday’s weather was pretty awful, and we hardly went outside. Spent a long time at an online Church Times five-hour poetry event called Send these Roots Rain – on YouTube, not Zoom. Pretty good on the whole, though I went to sleep during one session. Malcolm Guite was very good, though I prefer his speaking to his poetry, which is a bit academic. The rest of it featured a homosexual and two trans people, so full marks for diversity (though they were actually rather good). Afterwards we watched the Cup Final, where Leicester beat Chelsea 1-0, I’m delighted to say. Watched quite a bit of A Canterbury Tale, but abandoned it because it seemed pointless and watched MOTD.   Heard Caren has had her gall bladder removed, which is sort of encouraging. 

On Sunday at church I preached and led the hymns. Was encouraged by very positive responses to my talk. Rain started almost straight afterwards; so after lunch we watched three episodes of The Killing, by which time it had dried out a bit and we went for a walk. Can’t really walk more than two miles without feeling very tired at the moment. We walked along river to Carrow Road, round the stadium and then back along the usual after-match path.

Watched another episode of The Killing in the evening – now up to 10/20: it’s really excellent. At one point we were interrupted by a FaceTime call from Andrew, who seemed ok. We also watched Call the Midwife and The Pursuit of Love. Decided not to watch MOTD after hearing that Liverpool won 2-1 in the last minute. It’s not good to go to bed feeling depressed. Heard that Phil K is having chemo as a precaution, but the prognosis is promising.

Yesterday was quite warm and still most of the day, but it rained at teatime. Did an AWA 10-strong Zoom meeting at 11 for an hour, but it was not inspiring, and I didn’t say anything, much to Dot’s annoyance. She is much better at that sort of thing than I am. After lunch we drove to North Walsham and put flowers on the graves. We then proceeded to Worstead, where we sat in the car and listened to a 15-minute Bob Dylan programme, part of a series to celebrate his 80th birthday this week. Dot spent 75 minutes with the school head while I did a walk round some fields – quite enjoyable, very still. Saw red kites, I think.  Later we watched a couple of things: Fargo (TV version) and a new thriller called The Pact, which seems quite good. 

As I write Dot is in Yarmouth on another school visit, and I shall shortly be going up to the Rosary with some flowers. Weather isn’t bad, but rain is promised later. It’s David’s 49th birthday. We had quite a long chat with him on FT yesterday, and will probably do so again today. I know one or two of his presents have arrived, but not sure about others.

Monday was warmer and mainly dry. I got up fairly early and caught up on e-mails etc. Discovered that you could contact your surgery by e-mail for an appointment; so I did that. I had had a slight infection for a long time. I was told that I would get a reply by the end of Tuesday, but in the end it was Thursday before I had a response – not really a diagnosis but a prescription of antibiotics from a Dr Ward, who I don’t recall ever meeting. Fortunately our chemist is extremely efficient, and I was able to pick them up that afternoon. I’ve now taken three tablets, and there seems to be a slight improvement.

Also tried to renew my driving licence (as I’m over 70, I only get one for three years at a time) but after going right through the process I got rejected for no apparent reason. Will try again next week and if the same thing happens, I’ll send the form. It all seems so unnecessary.

Did some more Paston editing and watched The Killing, part six and later Motherland and Call the Midwife, which is a class act … really gets over the love at the centre of Christianity. Cooked chilli, then we drove to Mousehold Street and walked from there to St Luke’s for the annual parish meeting led by Simon Stokes, the rural dean, who is a good guy. Dot went up at the end and told him so. Most of the meeting was pretty boring, but there were some nice people there. Walked back to pick up car.

Tuesday was warm and dry. Dot went to Alpington School, followed by a visit to Anne and a short walk. She is a bit worried about Philip. I ordered some wine and wrote a sermon. Also finished watching Fargo (the film), which is marvellous and sends shivers up your spine over and over again. I was waiting all day for a call from the surgery, which of course never came. When Dot got back after lunch I posted a parcel to David, then walked in Cary’s Meadow, taking in the hidden bridge beyond, which I found was locked and private property. Terrific. Came back and read the sermon to Dot, then chose hymns while she worked in the garden. Listened again to Pancho and Lefty, a totally brilliant song as sung by Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band. It was written by Townes van Zandt, who is a great songwriter but rather a sad figure.

Later rang Phil (while Roger rang Dot) and watched the new TV Fargo, which is decidedly odd, and In Pursuit of Love, which is also rather strange.

Warm again on Wednesday, but quite windy. Dot Zoomed with a couple of heads, one at Cringleford and another one heading there. I played through the En Passant chess games for last month and bought a  DVD player for Andrew from Amazon. It has now arrived and has been fixed up with good results, I hear. Also did a little Paston editing and other office stuff. After lunch we drove to Thorpe Marshes and walked round until we were blocked by an impressive amount of water, then turned back and came back to the car via Bungalow Lane. Quite tiring. Watched When Harry Met Sally and For Your Eyes Only, both of which we’d seen before. The former is even better than I remembered.

Yesterday was cooler, and a bit windy. Dot visited Newton Flotman school. I looked at Jennie’s funeral again and sent a hymns e-mail to St Augustine’s musicians (no connection). After lunch I picked up my antibiotics from the chemist while Dot was Zooming with Barbara (it’d been raining for 24 hours non-stop in Devon), then walked in Harrison’s Wood and the plantation opposite (off Blue Boar Lane). Met Dennis from Archant pensioners in the chemist, but can’t really place him. Bridget came and cleaned upstairs, and I did even more Paston editing while Dot did a walk round Riverside. We watched Danny Boy, about a British soldier in the Iraqi war getting ludicrously accused of murder. Very well done.

This morning it’s quite a bit cooler, but dry. Dot is having a violin lesson at Anna’s. I have a feeling I’m putting too much detail into all this. Even Dot doesn’t read it.

Thursday was chilly, with showers. After lunch we drove up to vote, then I walked back via the Rosary. Later Bridget came to clean and gave us some fish cakes she had bought, which were excellent. Must have a word with her – she charges too little and then uses part of her proceeds to buy us food. Very sweet. We finished off watching the excellent Ted Lasso and The Blue Dahlia, an oldish film that was quite good, though I have doubts about Alan Ladd’s acting. Veronica Lake was much more restrained and therefore better. She also looked good. Dot rang Judy, who is better after a bad stomach day, and did some Paston editing, among other things. 

Friday was a very strange day. Martin Wyatt came round early to check the songs he is transcribing. He didn’t need to change much. Then we drove to Taverham for lunch in Janet and Derek’s garden. She cooked a lovely salmon dish, and the weather was just about warm enough, but it started to rain after dessert; so we went inside for tea and coffee. Derek reminds me of Basil Fawlty: we get on well.

Watched the end of The Bandwagon, which contains a truly stunning dance sequence by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. I don’t like musicals or men dancing, but I love Fred Astaire, who is synonymous with both. He is unique. We went into the street for a drink with Des, Chris, Mark, Jonathan, Freddie, Phoebe and Sabrina – a new woman in Number 3.  Afterwards we watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which turned out to be pretty good. Then watched Alan Partridge,  who is still almost funny.

Saturday was a miserable day – grey and with constant rain till evening. Caught up with some Paston editing and ordered some books for David, with whom we had a long FaceTime conversation, quite a bit of it on politics. Norwich drew 2-2 with Barnsley away and received the trophy on the pitch afterwards. Later we watched an interesting programme about Emmylou Harris and then a short Old Grey Whistle concert by her and The Hot Band, dating back many years. EH was beautiful when young, and, strangely, is even more striking now. Afterwards we watched most of MOTD, in which Spurs lost 3-1 after a wrong offside decision was given against Kane. This clearly took the heart out of them.

During all the rain and general unpleasantness, Phil and Joy made a successful move from 36 Anchor Street, where they have lived for 40 years, to Eckling Grange at Dereham. They got a lot of help from Surrey Chapel, and when Dot contacted Joy, she seemed quite happy.

Yesterday was a big contrast as far as the weather was concerned – much brighter and almost warm, though windy. Finished scanning some corrected Paston pages and sent them to Peter before church, where I was leading. Howard preached – he worries about strange things… After lunch I caught up with office stuff, then Dot and I walked to the Rosary, where we encountered a few drops of rain.

Watched a couple more episodes of The Killing, plus the Spanish Grand Prix, won by Hamilton. In between I Zoomed into Suffolk Poetry Festival for readings by Nicola Warwick and George Szirtes. I nearly dozed off during the former, which was totally lacking in spark or originality, but GS was brilliant. We got to bed late after watching some of MOTD2. 

Another rather miserable, rainy day – not tempting us very much to go to the polling station for the city and county election, especially as our vote will have absolutely no effect on the result. But I expect we will anyway. At the moment Dot is on another long Zoom call to Barbara about p4c, and I’ve just finished a couple of hours of catching up with my e-mails, which suddenly got very demanding.

To complete last Sunday, some of which was covered in my last post, after lunch we walked up to the Rosary, narrowly avoiding the rain. We then watched a lot of TV, including first three episodes of The Killing, a Danish noir which was really very good; Formula One; the Line of Duty finale, which worked without being jaw-dropping; and MOTD 2, featuring Spurs winning 4-0 against Sheffield Utd.

Monday’s weather was unpleasant again, but we drove to Morrison’s to buy a few odd things, and I left Dot to look round Hobbycraft and the card shop, though not Boots, which was shut because it was a bank holiday. Meanwhile I re-watched a bit of Fargo, then David FaceTimed and we had a chat about Jennie’s funeral. Dot arrived home towards the end of this.

Earlier we watched a river trip down the Shannon – a consistently interesting but low-key series narrated by Bill Nighy. We also watched Whiplash, which was compelling in a not particularly good way, but it featured some excellent acting and an amazing drum solo. We then started watching Ted Lasso on the recommendation of David, and it proved to be excellent. At the time of writing we have consumed six episodes. Walked indoors up to 4000+ steps: very windy and heavy rain during the evening. 

On Tuesday we drove to Coventry and met Jackie Duah, the new manager at Minster Lodge, who seemed nice, as did the other staff. Very showery day, but not too bad for driving, though there was plenty of traffic, despite the frequent MINIMISE TRAVEL signs on the gantries. The now completed stretch of the A14 north of Cambridge is brilliant, cutting down hugely on travel time and making it almost enjoyable. Dot and I shared the driving, stopping at Cambridge Services both ways. Not many people in there. On the way back I drove as far as the Memorial at Elvedon before we swapped, because Dot was drinking coffee purchased at the Services.

Andrew seemed very good – he has a new room on the ground floor because he occasionally had trouble on the stairs. Both of us had COVID tests and answered a questionnaire on Andrew’s care. We were with him for more than 90 minutes. Got home just after 6pm after filling up with petrol. Watched the final episode of The Syndicate, which was only satisfying in that the villain was in jail in France without his dog. The heroine was still an idiot.

Yesterday was showery again, and pretty nippy. We both woke early, and Martin Wyatt came round to write down three of my songs: we spent some time playing/singing them to him. Did a pile of office work, including ordering National Geographic for Andrew, at his request. After lunch I picked up some toiletries from Joy, who is decluttering for their move on Saturday. Spent some time talking to her – or listening to her, to be more accurate. Dot meanwhile walked into the city to shop and bought me three pairs of trousers. 

I went for an eye test late in afternoon: the whole process took a long tIme, and I had trouble finding my way out of the Mall, because the stairs were one-way, and that was down. Obviously, I wanted to go up; I eventually emerged on Castle Meadow, which was a bit of a waste of effort. Meanwhile, I had ordered a new pair of reading glasses. Watched half of The Blue Dahlia before going to bed – both of us very tired.

Tuesday was quite a bit warmer. Dot was in a Zoom DSSO meeting all day, which was very good, she said, including an excellent talk by the Bishop and good comments from others. Meanwhile I rang Thelma’s and Andrew’s care homes to make appointments, then walked to Budgen’s to buy a loaf – and chocolate biscuits for Thelma, who I saw for nearly 90 minutes in the afternoon, out in her garden. Had to wear a mask, though, and got quite tired speaking loudly! She seemed pretty well.

On the way home I called in at the Rosary to check on my gravestone cleaning. Mediocre. Earlier rang Joy to see how things were going – not too bad, apparently. Harriet called around teatime, and Dot walked up to the post office with her and her dog, posting a card to Philip Coomes. In the evening we watched Bullitt: amazingly Dot and I both fell asleep at the same point in the famous car chase. Neither of us could work out the plot, though we were awake for the rest of it. Later watched The Syndicate, penultimate episode. Quite good fun, though there are too many dogs in it and the heroine is an idiot. WhatsApped Sandra and sent her pictures of Thelma and the Cresta care home garden.

Next day it was chillier again and not so sunny. Feeling decidedly odd, very slightly nauseous and light-headed. Wondered later if it was the rather toxic stuff I used to clean the gravestone. Had a better sleep, though. Did very little in the morning, but after lunch walked with Dot over the Julian Bridge and back around Recorder Road – not too far. She went further. I enjoyed a good Heygo tour of parts of the centre of Coventry, which was unexpectedly new to me. Dot caught the end of it.

Watched Return of the Pink Panther. Very funny. David FaceTimed to check on us and remind us about funeral tomorrow. 

There was a coolish wind on Thursday, with light rain in evening. Dot and I had go at getting a couple of my songs written on a stave, then I wrote a website piece on books and started putting poems on pages for my projected book of Christian poems. After lunch Dot drove up to get her regular pills and to visit a garden centre. I didn’t do a walk but managed 4000 steps largely indoors, though I helped Dot tie up the roses for training purposes (the roses, not Dot). At 1pm we watched the webcast of Jennie’s funeral, which was quite moving, though her husband’s name was conspicuous by its absence. David FaceTimed just after funeral. Later watched Lord of the Flies, which was well acted but unconvincing. Felt quite a bit better.

Some rain on Friday. Managed to record three songs on GarageBand and convert them to mp3 via iTunes, ready to give them to Martin. After lunch Dot went to Hobbycraft and Boots while I got a bit further with my next poetry book. Des brought Dot fishnchips and I cooked rather too big a meal for myself: two kippers, mashed potatoes, courgettes and bread. We watched The Spy Who Loved Me, which is pretty good. David Facetimed again to say he had been vaccinated, which is great.

Watched the last episode of Viewpoint, which had been idiotically pulled from the schedules because of allegations against its lead actor. Thanks to David, we found it on ITV hub. Also saw first episode of the new Alan Partridge, which was quite funny.

There was lots of rain on Saturday morning, some of it quite hard. Linda came and cut our hair, then I had a bath. Practised hymns, then had a Face Time with Amy and Oliver, who have both got great results in their exams and seem well. They will drive up to see us in summer!!  Watched Norwich beat Reading 4-1 to become Champions. Videoed the celebrations. Watched Mary Magdalene (2018 film), in which Rooney Mara was very good. Not many steps on the first day of the month (Beltain, apparently). So off to a bad start…

Today we went to Holy Communion led by Liz Cannon, with Carrie “preaching”. Total of 17 people – average for last month or so. Quite warm outside in the sun, but later chilly when we walked up to the Rosary, with rain threatening but holding off. Dot wore her NCFC scarf to church. Rang P in the afternoon: he sounded a bit down after his surgery: I tried to be positive. He is due a CT scan this week.