Sunny and quite warm on Friday, April 24. Dry. Up quite late. Felt a bit odd to start with, but improved after taking paracetamol. Did usual Friday tasks – bank account, picture editing – and wrote to doctor complaining about a letter I’d received from hospital which implied I wasn’t following instructions with catheter. I pointed out the defects of the entire department. Lucky him/them. Very popular street meet – Mary, new guy Simon, Matt, Mark, Sarah, Jon and us with brief appearances from Joe and Sam. Left a little early to cook lamb shoulder, and after eating it we watched Grace, whose plot seemed very familiar. Something we’d read? 

Saturday – Another bright blue day: warm except for a little coolish wind towards evening. Had a bath and caught up with some papers – chess, puzzles etc. Again felt slightly below par until I took paracetamol – ok after that.  Jonathan called round just after lunch with ticket, but Dot and I walked to Carrow Road on our own. Dot is walking very well now. Nice to see Gerald! Went up in lift and reached seat all right after having gin and tonic each. Not a great game: each side gave away pointless penalty and to be honest Swansea looked slightly better. Result 1-1. Stayed around a little while to watch end-of-season celebrations, with little kids frolicking on the pitch. Then walked home without seeing anyone we knew, and I cooked pies for supper. Earlier I had written some of Parish Pump for June, but plenty to do. Watched some football, some Attenborough stuff on garden wildlife and the first two episodes of a Canadian thriller which was also quite funny because of the (deliberate) ineptitude of the characters. 

Sunday – Sunny and warm. Amy home again from Canada – apparently she was quite well after first week. Had long chat with David and Chrissy on FaceTime about her, and marathons and books and vegan meals, not to mention a fox almost catching Tinkerbell. Earlier in the day we went to church for Communion. Graham was leading and Eleanor preaching – on Jesus being the gate, safety and risk.  Just under 20 in congregation. Ray apparently not well enough to come. Chatted afterwards, of course. Did some work in the garden after lunch – mainly cutting back ivy and moving concrete slabs. Chat with Mark, who goes back to work this week. Watched a lot of television, including the end of The Murder Line, which was quite compelling. Set in the Thousand Islands area of the St Lawrence. Also caught up on some football. Dot watched Countryfile while I cooked salmon. She feels drawn to farming. 

Monday – Bit more cloudy, but dry and fairly warm. Had a bath and wrote some more Parish Pump – Marilyn Monroe. Dot and I went to Morrisons and bought our first ever over-£200 food shop. To be fair, we needed quite a lot of stuff. Chatted to Ciara and Des on way back. Late lunch, watched another Attenborough garden programme and then drove to hospital, where I had an appointment at the gastro clinic. They were very happy with my results and said there was very little wrong with my liver. Drove home surprisingly quickly. Earlier Dot contacted the plumber, who will see us on Saturday, and texted the expert about our broken small table, who will see us on Friday. I cooked duck and we watched the start of a new thriller called  Secret Service, which seems promising. Dot has agreed to look after Ciara’s plants while she’s away for a few days.  

Tuesday – Little bit of rain overnight; otherwise dry with a coolish wind. Ciara came round with some plantlets to put on our windowsill, which had been recommended to her by Des! I finished my Parish Pump pieces – one each on John Constable, Marilyn Monroe and G K Chesterton – three people you will not often find in the same sentence. Also caught up on other computer items, but was annoyed to find further money had been taken from our account for a subscription we didn’t want and hadn’t asked for. Have been promised again that it will be returned, but will contact bank to make sure. Des popped round to survey the windowsill and bring me a Private Eye: he too is going away for the weekend – in his case to Lincolnshire  in an Air BnB with his family from Lichfield. Cooked yellow cod and watched a couple of thrillers – four (short) episodes of one and two of another. Earlier adjusted letter to doctor to avoid attacking gastro department and concentrating on urology. As you do. 

A whole week this time… On Friday, April 17 it was mainly sunny and dry, with coolish wind. Up in good time to prepare for haircut – shorter at front, since you ask. Had bath. After lunch drove up to Rosary to put small bunch of flowers that Dot had picked on my father’s grave – it’s his birthday. Also checked Andrew’s and inserted a couple of bluebells. Then proceeded to Mulbarton by a circuitous route and left a flask and Tupperware with Carin Gazley: she had given us soup and other stuff when Dot was ill. Drove back home and had a street meet with quite good attendance: Des, Chris, Mark, Ciara, Jon, Matt, Sam and Joe. Cooked duck legs for supper having cancelled fish and chips option. Watched Race Round the World and Beyond Paradise, which is a bit bland. 

Saturday – Dry and quite warm but with a coolish wind. Dot and I went for a walk after lunch, upriver to St James Quay. Both felt quite tired by the time we got back – just before kick-off at Bristol City. Norwich went 1-0 down quickly but came back in the second half to win 2-4. Later Spurs drew 2-2 – very unlucky; opponents scored both their goals in added-on time at the end of each half. Spurs looked good. Later I cooked moussaka and tikka masala: I had the moussaka. Both very tasty. Afterwards watched two episodes of a thriller, Missed Call, about a girl going missing in France. Pretty good. And then Match of the Day. Got cases down out of the loft. Oliver is in Manchester, ready for his marathon tomorrow. 

Sunday – Warm and dry with a slightly cool wind. Spent much of the middle of the day tracking Oliver on his marathon in Manchester. He did really well despite injuring himself a week ago. Caught a glimpse of him at the finish on YouTube. Did most of our packing and preparing for our visit to Buxton starting tomorrow. Watched the rest of Missed Call, which was pretty good except that we didn’t feel drawn to the heroine. Quite a clever plot. Also watched some football and Songs of Praise, which was the Maundy service at St Asaph’s with the King and Queen in attendance. All the pomp and ceremony didn’t really fit with the theme of the service, but there you are. I guess if all Songs of Praise were like that, I’d soon stop watching. Ended the day by eating half a raw lemon with sugar – delicious! 

Monday – Mixture of cloud and sun, with a few drops of rain towards the end. Left Norwich at about 10.20, and Dot drove to Cambridge Services, where she bought a coffee and we used the facilities. Then I drove the rest of the way, along the A14, up the M1 and along the A50, then up to Ashbourne and along Derbyshire’s beautiful roads with their ludicrous, frustrating speed limits. Arrived at the hotel about 3pm after filling up with petrol at Morrisons.

Unpacked, then Dave and Julia drove us down into the town centre, where all the parking meters were not working, and the online alternative failed to work too. Eventually Dot popped into coffee shop, where they said parking was free at the moment. So we had a drink and cake, then returned to the hotel for a rest. Drink at 6.15pm – I had gin and tonic – then very nice meal, though I had to leave some. Tea afterwards for me while others had an additional drink. We managed to avoid getting blocked by a coachload of elderly people. Ha! Dave is obviously in difficulty with his hip and can’t move quickly, though he can drive. Julia also moves slowly after her operation. They make us feel quite brisk. 

Tuesday – Bright, sunny later and dry, but quite a cold wind. Wore my heavy coat. Up in time for breakfast. Spoke to waitress Ellie – the hotel is being sold to a walking group company! So this could be our last visit, though Julia refuses to accept that they can stop us coming. I think they can. The end of another era, like Adrian leaving Corwen. After breakfast (no connection) Dot had a sudden attack of diarrhoea, though she didn’t feel ill. This delayed our departure for Castleton.

We went by a roundabout route to take in a view of the Goyt valley and parked in the town centre.  We then had a drink at a small café before moving into town and visiting a few shops. Dot bought a small blue bracelet, and we looked at the shop where I bought a cap on an earlier occasion. Then back down to the main street, where we had lunch in another smallish café – coincidentally next to a woman who was close to us in the first café. There was something about her that reminded me of my grandmother, who was born not far away in Sheffield. I thought of asking her if she was called Booth or Duckenfield, but didn’t go through with it. As usual.

Dot and I walked a different way back to the car and found what we believe is the hotel we used to stay at when we visited Castletown many years ago. The Ramblers’ Rest. The alternative valley route got us back to the car about as quickly as the others, and I got some lovely pictures of ducklings. We drove back to Castleton via the stunning Winant’s Pass again, and got held up by heavy traffic as we entered the town. Back about 3pm for rest before evening meal. Had a bath: felt very tired, but revived for meal, which was good: I had sea bass and Dot fish and chips. Afterwards we talked quite a long time in bar while Norwich City beat Derby 2-1. Bed just after 10pm. 

Wednesday – Bright and dry, but again with a cold wind. Finished reading H is for Hawk: poetic and very unusual, about a young woman’s relationship with a goshawk after her father dies. Don’t think I would get on with the woman, but I now know 100% more about goshawks than I did before. After breakfast drove to Leek past some spectacular rocks and a traffic snarl-up.

Beyond Leek went to Rudyard Lake, where we had tea/coffee in the hotel and walked down to look at the quite spectacular reservoir. Then drove back to Leek and eventually found a parking space. Had lunch – toasted teacake – in the White Hart tearooms. Very nice. Then walked round town centre including market: bought chocolate but decided against a handbag and walked back to car. Obviously hard going for Dave. Drove back to Buxton taking a detour through some high moors and reached high point of about 1600ft. Of course our hotel in Buxton is over 1000ft.

Considering Rudyard Hotel for future meetings because of rumour already mentioned that Lee Wood is being sold to a group specialising in walking tours. Sharing hotel this week with large number of coach tourers. Nice food for supper – staff very considerate. I had steak and ale pie, and tea instead of sweet. Dot had curry and crème brûlée. Made speculative date for Blakeney in September. 

Thursday – Sunny, slightly warmer. Our last day at Buxton. Took picture of Ellie and paid bill, over £700.  After farewells, Dot and I walked down into town and bought some chocolates for Anne and Bridget, and for us. Dot also had a cup of tea. Dot felt tired after the walk back; so I drove first, and we went down the A6 and across on to the M1. Think the other route is quicker. Certainly easier.

I was feeling very tired by the time we reached the A14; so we stopped at the McDonald’s at Rothwell. Dot asked for help with ordering, and we were assisted by a delightful woman who took us through the whole process. Food was cheap and tasted good, but I did have an upset stomach later. Not the woman’s fault – she went out of her way to help. Dot drove from there, and we made a rare decision not to stop at Cambridge Services.

Usual hold up on A11 just outside Norwich, but not as bad as I thought it might be. We got home about 4.30, and Bridget was cleaning. Nice to see her.  Had a bit of a stomach upset – not sure why, but obviously suspicion fell on McDonald’s, although the bacon at breakfast wasn’t great. Didn’t feel well for most of evening. Got copy of unpleasant letter someone at the hospital sent to my doctor, implying I hadn’t followed instructions. Quite untrue.

Lay down and rested with Dot, then had a bath, followed by some soup. Watched University Challenge final, which was predictable, then Twenty Twenty Six, then Race Round the World, which was surprisingly good because of the unfamiliar setting (Turkey and Georgia) and the fact that all contestants were likeable. Felt a bit better at the end of the evening.

It was overcast at first, becoming brighter, on Saturday, April 11. Dry, too. Day of the big match against Ipswich, with large numbers of police on duty  and roads closed. Not sure how that was supposed to help: in fact when I drove Dot, Jonathan and Naomi to Carrow Road it was much, much easier than it had been last time, and the drive home was easy too. Played through En Passant chess games while the match was on. These included a win by me in 1976 against Laurie Pott, annotated generously by Mike. Meanwhile Norwich lost 2-0 to Ipswich, thanks partly to a very dubious penalty. D, J and N walked back surprisingly quickly.

Managed to work out how to review the guy who sold our new door to us, and did so – some of it written by Dot. Had light meal in the evening and watched two episodes of The Copenhagen Test before catching up with e-mails and clearing up. Earlier watched Grand National: my pick fell early on. Bit of a Panic Attack. 

Sunday – Bright with a cool wind. A few drops of rain around teatime. Dot left early for Wensum Valley hotel at Taverham and spent all day there for a Sillars centenary event – playing music with different conductors from the past and including some musicians from the past. Apparently I could have gone at the end for the performance, but I didn’t know that. Only a very few people did.

As Dot had the car I had to walk to church – chatted with Ciara on the way. Met Liz Cannon at entrance and had a chat with her too. Small congregation for Communion with Anna, Martin and Phil in band. Graham led and preached. People generally seemed pleased to see me. Walked back with Anna then crossed flyover on foot, which I think is prohibited, to get pix of Anglia Square buildings in process of demolition. Then on past Puppet Theatre and cut through to river through a new complex of streets and buildings, including Printworks Drive and Typesetters Way, or possibly vice versa. Crossed Jarrolds bridge and proceeded home. Very tired towards end. Over 7000 steps at that point.

Feet still hurt when I went to bed. Read a bit and recorded a few programmes. Dot home around 5.30. Had avocado and eggs around 7pm and watched last two episodes of The Other Bennet Sister (excellent) and The Capture (compelling but not convincing). Oh, and we watched EFL highlights. Penalty against Norwich very dubious, and one opponent  – Nunez – should definitely have been red-carded. 

Monday – Dry, reasonably warm. Caught up with a few phone tasks / texts, and after a very small lunch drove Dot to her violin lesson with Anna. Anna had been coming to ours, but she has a painful knee. While Dot was there I went for a short walk in Waterloo Park, which is much bigger than I thought, and then called on Ray, where we had a longish chat and a cup of tea. While I was there Judy called in with a meal for him.

Picked up Dot, who was waiting outside Anna’s – I was delayed by a closed road. They had a good time – I think Anna recognises how good Dot is, and Dot gets a lot out of her advice. Cooked salmon en croute, spoiled somewhat by dodgy vegetables. Later watched Match of the Day, with Spurs sliding into oblivion, where, barring miracles, they will play us next season. Arsenal are not looking much good either , and as for Werder Bremen (Kristine’s team)… Dot and I did some clearing up in the garden, and had a chat with Mark. Des and Chris got back from France, but I haven’t seen them yet. New back door scheduled for first two weeks in May. Feeling quite tired: feet sore. Dot still a bit swollen. 

Tuesday – Mainly sunny; quite warm. Had a bath, then Dot took car to be cleaned and to go to Boots. I meanwhile walked to Morrisons, where she joined me and we did some shopping. Then sat for a while in closed coffee shop before walking over to pick up car. They did a good job. I got in bins and reorganised interior of car. Then got the commode and walking frame ready to be picked up, which it was – half an hour early. Watched last two episodes of Hidden Assets, which were pretty good. Also University Challenge and a couple of other things. Cooked pies.

Earlier Des came round and we had a chat about his holiday, which was pretty good. Interestingly they have also had a puncture. Is there a tyre piercer about?  Could do without that. Dot did some washing. FaceTimed David around 10pm, and spoke to Amy too. She still has a cold but didn’t seem too bad. Spoke about Diderot design and football, among other things. 

Wednesday –   Largely dry and sunny, becoming cloudy in the evening. Dot left just before 10.30 to go and see Anne and have lunch with her at Woodton. Shortly afterwards, Bridget came to do the cleaning. We had quite a long chat about various matters, including church, her retirement and retreats we had been on, especially Little Gidding. She said she had erected a placard in her garden excouraging people to vote for the Liberal Democrats, because their candidate was a nice chap who went to their church. You can’t argue with that. As a result I wrote my first article for months, resurrecting all my favourite characters, such Henry (Fred) “Shrimp” Houseago.

Dot got back mid-afternoon, and as she had had lunch I did avocado and egg for supper. Meanwhile I had switched my Apple TV to the Barclays Bank free version, tried it out and it seemed much better. Hope they don’t keep charging me for the other one. Dot was picked up by Janet (and Nova) just after 7pm. She had a good session but forgot to take her phone; so I couldn’t track her coming home and couldn’t greet her at the door as I normally do. Watched European football before bed: Bayern Munich superb against Real Madrid, and Liverpool lost. Arsenal went through but didn’t look good. 

Thursday – Dry and reasonably warm. Took bus up to dentist with Dot and had check-up. She has no problem, but I need to have some decay removed on April 30; so put off cleaning till then. Afterwards went to John Lewis, bought a pillow and had a fruit scone each. Then walked down to Red Lion Street to catch bus, which contained Mary. I mentioned how the antibiotic nitrofurantoin affected me badly last November, and she knew of others who had had real problems with it. Dentist said it was not something he would prescribe (but then it’s not intended for oral problems). 

Back at home used leaf blower to get rid of tree seeds covering our front drive and slope. Very powerful. Then tried to fix shower fastening, but it defeated me. May have to get someone in. Frustrating. Can still use shower though. Shagged out, but cooked sausages for supper. Watched final three episodes of The Copenhagen Test, which was intriguing but not entirely convincing. Spoke to Mark earlier: his car is the same age as ours, and he was having to construct part of one of the indicator lights that had broken: impossible to get replacement.

Easter Monday – Lovely day. Warm, clear and sunny. Had a bath and cleared up before travelling with Dot to North Walsham (she drove). Bought some flowers and fruit at Sainsburys, then went to the cemetery to put the flowers on the graves. Really beautiful there, Drove back and had lunch while listening to Norwich beat Millwall 1-2 in what sounded an excellent match. Then Dot did some more patio cleaning while I wrote up my blog. Felt quite odd: it would be nice to feel normal. Head seems full of gunge and blocked up, but not like a cold. Still onwards and upwards, or possibly downwards. As usual, felt better towards the end of the day. Cooked pies, and we watched an episode of The Capture, which may not be real, and a couple of other things, as well as football highlights. Trying out Dot’s pillow again.

Tuesday – another lovely day, sunny with a slightly cool wind but warm sun. Bit of a cock-up at the outset: because I hadn’t entered the pensioners’ coffee morning in the diary, I also arranged for a surveyor to look at the back door at 10.15am! So no coffee morning. Walked with Dot up Bishop Bridge Road to Cathedral and eventually found plaque commemorating Timothy Dudley-Smith, which was half-hidden behind some daffodils in the north transept. Had lunch in Refectory – very nice. Goats cheese on brioche bun for Dot and scone for me. Both excellent. Back home, assisted Dot by opening the Patio Magic faulty container and she used most of what was in there to clean the back garden patio. I contacted the people who remove medical equipment, and they’re coming soon to take the commode and walking frame.

Had trouble reaching Nikki, Bridget and Claire to sort out our giving a lift to Claire, whose foot is painful after her operation. It turned out Nikki was coming to Cake and Compline at Judy’s with Danny, who has a car. Meanwhile Bridget was at A&E after getting pricked by contaminated needles left in a waste bin.  She has to have three preventative injections. C&C was interesting – Danny is an Orthodox Church (Antioch) aficionado and gave us loads of information about it: not sure it was all accurate. Nikki was bubbly. They were late, and Vicky and Phil didn’t make it. Took song video to play on iPad, but it didn’t work: however, it did work on phone. No idea why. Quite late home. Earlier had salmon. 

Wednesday – Warm and sunny. Had a bath and read a bit more of Hawk book. After lunch (fried potatoes for me) we went to Morrisons and stocked up. Dot took time out for a coffee as usual. Spoke to Mark on way back about Norwich City (he went to Millwall) and eating in Norwich – a frequent topic. Had quite a long talk with Nikki on the phone. Washed spare room bed clothes and Dot redesigned her room as well as the utility room. Both look good. Watched quite a bit of TV including a brilliant 2026 on the model of 2012. Then caught Liverpool’s 2-0 loss to Paris St Germain, which should have been about 5-0. Cooked more salmon. And had blackberries. 

Thursday – Still quite warm, but cloudy with a little rain later. Met Sue and Roger Eagle for lunch at Rivolo, just over the river. Nice food, and enjoyable conversation, much of it to do with our various ailments, both current and historic. Actually Dot is progressing well – she walked there without a stick – and I am feeling quite a bit better, I think. Meanwhile Amy was arriving in Canada and is now safely ensconced at Anndale Court. We got home shortly after Bridget and had a chat before she resumed cleaning. Later I did avocado and egg on sourdough, and we watched an old episode of Vera and a couple of other things, including part of European football, part of Race Round the World (Greece) and University Challenge. 

Friday – Much cooler, grey but dry. After a bad night (heartburn because forgot pills c/w can of Coke maybe), I had a bath, then caught up a bit. Crackers and Parma ham. Turned on Des’s solar panels around noon: he’s due back late on Monday. Very poorly attended street meet: Ciara mysteriously claimed to have looked out but no-one was there. In fact it was Dot, me and Matt, plus a few minutes of Sam when she got home. While we were out there David FaceTimed with Amy, who has a cold. Oh, dear. Cooked smoked cod. Watched episode of The Copenhagen Test which, like The Capture, is impenetrable but somehow compelling. 

Wednesday, April 1 – Warmer and dry. Call to say car was ready – puncture fixed – I went over to pick it up before 10am. Seemed Ok. Cost £32. Then drove up to pharmacy with Dot to pick up her pills, and in an additional exciting adventure drove to the hospital for a physio update for Dot. She seems to be doing fine. Our next date is May 19.

When we got home we received a phone call from Angela to say that my aunt’s rings were worth £170, which is about £120 more than I expected. Bridget arrived to do cleaning, but we had only a short chat with her before Sam and Elliott arrived. Had quite a long talk with them before they departed for home – spoke about family tree and many other things. Elliott, now 12, has matured a lot and was good to be with. Sam seems to be doing well all round and is very likeable. His brother is not in such a happy place and seems to be obsessed with his alleged autism/neurodivergency. Sam did not say this: I am drawing conclusions. Pity, because he is talented in many ways. Sam and E stayed in guest cottage at Eckling Grange. Lucy is working and did not make the trip.

In the evening, after sausages, we watched the end of Seven Dials, an Agatha Christie mystery on Netflix, and an old episode of Endeavour which had similarities to The Wicker Man. Then we rearranged the living room in preparation for arrival of new chair. Also Amy FaceTimed and we talked about her coming to Ballater in June, among other things. Have now paid for cottage. All very exciting. Had been feeling odd all day, but felt better by bedtime, for some reason. Bridget has raised her charges, at our suggestion. Now £21 for 90 minutes. Reflects rising fuel costs… 

Thursday – Dry, quite bright but chilly. Had a bath, then around lunchtime drove to Morrisons with Dot and stocked up in a minor sort of way, then bought petrol  which had gone up to just over £1.50. Don’t really mind it being more expensive as long as I can get it. Two long trips in the offing: to Buxton later this month and to Ballater in mid-June. Because John (Digby) had put back his ETA to 4.15 we watched a bit of television. Also put commode and support thing in garage. Planning to ring a number I found on both items to have them collected or take them to where they’re needed.

John arrived with his daughter Sofia with our new chair, which we’re buying from him for £250. It has a high back and is adjustable. Sofia helped him to get it up to our living room, with a bit of assistance from me. She then went off to gym. When John was making sure it was ok (he had to take the legs off to get it upstairs) David FaceTimed and was able to see the rearranged room. Chair is quite comfortable and essentially supports my head. I’ve had a bit of trouble with my head recently. After he left with his bank transfer and we had a longer chat with David on other matters, I cooked some  salmon, which was not as good as usual for some reason. Then finished watching final two episodes of A Woman of Substance, which was good in one way – showing that revenge is not sweet – but deeply unsatisfactory in another – unpleasant people got the last laugh. Oh, well, as Peter Green would have said. Did say, in fact. 

Good Friday – Mixed cloud and sun, but dry. Cool wind. Toyed with the idea of going to an event at St Luke’s early on but in the decided to make sure Dot was all right, though she was happy for me to go. In the afternoon drove Dot to Carrow Road, and she managed to get a lift to the top. Then Jonathan and others looked after her. I met her on foot afterwards (City drew 1-1 with Portsmouth) and we walked home, running into Steve Fiske on the way. He seemed in good spirits.

While Dot was at the match I checked out the record player and played a couple of songs – Bert Jansch and Bob Dylan. Suddenly remembered that it was Friday and put out message that we’d be a bit late outside, because we were tired out. In the end Dot took a stool and I leant on something. Jonathan and Matt came out, and Joe for a while. Later cooked mediocre pizza, followed by hot cross buns and some fruit. Watched an old Vera, which was very good, and a Beyond Paradise that I found hard to follow because I kept dozing off. Head has been heavy again. Took some more paracetamol, but only one lot. 

Saturday – Cold wind , but dry. Had a bath and felt better in the morning but not too great in the afternoon. Watched the Boat Race, which was won by Oxford women and Cambridge men. Commentator (on Channel 4) pretty awful, and neither race was very exciting. Later watched Southampton beat Arsenal – deservedly – in FA Cup quarter final. Chelsea beat Port Vale 7-0 and Liverpool lost 4-0 to Manchester City.  Cooked some chicken that I had extracted from the freezer yesterday. Not great, but Dot liked it. We had banana and blackberries afterwards. Dot says she is walking more easily in bare feet. She also put some cleaner on the patio. In the evening we watched another episode of Hidden Assets. Very few steps. Odd sort of day. 

Easter Sunday –  Dry and quite pleasant after Storm David, which didn’t affect us much. But there’s been plenty of snow in Scotland. Dot and I went to Communion at St Luke’s, because there wasn’t one at St Augustine’s. Really good service, and nice welcome from vicar and others. Music was particularly good. Chatted to several people afterwards. We had already listened to a Communion on radio at which the new Archbishop preached, mentioning a desire for peace in the Middle East, as most people would. This was interpreted by BBC and others as using her sermon to call for an end to the war. In fact it was one or two sentences in a sermon about Easter. Journalists, huh?

Spent too much of the rest of the day watching TV, though we had a good FaceTime with David. I think he interpreted my new chair as a sign of advancing age, which it probably is. Had sea bream for supper, followed by hot cross buns. Videoed two of our favourite songs from Songs of Praise for use at Cake and Compline.  Also watched another episode of Hidden Assets and two of The Other Bennet Sister, which really is well done. Felt odd most of day, partly head and partly elsewhere. Not ill, though. Not yet, anyway.