Thursday July 23 – Odd day, frightening at times. Warm and dry, though. Finished charity money in the end. Went up to Jarrolds by bus with Dot and left her there after we bought her some Chanel Mademoiselle for our wedding anniversary. Left her to have lip wax and walked home. Popped in Ryman’s to look at filing cabinet folders, but didn’t buy them.

Then through Cathedral Close ,and as I emerged I was called by someone called Carol, who was worried about Chris and Mandy. Because I had emerged from behind a van, she thought I’d come out of their house. Offered to knock at their door, but she didn’t want to disturb them. Odd.

Anne came round later ,and we had a drink in the garden. Some way into this I had an agonising pain in my tooth. Rang dentist and Dot took me up there. He (or receptionist Charlie) gave me some amoxicillin. I had already taken some paracetamol. Things improved a lot, but my head felt very odd. The dentist is going to arrange for me to see a specialist. Not sure why. Felt a bit odd for rest of day, but the excruciating pain didn’t come back, even when I ate beef pie for supper.

As a result of all this Dot cancelled her violin lesson with Anna, which she was a bit relieved about as she hadn’t practised. David sent over some terrific pictures of his holiday in Collingwood. After supper watched Tour de France and a bit of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, featuring the Tardis. Better than it sounds. Still, switched over to see another old episode of Endeavour, set in 1971, when everything was so much calmer unless you were being murdered. Went to bed early. 

Friday – Very tired, perhaps because of the antibiotics. But no other bad effects, and my teeth haven’t been too problematic. Had a long bath and read one of several books I’m in the middle of: Jesus, Man of  Many Names. By a Christian Jew – very good. Had smoked salmon for lunch – beyond sell-by date, but perfectly ok. Afterwards drove Dot to chemist to pick up her prescription. She also spoke to a pharmacist about some pustules on her arms and was reassured. Got an ice cream on our way back – bit of a wait because very poor signal and the people in front of us were paying by card. Put a new duvet cover etc on bed – very exciting.

Went out for street meet – Dot, me, Matt and Sarah, followed by quick chat with Sam – Chloe is 13 next week. Then watered Des’s flowers and cooked sausages and mash, which weren’t bad. Weather was pretty warm all day. Watched Tour de France, then Gardeners’ World, because Ian Limmer was featured: he won a medal after his 50 years at Peter Beales. To think he got his first job there because I worked with his father, and Dot is Peter Beales’ cousin. After clearing away and doing one of Dot’s puzzles we watched Ann Droid, a comedy. 

Saturday – Quite a good sleep. Helped Dot erect solar panel in the garden for her new lights. She had already erected the lights. Tidied house up. Did a bit of reading; watched a few things on television, including a couple of episodes of Bergerac (new version) that seemed strangely familiar. Cooked salmon and watched penultimate day of Tour de France. While doing this something went wrong with the TV box, and I couldn’t access recordings. Had to reboot the box, which eventually worked. Dot and I went out for short walk, but her ankle was very sore; so we abandoned it. Spoke to two blokes and two women on steps: bit rough but quite pleasant to us. And we to them.

Had decided earlier not to go into city to see The Common Lot perform On the Huh, though they have had good reviews. Last chance tomorrow. Very warm today, and more warmth forecast. Wildfire in Cairngorms threatening Nethy Bridge. Smoke as far away as Aberdeen. Fires in France and Spain too, obviously a result of human-caused global warming. Or not, of course. 

Sunday – grey and windy. Noisy people on steps from about 10.30. Decided not to go to Mass on the Grass and eventually gave The Common Lot a miss too because Dot’s heel was giving her pain when she walked too far, and On the Huh would have required a lot of moving round up and down and standing. Instead we decided to go for a short walk along the river. This turned into a two-hour marathon up to the end of the path and back, with frequent stops for a sit down.

By the end of it we were both very tired indeed and did a bit of reading: I’m making good progress on Clown Town, the latest Mick Herron, and Dot is enjoying Bryson’s Notes from a Big Country.  Had Pizza for supper and watched the last day of the Tour de France, which featured a win by inches by Van der Poul after he and Pogacar had broken away: P finished in the pack. Then watched another episode of The Dark on ITVX after failing to record it. 

Monday – Becoming warmer during the day. Dry. Had a bath and read some Herron. Then Dot and I got the bus up to Red Lion Street. There was a delay at the outset because cars had been directed down the bus lane on Thorpe Road to avoid a road closure, but idiotically no-one had adjusted the traffic lights to allow for this. So a long delay and a very short green light meant the buses in particular were screwed up. This went on all day.

Fortunately were were able to get on a bus that was already waiting and got to Côte Brasserie in good time. Why? I hear you ask. Well, it was our 58th wedding anniversary, and we were celebrating. Lovely meal and good service. Just under £100. Walked home very slowly, stopping at bookshop and at numerous seats in the Close. Perfect weather for a stroll. Home about 3pm. Both of us went to sleep for an hour or so, then I took a card to be posted. Long traffic queue still there. Watched a few things on television – Commonwealth Games, and the last two episodes of The Dark – then put the rubbish out. Earlier I spent ages trying to post some pictures on Facebook but things kept going wrong. Extremely frustrating. 

Warm and dry on Friday 17 July. Felt quite ill at first, but much better later. Edited pix and updated bank account. After lunch went with Dot to Morrisons to stock up. Quite busy, but young checkout guy and his female supervisor were quite funny. Congested while driving back. Des and Chris leaving tomorrow for a month’s rail excursion; so last-minute directions about plants, and he put garden rubbish in our bin. Good street meet, with Des, Chris, Ciara, Sarah, Matt, Angela, Sam and (briefly) Joe. Nice chat with Ciara especially: Phoebe has boyfriend. Cooked sausages and we watched Tour De France as usual: Pidcock did well. Then an old Death in Palestine and a new comedy, Ann Droid, about a robot carer, which was funnier than it sounds. 

Saturday – Started very cloudy and a bit chilly, but sun came out later. Checked my sermon for tomorrow while Dot went to garden centre. Earlier Des and Chris left by train for Europe and a month’s holiday. Watched Josh Kerr break the world mile record and Keely win her 800m despite the presence of Femke Bol. Cooked cottage pie, and Dot did some fruit. Advertising board was falling over: so I laid it on the ground. Later watched another couple of episodes of Clarkson’s Farm, then Tour de France and finally the World Cup third place match, in which England beat France 6-4 after having been 4-0 up at half time and 4-3 not long afterwards! Saka got a hat trick and Bellingham the winner.  Debbie fell off her bike and won’t be able to lead tomorrow; I offered, but Liz Cannon is doing it. 

Sunday –  Quite chilly for the time of year, but Judy still had all the windows open at church and looked deeply shocked when I said it was cold in there. Nevertheless she did relent when David Cannon asked for a window above his head to be closed. I did a guest sermon which was quite well received. Dot said it came over well. Matt was solo on piano: Anna was in Scotland but had chosen the hymns anyway. I don’t know why. Stayed behind for tea and a bite of fruit and again saw Leanne on the way out: think she is having a bit of trouble with her children. Parking difficult again, but good for steps of course.

Watched the World Cup Final in the evening.  Argentina were a bunch of thugs as usual, and the referee let them get on with it most of the time – again as usual. However he eventually sent someone off, and Spain won 1-0 in extra time, thank goodness. Needless to say several Argentina players assaulted Spanish players after the final whistle, but I expect they’ll get away with it. Getting a very bad press though – everywhere except in Argentina. 

Monday – Bit worried. Not only forgot to finish Sunday’s blog, but didn’t do today’s at all. Very unlike me. Also felt tired today, but this may have been something to do with my trying to cut down the ivy that was reaching for the top of the wall on the Library Wood side of the house. Eventually managed to slice the bottom part away with Dot holding the ladder. Cut some other ivy away too. Dot also did quite a bit of work in the garden.

In the afternoon we went up on the bus to Boots for Dot to get her new glasses, but they only had one of three pairs. Complimented one of the assistants on her green dress, which matched her lanyard, but this didn’t help, though she seemed pleased. Still, we came away with one new pair, and Dot got some cod liver oil too.  We then tried various exits from Castle Mall before suddenly emerging on to Timberhill, which was quite satisfying. However, from there we simply went to catch the bus home, which was a bit of an anti-climax. Entirely my fault.

So we sort of missed lunch and only had sea bass for supper, which is not very filling. Watched cricket and two episodes of a new thriller, In the Dark, and then remembered we had to put the bins out (including Des’s, of course); so we did that. David and Chrissy are on holiday too, near Collingwood on Georgian Bay. Sent us some nice pix. I think Andy Burnham became Prime Minister at some point during the day. Bit of a cloudy day.

Tuesday – Dot went up into the city in mid-morning to meet Bridget and Janet for coffee in St Stephen’s Church café. In the end Eleanor joined them too, having met Bridget en route. I had a bath, and then tried to catch up with some stuff, including getting the bins in. Dot called in to Boots and managed to get her other two pairs of glasses, which had just arrived. Meanwhile I was entertaining the gas man, who came to do our annual service and found no problems. Yippee!

The same could not be said for Jeremy Clarkson: we saw the end of his latest series, where he got prostate cancer followed by what appeared to be a reaction to his operation, and where had a go at DEFRA for what seem to be ridiculous rules about cattle with (or without) TB. All quite moving.

Felt very tired again in the afternoon and lay down for a while; also started reading another birthday present. I am also playing through games in the chess book David got me. Tony Miles to start with – always one of my favourite players. Watched time trial day on Tour de France, won by a Belgian on Belgium Day. Cooked lasagne and broke plate. Interesting because I dropped it but managed to catch the meal that was on it – not easy. Cloudy most of the day, sunny later. Spoke to Ciara and Sean while waiting for Dot to come home.

Wednesday – Again, cloudy at first, some sun later. Still dry. FaceTime with David and Chrissy, who are on holiday near Collingwood in a rather nice property, as Roger would say. Dot spent much of the day with her friends Joyce and Sandra at North Walsham, enjoying a nice lunch at the garden centre. Meanwhile I walked up to the Rosary, which was easier than I thought. Very dry up there, which is sort of attractive. Noticed that the council have repaired the path/road at the top where I fell over a few years ago. They don’t hang around. On the way back I had a chat with a guy who was doing up a house/flats on Rosary Road. Looked good. The house, not the guy.

Cleared up, made the bed and watched some of the last round of Open golf while I had lunch. Not terribly exciting, perhaps because little British interest. Still, it was won by a New Zealander, who was (a) nice and (b) not American. His name was Fox.

Started doing charity money. Dot got home about 3.30pm. Had a bit of tooth or jaw trouble early on, but quite a bit better by evening.  I had fish on toast for supper, followed by a scone and gooseberries that Dot had got me. She just had a scone because she’d had quite a big lunch. We both went over to water Des’s flowers, then watched Tour de France (again, not enough British interest), plus a bit of Hundred cricket, which was very boring and not cricket. Also a bit of Ice Road Truckers and University Challenge. Over 5000 steps today. 

It was my 81st birthday on Sunday. A perfect square. Last one 64, next one 100. Very warm again, though with a slight alleviating breeze. Went to church – had to park further away than ever. Small congregation and not a very inspiring service: both leader and lectio person spoke very quietly, and I could not hear everything. However they did sing Happy Birthday for me. Before the service I bumped into Leanne outside her place and had a chat. Ray looked very thin and tired. 

After lunch Dot and I went for a walk along the river: she was wearing a long white and black dress and looked good. I mean she always looks good, but this was especially striking. Watched a bit of tennis later and then Kim came round with presents – wine and a candle holder. David’s presents – two very appealing looking books, one on the Tour de France including maps and the other a new chess one featuring strong English players. Joy and Phil also sent me books and Dot gave me a number of things, many of them Scotland-related. Lots of greetings on Facebook and several cards.

Kim left about 6.30pm, when Dot had booked a table at Gem. She and I had a lovely meal including excellent cocktails. Afterwards we watched the last few strokes of Sinner’s win over Zverov and then the Tour de France. Also had FaceTime from both Amy and Oliver, and earlier from David. Oliver has moved to Stratford, but was ringing from Cheltenham, where he is on a course. Amy spotted a fake banknote at the zoo; so was a bit of a heroine. 

Monday – Cooler, with wind, but still dry. After lunch, and after posting various birthday cards, went to see Anne at Poringland. Had tea and cakes in conservatory. Her house and garden look really good, but it was a bit chilly with all the windows open. Not used to that sort of thing! Anyway, had a good chat. Drove home around tea time, and I cooked cottage pie for supper. Watched an old episode of Endeavour, which was good, with an excellent ending, then cleared the house up and put out the rubbish for tomorrow morning. Managed to get my steps up to 3000, although we hadn’t done much walking.  Anne gave me a bottle of merlot and a bar of chocolate. 

Tuesday – Yes, it was quite warm. I spent most of the day writing my sermon for Sunday, while Dot got a bus into the city to get some food from Markys, as Mark calls it, for an afternoon tea tomorrow with Pam Goddard, who is in Norfolk for a while. Cooked some pies for supper, and we watched the Tour de France and France v Spain.  Unexpectedly Spain were much better and won 2-0. Got three more birthday cards, all with first-class stamps – one of them from Vicky, Matt, Oliver and Amy. Managed 4000 steps, almost all of them indoors. Keep checking shed, but no sign of wasp return. 

Wednesday – Still warm, but with a breeze. Not feeling great today, but kept going, I’m glad to say. Moved car to one side so that Pam Goddard could park in our drive if she came by car, but she didn’t. She arrived just before 3pm, having walked down from the Castle.  Dot had put together a lovely afternoon tea, which we all enjoyed. At the end of the afternoon I drove her back to Sparhawk Road in Sprowston, where she is staying with a nephew, I believe. Then back and watched England inevitably lose to Argentina 2-1 after taking the lead through Gordon, who was then substituted. Needless to say Argentina got away with numerous fouls. Then watched Tour de France. David spoke to us on FaceTime, mainly about the football.

Thursday – Warm and dry. Dot got lots of washing dry. Had a bath. Bridget came round in afternoon with her broken arm, which is not giving her too much pain. Tea and chat, largely about her meeting Anne on a train in Cornwall, and how they both got home. Anne came via Cambridge, where she was picked up by Charlotte; Bridget and David stayed at a friend’s in Chelmsford, although the friend wasn’t there. Later we went over to Des and Chris, who will be away for four weeks from Saturday and want us to water their plants. Had cup of tea and chat. Cooked salmon for supper then we took Judy to Claire’s for Cake and Compline. Only David and Bridget there apart from us. Claire having rough time at work: both she and David want to retire. When we got home we watched Tour de France. Again.

Monday, July 6 – Very warm. Dry. Slept quite late, having failed to watch England beating Mexico 3-2 in the early hours. After breakfast got the bus up to the city with Dot, who had a noon eye test. She has chosen three new pairs under the guidance of me and Melissa, a very helpful young woman who also advised me on how to sort out my own glasses. Not something you would think necessary, but in fact very helpful.

Afterwards we walked home and picked up some potatoes from the one-stop shop. We then watched the England match. I trimmed some Ivy and other hanging branches, and also noticed some water on the bathroom floor. Where this was coming from is a mystery: I may have to get a plumber in. Aaargh! Meanwhile had a chat with neighbour Mark, who returns to Brazil tomorrow, and later with Des and Chris on their return from Anglesey.   Much earlier Eleanor’s friend from the woods called to say that a branch had fallen off one of the trees. Dot had heard the crack earlier in fact. Later we saw someone checking it out. Cooked some duck, and we watched Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in the 91st minute. Huge van parked outside. 

Tuesday – Very warm. Drove up to the Town House after I’d managed to arouse Dot, if you see what I mean.  Small but select group, including the editor, Peter, and – for the first time – his wife and former secretary, Kate. Also Eric and Linda, Batso, David Newham and Bill, plus Tricia. Robin and Shelagh will probably not be coming any more: he has a more or less permanent chest infection, apparently. Brian is also feeling quite low.

Afterwards went to Morrisons and, after unpacking and resting, to the plumbers up on Kett’s Hill to get a new sink plug (more complicated than it sounds) and shower sprayer (the old one fell apart). Then back home to relax. Dot feeling particularly tired; so she watched a fair bit of tennis, and I checked to see if I could still sing and play guitar. I can. Then we fixed the plug in the sink and waited with bated breath after Dot cleaned the sink to see if it works properly. I made the bed, almost started writing an article for my website but made dinner instead. Then spent the evening watching much of a five-hour game of tennis between Djokovic and a Canadian with an unpronounceable double-barrelled name. During it David FaceTimed to show us his new phone, which is orange. Late in bed. Canadian lost.

Wednesday – Very warm. Decided to sort out shed, get rid of wasps’ nest and make everything clean and tidy. Bit ambitious. After the first session, Dot was feeling quite ill: wondered if she’d inhaled some of the chemical used to destroy the nest. But after a rest she seemed OK. I took over the movement of objects under Dot’s direction, but this was not easy, as might be imagined. Lot of dust to be washed away and cleaning to be completed. Eventually we managed to sort it out. Dot decided to clean up the leaves as well and, later, to water the flowers in front and back. Needless  to say, she was exhausted. Distracted, I tipped some leaves in the wrong bin and almost did myself an injury trying to transfer them to the right one. But no harm done, I think.

I had a bath and so missed the last set of Arthur Fery winning yet again: I put his 6-0 in the final set down almost entirely to my not watching. He is now in the semi-finals. Did  cheese on toast for supper because Dot couldn’t eat anything substantial, which was fine. Afterwards she had a shower. We caught up on the Tour de France – Channel 5 coverage is growing on us – then watched an old and forgotten episode of Death in Paradise. Water in bathroom has dried up; so have left some in basin to see what happens. 

Thursday – Very warm again. Jon has supplemented the boards at his downstairs windows with a blanket upstairs. Must be very hot in his house. No more water on bathroom floor, but decided to let plumber come anyway. He did, very late in the day, but was very friendly and professional. Renewed some piping under the sink and put new washers in. Also left the stuff we’d bought yesterday as a reserve, which was nice. Wrote an article for my website on Scotland – not sure it was very good. Also put the slightly adjusted Oyster Catcher poem on there. Quite like that. Heard that Phil passed his driving test, which is great for him. Birgit took him this time – must be her influence. Watched tennis and World Cup – France 2-0 Morocco. Pretty boring. Wore shorts today – says it all. 

Friday – Yes, still warm. Linda came round and cut our hair just before lunch. Later we went to Morrisons to buy stuff for tomorrow – our visit to the Knox Whittets at Beachamwell and hopefully a drop-in with wedding anniversary presents for Phil and Joy. Had a bath before that, of course. Later we met in the shade of our driveway with Des, Chris, Matt and Angela. Still pretty warm. Cooked lasagne then watched a couple of episodes of the Tour de France – I’m quite enjoying the new format – and Spain beating Belgium 2-1.  Close game. Earlier Fery lost to Zverov despite putting up a good show, and Djokovic lost to Sinner. 

Saturday – Cloudy with spells of warm sunshine. We were invited to Beachamwell, in the wilds of west Norfolk, for lunch with James Knox Whittet and his wife Ann, but before we left David Bowman surprisingly walked by: he had been our neighbour in the early days at Aspland Road, together with his older brother Derek, and his mother Diane and father Derek, who was Ella’s brother and so first introduced us to Ballater. It was good to have a chat with him – he now lives in Devon with his wife and two adopted daughters.

We then drove to Phil and Joy’s via another change in the back road layout, to give them card and presents for their wedding anniversary tomorrow. Then on to the Knox Whittets for a nice lunch of salmon in their garden. Stayed till end of afternoon, then went home via Swaffham, where we handed a birthday card to Julia Higbee. In the evening we watched the final two episodes of Two Weeks in August, which we could have ignored, because there was no-one in it we liked. Also watched Tour de France before tackling the England-Norway match, which ended 2-1 after extra time, with England in the semi-final. Didn’t get in bed till 1am (on my birthday). 

Tuesday, June 30 was warm and dry despite a few clouds. Busy day, despite unpacking everything yesterday. Had a bath – the first for some time. Thanked Des and Chris for looking after our plants and later had a long chat with Mark about the heat last week. In between drove Dot to hospital for her physiotherapy from Charlotte. She was very good despite keeping us waiting for 20 minutes. Had an ice cream afterwards (Magnums) and came across Lisa Campling and her sister, who seemed pleased to see us. Their father was having a stent put in.

Drove back through city to Morrisons, where we stocked up on food and filled up with petrol. In the evening we watched some football and the jolly aftermath of Serena Williams losing at  Wimbledon. Norway 1-0 v Ivory Coast. Later watched an old episode of Vera, cleared away and crawled into bed after renewing my Genes Reunited subscription with some difficulty. Before that, had a chat with David on FaceTime. He seems fine. 

Wednesday – Cloudy but dry. In bed late. Caught up with quite a lot on e-mails and (with Dot) chose and posted birthday cards to Eleanor, Joan Brown and Holly.  Checked accounts. Put water in piano. Booked a Bob Dylan play for next February! Opened remaining correspondence and disposed of unwanted paperwork. Teeth still irritating. Watched England beat Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1, thanks to two excellent goals by Harry Kane. Gordon made a big difference when he came on as sub. England had been 1-0 down for much of the match. David FaceTimed as I was cooking sausages. Pretty similar views on the football. Watched Death Valley episode. Felt very tired. 

Thursday – Warm but windy. Rang dentist and got an appointment for 2.30. Dot dropped me off on Ber Street after lunch, and I got there about 20 minutes early, spending the time chatting with receptionist Charley, who is 47 and off to the Lake District with her family tomorrow. Tooth was much better today, but Adam took an x-ray and poked around. Couldn’t really find a problem, but consulted NHS (after I left), and then suggested by phone another appointment in a month’s time. Possibility of replacing crown, or it may be a nerve problem. Walked home, where Bridget was talking to Dot before cleaning.

I managed to put some photos on Facebook, then Mark and Sarah came round for a drink (because we won’t be at home for street meet tomorrow, and nor will Des and Chris). Had a good chat with them for about a couple of hours (our politics are similar). Much earlier Dot went to the shed and got stung, largely because there was a large wasps’ nest in there. Contacted some people who deal with that sort of thing, and they should be coming in a day or two. Annoying. Cooked some salmon, and we watched a bit of Spain v Austria (3-0). 

Friday – Mainly warm and dry. Bit cool in the evening, but perhaps that was because we were on the river. Earlier Dot walked to Boots and got a few things while I got gradually nearer catching up with my to-do list, including working out why none of my passwords (or possibly user names) worked on BT. Very irritating. Started editing recent pictures. At around 5.40 our two passengers (David viola and Nova violin) arrived for their lift with us to Horning. I apologised on WhatsApp to our usual streetmeeters, and we made good time despite traffic, parking at the village hall. 

We were quite early so had a drink with a few others from orchestra: yes, you’ve guessed it: it was Sillars Centenary Boat Ride and Buffet. The boat, the Southern Comfort, was packed and the food was good. Talked to a number of friends, including Jaya, Neville and Mary, Janet and Graham, Penny, Vicky and Anthony, Bev and a number of others. Got some quite good pix during the evening. Towards the end  Dot and I went downstairs at the bow, where it was not so chilly. Got back exactly on time – 10pm – and got home in good time too. Watched 20 minutes of Argentina failing to score against Cape Verde, then went to bed. Tooth hurting a bit. (Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time.)

Saturday – Quite warm. Very tense day and still feel uneasy. Robin turned up at 8.30 as planned and came back twice more, each time painting the rail on the stairs and waiting for it to dry. Total cost £120. Not worried about that: Robin is very professional and does a superb job. Wasp nest remover due between 3 and 7 but didn’t turn up till just after 7. I had cleared a way for him, removing drier and sunshade, but all he had was a cylinder and hose with nozzle, and no protective clothing. He insisted I stay indoors and took very little time to destroy the nest and, he said, killing all the wasps in the process. Well, most of them: I shouldn’t clear up for a few days in case of angry nestless wasps in the area.

He then asked for payment in cash and so I had to go to the station and then Prince of Wales Road ATMs to take out the money. He couldn’t give me a receipt, apparently. So I photographed his car registration number. He doesn’t know I did that. Still feel I shouldn’t have paid him, but hope all goes well and I get a receipt from the company. While he did all this I was cooking dinner (chicken), which miraculously turned out OK. All day long there have been police in the road, partly to do with a stolen motor bike dumped opposite and partly some other reason which remains obscure. There was a possibility of going to a concert, but of course that was ruled out. Watched a bit of tennis, with a British wild card, Arthur Fery, winning in the 5th after losing most of the way through. Very tired. I mean me, but I expect he was too. His nose kept bleeding. His parents are French. 

Sunday – Quite warm and dry but cloudy. Woke up late for some reason; not sure I ever caught up. Didn’t go to church. Dot washed towels. Over to Library Wood to join in Music in the Park, which had started at 1pm. Spoke to Jon Sissons, who had earlier been fixing a table in his window: he said it was to keep out heat. Spoke to Jude and sat with Mike and June Webb. Mike sang a song with the very good three-piece jazz band that was playing. Helped June and Mike to carry their chairs home: they live at The Nest, off Rosary Road.

All day we were expecting delivery of parcels from Joy – I kept popping back to see if they’d been delivered. But no.  Dot checked with Joy, who said they were arriving in the evening; so Dot stayed at home while I went to the Seagull – pointlessly as it turned out because the parcels were put through the door. Ho hum. Watched a bit of Wimbledon and when I came home the end of Brazil-Norway, which Norway won 2-1 despite a ludicrous penalty award against them. Read six poems at the Seagull – five of them from Scotland: The Shape of the Sky, Oyster Catcher, Local Heroine, Fingertips, Birkhall and Encounter at Castleton. Kaaren absent ill, but Sue, Peter, Lynne, Joan Murray and a few others I knew were there. Home journey straightforward apart from annoying 45-50mpher who I eventually managed to overtake just before Hellington.