Ventured out into soggy but mild morning so that the dentist could clean my teeth – which with the advance in dentistry is now more painful than root canal work. Not that I want root canal work… Happily my teeth seem to be OK, and so do Dot’s. She went earlier in the week. We’re both feeling quite a bit better, despite having a very late night last night. Sue, Roger, Julia and Allan came round for a truly delicious meal prepared by my talented wife, who also cleaned the house from top to bottom. Literally. I always feel uneasy when this happens: I’m not sure it’s because I suspect I might be cleaned up or because I feel guilty about not working as hard as she is. Not that I ever do. She has 75% of the energy in this house. In addition to all the above, she also spent most of the morning at a school in Horsford, while I wandered up to the city to buy her a birthday present, pay the newspaper bill and get a couple of keys cut. Had lengthy chat with Big Issue seller who has just obtained a place in a hostel at Wymondham, away from people who are a bad influence on him. Hope it works out.

Poet Joy has sent me a copy of  The Chymical Wedding, which looks interesting. Paul phoned me up about an angler named Paul Lenton who appeared in the newspaper, having caught something fishy at Doddington. He seemed quite interested when I suggested we could go and look at the Lenton / Archer graves at Yaxley and in Northamptonshire. He also told me Thelma’s maiden name: Harrop.