Dot’s finger seems to be OK, though when the dressing is off it hardly presents a smooth picture. Little bit worried about it. We are changing the dressing every two days as instructed, and on Wednesday she will have the stitches removed by the practice nurse. We arranged this appointment at the same time as I had my shingles vaccination last Wednesday. I was bit worried about that, but there seems to have been no reaction to it, apart from a very slight headache.
The next day I had my other arm pierced for a blood test, following which I drove Dot to the UEA for her own blood test as part of the pre-diabetes research she is involved in. After that we drove to Dereham and spent the rest of the day going through Auntie Ethel’s things without getting anywhere near completing the job. It was interesting but very tiring. We did take time out to go for lunch at the George Hotel, which turned out to be very good indeed. I had a steak and kidney pudding, and the service was excellent too.
On Friday we had a brief visit from Caroline Gilfillan, who was visiting Norfolk from her new home in the Lake District and staying with her niece Alex (Su Lee’s daughter). We had a coffee and I drove her up to catch the Fakenham bus on Tombland.
In the afternoon our latest piece of furniture arrived: an oak display cabinet that we are using to hold files and other office stuff in Dot’s study. It fits perfectly between the shelves and the airing cupboard, as calculated by Dot, and looks good too. We had to get rid of all the cardboard and polystyrene that it was encased in, unscrew the handles where they had been positioned for safe travelling, and then screw them in the other way round.
And the day was not over: in the evening I drove to Pinky’s at Halesworth, arriving at 7pm exactly, and read three of my poems, which I’m happy to say were very well received. When I’m on my way there I always wonder why I go (it takes an hour), but in the end I’m always glad I do.
I spent most of Saturday writing my sermon. Happily Norwich won 1-0 at West Brom; so Dot was happy (as was I). Yesterday I delivered said sermon and then we went to see Jessie, which was fun. I dropped off a couple of short story books to Sally, one of the short story writers, who lives on Mundesley Road. She’s not short: the stories are.
Today Rob called in to talk about Chronicle, mainly. After lunch, while Dot went to an Easter service at Little Plumstead, I paid the church cheques in and then met Hilary Talbot at the St Giles House Hotel for tea and a talk about the PHS. She wanted to know all about the Pastons and was quite keen that I should take her on the Norwich walk. On the way home I met another Hilary – Mellon of that Ilk – coming out of the dentist’s on Prince of Wales Road. Bit of a coincidence. Not that many HIlarys around.
To get over it I went with Dot to Morrison’s and stocked up. Amazingly, I am still up to date with the Lent poems. Not long to go.