Just back from Holt, having been forced to stop a couple of times on the way to look at the stunning skyscape: fiery sun and an eerie mist rising from the fields. Holt itself was lovely on a fine wintry day: I met Dot there, and we had a meal at Bakers and Larners – in my case a superb egg-and-cress baguette.
Afterwards Dot insisted that I buy a pair of trousers, not because I wasn’t wearing any but because it was time I got some. I also got two shirts and a jumper, for the same reason. Dot had already got herself a couple of things (top and scarf), and she stayed on in Holt after I left, so that she could look for Christmas presents.
Yes, we had two cars. How did that happen? I’m glad you asked. Originally Dot was supposed to go to Holt with Anne, but Anne called off because of domestic difficulties not unrelated to the delivery of furniture or construction materials, or both. I said I would go instead, but later realised that I had to go to North Walsham for a Paston Heritage Society meeting. So I did that, then drove to Holt to meet Dot for lunch. See how it all fits together?
The PHS meeting was a bit crucial, because it has become apparent that our UEA lead person was unable to carry through everything the big project demanded: she has been ill herself, and her sister died suddenly. So we are trying to arrange for her to have a project manager (Naomi). The project itself may have to be rethought.
The trip to Coventry last Thursday went pretty well, really. The trains were on time, and the meeting with Helen, her colleague and Andrew’s new CPN (community psychiatric nurse) was good. I was able to put over my worry about Andrew not having the freedom to go out and his consequent frustration, and it seemed that we were all on the same wavelength. Andrew himself seemed much better than he was last time I saw him, and I had a long and quite coherent conversation with him. He seemed to understand the problem about his going out, though he said he was much better than he used to be.
On Saturday we were up early to go to a performance of part one of The Messiah at St Luke’s. Vicki Ellis was principal flautist, and Carrie Sant was soprano. Th orchestra was St Gregory’s, and the choir the Oriole Singers. Needless to say several members of the orchestra were the usual suspects from Sillars. All quite enjoyable (we sat next to the vicar and his friend, who has arrived from Ghana), though the male soloists – especially the tenor – were not very good.
In the afternoon Dot went to Carrow Road, and Norwich City broke their run of defeats by beating Brentford 5-0 in an exciting game. Spurs also won 5-0.
Yesterday I was preaching at church, and the sermon went down quite well (I even got a phone call from the churchwarden telling me it was good). We spent the rest of the day sort of relating, in between trying to fix the printer, which steadfastly refuses to work despite many forays by me into the Net to try to find solutions. I’ve spent so much time on it I could probably have built a new one by now. Very annoying.