Yes, it’s still warm: in fact it’s getting warmer. Yesterday it was almost painful walking up into the city to go with Dot to get some Canadian currency from M&S: she had been to Jarrold’s for some nail work. Everything seems very hectic at the moment. The Hendersons came round in the afternoon, and in the evening I played my annual chess game in the club knockout tournament. That’s usually it, but unexpectedly I won; so I have to play another game when I get back from Canada.

This morning Linda is cutting our hair, and then we will go out and buy another suitcase for Dot: the ones she has appear to be either too big (for the airline) or too small (for her). Then we will pack, and this evening, insanely, we are going round the Greens’ for a meal.

Last Friday I dithered between going to Halesworth for a poetry evening and going to Martin and Sam’s for a cocktail evening for the two churches. I decided on the latter, which was probably right. I only had one cocktail, because I had to drive Dot home. She had arrived late because she’d had a busy day. The Smiths have a cocktail bar in their garden, which was quite entertaining. Spent a long time talking to the Eastons, and the vicar was there too.

Continuing the social whirl, on Saturday we took Judy to Vicky Myers’ house-warming in Costessey. This was quite pleasant, although we didn’t know most of the people, who were at least a generation below us, with small children. Buffet eaten in the garden, mainly. Nice house but up a sort of private track with limited parking. Helen Street was there with Florence and Mabel, but she appears to have discarded her latest husband, who was a nice bloke, and probably still is.

Kristine came on Sunday morning, and was met off the train by Dot while I was preparing to the lead the service. The two of them arrived at church just in time, and Dot even played violin! The vicar was in attendance to see how we did things and definitely not checking up on us. Oh no! Actually she seems very nice and also seemed to enjoy herself. Howard preached, and we had two cakes afterwards : birthday cake by Anna for Phil and golden wedding cake from us.

After lunch I took Kristine for a walk because Dot had a stomach upset. It was pretty warm, but we went by the river and then up to the Cathedral. In the evening Dot was better and we all went to the Seagull at Lowestoft, where I did a couple of songs (one with Dot) and three poems – one of them the poem I had written for David Coomes, which Kristine found quite moving. [Woman in the Window, Didn’t Think it Would Come to This, Coming to Life, The Third Field and Passing Through]

Kristine stayed the night, and I took her to the station, where she caught the 11.30 while Dot was in the city (see first paragraph).