Dot has been ill since Friday. She developed a bad cough and a temperature of about 100 and felt exhausted. So clearly she couldn’t go to see Jessie that day, and as I was experiencing similar though much less severe symptoms, I didn’t think it was a good idea to go either.
I was however well enough to host a meeting of the PHS trustees at out house, after which I provided sandwiches (hopefully uncontaminated). We all then went up to the Maids Head – Rob first for a picture, with Peter and I following on – for a Footprints project steering committee meeting, which involved Matt Champion, Karen Smyth and Rebecca Pinner and lasted most of the afternoon. I was taking minutes for both meetings, and I didn’t write them up till Monday because I was looking after Dot and had one or two other commitments.
The most unexpected one was attending the Norwich-Wigan match. Dot obviously couldn’t go and we donated her ticket to Des. But then Jonathan rang and said he had a spare ticket; so after some hesitation and because it was a lovely day, I decided to go. Not a great match, but Norwich won with a penalty in the last few minutes; so that was all good.
Earlier I’d been to the supermarket and bought a chicken, among other things. We had it for supper.
Since Dot still had a bad cough and was in bed, she obviously had to miss her concert at Yarmouth, which saddened her particularly because it was in the Minster and (mainly) because it was the conductor’s last concert with the orchestra. I had a ticket, but was not inspired to go to Yarmouth with Dot not performing.
She was still quite bad on Sunday and remained in bed while I went to lead the joint service (harvest festival) at St Luke’s. This was designed to introduce our style of service to the congregation there (the vicar’s idea) but didn’t work perfectly because half our congregation were unable to attend – Howard was in Nepal, and Anna at an orchestral weekend somewhere – and because we don’t normally have a harvest festival; so I had to adapt our Thanksgiving liturgy. Only two people in the music group (Liz Day from St Aug and Nicky from St Luke’s), which is not normal, and it was a bit unnerving leading a service with the vicar in the front row and two other ordained people in the congregation. Still, it went all right. There was a meal afterwards, and I stayed for most of it, then left to get Dot some lunch.
Just as well, because Maryta had unbelievably turned up, and Dot had unbelievably gone to the door. They were chatting, despite Dot’s obvious incapacity (not to mention Maryta’s). I got them both a drink and offered to give Maryta a meal, but she declined. She brought some flowers.
I was feeling pretty tired out myself in the evening; so I didn’t go to the private view of Rupert’s new exhibition. I’ll try to pop in this week.
On Monday I cunningly scheduled my bath so that I could open the door to the Hello Fresh man. Not much happened after that, except that I discovered that Mairead had been taken back into hospital with exhaustion and was getting a blood transfusion. Oh, and the men out back kept cutting trees, but not the right ones. They look as if they’ve finished now.
Yesterday I was toying with not going to the Archant coffee morning, but I got an e-mail from Bill Woodcock, who was thinking of coming but wanted to be sure I’d be there in case he didn’t know anyone. So I went, and he came, and happily he did know some others. Quite a good morning: Brian and Robin were there with partners, but Maryta wasn’t. Apparently she went on the wrong week and the wrong day. That is not a joke.
Today Dot seems quite a bit better, though she still has a cough. She had a long chat on the phone with an educational colleague, and I think I hear her coming downstairs. But she almost certainly won’t go to orchestra tonight. Now she is working on some fonts and wants to do some laminating. Things are getting back to normal. I’m quite tired, but I think I’m OK.