Bit worried about Joan, because she hasn’t replied to my e-mail, which is unlike her. Hope she’s OK. You’ll be glad to hear I had my hair cut successfully last Thursday, and in the evening Dot and I went to s short compline at the church. Not many of us – the vicar and her husband, the Eastons, Dot, Judy and me. I walked, for some reason, and met Judy outside. It was very good, despite the sparse attendance.
The next day I went up to Anglia Square in the afternoon and watched a Passion Play put on by a church other than ours. Saw the vicar again, and Liz Cannon, not to mention Barbara Bryant (editor of The Magazine) and Eric Kirk (manger of Anglia Square, who I happen to know). About a couple of hundred people there, and most of it was well done. One of the lesser bishops sang Bridge Over Troubled Water, and it wasn’t too bad. Really.
In the evening more passion and more playing when Norwich City took on Sheffield Wednesday in a match which, if they’d won it, would have sealed promotion, but they didn’t. In fact they left it till the 97th minute to equalise, but Wednesday were not robbed, because their goal was handball, as everyone agreed. Dot went, of course, as did Fred, his son-in-law Mark and his two grandchildren (repeat of a recent scenario). They had visited his sister Margery and then drove back to Banbury the same night.
At some unearthly hour on Saturday (10am) we were on our way to clean up the old church for the Easter service. Dot bought flowers on the way, and so did most other people. Not many of us in action. I struggled with a dodgy hoover, and Matt was very efficient with a broom while others (Sarah, Carrie, Dot and Judy) polished and shone, as well as arranging the flowers. I have to say it looked pretty good.
The Easter Communion was good too, with over 50 present, and an egg hunt during one of the hymns that didn’t seem theologically suspect. Well, not very. Refreshments in the hall afterwards, and after clearing up I felt pretty tired. Later on, even more excitement as David, Oliver and Amy arrived for another Easter egg hunt. I think one of them is still missing (an egg, not a grandchild).
The next day it continued pleasantly warm, and Dot, David and Oliver went off to the Stoke match – or a vision of it beamed back from Stoke on to giant screens at Carrow Road. Accompanying them were Jonathan and Des. Amy and I had a talk, plus a bit of television (Arrested Development on Netflix) before breaking the in-house length-of-rally record at table tennis, notching up 69. Stoke, meanwhile failed to roll over, and it was another 2-2 draw. However, Leeds lost twice in a row, and so we are nearly there.
David and the children went home the same evening, leaving about 8pm. I had a bad night and almost abandoned my plan to visit Andrew in Coventry, but decided to go at the last minute – by train, of course. I got an anytime return, which turned out to be £200 of Andrew’s money, despite the urging of the shocked ticket lady that I should get an off-peak. This enabled me to get back home before 8pm after catching the 1750 from Liverpool Street, which I didn’t know existed (the train, not the station). All the train journeys went smoothly, except the one between Coventry and Euston, which was 16 minutes late after being held up at Milton Keynes – I’m convinced because they forgot to tell the station staff there that they were making an unscheduled stop.
When I got to Minster Lodge, feeling pretty whacked out, Andrew was all ready to go for a walk. Fortunately he quickly became as tired as I was – if not tireder. We had a coffee and cake at a new cafe not far from the station in a skyscraper, which was very nice. Andrew was pretty good, except for his exhaustion and his inability to grasp the facts that (a) it wasn’t Saturday and (b) I didn’t have my car with me.
So today I was pretty tired, especially as I hadn’t slept well once more. But it was up early again for a Footprints Steering Committee at the UEA. Rob and Peter came to pick me up while I was not only still having breakfast but also speaking to Julia Higbee on the phone about a talk I’m giving at Swaffham next month. Still, we got there, and the meeting was OK. I wrote the minutes this evening, as well as catching up on my e-mails.
Rob and Peter came in for cheese and biscuits afterwards. The Sonata Security service man was still here, but the men bringing the new table had been and gone, after discovering that the legs didn’t fit. While I was out Maryta and Paul had been round, which is good, obviously. As I write Dot is at orchestra. Tomorrow I have to write three article for Parish Pump, and rain is forecast.