One of those weeks when it’s fairly warm but the sky is always threatening, which rather unsettles me. Am also unsettled by being about to go on holiday, particularly when we’re scheduled to be travelling all of Friday and part of Saturday, and heavy rain and wind is forecast.

Tuesday was particularly busy. We went up to the Archant coffee morning and chatted to Bob Easter as well as the usual suspects. At least, I think it was him. Afterwards Dot and I went over to the station to meet Gordon Knox from Malta, who is a former schoolmate of Dot’s, though she doesn’t remember him. They had been e-mailing each other since he traced her on the internet.

He was on his way to North Walsham; so we had a coffee in the new station cafe. We got on pretty well; so we suggested lunch, but unfortunately chose TGIF, which wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. Gordon is a geologist who doesn’t eat red meat because of the water used in producing it. So we had a chicken burger each, which was average, though the chips were good. Should have gone to Wetherspoons.

He just missed the next train so he came back to ours for another coffee. I was going to say he had barely gone before the Hendersons arrived, but in fact I think they came on Monday. Maryta had bad feet. Harriet dropped in too, and so did Des, but in the middle of all that I bought a new printer. I was going to get it from Amazon but suddenly realised I could order it for about the same price from Argos and just go and pick it up. So I did. I was installing it while Harriet was here, and it seems to work quite well.

There was a thunderstorm on Tuesday evening.

Dot spent most of yesterday spring-cleaning the house. I felt very tired but eventually stirred myself to go and buy Andrew a few little birthday presents over at Riverside. I had to sit down on the way back, but I managed to cook the Hello Fresh! meal for Dot, as I did on Monday. It was not vegetarian.

Today we felt sufficiently advanced with the packing/preparation to go to North Walsham for the heritage photographic exhibition. Gordon was there, but left to ride the Bure Valley Railway. Richard Batson was also there, and it turned out his mother-in-law knew Jessie. There was an excellent model of Ship Yard, through which Dot used to walk. Dot was disappointed to find she was not on the school photo, but found herself in the school magazine. We spent quite a while at North Walsham – in the atrium, which is a nice building surrounded by what look like derelict industrial sheds, but aren’t – then returned home to pack.

I gave Phil a ring and found that he and Joy hadn’t been particularly well, but Sam and his family were moving to Buckinghamshire next week. As I write, I have finished most of my packing, and Dot is well on the way. We hope to leave early in the morning, but this has never happened in the history of the world; so I don’t hold out much hope.