I am in bed on a very warm Wednesday morning, and I have a pain in my side. This is disappointing, because yesterday was almost perfect: no pain at all, and I felt quite well. I wrote a couple of articles for Parish Pump, did a little editing for Paston, had a bath and watched a couple of films – most of War of the Worlds and all of The Magnificent Seven.

In fact I’d had very little pain for several days; so I’m not sure what’s going on. It’s a rather different pain, though: it doesn’t make me feel ill; it just hurts, and then mainly when I breathe deeply. Sorry – bit obsessed with pain at the moment. I have my CT scan tomorrow. Yesterday Dot went for a walk with Anne in Poringland, and while I was still in bed Carrie called. Had a chat from the window: she and Al are far from well, but she just keeps going.

We’ve cancelled Hello Fresh temporarily, because I’m not eating fat: Dot had an inventive few days eating what we had, and we gave one of the meals to Des when he brought our shopping last Thursday, when it rained quite bit to start with. Later Dot went for a walk down by Carrow Road. Judy phoned and David FaceTimed. We watched The Weaker Sex and an Italian film, Girl with a Pistol, which was quite good despite its plot leaps and coincidences. Took video of blackbird feeding babies.

The next day we got a letter from the hospital giving my scan appointment, which was a week away. Dot picked up some painkillers from the chemist. I had had a fairly unsatisfactory phone call with a doctor from Thorpewood the previous day, but at least he gave me enough painkillers to get to the scan. Watched Norwich lose 0-3 to Southampton – no inspiration there – and didn’t go out for the 6pm street drink. Not sure anyone did. Got my Father’s Day present from David – the latest Bob Dylan album. Have now played it of course, and I have to say it’s pretty impressive.

I was a bit better on Saturday, with the painkillers working pretty well. Over the weekend we watched all four episodes of Murder in the Outback – a documentary about a killing that may never have happened, one of the dodgiest witnesses I’ve ever come across, and a man convicted of the crime – and jailed for 28 years – who probably didn’t do it. All very unsatisfactory.

Sunday was Midsummer’s Day, and Father’s Day; so I played my album. Sarah the vicar rang up, because she had only just discovered I was ill. I managed to lead the St Augustine’s Zoom service: Dot set us up in the kitchen, using her laptop, and she read a piece from Robert Llewelyn about prayer and waiting which she had come upon while praying for me. She did it really well. Afterwards I felt exhausted and went to bed for about 90 minutes.

Since then the weather has been warm. On Monday Dot walked into the city and made an appointment at Boots on Friday for us to have our glassed fitted: lockdown restrictions have been eased somewhat. She also bought some fruit from the market. Amy FaceTimed me and sowed me her redecorated room, which was pretty impressive. She is always impressive of course.

Can’t say I’m enjoying the fat-free diet. Bit of a trial finding something that tastes nice and is good for me. Eating a lot of boiled eggs, tins of clear soup, quite a bit of fruit and some unbuttered bread and biscuits. No fun at all.