Beautifully sunny this Friday morning. I’ve already had a bath and been to the post office to send off a couple of my poetry books to friends. This costs £1.53 a time because each one is five grams over the limit for normal second class. The sorting office was closed; so I went to the post office at Budgens, where I discovered you couldn’t buy £1.53 stamps; so I’ve come back with a selection that may or may not add up. Like Government covid figures, really.
On Monday, after my Zoom session with Rob and Peter, we watched Suspicion, starring Cary Grant, who is always good value – but I don’t think the film really worked. Am also getting a bit fed up with Marcella, a TV series set in Northern Ireland, because the title character is just too weird. Another Northern Ireland series, Bloodlands, starring James Nesbitt, had just started and is far, far better.
Norwich beat Birmingham 3-1 on Tuesday, but didn’t play particularly well and looked as if they could lose it in the first half. I think Farke gave them a heavy pep talk at half-time. Earlier Dot went up to the garden centre. We watched the start of the new season of Unforgotten, which is pretty good, as far as I can remember 🙂
The next day we did a lot of work in the garden. I cut back all the roses outside the back door and spent ages squeezing them into the brown bin – almost a miracle. Multiple cuts, but probably not serious… Dot also cut the roses at the front and did a lot of tidying up. Later we both had a bath, though not simultaneously.
This was a big day, because while looking for the cricket on All4 I stumbled across P’Tang, Yang, Kipperbang, a brilliant film which I had been sort of looking for for some time. It’s the ultimate feelgood movie, so beautifully written and acted it made you want to laugh and cry at the same time. If anyone ever reads this blog, I urge you try to watch it. Dot and I watched it, and I’m happy to say she liked it about as much as I did.
We also managed to squeeze in our regular Compline, again with a full attendance, plus the first day of the third Test against India, in which England managed 112 all out. This was matched only by the second innings, when they achieved 81 all out, losing by ten wickets. They did manage to get India out for 145, but took no wickets in their second innings. The abject batting was matched only by pathetic complaints about the pitch (they won the toss and chose to bat) and on-field complaints about the umpiring, which was excellent, considering the conditions. They complained about a “catch” by Stokes that was given not out. It clearly touched the ground – bit surprised at Stokes, who is usually very fair-minded and walks when he knows he’s out.
Yesterday I did an online session with the Norfolk Record Office about how to use their new online catalogue. This would have been slightly better if they hadn’t assumed that everyone knew how to use their old online catalogue, but still it was useful and came with a workbook containing full notes. After lunch Dot and I went up to the garden centre and bought some new tools for pruning (note the excellent timing – we did the pruning the day before) plus various other things, including a sack of birdseed and some cards. Afterwards we went for a walk on the dark side of Mousehold, stumbling on St William’s Chapel remains. All very beautiful, but of course lots of people and a fair number of dogs. We did manage to find some quiet spots.
Watched the end of The Bay, which pulled up rather sudden but was pretty good, and the second episode of Elizabeth R, an old series starring Glenda Jackson that’s beautifully done, though amusingly pedestrian, or should I say equestrian. Lots of scenes with people walking and riding. One or two shots reminiscent of Monty Python, but still very well worth watching.