Seems a long time ago, but last Monday we walked on Thorpe Marshes. It was a warm day. I left my glasses behind on a seat, but they were there when I went back, with a dark girl sitting next to them. “They’re not mine,” she said. Earlier we had a long FaceTime with David and Chrissy talking about good ,and evil (among other things). In the evening Amy FaceTimed to ask if she could come up for a few days from tomorrow! We said yes, of course. We were delighted. Watched last Call the Midwife, and did grocery list early.
Tuesday was sunny and warm again. We got up early because we were expecting Sam and family for a visit, but they didn’t turn up. After lunch wrote some of my sermon and chose hymns. Then drove to Cambridge Services to meet Amy and Vicky. Brought Amy home for a couple of nights after Costa coffee with Vicky and buying stuff for Amy’s meal at M&S. Easy drive both ways. After supper Amy projected some pictures for us, then we watched Fawlty Towers and Ocean’s Eight till after midnight. Good film, but missed out on 4000 steps.
Wednesday was still sunny and very warm. Amy got up quite late and had brioche. Meanwhile Sam, Lucy and Elliott came round, and Elliott demolished the garden – or at least rearranged quite a large number of bricks. The piano tuner also came – looking older, it has to be said. Well, no, I suppose it doesn’t. I walked up to the Rosary while Amy talked to her dad and Dot restored the garden. Later I played chess with Amy: she is not bad at all. In the evening Dot went to Strings at St Cuthbert’s. On her return we had marshmallows round the chiminea, played Cobra Paw and later Dixit. I went to bed while Dot and Amy watched Friday Night Dinner. Dot reached the bedroom rather after 12.30am.
Next morning we watched cricket till Amy got up, then had a cooked lunch – fish – for which Dot made rhubarb soufflés while Amy looked at references to her on my blog. Risky! Watched Mama Mia with Amy – very good. Bridget came to do the cleaning, and then we had a quick tea before leaving with Amy for Cambridge Services, where we met Vicky. On the way home the A11 was blocked near Snetterton, and the diversion was ridiculous, so we headed for East Harling, then across to the B1113. It added 20 minutes to the journey: we got home just before 9.30pm. Watched cricket and Yes Minister before collapsing into bed.
It was duller on Friday but still quite warm and dry till mid-afternoon, when it started to rain, and continued for the rest of the day. I’d managed to get out for a short walk, during which I came across our female blackbird with a baby which she seemed to be trying to protect. It later turned up in our garden, looking pretty bedraggled. Didn’t seem very mobile. Lot of interaction between adult birds and Dot, who got a good video.
Meanwhile I finished off my sermon while Dot wrote a blog for her p4c website. Linda had come to do our hair at 10am, by which time I’d emptied the dishwasher and tidied up a bit. After evening meal we had intended to watch Riding Lights’ Pericles, but the link didn’t work. Instead we watched the Call the Midwife ten years celebration, then the last Alan Partridge. Had quite a long chat with David earlier. Cricket at Lord’s was rained off completely.
It was warm and sunny again on Saturday after a dull start. Walked up to the Forum to see Sandringham House knitted by a 90-yr-old. Called in at Jarrolds to buy cards, then walked home via the Close. Rang Riding Lights: they had my email address wrong and had also had technical problems yesterday. Watched Pericles in the evening: it was really excellent. Earlier watched the last two episodes of The Pact. Quite good, considering the plot was pretty implausible. Had an e-mail exchange with Carrie about AWAs. We discovered Philip Robinson was in hospital having a pacemaker fitted. Meanwhile I mended the chiminea after Dot found a nut and bolt. Very late on some young lads came round with a baby bat they had found, thinking we were attached to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Sadly we were not much use to them, though I couldn’t really see why they didn’t just let it go. Perhaps it was too much of a baby to move.
Today has been dull but reasonably warm (it is now 4.30pm). I preached at church on God not issuing commandments, just telling the truth. Afterwards we had a DCC meeting in the absence of Howard, who was somewhere “beyond WiFi”, just in case we wanted to get in touch. Five present: Dot, me, Carrie, Matt and Judy. Trying to resist Carrie’s drive to get everyone to become AWAs. Wrote up minutes before Zoom Poetry (Walpole Old Chapel event online), at which I read March Hares and Walpole Old Chapel.