Touch of summer this week. Last Sunday (June 23) was warm and dry. Church in the morning. Heather led and preached, but she wasn’t fully fit. Good, though. One of hymns, chosen as a request from Steve) didn’t fit the tune anyone expected. Ho, hum. I did the prayers. Took Harriet and Ray home. Harriet has had her car clamped for non-payment of a fine she has actually paid. Another cock-up by the council. Felt quite tired and achy in the afternoon, but Dot gave me a massage and I took paracetamol; so felt ok when we drove to Paul’s for supper. Very nice meal – we really like his new house, and we had a good chat too. Parking was very difficult. Scotland lost 1-0 to Hungary; so out of Euros.
Monday was again pretty warm and dry. Started well – did some tidying up in garden and prepared to do charity money, but then decided to install Dot’s printer. This was a nightmare because it wouldn’t find the WiFi in spite of my putting the booster in Dot’s room and then moving the printer down to my study, near the router. Suspect a couple of settings may have been wrong. After talking to David, who FaceTimed us to let us know the timetable for his visit next month, I found a USB connection and with the aid of a couple of adapters connected the printer direct to Dot’s computer. This worked!! Spent almost the entire afternoon on it, though, and got quite grumpy. Hard to believe, I know. Similarly grumpy when Italy scored in the last minute of added time to draw 1-1 with Croatia.
Dot discovered Sarah is going in for a hysterectomy next week. Our evening meal with Anna and Howard was postponed because co-guest Derek Bower woke with high temperature. Did chilli con carne instead.
Tuesday was hot. Walked up to Boots in the morning to get three new pairs of reading glasses – they seem ok. Went through charity money and sent off several cheques, which I posted on the way to the solicitors in the afternoon. Met Anna there, and we signed a couple of documents relating to Phyllis’s will. Then walked home, and I realised later that my feet were hurting, possibly because I’d been wearing sandals. Toes and instep quite painful: head heavy as well, and Dot has funny head too. I quote. Watched England draw 0-0 with Slovenia, marginally better but very frustrating until they brought on Palmer and Gordon, but it was too late by then. Also watched another episode of The Responder, which is weird.
On Wednesday saw the last episode of The Responder. Not impressive. Hot weather again. Bridget arrived after 11am and parked her car in our drive so that she could walk to Eleanor’s. Idiots at Great Hospital have decided visitors can’t bring cars in, despite ample space. Later drove with Dot to church for Bible Study: Ellie, Debbie, Judy, Dot and Phil. Wasn’t really happy with how it went. Back home, went to meet Bridget, who had to wheel her hoover from Great Hospital to ours. Coming up Aspland Rd, met Natalie and her husband – she is an Anglia TV newsreader, I think, and she knows Eleanor and now Bridget.
Sarah is out of hospital, having had her hysterectomy, but apparently has covid, though not badly. That is to say, her test was positive, if you believe in that kind of thing. Bridget did our cleaning. In the evening met her again when I walked up to St Peter Mancroft for a talk on faith and film. Extracts from films good, but didn’t like the discussion format, especially when so many of the comments were painful. Bridget and David gave me a lift home. Irritating road works on Riverside Road have vanished. Wore trainers with no socks, and feet felt better. Temporarily.
Thursday – Still pretty warm. Wore shorts! Caught up with editing and captioning my photos – no small task. In the middle of it, Dot had a lot of trouble with Word, which I tried to sort out. Not sure if I’ve done it, but it’s working at the moment. Before that I went to visit my Aunt Thelma in her care home. She’s fading fast, I think. Her 95th birthday is in three weeks’ time and she looks very fragile: slim and little appetite, confined to her bed. Hard to communicate with her now. I don’t think she really hears me well, and she says very little. I gave her a little drink, and an assistant came in with a small mug of tea just afterwards! I was with her for just over an hour, and we both went to sleep at one point. Terry Alcock funeral today; so I had to avoid Carrow Road. Watched final episode of The Outlaws: excellent, unlike The Responder.
Friday – Cloudier and a bit cooler, though warm in the sun. Oliver climbed Kinder Scout with Cameron. CNS Reunion at Willow Centre in Cringleford. Lovely setting. Saw Fred at outset before he went to Ivan’s funeral. Usual crowd. Plus Nick Butcher and Steve Chadwick, who lives in Hamburg and spoke in the afternoon about Deutsches Leben. Interesting, but he spoke very softly. Fred was back in time for that. In the morning, Adrian had put together an autobiographical film about his life, moving around the world in various roles. Very well done. Followed by lovely buffet from Jane. Back in good time for street meet: Des, Chris, Mark, John, Jonathan, Ciara, Matt, Angela and briefly Phoebe. Afterwards watched new comedy show Douglas is Cancelled, which was brilliant in every way. Then a short Dispatches piece about how motorists are being screwed by councils and government. True. We’re all doomed. Doomed, I say. My feet are a bit sore where the trainers rubbed against my instep. Not mentioned by BBC News, strangely.