Sunday 23 Feb started dry and mild, but became wet later. Went to church: I led the service and Howard preached. Went quite well despite my forgetting the collect and checking who was praying. Disguised both successfully: got collect from lectionary on phone and guessed it was Anna praying. Congregation a huge 29, including Nikki , Phoebe, Kye (a new guy) and just about all the regulars. Afterwards took Ray home – his legs seem pretty bad and he’s feeling neglected. Spent most of the rest of the day watching television, including a bit of football and rugby. Watched end of Gaelic murder mystery set in Harris/Lewis, which was pretty good but not as good as Unforgotten. Brief FaceTime with David – Oliver and Sophie in background. Earlier got phone call from Mike Read to tell me Kathy Hindle had died. Sad. 

Monday – Mainly dry, except for the ten minutes it took us to walk to the cinema. Had to go back for hat. Dry before and after. Supposed to be 3% chance of rain: not impressed. Film – Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy – was excellent though. Quite funny and an uplifting underlying theme. Excellent acting. Before that caught up with various things but was frustrated in my attempt to adjust the church rota by people who wanted to change or who hadn’t bothered to respond in the first place (or the second or third). Bought some birthday presents for Chrissy on Amazon. Watched some more football and the last episode of Unforgotten, which was very good except that the wrong person did it, or rather didn’t do it. 

Tuesday – Lovely day. Mild and sunny. Got up early to go to Un Café at Beeston for breakfast with Brian and Tricia. Brian seemed quite perky. Afterwards Dot and I drove to Hemsby and walked along the Valley, which was reassuringly much as I remembered it: only the dunes at the seaward side were reduced in size and had lost their chalets. Different story from the Gap southwards.

Walked up into The Marrams and tried to find the bungalows from my childhood visits, but unsuccessfully. Spoke to a guy of 71 who was born in Ormesby and had worked in Hemsby most of his life. Warmed to him.  Went back on to beach – really beautiful with blue sky and almost empty sands. Walked back to the Gap and up back to car. Had been thinking of doing more but drove back home, stopping at Cotswold shop to look at bathroom cupboards. Redid rota and sent it out for comments.

DCC at our house in evening. Debbie arrived very early while I was cooking chicken – not particularly well. Rest of them arrived at 7pm – Graham, Judy, Phil, Sharon, Howard. Quite a good meeting. Some disagreements but no unpleasantness. Abstained on parish share in protest at what the CofE does with its money. Chatted to Howard after everyone else had gone. Seemed much better, though he gets very tired, and his walking is sometimes erratic. Dot and I watched last episode of Miss Austen. Began to get some idea of who was who. Emptied dishwasher and cleared up before bed. 

Wednesday – Dramatically different day, with a lot of rain, some of it heavy, and generally colder. Got up early to go up to the doctor’s with Dot and to collect my pills from the chemist. Also consulted the pharmacist (as you do) about a mole on my body that looks a bit dodgy. He passed me on quickly to the doctor, and I have, on advice of the very nice receptionist, sent the surgery a picture of it, together with loads of irrelevant information that you have to give in order to complete the form.

That was in the dry. Later we drove up to church in the rain for Bible study, which was well attended though at low temperature. Fortunately I was wearing a very warm jumper. Big attendance: Dot, Debbie, Judy, Steven and Kye. Also Ellie by Zoom!! So we’re almost worldwide, as Ellie is in Wales. Seemed to go quite well, despite Debbie’s obscure explanation of the Trinity which I don’t think anyone understood. But hey, it’s a mystery, so…

Afterwards made very minor changes to rota and sent it out yet again, as well as putting it in the diary, which is how confident I am. Ha! Also chose hymns for Sunday. Dot and I both quite tired; so lay down for a bit. Light supper pf prawns before Dot went with Janet to orchestra rehearsal. No Nova this time, though she did get there late. Watched excellent Amandaland, but couldn’t face midweek Match of the Day, having seen the results. Went to bed instead. 

Thursday – Cool and mainly dry, though it rained as we came out of Morrisons in the afternoon. Bridget came to clean from 11am, and I submitted five poems to Twelve Rivers, the Suffolk Poetry Society magazine – A Friend from the Past, The Broomway, The Crowd, The Owls See Everything and Thelma, as well as a couple to Ripples (Nearly and Long Lens, the latter with a picture). Have an appointment on March 18 to get my mole looked at. Have managed to contact Joanne, Eddie’s daughter, and get her mother’s e-mail so that I can thank her for her Christmas letter. Watched a new version of Bergerac, which seems quite good.