Patricia, Liz and Jacqui by the pool at Snares Hill Cottage
Tomorrow our furniture is returning, although Amy and Oliver agreed yesterday that they liked the living room as it is: spacious. Dot and I had returned the hi-fi and the television to the room and re-hung the curtains, but other than that we had restricted ourselves to just a couple of chairs, the piano stool and some cushions, plus temporary children’s items.
The children, and David, were with us overnight on Friday so that Oliver could go with Dot to the Norwich City match against West Ham, which was a kind of birthday present, four days late. His main present, also late of course, was a new guitar, which he seemed to like. It is a Yamaha, and has a nice tone. I also bought him a book on the Friday when I popped into the city to buy a new lectionary diary.
The redecoration and roof were finished on Tuesday as scheduled. On Wednesday Dot and I travelled to Duck End in Essex for another Otterspool reunion, at the home of Pete and Liz Stabler. Beautiful house, and a much better day than had been forecast, so we were able to spend time wandering around the stunning and extensive garden. Pete had broken his back falling from a ladder a couple of months ago, but was able to get around wearing a brace. Also present were Alan and Janice, Barry and Pat and Jacqui and Brian – and Pete Stokes, whose wife Jan died suddenly a few months ago. Great to see him; really pleased he came.
We had had a hard time finding the house (though we’d both been there before), but we eventually asked, and got good directions. On the way home we went a more direct but complicated route through Bury St Edmunds (instead of Saffron Walden and the A11) and encountered some of the darkest clouds I’ve ever seen, together with very heavy rain. Still, we made it without incident, thanks to Dot’s calm driving.
We had a lovely day with David and the children. Oliver enjoyed the match, despite the 0-0 scoreline, and Amy enjoyed playing, partly on her own and partly with me: she (we) prepared a Norwich City party for the wanderers’ return, which went down very well. The rest of us all availed ourselves of the table tennis table, newly released from its burden of curtains – best storage space I could think of.
After the service this morning, at which refurbishers of the church hall were officially thanked and we had three unexpected visitors from the UEA, we had a lunch prepared by Carrie and others. Afterwards Dot and I had a game of table tennis, during which I found a box of old chess games and books that I had lost. So quite satisfying really.
Later on the 22nd, I walked up the hill and along the path to Ilfracombe, which opened up to give nice views. Met the craft shop crew on the way back, and later in the day we all went to Woolacombe again. It was cooler and windier than before, but still pleasant enough for me to go into the sea with Oliver and Amy as they did some surfing: Dot hired an extra board for Amy, and I quite enjoyed myself.
Afterwards we took everything away from the beach hut and locked up, but it was too late to deposit the key, so Dot and I dropped it in the next morning, reclaiming the deposit. We then continued down the coast to Croyde, where I had spent a holiday as a child, but nothing rang a bell. It wasn’t far, but it was a very slow journey because of the narrow roads. When one queue met another queue, things got tricky, especially when there was a bus involved.
In the afternoon we all went down to the cove as the tide went out and made our way quite a good distance along the beach, looking for paths between the rocks that avoided deep pools. Amy took on the role of tour guide for a while, and Oliver took lots of photographs. He has a good eye for an effective picture. On the way back I took a different route and ended up having to jump the river, wall to wall.
In the evening we all went down to the Grampus for a meal, preceded by some outdoor table tennis. The food was exceptionally good: Oliver and I had steaks, and Roger had a second slice of banoffee pie. Very pleasant pub, to be recommended, which I did in the Daymer Cottage Guest Book.
Elegant Amy, at ease in any situation
On the Friday it rained as we packed up the cars, but it eased off as we left, about 9.45am. It was a bank holiday weekend, so the traffic was predictably bad, but we managed to stay together for the first services on the M4, where we had lunch and said goodbye to David and the children. We still stayed more or less together, though, until they left the M25 at the M1 junction. The M25 hadn’t been too bad (though it was pretty solid going the other way) until then, but it was getting worse as we reached the A1, so I took that route, up to Baldock and along the A505 to the A11. We managed to keep moving well enough until we reached Barton Mills, where there was a queue leaving the roundabout, so we took the normal evasive action through some nice Suffolk countryside and arrived home around 6pm.
On Saturday we decided to go to the Maddermarket for a production of A Murder is Announced, by Agatha Christie. This was remarkable in that it is the first time I have been to a play at the Maddermarket that was badly acted; it was pretty amateurish all round, and it was hard to know where to pin the blame. The director? Key roles? On the bright side, I ran into a couple of ex-Archant library people: Maureen Green and Frances Pearce. Had quite a long chat with Frances, who now lives in Aurania Avenue, behind my childhood home in Brian Avenue.
Yesterday I led the service, and Howard preached about the nature of holy places (everywhere). Unfortunately Dot had developed a sore throat and wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed in bed. However, she managed to come with us to the King’s Head and Ali Tandoori in the evening, with Heather and Simon, and we had a really good time.
Today Dot stayed in bed till late, but then got up, though she isn’t much better. The sore throat is less severe, but she’s developed a cough. Barbara and Roger have been visiting her sister and are just back (6.30pm). I cleaned the car out, getting rid of most of the sand, and did some food shopping. Also caught up with email backlog and the post. Now I will get us all some tea.
And so the excitement continues. On Tuesday Dot and I picked up Oliver and Amy from Caddington and brought them back to Norwich for a few days, with fine weather forecast. Wednesday dawned fine and very warm, and so we headed to Winterton with an amazing amount of equipment and camped on a surprisingly crowded beach. Locals with dog were heard to ask “where all these people were in the winter” and add: “We want our beach back.” I didn’t point out that we came to Winterton at all times of the year; anyway they weren’t talking to me. There was a certain amount of paddling done, some frisbee throwing, some picnicking and some dashing about in the dunes. All in pretty warm weather.
On Thursday Amy and Dot did some shopping in the morning, and we had lunch at Prezzos. In the afternoon we drove to Mundesley. When we arrived (4pm) it was a bit chilly, with one of those misty things off the sea, but the longer we stayed, the brighter and warmer it became. Amy did some swimming in the sea, and even Oliver and Dot went a fair way in. Astonishingly, I paddled a bit too. By the time we left, just after 7pm, the beach was near-deserted and looked stunning in the evening sunshine. An idyllic couple of hours.
Oliver had heard someone mention fish and chips, so decided we should get some, and we drove to Bacton, where the chip shop was still open after its stated closing time, so we bought some fish and chips and ate it at the table outside. Embarrassingly late home.
Friday was warm again, and we took the City Sightseeing bus around the city, which was a bit expensive but good fun. David had phoned saying he was coming to stay the night, so we decided to go to Winterton again and have some games in the dunes, followed by tea and cakes in the excellent cafe. I impressed Oliver by my speed off the mark and my death-defying leap to reach the hide-and-seek base. Ended up aching all over, which was not so impressive. Got home shortly before David arrived, and we had an evening meal of chicken, some of which I had purchased earlier, at the same time as filling the car up with petrol (well, not exactly the same time, obviously).
Friday was also our 44th wedding anniversary and the opening of the London Olympics. We had prosecco to celebrate (provided by Dot) and then we all stayed up to watch the Olympics opening ceremony, which I thought celebrated our anniversary very well. We didn’t watch it all because it went on very late, but we recorded it, and Dot and I watched the ending today. I have to say I was greatly impressed.
Colin came on Saturday and finished off some stuff in the garden. He was going to do a temporary repair to the living room ceiling, but the company who are going to fix it wanted to see it as it was; so instead he’s left us a board to screw in after they come tomorrow. Meanwhile it rained heavily today, and water started flowing through one of the holes again. I rang up the roofer, who has promised to come tomorrow morning.
I preached at St Luke’s this morning and then went down to St Augustine’s to sort out various money matters and to get shown how our new heating system works. Stayed on to rehearse some songs for Lowestoft next week.
And so we emerge from a hectic week…into another one. Dot is already out visiting schools, and I have a visit to the dentist tomorrow and to the doctor on Thursday. The latter doesn’t sound much, but it looms pretty large. There is a root canal involved.
I was in the sunny city, paying in church money, on Wednesday, when Dot called me to say Oliver and Amy wanted to come to us a day early. Naturally, a plan was quickly devised, and with Dot busy finishing a PIB (pre-inspection briefing), I set off to meet David halfway just outside Newmarket near Snailwell – a spot identified on Google maps. All went well, except that halfway there the warm and sunny day evaporated into heavy rain, and I realised I hadn’t brought my anorak or taken my guitar out of the boot. No worries, however: the rain turned back into sun before we met, and there was plenty of room for the children’s luggage.
We had a great three days with the children, despite a bad weather forecast. On the Thursday we went to Sheringham, where it was mild enough to have a picnic on the beach after Oliver and I had climbed Beeston Bump (calling in at Fred’s caravan on the way and finding Liz in situ) and Dot and Amy had done some shopping. We also did a little crabbing, and after I retired defeated, the children “teamed up” with another family, who had bait. As a result, Oliver netted one.
Oliver at the summit of Beeston Bump
We then drove (as a result of a miscalculated and rash promise made earlier) to Winterton, in time to have a quick game of hide-and-seek in the dunes before the rain started, and a few drops quickly turned into a downpour. We repaired to the cafe for refreshment and then rushed wetly to the car. We had taken Dot’s car for a service earlier in the day, but it was now too late (and too wet) to fetch it; so I left it till the next morning. The next morning was also very wet, as was the whole day, and we spent most of it in the house or garage, where Oliver showed an amazing aptitude for table tennis. As he’s very competitive, this wasn’t enough for him: he wanted to win every game too. Meanwhile Amy made a den under the table and did some cooking indoors. We finished the day off with a 6pm meal at Prezzo’s: the children are a real joy to take out – or actually do anything with.
David arrived at lunchtime on Saturday, after being held up because the police had shut the southern bypass after a fatal accident. We had roast beef for lunch, and Oliver did his best to beat Daddy at table tennis when Daddy wasn’t tackling my computer. I popped up to St Peter Hungate at 3.30pm to check that the afternoon session with the visiting viols was going OK. I spoke to Lucy and Jo, both of whom seemed very ill, but didn’t hear the viols, who were taking a break. I went back at 5pm for the rehearsal with Rob, Caroline and Kay, and it went well, so I returned home to say goodbye again, picking up the poetry books I’d forgotten at the same time.
I also went and picked up a music stand from the church hall, at the same time replacing a notice which had either blown off or been ripped off, or both (the wind had been very strong the day before). The evening performance – Heroine of Hungate – took place as David and the children were driving back to Caddington and Dot was cleaning up the house: it did go well, but the audience was very small – only a dozen, including relatives and friends. Hilary came, as did Catherine Mapes. I blame the poor publicity because the viols messed us about (no, we don’t want to perform; yes, we do; no, we can’t do it in the evening….)
Felt totally shattered yesterday morning, but had to leave at 9.30 for the Archdeacon’s Visitation at St Luke’s and a combined service and bring-and-share lunch. Worship music went well, and Dot and I were able to sing three of my songs for the Communion service. The archdeacon, the Ven Jan McFarlane, did a brilliant sermon about writing people off by labelling them: it sounds fairly ordinary, but she did it exceptionally well and brought in all kinds of other stuff.
In the evening our family’s hobnobbing with the senior echelons of the Church of England continued when Dot went to the commissioning service for the new director of Norwich Youth for Christ and met the Bishop, with whom she’s pretty chummy. She pleaded with him not to become Archbishop of Canterbury, and it would indeed be a big loss for Norwich, though probably brilliant for the country at large. I have a great admiration for him (as you probably noticed). She really enjoyed the service, at St Andrew’s Eaton, which I had given a miss in the hope of getting some rest – almost certainly a bad choice. I make a lot of them.
Back in Norwich again after two weeks away. And to greet us, an eight-hour power cut affecting three houses in our street. Much digging up of pavements before they found the problem and fixed it. Thanks to Scotland, we were used to the lower temperatures, but Dot did light a fire when she returned from a morning at Thurton school. I meanwhile went round Phil’s, had a cup of tea and charged my mobile phone.
Here is the account of the last fortnight or so:
Tuesday, May 8
On Saturday Andrew and I went for a walk down the Riverside path, taking in the new footbridge, under which we sheltered when a few drops of rain fell. In the afternoon I drove him to Dunston as usual, after a brief excursion to show him where Joe lived at Hethersett. At St Remigius Church we saw black rabbits. We had sheltered in the car for a few minutes during a hailstorm, and I switched on the radio to hear that Norwich City had equalised to draw 3-3 away at Arsenal, thus giving Spurs a chance to come third in the Premiership – a chance they squandered the next day by drawing with Aston Villa.
We all had lunch at church on Sunday (Anna providing chicken thighs), then returned quickly home to pack up the car, and left at 1.50pm for Coventry, where we dropped Andrew off after a good journey, at about 4.40pm. (We had stopped briefly at Cambridge Services.) Then onward and upward, stopping at M6 Toll services before reaching Knutsford Premier Inn before 7pm. We had bought sandwiches, so didn’t partake of the evening meal, but the breakfast next day, after a good sleep, was excellent.
So far we had done about 242 miles, but we had about 350 to go. Travel conditions were good. We stopped at the lovely Tebay farm shop services and bought some stuff to eat on arrival. On entering Scotland we experienced the first drops of rain, and it continued wet or wettish the rest of the way. We stopped at Annadale Water to get chips for Dot; they had run out of petrol, so we stopped again at Abington for fuel.
Some heavy rain between Glasgow and Perth, but they’ve at last got the road sorted out, and there were no problems. Balathie looks as if it may be permanently shut, so we continued to the Fife Arms at Braemar, where we had tea and cake. On the way to Ballater we turned back to get another look at Lochnagar covered with snow. (Temperature got as low as 1C over the Glen Shee pass – as predicted by Dot – and there was a roaring fire in the Fife Arms lounge.)
Arrived at a very cold wee house about 6pm and turned up all the heat. Bought a little extra food in town, gave someone directions to the chipper (!) and ate a meal while watching some DVDs (no television, of course). First Set in Stone, a film about Norwich churches that I had got for Christmas, then the first two episodes of Series Two of Mad Men. We decided on the twin-bed room, which seemed warmer, and had a relatively early night. This morning, we moved the beds together.
Finished reading the Grove booklet, Worship and Freedom in the Church of England: Exploring the Boundaries, but found we were already exploring beyond the boundaries. Still, it was interesting.
Wednesday, 9 May
Lovely day yesterday. We started by ‘”popping” into town to buy washing up liquid and kitchen towels, but ended up with over £30 worth of items from the kitchen shop and a scarf from Byzantium. The weather was unexpectedly nice: not too cold, almost warm when the sun was shining, and very little wind. We drove over to the log cabin for lunch, then back across the Braemar road for a stunning view of snow-covered Lochnagar.
On via Crathie to the South Deeside road, where I saw a huge, darkly painted aircraft very low over the trees. No idea what it was doing, as there is nowhere that I know for it to land anywhere near. Dot didn’t see it, but she heard it. On again via the Birkhall road to Loch Muick, where the car park was very thinly populated. We walked down to the loch and then did the short circuit via the hut and the Lochnagar path. Red deer were feediing, and I saw a meadow pippit struggling to reach about 30ft and then floating down to earth on outstretched, unmoving wings.
Decided to have fish and chips, but restricted ourselves to only one piece of fish (between us). Watched three more episodes of Mad Men and wrote postcards and a birthday card for Vicky, on which I managed to get her surname wrong. Think I’m cracking up. After all, it is Lenton.
Heading for the summit of Cairn Gorm
Thursday, 10 May
Another good day yesterday, when we travelled across to Cairn Gorm via the recently mended and reopened Gairnshiel Bridge (one can only imagine the chaos while it was closed). Weather was looking pretty bad just beyond Bridge of Brown and we almost turned back, but very glad we didn’t. Heavy hail shower as we arrived in the car park, so we sat it out and then caught the funicular, which showed an unexpected turn of speed.
At the top we disgorged into the top level restaurant so that the skiers and snowboarders could access the snow easily. Dot and I had some food first, but then emerged on to some beautiful snow and walked about on it for quite a while. Surprisingly still and not too cold, especially when the sun came out.
We went back in to look round the shop, but eventually ventured outside again. Quite magical. Took the train down at 3.40pm, visited the Camera Obscura and sat outside with a hot drink, such was the improvement in the weather. This was the best time of day, and so of course everything was closing in true Scottish fashion – even the funicular.
On the way home we stopped by the loch for a while and took some photos. Think I saw an eagle in the distance. We were approached by a pair of mallards, and I gave them an apple someone had thrown away. Practically no traffic at all on the road home. Bought some food in Ballater and ate in. More than halfway through Mad Men.
Today is much different; very wet and very cold. We stayed in bed late and had a long telephone conversation with David. Didn’t venture out till close to 2pm, when we drove to Braemar and had late lunch at the Fife Arms, where Dot paid £2 for six hours of Wi-Fi and caught up with her e-mails. Then drove up the hill outside Crathie and sat in a layby reading for a while. We had hoped for a view, but there wasn’t one. Then home and got ready for evening meal with Ella and David at the Lodge on the Loch at Aboyne – a new one on us. Managed to write a couple of poems earlier in the day.
Friday, 11 May
Rather less wet this morning, but stayed in bed late anyway. Unusually our meal with Ella and David ended at a respectable hour, and we were home before 10pm. The Lodge on the Loch is an impressisve establishment opened only about four years ago and incorporating three nine-hole golf courses and regular visits from ospreys. Even in the pouring rain, the view was spectacular.
We were the only people there, apart from residents who had eaten earlier, and so got the full attention of the waitress, who I think was also the owner. I paid for initial drinks, but Ella insisted on paying for the meal, which was really nice: well cooked and presented without being spectacular. I had garlic mushrooms, steak and pavlova, and my stomach was very happy about it.
Climbing near Craig Leek: Lochnagar and other summits on the skyline
Saturday, 12 May
Rather less wet, I said. I suppose that’s true in the sense that the cold evening brightened enough for us to walk the river path and linger on the stones. But until then the only time there was no rain was when there was snow, which we encountered at a lower level than ever before, on the Ballater-Corgarff road and on the scenic road between Gairnshiel Bridge and Crathie.
The ground was too warm for it to lie there (although the air temperature hit 0C at one point), but it was lying beside the road in some quantity on the Lecht. We sat in the log cabin and watched it sweep across the little cemetery while I ate lentil soup and egg sandwiches, and Dot had maple syrup and bacon with pancakes, followed by ice cream. I bought a shirt (of course), and Dot a wallet.
Today was a totally different kettle of fish. It dawned bright and blue, and we decided to go through with our tentative plan for a walk near Craig Leek, close to Keilloch. We made the mistake of starting from a layby near the turn to Aberarder, following a walk in one of our books. I hadn’t studied it carefully enough and thought it was about five miles, but an extension up the shoulder of Craig Leek – by far the best bit of the walk – added a couple of miles, and as this is Scotland, that added up to eight.
It was warmer than recently, but there was still a chilly wind against us most of the way out and it strengthened as we climbed towards Am Bealach. So it was quite hard going – but the views towards snowy Lochnagar were spectacular. On the walk back there was plenty of standing water to circumnavigate, and by the time we reached the road I was feeling pretty tired.
On our return to Ballater a hot bath eased our limbs somewhat so that we managed to stagger to the Green Inn for our customary appointment with culinary excellence. Top-class meal with an exceptional chocolate dessert that had won a national competition. Also great ambience, and a nice chat with the owner, who remembers us from previous years but lets us in anyway.
Monday, 14 May
Yesterday was mainly dry but very windy, and we were blown along into a totally different time zone – otherwise known as the local church, which has galloped into the 20th century (the 21st would be a step too far) by switching to Mission Praise, but still chooses all the oldest hymns from it. There is no danger of any surprises here, but there is something nostalgic about it. I’m not sure this is what one should look for in a church. They are very friendly, which is.
Afterwards we had tea and scones at a new coffee shop on the main street – Rock Salt Cafe – and bought a couple of other things before returning home, where we attempted a bit of washing. This turned out to be a mistake, as someone had disconnected the drain pipe, and the floor and cupboard soon had water flowing over them. We managed to limit the damage by mopping up with towels, and I worked out how to reconnect the drain pipe. We risked rinsing what we had in the machine, and everything including the towels was hung out to dry in the very brisk wind.
Obviously we deserved fish and chips after that, so we had an early supper, and then drove out to park and read. We quickly located the nearest heavy rain (on the Corgarff road), stopped for a while, then had a rethink and returned to our favourite riverside spot on the South Deeside road, where it was almost dry, apart from the river. Back at home later we finished Series Two of Mad Men, which leaves us without a DVD to watch tonight. Will we find one? Watch this space.
OK, that’s enough space-watching. Yes, we did find one, after much searching: it turned out that the internet cafe in Ballater had a four-for-£10 offer and was open late, so we ended up with four films – the first of which, Source Code, was very good indeed.
Earlier in the day we drove to Linn of Quoich and after waiting for the rain to stop walked upstream for a while, then climbed up on to the moor and meandered back. Huge amount of water in the stream and quite a lot falling from the sky as we got back to the car. Very showery day altogether.
We called in for late lunch at the Fife Arms, and Dot checked her e-mails again, finding one from Barbara M that was four days old. Drove back to Ballater, picked up the DVDs and, as it was sunny, drove up towards Glen Muick to park and read. After I finished my book, Cairngorm John (about mountain rescues) we decided to walk and drive instead: Dot walked for ten minutes; I caught her up and then I walked for ten minutes. Amazing how far you can get in ten minutes. We ended up near the Falls of Muick and walked down to get a closer look. As we got back to the car it started to rain, and as the road entered the open glen, it started hailing. It was that sort of day.
On the plus side, the house feels much warmer, and we saw a woodpecker on a tree. We have also realised, in case I fail to mention it elsewhere, that you can actually see the top of Lochnagar from the garden. Took us 20 years to notice that, but to be fair they are cutting down trees in Greystones.
Dot on Perkin's Moss. He didn't seem to mind.
Tuesday 15 May
Mainly dry today, and sunny too: but a bitterly cold wind developed during the day. Our first outing, three and a half miles on the Muir of Dinnit, was extremely pleasant, taking in an area of bog called Perkin’s Moss, where a boardwalk has been erected. After that we walked on down to the loch but abandoned the circumnavigation because Dot was hungry.
Instead we drove round “the other way” to the log cabin and had a bite before driving up to the start of the path down to the bridge where we took David and the children. We walked down and back, but the wind had become really icy, and we were glad to reach the car, especially as there was snow in the air. Coldest I’ve been so far.
Parked again on road above Crathie: Dot read, and I wrote a poem. Then we drove into Ballater, and I bought a newspaper and a birthday card for David Coomes. Later we walked to La Maggiatore for a very nice Italian meal, then rounded the evening off by watching The House of Flying Daggers – some rather special effects.
The Cairnwell as we drove past
Thursday, 17 May
We leave today – and it’s snowing. Not lying, but a steady downfall of snowflakes from a leaden sky. Yesterday was rather better, though still very cold in the wind later on. In the morning I climbed Craigendarroch by a different route, following the circular path into the Pass of Ballater first. Dot was in town shopping, and I could see her (and she me) from the top. Descended by a new route on the timeshare side that proved very quick.
Did some packing and sorting out, and a man came to read the meter. After a quick lunch drove into Glen Muick, where we walked the archaeological route near the Spittal. Very pleasant at first, but got cold as the wind hit us higher up. Hung around the ranger’s place for a while, then returned to Ballater for petrol.
Evening meal was at the Glen Lui – a fitting conclusion featuring venison and prosecco, plus the usual great view out on to the golf course. Afterwards we watched Passion in Mind, a very clever but ultimately slightly confusing story about a woman (Demi Moore) who couldn’t distinguish between her dream life and reality.
It’s now 9pm, and we’re in the Premier Inn at Newcastle (Team Valley), seventh floor. As we left Deeside, even the lower hills were covered with snow, and in Glen Shee the snow was everywhere, and we took several pictures. Stopped at the pottery place and visitor centre between Glen Shee and Perth and had tea/coffee and a scone. They’ve made an attractive place of what used to be just a pottery shop about ten years ago (or more). Nice people.
We stopped again at Kinross services (a former haunt) and then headed for the A1 via the Forth Bridge and the Edinburgh bypass – all in pouring rain. I was reminded again why we now use the longer western route: many stretches of single carriageway between Berwick and Newcastle, and huge numbers of speed cameras. Not that the latter came into play much, because we were in a long, slow-moving queue behind a giant crane much of the time. Coming after the 40mph stretches of motorway around Edinburgh (for minimal work being done), this left us more than a little frustrated.
Still, the Premier Inn was easy to find and is very pleasant. Good value for £23 a night (booked in advance, non-cancellable), and an extremely helpful receptionist. It also seems to have stopped raining.
Friday, 18 May
David’s 40th birthday. Texted him when I woke up (just after 8am) to find he was already at school waiting to take Amy in. We had a good breakfast, and I got some cash out of a nearby machine, and after filling the car with petrol Dot drove south. Traffic was fairly heavy all day, but there were no hold-ups. We switched drivers at Ferrybridge services at the M62 junction (not the most convenient), and our next stop was at Peterborough services – new ones at the start of the motorway section and horrendously busy.
Still we ate a little, called David and then decided to pull in at Folksworth, where we found the grave of what I think were my great-great-grandfather William and his wife, and that of his father, George, and wife too. Both wives called Sarah. A few more Lentons located in nearby Yaxley cemetery, but didn’t stay long enough to search thoroughly.
Reached David’s at about 4pm and went in. He was picking up the children from school, so we made a cup of tea. They arrived at around 4.30pm, full of beans. Gave David his presents and some money, and played football in the garden for a while (after I’d had a brief snooze). Oliver a good footballer, and he won a race today too.
He’s making great progress with the Harry Potter books, and Amy is also a good reader. They also had presents from Scotland, and some Easter ones from Birgit’s brother and his wife.
Had a birthday tea of Thai food and champagne.
Sunday, 20 May
Great day yesterday. It stayed dry, although it was not as sunny as it might have been. Dot and I (mainly Dot) prepared the contents of a couple of salad dishes which David completed in his usual expert style when he returned from taking the children swimming.
Really nice food for the party. The Coomes arrived at about 12.30, and Tim and Liz with their children, Lawrence and Heather, a bit later. Games included much Wii activity, Harry Potter Cluedo and plenty of football, both in the garden and at the nearby park. Liz is a primary teacher and gardening expert; Tim used to work with Vicky.
After they all left we wasted an evening watching Bayern Munich contrive to lose to Chelsea after squandering a multitude of opportunities and missing a penalty in extra time. So Spurs not in Champions’ League. Slept badly.
Low quality iPhone pic of grandchildren enjoying sharing their grandmother's bed
Yes, I did get to the doctor’s in time, but I rather wish I hadn’t. I was persuaded that my blood pressure is indeed very high, and I am now on a pill a day, which sounds like the first step to more pills. Before seeing the doctor I felt fine. Now I feel tired and stressed. Perhaps my body knows best what pressure to pump my blood through at.
While we were there Dot took the opportunity to mention a lump that has appeared in her groin – I say “appeared”, but it’s been there for years: it’s just suddenly turned ugly. Apparently it has become infected; so she has antibiotics and hopefully it’s now turned the corner. It got boil-like, and she now has a dressing from the pharmacist for it. Eventually she will see another doctor, and it may have to be removed.
The car bill was indeed ginormous. All sorts of large figures are now lurking on our Goldfish card, waiting to pounce. However, the house is nearly finished. Today Gary is here, relocating Dot’s part of the study back where it started, so that she will be sharing with me. I hope he will also have a look at the attic door, which seems a mite insecure. Dot is off on the road to Cromer, where she’s meeting Maggie Broad for lunch before visiting a school at Overstrand – just the start of a busy week for her.
On Thursday last week we left early and picked up Oliver and Amy, who stayed with us until Sunday morning. On the way back to Norwich we stopped at Elveden and had a really nice snack. Amy spent much of the time here in Norwich organising small-bowl starters for meals, but we did manage to fit in a few games of Cluedo, at which Oliver is supreme (really) and some lotto too. We also saw A Monster in Paris at the cinema, which everyone enjoyed. Nice that the children now like cinema and theatre. They were lovely as usual: we even managed to form a band at one point which didn’t sound too bad, considering. Oliver wanted to put it on YouTube, but this was resisted for contractual reasons.
On Saturday David joined us for lunch at Prezzo’s. Most of us (especially the children) were feeling very tired, and we only managed a main course, but Amy brought out her starters again for tea. The three of them returned home early yesterday, as I left for church; Dot followed on in time to practice. After the service (Communion) Phil, Dot and I practised the songs that we hope to play next Sunday at the Seagull.
After a rather rushed lunch I hastened out to Poringland to have a chat with Philip R about an upcoming medical event. Pretty much collapsed at home afterwards: well, not quite. But there was an element of tiredness. The weather has been very cold for the last two days. It was soggy on Saturday, when Norwich City did their usual trick of exiting the FA Cup when given a good opportunity against a team from a lower division (1-2 to Leicester). Dot has purchased a quarter of a season ticket for next season from Jonathan. No-one (except possibly Jonathan) really knows what this means.
A less than brilliant picture of Dot and Kristine crossing London Bridge in late afternoon
Surprisingly, I finished Amy’s story shortly after my last post: it all came to me in a flash, just before Tuesday Group. I posted it off the next day, together with the last Little story in booklet form. I’ve also managed to write nearly two poems for Ian Fosten, so things are looking up. However, I’ve not been feeling good for a while: intermittent bursts of feeling quite peculiar, involving head and stomach and chills. Have managed to keep going with paracetamol, and much of the time I’m OK. But it keeps coming back. Not for long, I hope.
Happily Dot’s dizziness has gone. We suspect that the doctor got rid of it when she did the famous manoeuvre early last week. When Dot returned on Friday, she did it again and found that the revealing eye-fluttering had gone and she was OK – just in time for a full weekend, that started with a meal at the Robinsons in their shiny new reconstructed house.
I see I have got all out of order here. Back to Wednesday, when we had our hair done and I went to the dentist for a filling, then headed straight to Jessie’s with Dot. Last of the mince pies – or so I thought. The following day we depended on the weather forecast and were rewarded. Despite a heavy grey sky and some rain we drove to Bodham, where we had a drink at the Red Hart before heading off across the fields to Baconsthorpe Castle on one of the Coast Partnership’s trial walks. The sky quickly cleared and became bright blue, which compensated for the chill in the air.
At the castle we managed to go wrong – mainly because we’d been there before and didn’t read the directions very carefully. We reached the village by the wrong path and headed into uncharted territory – uncharted by us or the Coast Partnership, that is. We couldn’t make sense of the instructions, but relied on our sense of direction and found an alternative footpath that took us back to the castle, where it became apparent what had happened. Now on the right track, we proceeded wearily back to Bodham – 5-6 miles in all.
We spent the weekend with David and Kristine, arriving just before noon at Leyton after a smooth journey. Kristine produced a delicious Spanish crumble with chorizo sausages that would probably have been enough for the rest of the day; however, we went to Baharat Indian restaurant in the evening and had another large meal. In between, we took the tube to Bank, discovered the Northern Line was shut and spent some time walking in Bank station before we could find the way out on to the street. (Several other people were having the same problem – signs were hopeless.) Eventually we made it out and walked past Monument and across London Bridge before visiting a bookstore near David’s office.
Lovely area of London that we hadn’t visited before. We proceeded on to Tower Bridge and had tea/coffee in a busy place much frequented by David before heading for home by crossing Tower Bridge and catching the tube outside the Tower of London. Lovely day, and a beautiful, busy evening. Didn’t sleep all that well, however.
The next day we drove up to Spellbrook Three Horseshoes and experienced the slowest service anywhere in the world (possibly). Arriving just before 1pm, we met Phil, Jane, Lydia and Alistair, and then David, who had driven up from Caddington. It reached 2.30pm before our main course was served. We abandoned the potential dessert and drove to Phil Coomes’ house for Christmas cake and mince pie.
Today was Frank Mason’s funeral, and David had another long drive to arrive in good time to get to St Faith’s Crematorium with us. Nice service: afterwards most of the attendees joined Jessie and Roger at Elm Tree Farm for refreshments. Teresa was there, as were all the usual suspects. Afterwards we drove David back to ours for his return journey before joining Jessie and Liz at Roger’s for a chat and the odd drink. Later Liz left for another appointment (her daughter’s birthday celebration, I think), and the four of us ended up at Oaklands Hotel for a carvery. That wasn’t our intention, but the “proper” restaurant opened an hour later than its website promised. Nice rhubarb crumble to finish. Pretty tired now.
A breathless week or so, leaving me too busy to keep up to date. David and the grandchildren have been with us since teatime on Tuesday, and David has been very unwell with a heavy cold. Happily the rest of us have been OK, and Oliver and Amy have been exemplary. Yesterday we went shopping in the morning for clothes and did the grand tour in the afternoon, starting at Jessie’s, then moving on to the cemetery, Auntie Sheila’s and Rosie’s. Real pleasure to be with the children, who showed lots of interest in the conversation and were very patient. Amy slightly disappointed that the dogs were not to hand at Rosie’s (they had been bad dogs and were being “punished”) but happy to talk about them and where they slept.
Today the weather is a bit better (mild and dry) and we have been to see Auntie Ethel. Oliver has just taken some photographs for a quiz he’s compiling, and I’ve printed them out for him. We’ve also been to the Puppet Theatre to see Red Riding Hood – very impressive, especially when one of the two puppeteers handled two puppets simultaneously and also did quite different voices with them at considerable speed. And almost as impressive as my running off another quiz for Amy after we returned home, via the Cathedral.
Several noteworthy events since my last post: on Wednesday last week we had lunch with the Kibbles at Prezzo’s, and they came back here for coffee. Dot had to dash off to one of her schools, so I had to keep them entertained with stories of my life. I’m not sure “entertained” is the right word. On the Friday was the Archant pensioners’ Christmas lunch extravaganza, but first we had to locate a unit on the Hellesdon industrial estate to obtain some Gift Aid envelopes. Mission accomplished just in time, Dot dropped me at the airport Holiday Inn for the lunch and social gathering. Johnny Hustler gave quite a good speech, given that I dislike him, and the food was passable, given that they were catering for about 150. Yompers Bruce and Robin were present, but I sat with Frances and Val, plus organiser Debbie and her sidekick Melissa, or possibly Merissa, who gave me an extra couple of goodie bags to avoid having to return them to the office. Dot picked me up just before 3pm.
The next day we were at the Higbees for a delightful evening meal with their friend Heather, whose husband Graham had been delayed on an oil rig. And Sunday, of course, was the big event of the winter: St Augustine’s Christmas service, communion and lunch. I had written the service and led it – quite a lot of work, but happily everyone appreciated it, and I got a very kind note from Howard afterwards. Nice meal, to which everyone contributed, and Matthew was back from Palestine and still working on the PA system. I put up notices on the hall gates to say they’d be locked on Christmas Day. Now I have to remember to unlock them ready for Boxing Day. One of the notices had vanished when I visited the hall a couple of days later to read the electricity meter. No surprise there.
Have been having quite a lot of trouble over hall bookings – specifically arranging to meet the person who organises it. Happily she has decided the job is too much for her, and a new regime will start in the new year. Result.
Started the week by picking up my oversized trophy for winning the second division Dons chess tournament last year. I had forgotten about it until Greg said it was waiting for me, and this seemed an opportune week to get it from the club, so that I could impress my grandchildren. It worked quite well, which is what is nice about grandchildren – especially ours, of course.
I seem to remember a short intervention by the piano tuner on Tuesday, but the next major event was driving down to Caddington on Wednesday to see David and the grandchildren. We stayed overnight after having a go on Oliver’s new Scalextric, then brought Oliver and Amy back to Norwich on Thursday. We called at Waitrose and then Auntie Ethel’s, then had lunch before going to the Puppet Theatre. Not exactly what I had expected (a puppet show), but some superb storytelling by the Storybox Theatre’s Rod Burnett. Ok, there were a few puppets involved, but not the traditional kind. It was called The Pea, the Bean and the Enormous Turnip, and the children loved it. I was impressed too. Afterwards Oliver (with a little help from Amy) created his own show with some impressive scene changes and lighting, not to mention script. At last – a used wine box with a useful function.
Yesterday we took the children up to John Lewis’s for clothes shopping. Amy bought a lovely fairy princess dress (part of her birthday present) and some shoes, among other things. Oliver said he wanted an electric guitar for Christmas. Hmmm. Afterwards we ate in the cafeteria, and Dot spilled quite a lot of milk, but did not break anything. In the evening at Prezzo’s, after David arrived, the waitress broke a glass quite spectacularly, but didn’t spill anything. Hope they never get together. In between these two events, the children – with help from Dot – created spectacular dens in the garden.
Today David and the children left early to travel north and meet Vicky at the Leicester East services on the M1, from where the children would travel on to a Hallowe’en party at Nottingham, with David returning to Caddington. Dot and I had our hair cut by Linda and listened to Norwich City getting a last-gasp draw with Blackburn at Carrow Road (3-3).
A squirrel performs acrobatics to reach our peanuts
Pretty quiet Easter, really – partly because Dot was recovering from some kind of respiratory tract problem (cold, or allergy) and was less energetic than usual. I had intended to go to the Maundy Thursday service at St Luke’s but in the end, typically, didn’t. The weather was very warm until today, when a cold wind brought the temperature down, but not low enough to be unpleasant. On Good Friday, after food shopping, we took some flowers up to the Rosary and then some more to the cemetery at North Walsham. Following that we called in at Jessie’s for a cup of tea, and I managed to break something in her cistern, giving rise to a flood of puns on Facebook.
On Saturday David drove up and met Dot at Ethel’s while I cooked roast beef, which we enjoyed later on, followed by Dr Who, which continues to be remarkable. Sunday was a very busy day: I led the Communion service, which attracted a mammoth nine people, including me, the preacher (John Easton) and the music group (Dot and Phil). Felt good, though. Dot and I were slightly late for the traditional family meal at the Red Lion in Eaton, but not enough to make any difference. Always good food there, and nice to see the German side of the family (Birgit, Joe, Ilona, Elfrida). Afterwards David drove off home to Caddington – the children had been in Ireland with Vicky, and it was nice to see David on his own for a change – and Dot and I had a brief break at home before heading for the Seagull Theatre, Lowestoft, for another evening of poetry and song. Ian Fosten was on good form.
Today I spent some time in the garden, cutting down some stuff that was spreading far too quickly, and in the process removing some rose branches that Dot had apparently been trying to train over on to the trellis. Ho, hum. On the whole, a satisfactory hour or two, especially as I managed to resurrect the church’s Easter candle (see what I did there?). The wick had been unlightable, but I managed to cut the wax back and restore it to a healthy state. Sometimes my practicality amazes me.
While this was going on, Norwich City – who despite my pessimism had beaten Ipswich 5-1 last week – also came back from the dead to beat Derby 3-2 with a goal in the 95th minute, triggering incredible scenes at Carrow Road and in our garden, where Dot was listening to the radio and talking to Anne, who spent a couple of hours with us while Philip was at the match.
Have finished another couple of books: Orchid Blue, by Eoin McNamee, which is about the dubious conviction of a young man for murder in Northern Ireland – poetically and beautifully written, but suffering from the disadvantage that it was a true story and thus deprived of any satisfying twist in the tail; and The Song Before it is Sung, by Justin Cartwright, which is also based on true history but manages to introduce enough fictional content to give it the necessary uncertainty – again, beautifully written and containing some fascinating ideas about different reactions to the horrors that life sometimes throws at us (in this case, Hitler). Conjured up place and period in stunning fashion.
