Happily, Linda did turn up and we had our hair cut. Pretty exciting. The next day we drove down to Burston to have a very nice lunch with artists Annette and Mike: excellent bread cooked by Mike, among other tasty things. It was a bit of a rush, as we then had to drive into Diss to see their shop – Designermakers21 – before racing back to Brooke, where Dot had to attend a feedback session at the school, earlier than expected at 3pm.
The shop was impressive though a little chilly, and Dot bought a cushion and candle shade. It was even colder outside. We dropped Mike off at his home and then Dot drove up to Brooke, arriving about eight minutes late, but only a minute or two after they’d actually started. However, she was in such a hurry that she left the car with me right outside the school gates, forgetting that I had had wine for lunch. Magically, I managed to park it without committing an offence.
On Friday Dot was out much of the day, but returned in time to greet the Hendersons at about 6.30pm. We had a drink, then supper at Prezzo’s, which we finished just in time, as Maryta walked out in protest at the language from an adjoining stag do. They came back to ours for coffee.
Yesterday I walked Dot to Carrow Road, where she was disappointed to see Norwich City lose to Brentford (1-2) and afraid of being labelled a bad-luck charm. She has certainly not been fortunate in the matches she’s seen this season. She now has to decide whether to continue to have a season ticket next year.
The day was not spoiled, however, as we then travelled to the Banningham Crown for an excellent meal with Roger and Jessie. The pub has been much extended, with new car parking and paths, and the staff are as pleasant and welcoming as ever. The pump where Dot’s mum used to sit and eat crisps in the 1920s while her father was in the pub is now incorporated in extra eating space, where we happened to sit. I had Guinness and steak pie, followed by a superb pavlova, which had a predictable effect when I went to bed, and made for an uncomfortable night. Lovely evening, though.
Today is slightly milder, but not a huge amount. I took the morning service, with Howard preaching, and we had four children present: Beatrice and Benjamin, with their mother Ruth; and Amy and George, with their mother Vicky and her mother Helen, down from Yorkshire. All good. We had thought of going for a walk this afternoon, but in the end it didn’t happen.
