Tag Archives: Ed

Money, money, walking

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At last everything seems in order for our holiday in Florida. This morning I had to fill in an application for all five of us for a visa waiver. Needless to say, this went wrong in the middle and I had to get back in to complete it, but with help from David it all worked out. I also checked the seat reservations, and they are all OK – even the American Airlines ones.

Looking up the river towards Foundry Bridge, it seems more like late winter than early spring.
Looking up the river towards Foundry Bridge yesterday, it seems more like late winter than early spring.

I’ve spent quite a long time at my desk this week, working mainly on church-related stuff. I’ve written a sermon and chosen some hymns, but mainly I’ve been working on money matters. At the PCC on Monday it was revealed that we had been left quite a large sum of money and given quite a lot more; nevertheless everyone was keen to go ahead with a Paying Our Way day when the Bishop visits at the end of May, which seems to me like flying in the face of the evidence. I eventually mentioned this to Howard, who sees what I mean. Ho hum. I decided not to speak to Nicholas about it, because I don’t want to deflate him!

Part of the church money business did involve some exercise, because I had to go to the bank in Magdalen Street to sign a form and show some identity, then on to the Vicarage in Aylsham Road to get Nicholas to sign come cheques. I then delivered three of the cheques – in Sussex Street, St Giles and King Street – as well as calling in at Howard’s in case he was there to received the new account material. But he wasn’t.

All this amounted to nearly five miles of  walking, and I have done quite a lot elsewhere too, so I’m on target for a record week. Of course I haven’t done any today yet…

We resumed our cinema visiting on Tuesday, seeing Labor Day, which wasn’t well reviewed but which we both enjoyed. In the evening we had a visit from Ed, who stayed for a chat and a cup of tea, and last night another former St Augustine’s friend, Heather Cracknell, called in after I caught her trying to find somewhere to park and lent her a permit. She was going to Prezzo’s with some colleagues, but afterwards she called in and had a drink and quite a long chat, which was nice. Rhianna is about Oliver’s age and like him is preparing for high school. Hard to believe.

Meanwhile I visited the dentist again yesterday and was reassured that the work he’d done last week was OK. He also gave me some antibiotics to take on holiday, just in case (after I asked for them). So that’s reassuring. In the evening I recorded five songs in case Phil wants to do them for the Seagull next time, whenever that is. I’ve also written a few poems, so that can’t be bad.

Wasting police time

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Oliver and Nana
Oliver and Nana in close conversation at Caddington

The day is almost upon us. Dot has disappeared into the city for what I thought was a short visit. Apparently not. It’s quite warm today, and after a lot more rain yesterday, it’s been dry so far. I have just finished my packing, though I expect much of it will be repacked or rearranged by Dot. My packing standards are not very high. Ed came round earlier to transfer some wedding photos on to an external hard drive, which seemed to work, though there was a bit of a problem with opening some files.

Dot is back now after purchasing a new handbag (very nice) and some make-up. Yesterday I went to Sutton School to retrieve a bag she’d left there. Pleasant enough drive until I got back to Norwich, when it started raining very hard. Hard to avoid heavy drops when I picked up my jacket from the cleaners. In the evening Dot stayed at home to entertain Anne, and I took two very heavy people to a Tuesday Group meeting at the Archers’. Lovely meal by Bridget.

After dropping my passengers off on the way home I had what must be considered a fortunate escape on the Anglia Square flyover. I was held up by another car and as we came over the top I saw police ahead, one of whom had a radar gun. While relieved, I find the whole situation really annoying. This was a dual carriageway flyover, not accessible to pedestrians, late evening, no-one around, and a limit of 30mph. So no safety element: just money-making – assuming they were fining people. If not, or even if they were, they should be doing themselves for wasting police time.

Had fish and chips for lunch. While I was waiting for the plaice to be cooked, a guy who was delivering to the shop asked me if I was still playing chess. Apparently he had been a member of the Sprowston High team under the tutorship of Graham Wright some 30 years ago. And he remembered my name! I must not be ageing too badly.

Checked in for our flight early this morning. It only remains now to book the taxi and get to the airport on time tomorrow morning. What can possibly go wrong? Don’t know, but somehow I always think something will. Flying in the face of reason, I think they call it.

Mother marries son in Norwich

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Ed and Jen
Mr and Mrs Reed exit the church after the ceremony

Busy time since I last posted. Failed to find anyone to accommodate Riding Lights actors, but it turned out not to matter: other avenues had yielded fruit. I’m not particularly good at persuading people to do things that they might find onerous, though when we put up Nigel Forde +1 in 1984 it was actually a lot of fun. Long time ago … the year I became chief sub on the Eastern Daily Press, and the year we moved to Aspland Road, making commuting so much easier for both me and David – walking to work and school respectively.

Rang up hospital this morning to inquire about Andrew, and he seems to be doing suspiciously well. No date yet for discharge, but I also spoke to The Langleys, and they are happy to have him back there, which would be nice, since we have his room nicely set up now.

I had a hearing test at Boots last Tuesday (free offer) and discovered my hearing was pretty much OK, though not perfect. – ie good for someone who’s about to get an old age pension! Have been trying to keep walking, though the weather has been very mixed. I managed a walk back to Eaton from Hethersett when Dot dropped me off there on Thursday (about four miles) and another walk back from Bally yesterday (2½).

The weather was excellent on Friday for the Paston reception to launch their plans for the church extension. We took Howard and Anna, who were impressed. Howard spent a lot of time reading the carvings in the church, and Lucy showed them The Book. Anna is keen to get it into a Castle Museum exhibition, tied in with Paston stuff they already have. The Paston Heritage Society people (Jo, Brigitte et al) were there in 21st century clothes, which was a bit disconcerting. They are usually in costume. When we emerged quite late from the church the sky was still blue, and the whole setting glorious.

By the next day, a complete change. As we arrived for Ed and Jenny’s wedding at Christ Church, New Catton, the lead-grey skies started spitting rain, and by the end of the service it was tipping down, which rather destroyed any chance of official photographs, though I took some informal ones. The formal ones were taken in a marquee after the wedding breakfast at Mannington Hall – a superb setting, even in the rain. The food was high quality, as were the speeches – some of the best I’ve heard. The wedding itself was unusual in that Ed’s mother married him: or to clarify slightly, the couple were married by the Rev Liz Cannon, Ed’s mother, who coincidentally Dot and I know from way, way back. Other friends present: David and Bridget, Vicky (with husband and daughter, very briefly), Tim Mace and Peter Pyke, a former member of our Tuesday group. At our table, with the Archers, were Liz’s sister Christina Potter and her husband Melford. Discovered they holiday frequently on Sanibel, but weren’t able to talk much about it, because it emerged as we were leaving the tables and moving into the bar area for the cake cutting. The cake, incidentally, was strikingly original: a creamy confection on top, with clusters of fairy cakes below.

On Sunday I was responsible for the sermon, and in the evening we invited some people round from church: as one of them was a vegetarian, another could not eat gluten or dairy and the third was a child, this was a bit of a challenge, but Dot surmounted it in her usual efficient fashion. Spent quite a bit of time helping the girl (a very bright six-year-old) to learn chess – at the instigation of her father.

Yesterday we went out for a meal with friends we met in Egypt but who go to St Luke’s. Spent most of the evening telling each other our life histories, which was surprisingly interesting. Earlier in the day we had been to Bally to pick up the picture I’d bought from Martin Laurance. We arrived at the same time as the Archers, who I suspect are stalking us. Introduced them to Annette, and when we left Bridget was considering buying a picture from her. Chatted to Annette, Martin and Rupert, and ran into Dot’s friend Maggie and her husband Malcolm. Now about to go to hear Caroline read poetry and sing in a church in St Benedict’s.

Getting together

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Ed cuts the cake, with his fiancee Jenny taking a keen interest, and Dot in the background
Ed cuts the cake, with his fiancee Jenny taking a keen interest, and Dot in the background

Dot is in the garden, filling the brown bin. I’ve been in the city paying in the odd cheque – specifically one to cover payment of our roof work. Barclays inform me this cheque will not be cleared till Tuesday, which seems ridiculous. Still, I’ve discovered that I can pay the entire bill without a horrendous penalty, so by this time next week it should all be done and dusted. I hate having large sums hanging over me – unless they fall into my lap, of course. But you can never rest: I have booked a hotel in Venice for next June, and am about to start looking at flights to and from Toronto for February/March.

One of my former colleagues at Archant – Julia Carter – has just died. She had had cancer for a while, and I’d visited her some time ago in Aylsham hospital. Last saw her at the BUPA hospital in July when I was in for my third operation. She was walking past and seemed in good spirits. Apparently she died in her sleep after her most recent session of chemotherapy and a blood transfusion. The funeral is in a couple of weeks, and I shall be there, barring accidents. I heard about it from Yarmouth reporter Stephen Pullinger on Monday evening: his team was playing our B team at the Gas Club, and I was waiting vainly for another player to play a knockout game. I emailed Martin Throssell, who already knew, and I have since been rung up by both Ivor Harvey and Bernadette. Meanwhile Lucy had a bad reaction to her chemotherapy and had to be rushed back into hospital with a lot of pain from a sinus infection. She is now home, but very weak. On the bright side her white cell count is dramatically down, from 50 to 4. Which is good, I understand.

On another bright note, two of our friends have got engaged – Ed Reed and Jenny Weston. Ed has been coming to our Tuesday Group for a long time and has been going out with Jenny for a while now. Bridget brought a cake and we had a celebration last night.

On Sunday Dot and I went to Cromer because it was such a nice afternoon. We had a stroll on the beach and on the pier: very warm and relaxing couple of hours. In the evening we had an Ambient Wonder social gathering at the Workshop cafe bar on Earlham Road, which turned out to be very pleasant. Had a long chat with Annie and her ex-boyfriend John, as well as with Anna, Paul and Heather. Annie is going to Haiti to do some health work, and we said we’d be interested in giving her some support. Dot already has ideas of going there.

On Monday we drove to Metfield for a P4C meeting with Barbara, and while they discussed various esoteric possibilities I wrote a couple of stories intended for their assemblies folder. Pretty pleased with them. Helped Caroline a little with an arts proposal which Lucy instigated but was too ill to complete. The idea is to extend the Paston project into new areas, mainly outside. Have finished a self-imposed course of antibiotics and am feeling quite a lot better. There’s a robin in the garden which comes up close to Dot when she’s working: lots of birds in the hedge, and I spend a bit of time watching them. Much more valuable than most of the things I spend time doing.