Tag Archives: friends

23 August 2008

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Flashback to Brancaster Beach, with a Dot on it, at the end of last month. This week has been fairly quiet, and I’ve spent most of it at home. However, we have been without our main car, which has been in for repair, and have a courtesy car – a Kia – instead. It has mostly been standing out in the road, but we have been short distances in it – for instance we loaded it up with musical instruments and the odd amplifier on Wednesday to visit Phil Kerrison and have a rehearsal (later discovered his daughter Emily got 10 GCSEs this week – 5As and 5Bs – which strikes me as a bit excessive). Very enjoyable afternoon – we finished off doing Irish jigs, with Dot on electric violin.

Until Tuesday evening I had been feeling rather down about my condition, but after some prayers that evening with our Tuesday Group I unaccountably (!) felt much brighter on Wednesday, and this has persisted. I was supposed to have a phone conversation with the consultant on Friday, but that didn’t happen. Instead I’m seeing him next Thursday. Self-catheterisation is going OK, but my abdomen still feels decidedly odd. Probably nothing to worry about, though. I’ve decided to be very positive!

On Thursday Dot went to Park Farm and met Anne there for lunch; meanwhile I had a lunchtime visit from Sue Moore, who brought photographs of her cuddling a koala. I’m not sure about that sort of thing. She and Richard have just been to Australia (amazingly), and seemed to have an extremely cuddly time.
Today Denise and Peter called in unexpectedly with a ruby present of two rather nice looking bottles of wine, and showed us pictures of Clive’s wedding. Peter seems to be suffering quite a bit with his leg (and foot), but it was nice talking to them.

Dot went to a YFC barbecue last night, and I thought I was going to do quite a bit of work, but I didn’t. However some time during the week I did manage to put together three CDs of music – 54 songs in all – for the party. We’re planning a music quiz – fit the singer to the song! We’re now preparing to go and have a meal with June Wallace, who rang up out of the blue this morning and invited us. She lives at Beccles, so I may have to put some more petrol in the courtesy car! And I really must get down to writing my speech…

20 December 2007

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This a view from under the Humber Bridge on Hessle foreshore, taken about a month ago. I went to Hull again yesterday to assess some young journalists – stayed the night at an excellent Premier Inn with an equally good Brewer’s Fayre restaurant adjoining (chicken and leek pie). And a view of this bridge in the distance. Spent most of the evening on Tuesday catching up with newspapers and magazines I’d been meaning to read, when apparently I should have been watching Spurs beat Manchester City in the Carling Cup. It’s so hard to keep up with what’s going on.

Journey up was pretty straightforward, via the A47, Peterborough and the A1. On the way back I decided on the shortest route, over the bridge and down the A15, but at Lincoln I got fed up with the funereal progress behind crawling HGVs and veered off back to Newark and the A1. The trip was still about 12 miles shorter, but half an hour longer, not helped by a hold-up near Stamford. Because only two of the journalists were available to be assessed, I got home at teatime and spent too much time watching TV, when I should have gone out for a brisk walk. But the weather is still very cold, the air is damp, and it’s not inviting. As I write this in my study, the house is mysteriously chilly – partly because two of the radiators are half-cold. This is something I shall have to get sorted in the new year.

At the end of last week we had a couple of good evenings with friends – the first with the Greens, who are the perfect hosts, and the second at home to four other friends who we know far less well. On Sunday my drama-cum-carol service was extremely well received; a new song I wrote was even clapped! The barely rehearsed actor-readers were all pretty good, the music went well and the atmosphere was warm. It was followed by a superb meal cooked by Vicky and Jared – the sort of Christmas fare you might expect to have been cooked for three or four people rather than a roomful. Delicious.

I played in the Christmas chess event on Monday while Dot went to a leaving do for Marion at Alburgh. Wrong choice by me: I scored only 3.5 out of 8, and the leaving-do was a lot of fun, apparently. Dot gave a speech which was much appreciated. She gave it to me before she went, and I have to say it was excellent. Well, I don’t have to, but I will.

Before I went to Hull I called in at Prospect House to internally verify a portfolio for Bernadette and chatted to a couple of people, including J, who is much improved and working part-time. Tonight we are off to close friends Salmon Fillet for nibbles, and tomorrow we will be doing the North Walsham run.