Monday 24th June 2024

Woke at 0830. Got up and porridged. Slung a packed lunch together. Headed off in the car to mop up some Peabody stock inspections. First stop was Marylebone...had to find somewhere to park, then walk down Lisson Grove. Stopped off at Pret a Manger in Marylebone railway station. Then headed west to White City, before dropping south to Fulham, then double-backed to North Acton. Stopped off at Tesco on the A4 near Earls Court and did a little food shopping. Ate my lunch in the car park there. Ended the working day in Bedfont, near Heathrow Airport, then drove home through slow traffic. Aki had warmed up the Toulouse sausage and butter bean cassoulet for dinner, which we had with orzo and vegetables, then we walked up to Hanley Road for gospel choir rehearsal. Rather a low turnout this evening...presumably half of them were out sunbathing or something! Only three tenors turned up! Walked home to catch the second half of the Croatia v Italy game...the Italians were lucky not to go out, salvaging a 1-1 draw in the last minute of injury time...it's never over til it's over! 

Sunday 23rd June 2024

Aki up early to ready herself for Rowing Club. I read in bed for a bit...finished off Dickens' "The Chimes". Got up for a cooked breakfast. Aki cycled off. Lovely summer's day, so walked up Highgate Hill for a coffee from Gail's. Sat in Waterlow Park to drink it before wandering back down the hill to M&S. Couldn't find any leeks, so ended up in Morrisons. Came home and watched the back end of the Queen's Club final between Paul & Musetti...Tommy Paul won, and looks in good shape for Wimbledon. Cooked a sausage and butter bean cassoulet to put by for emergencies during the coming week. FaceTimed Kath who was at High View cooking dinner for mum, dad, Jim, and Emma. Everyone seemed in good fettle beneath a cloudless blue sky. Cooked a chicken traybake, with mango, rice and kidney beans for dinner, which we ate before the Scotland v Hungary game kicked off...a must win for both teams. Scotland never really looked like scoring, Hungary stealing a last gasp winner.

Saturday 22nd June 2024

Woke around 0900. Aki got up and made tea, then cycled off to buy bread from Yerbury Farmer's Market, while I vacuumed. She brought back some of Roberto's tomato and onion focaccia, which we ate with our egg and halloumi brunch. Took a walk down to Highbury, and from thence onto Essex Road to visit our fishmonger. Walked back via the butcher. It threatened to rain for most of the walk, but fortunately held off. Got home in time to catch the second half of the Georgia v Czechia game...astonished to find the Georgians 1-0 up, but it didn't last. Flicked between tennis from Queen's and the Turkey v Portugal game. Aki prepared a little Japanese style banquet for dinner, then watched the Belgians defeat the plucky Romanians. 

Friday 21st June 2024

Woke late. Aki got up and made tea. I rose around 1015. Porridged at the computer. Broke for lunch. Watched a bit of Euro footie...Ukraine came back from a one goal deficit to beat Slovakia 2-1...great stuff. We ventured out for an afternoon walk in the sunshine... wandered down to Highbury Fields, and popped in at Waitrose on the return leg. Made an aubergine parmigiana lasagna for dinner. Watched France and The Nederlands fight out a rather disappointing goalless draw before bath and bed...

Thursday 20th June 2024

Woke late, around 0900. Some vivid dreams last night...including watching a car reverse into mine on Sussex Way, damaging the registration plate. Aki brought me a tea. Got up and porridged at the computer. Worked through until lunch time. Slung lunch together. Watched the Serbia v Slovenia game. Tony texted to say he wouldn't be able to join us for summat to eat before the show this evening, so we decided to eat at home...which meant we got to watch the first half of England's game against Denmark. We got off to a good start, Harry Kane poking the ball in from 6 yards, but then became too passive, allowing a long-range shot to go in for Denmark...we had our dinner at half-time, then headed for the Southbank. Warm evening...very warm down in the tube station at Finsbury Park. Got out at Embankment and strolled across the Hungerford footbridge. Tony had gotten us great seats in row F of the stalls in the Lyttleton. I really enjoyed the first half...Dickens' long novel was expertly filleted by Ben Power, and I enjoyed P J Harvey's songs, but the lyrics got lost beneath the sounds of the small on-stage backing band. The lighting rig became part of the action, rows of lamps being lowered and raised in waves to suggest the tidal waters of the Thames...and bodies were fished out or fell in to the pit every now and then, accompanied by a splash sound effect. Managed to say hello to Tony at the interval, but he had to rush off to catch the Hastings train...as usual, he only audio describes the first half (I didn't tell him the woman listening to his description in the seat next to mine started snoring halfway through Act I). He said audiences had been poor, and that he'd been surprised the show hadn't closed...the NT were papering the house fairly regularly. The second half wasn't as good, as the filleting meant Dickens got watered down as the tide came in, the storyline becoming increasingly stunted...and I missed some of Dickens' comic characters, notably Mrs Boffin, and the one-legged Silas Wegg...Ben Power even got to invent a character who doesn't appear in the novel. So the question in the end, was did the songs aid the adaptation or no? I think their inclusion meant a lot of storyline had to be junked, and maybe a straight textual adaptation would have been more satisfying. However, I look forward to the cast recording of P J's songs...as there were two or three crackers; and I'd get to decipher the lyrics! We walked back over the Hungerford Bridge, and then strolled through Covent Garden, picking up the No.91 bus opposite Holborn tube station. Got to bed at 0130!

Wednesday 19th June 2024

Rather fitful night's sleep...pain in my left arm, which was muted, presumably through my having been back on the amitriptyline, but I lay awake in terror that it might escalate. Must have drifted off around 0230. Woke up at 0545 worrying about the Peabody mystery that Andy G had sprung upon me last night. Got up at 0730 and made tea. Porridged. Aki readied herself for Rowing Club, and cycled off. I worked at the computer until breaking for lunch. Work meant I had to abandon plans to accompany Aki to see Gayu's Foundation Arts course exhibition in Camden Town...she headed off with Jane and Carlos from No.36. Caught some of the Croatia v Albania game...which ended in a creditable draw for the Albanians. Worked until 1700, then broke to watch the Germany v Hungary game (2-0). Started making a coq au vin for dinner during the second half...served it up with orzo and vegetables before the Scotland v Switzerland game kicked off...the Scots had turned up in numbers in Cologne, and got off to a great start, but enter Shaqiri's magical left foot to draw the Swiss level, and so it remained. 

Tuesday 18th June 2024

Woke around 0900. Aki brought me some tea and I read some Dickens. Got up and porridged. Aki working at the computer for most of the morning. I worked on some Kinks songs ahead of tonight's rehearsal. Broke for lunch, then ventured out to pick up some odds and ends in Tescos on Stroud Green Road. Walked up to Crouch Hill railway station and had a coffee in the little cafe there, then walked home. I made a pea and lemon risotto, with spelt instead of rice. Aki topped it off with some fried Oyster mushrooms...it was very tasty. Watched a bit of footie before departing for St Luke's and this evening's Vox Holloway rehearsals. I usually sit beside Johnathan, who has sung this stuff before, but he didn't turn up this evening...the blokes I sat next to were clueless! So I think I came away with more questions than answers. I walked down Parkhurst Road afterward, and dived in to the Prince Edward to catch the last ten minutes of the Portugal v Czech Republic game...the Portuguese scrambled a last gasp winner. Found an email from Andy Garratt claiming I had missed a bunch of stock off my last valuation...but the list he sent me this evening I certainly hadn't seen before. Will have to sort it out in the morning, but it looks as though some swift research will be needed!!!