Monday 7th July 2025

Woke around 0700. Grey day…had been raining overnight. Signs of water ingress to the back bedroom ceiling. Green tea and porridge for breakfast. Aki went up on the roof to clean the skylight. Got a phone call from the Whittington cancelling my July 15th op date! I’ve to phone back in August to arrange another pre-op test appointment. Sat about for most of the day watching tennis…recovering after a gruelling weekend of shows. Put a mackerel salad lunch together before settling down to watch Djokovic win through to the quarter finals. Sad sight of Dmitrov tearing a pectoral muscle when serving against Sinner, and having to retire in tears…he was two sets to the good at the time. Aubergine parmigiana lasagne and roasted cauliflower for dinner. 

Sunday 6th July 2025

Woke around 0830…got up and made green tea. Porridged on overnight oats. A bit overcast this morning…we are due some rain. Put together a packed meal to take to the theatre…salmon salad. Early lunch…chicken cacciatore and buckwheat. Drove into Stoke Newington and parked up, then sat in the cafe at Abney Park…downloaded Martin Chuzzlewit onto my phone and read some of the introductory notes. One of the Furies taken ill this morning with suspected food poisoning…our director stepped in…seamless performance…a very talented young lady!!! Geoff Hoare and his missus were in this afternoon, and we managed a quick catch up in the bar afterward. Promised to come down and visit them in Dorking. My voice playing up a bit so I excused myself and shut myself in the Meeting Room to have some food. There’s a library in there and I found three Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Operatic Society plays…basically spoofing up amateur theatre…I like the notion of directing one next year, so smuggled them out to read at my leisure. Pretty much a full house for the final show…Sangita had returned from her sick bed. Aki and her Rowing Club chums were in…about 15 of them! Good show…packed up the dressing room afterward, and brought the car round to the front of the theatre. Aki helped me bring my stuff up from the basement dressing room, and we hightailed it home before I got pulled into helping dismantle the set. 

Saturday 5th July 2025

Woke around 0800. Got up and had coffee…and overnight oats with oat milk that I’d stuck in the fridge before bed last night. Two shows today…so made a packed meal to take with me for between the shows. Aki did an early lunch/dinner…pan fried salmon. I walked to Finsbury Park station at 1230 to catch a No.106 bus to Stoke Newington. Already busy with fans converging on this evening’s Fontaines DC gig…I was asked the way to the local Best Western by a bloke with a heavy Black Country accent…had a pleasant chat about the band as I walked him in the right direction. Got to the theatre in good time…sat in the cafe at Abney Park and read the final chapter of Barnaby Rudge. Martin Doughty and his missus were in this afternoon…but weren’t in the bar when I came to look for them after the show…thought perhaps they’d stayed in the theatre for the Q&A. Had my ham salad in the bar before reconvening in the theatre for warm up ahead of the evening show. Another sell out, and standing ovation. Made my way home via last night’s route…No.243 bus to Seven Sisters tube station, then Victoria Line to Finsbury Park. 

Friday 4th July 2025

Woke around 0830…Aki off early for Rowing Club. I got up and made tea…got back into bed to read the penultimate chapter of ‘Barnaby Rudge’. Got up and porridged. Watched some tennis. The Whittington Hospital phoned with a date for my surgery…15th July which means I’ll have to bow out of the Brighton shows. Cooked a chicken cacciatore for lunch, with couscous and vegetables. Watched Sonay Kartel and Cam Norrie progress to the second week. Walked to Stokey to avoid the gridlock in Finsbury Park…Stereophonics playing there this evening. Walked through Clissold Park in the sunshine. Another warm evening on stage…another full house…and another standing ovation. Katrina and Lesley were in and greatly enjoyed it. Got home via a No.243 bus to Seven Sisters and a tube train to Finsbury Park…it was very busy, as the crowds were coming away from the concert. Watched Emma go down to Sabalenka in an entertaining match up on Centre Court…which meant not getting to bed until 0130!
 

Thursday 3rd July 2025

Woke around 0830. Made tea and lay in bed reading for awhile. Got up and porridged. Sad news…28 year old Liverpool forward Diogo Jota died in a car crash in Spain last night, driving himself and his brother to catch a ferry back to Blighty for pre-season training. Watched some tennis and did my exercises. Aki cooked a big lunch…cauliflower ‘steaks’ and aubergine parmigiana lasagna…very tasty! Popped out to the pharmacy to pick up some anti-thrush medication. Took a first dose and found it slightly anaesthetised my vocal cords, so am going to have to delay taking the course until next week. Put a boiled egg salad together to take to the theatre. Drove in for a 6pm call…heavy traffic around Finsbury Park as they prepare for a weekend of open air rock concerts. Got to Stokey in time to sit in the car and listen to some tennis while eating my egg salad. Another pretty full house tonight, and a standing ovation. Phil Ley was in, so had a wee chat about the panto set he’s designing before I drove home. Aki getting out of the bath when I got in…
 

Wednesday 2nd July 2025

Woke around 0830. Aki already up preparing to cycle off to rowing club…strange weather…keeps trying to rain…very muggy. Brought some tea back to bed. Read some Dickens before porridging. Did some exercises. Turned on the tennis from Wimbledon. Aki cooked cod and potatoes for lunch, with a bean and tomato salad. Settled on the sofa to watch more tennis. Voice in fairly good nick, so refrained from doing too much with it beyond some gentle humming. Made a sarnie to take with me to the theatre…drove in for a six o’clock call ahead of our first night performance. Pretty much a full house…staggered through it in good order, with one or two longeurs, but otherwise pretty smooth. Peta and Jackie bought me a beer and I sat with them in the bar until we decided to head home…I dropped them on Brownswood Road. Aki in bed by the time I got in…I bathed and stayed up for a bit before getting to bed around 0030.

Tuesday 1st July 2025

Woke around 0600…dozed until 0700. Got up to make tea and sat on the sofa for a bit…another muggy morning but not quite as bad as yesterday. Porridged. Aki cycled off to Waitrose to do a shop. I did some more wisteria pruning before it got too hot…had to borrow Margaret’s extendable shears. Made a packed lunch to take into the theatre, then drove to Stoke Newington. We slowly worked through the end of Act I…lots of technical things with the potential to go wrong, not least Ahab’s flaming harpoon! Worked through Act II…broke at about 1945 for my packed lunch! Ran the whole thing from 2015…plenty went wrong, notably for me the several times we musicians ended up off stage when we should have been on…but it kinda worked…just meant playing from behind the curtains. I reckon it’ll be alright on the night! Got home about 2345. Bathed. Watched Today at Wimbledon and lay on the hard living room floor for 15 minutes…after spending 10 hours with my guitar slung around my neck, my back is starting to gimme gip! Finally got to bed around 0130…