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…

Monday 30th June 2025

Woken around 0300 by animals running around on the bedroom roof…foxes presumably! Never really got back to sleep…dozed off and on. Got up around 0830 to make tea. Porridged. Watched Black Uhuru’s Glastonbury set…bought their breakthrough album back in 1981! I think there’s only one of the original line up left. Did a little pruning of the wisteria before it got too hot outside. Did my exercises whilst watching some tennis from Wimbledon…14 Brits in action today! Got news that Emma, who fell over in rehearsal yesterday, has damaged her knee and will have to pull out of this week’s shows. Aki cooked cod and black pudding for dinner. I jumped in the car and headed for Stokey. Got to the theatre around 1740 which allowed me time to track Laurence down to set me up with a radio mic. We worked slowly through a tech rehearsal, but failed to finish Act I before we broke at about 2230. It’s slowly coming together, but still a bit nervous about the first couple of performances as they hove into view.

Sunday 29th June 2025

Woke at 0600…managed to get back off to sleep. Rose at 0800 and made tea. Sat and watched Beth Gibbons’ magical Glastonbury set. Drove over to Stokey for 1030. Unloaded my guitar and stuff, then found a parking space. Hooked up with Colin and recorded the shruti box. Broke for early lunch…sweltering outside in the midday sun…bought a chicken and avocado sarnie, and mac ‘n cheese, from Pret. Ate in the theatre bar area. Worked through various set pieces after lunch. Had some headshots taken in costume, as well as a band photo. The evening session was held in the theatre space…re-worked positioning for various set pieces in Act 1. Broke at 2200…hot work! Everyone looking a little jaded. Drove home, dropping Peta off on the way. 

Saturday 28th June 2025

Woke around 0600…warm but not uncomfortable night. Dozed until 0800…got up and brought tea back to bed. We walked up to Yerbury Farmer’s Market to buy bread. Walked home to cook brunch. Watched the Eastbourne Women’s final between Eala and Joint…new gals on the block. Look forward to seeing more of them at Wimbledon next week. Vince popped in to say hello…we had expected him to bring the acid to pour down the kitchen sink, and fix a broken joint from the boiler…the current jointing means we get a few whiffs smells from the sewer below…he promised to turn up tomorrow with the necessary tools…don’t hold your breath! Walked to Finsbury Park to meet Tokiko off the train…she’d travelled up from Twickenham. We ate at Osteria Tufo…the opera singing waiter was on duty. I told him of my vocal problems and he made me an iced lemon and honey drink. Enjoyed our food. Aki handed over a plant she’d promised Tok, and in return we got given some Stornoway black pudding brought back from Tok’s recent trip to Mull. Warm sticky evening. Walked home. Watched some telly…enjoyed Pulp at Glastonbury. Early bath and bed ahead of a heavy day tomorrow…