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…

Friday 27th June 2025

Woke around 0600…took awhile to nod back off again. Aki woke me around 0930 as she left for rowing club. I rose and made tea…porridged in bed. Read some before rising. Fantastic description by Dickens of the preparations for, and attendant crowds to witness, a hanging outside Newgate gaol, opposite the still functioning church of St Sepulchre on High Holborn. Aki back for lunch. No sign of Vince! Phoned him…he was stuck on a job in Kentish Town. Re-arranged for tomorrow afternoon…fingers crossed. A little perturbed to find a bloke on our rear extension roof! He’d been hired by upstairs neighbour to clean her windows…might have asked permission!?! The next door neighbour had granted him access via their back addition! Watched some tennis from Eastbourne, and some Glastonbury coverage. Ran through Act 2 ahead of Sunday afternoon’s run. Aki warmed up her mapo for dinner, with rice. Watched some Glastonbury coverage, in between reading Dickens. 

Thursday 26th June 2025

Woke around 0400…took a while to get back to sleep. Next time I awoke it was 0915. Got up and porridged. Ventured into to town. Made for Charles Fox in Covent Garden to buy make up…only to find the famous old shop had disappeared…they’d moved about three years ago to a small premises to the north west of Covent Garden…finally tracked them down and bought some pancake. Popped in at the Levi’s shop on Long Acre…Aki bought some trousers. Walked across town to the Japanese grocery on Brewer Street…got caught in the rain. Had planned to find lunch but neither of us felt very hungry so we turned for home, stopping off at Waitrose on the way. Managed to take a look at Act 2 ahead of this evening’s rehearsal. Had pasta with a puttanesca sauce, and burrata for dinner then drove to Stokey for rehearsal. Worked on music and movement for the final scene where Ahab and Moby Dick finally clash and everyone is listening at sea. Looking good…provided we can remember what we’re all doing! Apparently we jumped several pages in last night’s run, but no-one on stage was remotely aware! First night is going to be an unholy mess!!!

Wednesday 25th June 2025

Woke around 0800…Aki up to ready herself for rowing club. I dozed on for a bit…strange dream in which I befriended Joey Ramone and gave him a lift back to London! Got up once Aki had departed and made tea. Got back into bed and read some Dickens. Porridged. Rehearsed my Act 2 tunes ahead of tonight’s run. Aki back for lunch. Worked through Act 1 before Aki cooked dinner…baked trout and green lentils. Put my guitar into the car and headed for Stokey. Worked through a couple of set pieces before running Act 1…not in too bad a shape, though would benefit from running a few more times. Act 2 was messy…we have t got long to turn it around. Another run tomorrow night, and a dress run on Saturday, before tech and dress on Monday and Tuesday…scary! Dropped Peta off on Brownswood Road and got home a little before 2300.

Tuesday 24th June 2025

Woke around 0900. Aki up to ready herself for a dental appointment. I got up and porridged as she cycled off. Did some exercises and some tune rehearsal before Aki returned in time for lunch. Drove over to Waitrose to do a bit of a shop. Aki bought a huge bag of compost! Rehearsed some more and read some Dickens. Cooked a chicken and udon noodle stir fry for dinner, then loaded my guitar into the car and headed for Stoke Newington. Got to the theatre for 1900. We reworked the two lowering scenes before the musicians split off to work on Act II tubes downstairs. Finished around 2215. Gave Peta a lift to Brownswood Road. Got in as Aki was running the bath…

Monday 23rd June 2025

Woke around 0800. Aki got up and made tea. I languished in bed for an hour or so. Temperature has cooled to more comfortable level. Eventually got up and porridged. Aki did a bit of gardening out front. I managed to get into Lynne’s flat courtesy of her niece’s husband…they are moving in upstairs on a temporary basis while work is done on their flat in Wood Green…they are selling up and have had an offer on a house in Penzance accepted…nice! Leant out of Lynne’s living room windows and gave the wisteria a trim. Lunched on sardines and salad. Worked on Act 2 notes and tunes before popping out to Morrisons to get some odds and ends for this evening’s supper. Bumped into Captain Ahab in one of the aisles! Came home and found Aki had started cooking…we had baby aubergines in a coconut and peanut sauce, and basmati rice. Walked to Finsbury Park…went to see “Jimmy” at Park Theatre, a slight but entertaining one man show about Jimmy Connors…the actor put in an energetic one hour shift on centre court!