Tuesday 19th November 2024

Woke to a light dusting of snow. My sore throat has blossomed into full blown sinusitis. Aki brought me a mug of tea. Read some Toni Morrison. Got up and porridged. Spent the morning reading and playing guitar. Spotted Lynne from the upstairs flat out in the front garden, moving the bins back after the binmen had been...she'd managed to clip one of Aki's plants with the food bin, knocking it off the window sill, smashing the pot. I came out to help clear up. She'd had a good time in Albania...said it was stunningly beautiful. Made lunch. Sat about for most of the afternoon. Arranged to stop over with James Earls-Davis the night before Albert Cooper's funeral in Stoke next month; and the following night with Sean O'Callaghan. Booked my train tickets. Aki cooked trout for dinner, with spelt and black beans. Watched some telly. Bath and bed…exhausted after all the coughing and sneezing!

Monday 18th November 2024

Aki up with alarm at 0730 to ready herself for a meeting in Camden. I dozed on until around 0930. Have had a sore throat every morning these last three days. Porridged. Read some Toni Morrison, and practised some guitar. Wandered round to the GP surgery for an appointment with the health care assistant. She took a blood sample to send away for my annual PSA count. She couldn’t find her tourniquet, so used a rubber disposable glove instead! The NHS is truly on it’s knees. Walked home via Tesco. Aki back when I got in. I cooked up some beans with a vegetable and tomato sauce, served on toast with some cheese and caramelised onions. Aki said they were like Heinz tinned beans…not sure if that was meant as a compliment. Phoned Jim to wish him a happy 57th birthday. He was sat in his van. Emma in bed (in the van), off work with fibro-myalgia. So didn't sound like much of a birthday celebration was planned. Read some Toni Morrison and listened to some music. Warmed up the last of the aubergine bake for dinner, served up with spring greens and peas. Watched some telly before bath and bed...

Sunday 17th November 2024

Woke around 0900. Aki up to ready herself for Rowing Club. I got up to partake of her cooked breakfast before she cycled off. Wandered round to Selby’s to look at their Le Creuset casseroles…Aki fancies one for Xmas. Did some shopping in Waitrose then walked home via the DIY shop. Bought some clips to hang the Xmas lights we bought yesterday. Put them up in the front window when I got home. Lunch. Drove over to Stoke Newington to rehearse a couple of songs with Bee. Kath rang as I was driving. She said she was due to do an overnight sleepover with a client in Amble...but that her notes on the client mentioned occassional violent outbursts! She wasn't looking forward to it, naturally! Bee and I are planning to do She Moved Through the Fair, and I Inside the Old I Dying, for Gig Night. She loved the sound of the shruti box, and we went through a couple of other numbers too. Not in bad shape at this juncture. Drove home in the gloaming…raining a bit. Got home around 1630. Prepared dinner. Cooked Tuscan chicken with orzo. Finished off the pear tart for afters. Watched Wolf Hall. Rehearsed some Xmas songs on our ukuleles. Bath and bed...

Saturday 16th November 2024

Slept well. Woke around 0900. Still feeling very weary though. Aki got up and cycled off to the farmer’s market to buy bread. I was still in bed when she got back. Got up for Aki’s cooked brunch. Baked a pear tart to take over to Wood Street with us this afternoon. Practised some guitar ahead of tomorrow's meet with Bee. Matthew Ibbotson rang to give me the lowdown on some of the songs being mooted for the Gig Night next month. Some interesting choices. Drove over to east Walthamstow, taking our ukuleles with us. Popped into Wood Street garden centre on the way and bought compost, and Xmas lights. Parked up to the rear of the block of flats that Rust and Masumi live in. Rust guided us into his parking space. Kiko greeted us in the hallway, evidently in the middle of a game of tag. 

She showed us her toy drum kit, so we accompanied her on our ukuleles. Played Otrio with Kiko and her mum…sort of noughts and crosses plus. Masumi served up a tasty buffet of spiced foods, dal, chickpeas and salmon, and rice. My pear tart went down well with all except Kiki, which meant Rust getting a second helping. Sat and chatted at the table. Rust, now 62, has been out of work for awhile, but appears to have a new job lined up teaching English to refugee adults and children…he’s been enjoying his life of leisure. He doesn’t look too healthy though…he’s losing his teeth, and recently suffered a minor stroke! Masumi, who is almost half his age, is still working at Takenaka. We left around 2130 and headed home. Watched Later With Jools...and were astonished to spot Dweller, one of the support acts to Barney's band on Thursday night, Dweller, playing keyboards in Rosie Lowe's band...they were good.  Bath, bed…

Friday 15th November 2024

Woke around 0900. Rose to find Lottie and Bob sat on the sofa drinking tea. I prepared Turkish scrambled eggs for brunch. Bob and Lottie left to catch a train back to Nottingham. We vowed to pay them a visit in the Nee Year. Pottered about for a bit. Lunched on bread and cheese, and some tomato chutney that Lottie had given us...very nice! Aki cycled off for a work meeting in Clerkenwell. I wandered round to Waitrose to buy some provisions. Aki back in time to cook monkfish cheeks with lentils for dinner. We enjoyed a Burrata starter with red pesto. Watched Wolf Hall...still catching up with the first series. Felt very tired all afternoon/evening. Think I may be coming down with something. Bath. Bed.

Thursday 14th November 2024

Aki up at 0800 to get working at the computer. She brought me a mug of tea. Got up and brought a bowl of porridge back to bed with me and read some Toni Morrison. Got up and did some cleaning, and made the bed up in the spare room. Popped out to buy bread and milk. Bob and Lottie turned up around 1345 and we had soup for lunch. We had intended on taking them into town to visit a gallery, but we ended up sat around chatting and catching up.

We headed out toward Camden at 1630, on foot...walked up Camden Road, stopping off at the Lord Stanley for a swift half, before walking on into Camden. Got to De Gusto a little early, and took our seats...waited for Katrina to roll up before ordering; Tom Wicks, his wife, and a couple of their mates from Holmfirth turned up too, and we all sat at a long table. The food wasn't bad...not much of it though. 

We made our way to the Jazz Cafe around 2000, and got in to see the tail end of the first support act, and girl singing and playing guitar...nice jazzy soul vibe. Spotted Barney, and he came over for a brief chat. The second support act was a guy who basically twiddled a load of knobs on a unit attached to his laptop, occassionally embellishing the noise with some sax, or keyboard. By the time Barney's band, MRCY, came on, the venue was full, and he and Kojo were given a rousing reception. The band were in top form, and everyone had a great time. Delighted to discover Jim's sister, Mandy, was in the audience after the show...had a brief catch-up, but the house music was loud, and deterred a more lengthy talk...so we escaped back out into the Camden night, and caught a bus home. Stayed up for a bit drinking tea and listening to some vinyl of bands from our Nottingham days. Bob and Lottie retired to the spare room. Bed.

Wednesday 13th November 2024

Aki up early to ready for Rowing Club. I got up about 0830 and brought a mug of tea back to bed. Read some Toni Morrison. Got up and porridged. Walked halfway up Highgate Hill. Stopped off at Archie’s for a coffee and read. Bought half a chicken focaccia to share with Aki for lunch, and walked back down the hill, popping in to Sainsbury’s on the way. Aki back home when I got in. Made lunch. Had a go at She Moved Through the Fair on guitar and shruti box…sounds great. Made some hummus. Aki cooked salmon for dinner, with chestnut rice, and miso soup. Headed off for Stoke Newington on foot. Hopped on a bus at Lordship Park, which meant we had time to pop into The Axe for a swift pre-show drink…am very fond of their London Black. Half the Worst Witch production team happened to be in there. We all decanted into the theatre. Australian play called The Dark Room…set in deprived Darwin, and dealing with themes of child abuse and racism. 90 minutes, no interval, and intriguing for the fact that the six characters share the stage at all times, despite being in different storylines. Couple of excellent performances from the girls. Bumped into Julia in the bar afterward…she’d been in Improbable Fiction with me…she’s now involved with a drama group in Norwood, which is easier for her to get to. Caught two buses home…