Tuesday 9th June 2026

Woke around 0500. Managed to nod back off. Got up around 0900. Porridged. Aki prepared to depart for a JCUK meet, so she partook of an early lunch before departing for town. I wandered across to Waitrose to buy some odds and ends...polpette for dinner tonight. Came home and put some lunch together. Watched Emma Raducanu demolish her round 1 opposition at Queens Club. Made a sofritto to go with a jar of tomato and n'duja sauce, which we had on pappardelle with lots of fried vegetables. Got up on the roof via the ladder...Sush came out onto his side for a fag, followed by Rebecca. Had to listen to Sush burbling on telling me I ought to rebuild the whole roof!!! Aki joined us via their front door and took a few photos. We lifted Sush's astroturf, which sits on his side of the parapet...not signs of damage to the fibreglass bridge underneath. No signs of failed jointing to the sarnafil on our side...it's a mystery! 

Monday 8th June 2026

Woke at 0130, and again at 0630, but managed to get back to sleep. Got up at 0900 and brought a mug of tea back to bed with me. Rose at 1000 for porridge. Raining heavily...need to get myself up on the sodding flat roof at some point! Spent most of the remainder of the morning trawling through Which? recommended roofers. Phoned dad...he seemed in good spirits...eagerly awaiting the official launch of his novel on the 19th. Put lunch together. We wandered over to do a shop at Waitrose, in between the showers. Aki cooked a chicken curry for dinner, with daal and rice. Watched some tennis from Queens Club. Aki had an early bath, and I watched some of episode 3 of "Get Back"...charming footage of young Heather McCartney in the studio with her step dad as he sang and recorded "The Long & Winding Road"...

Sunday 7th June 2026

Woke around 0630 to find I'd wet myself! Not profusely, but I was a bit shocked. It seems I have become as leaky as the back bedroom roof! Sat up in bed for a bit and eventually dozed back off. Porridged. Got up around noon. Shaved my head before showering. Pici and cheese sauce for lunch, with fried mushrooms and torchon ham. Listened to the Men's singles final between Cobolli and Zverev. Cooked a fish stew. Early dinner before heading up the road to The Shaftesbury Tavern for band rehearsal. Caught a No.91 bus, getting there at the appointed hour...George and Katherine were already there setting up, and we were joined by Ben, and Lorraine. George bought me a half a Guinness, which he then managed to spill all over the floor...spent five minutes cleaning up! Katherine had to go at 1900, so things fell apart somewhat after that, though people kept sticking their heads in to the back room saying they were loving the music. I thought it all sounded a bit rusty, to be honest. Caught a No.91 bus back down the Hornsey Road, to find Aki at the dining table eating her portion of fish stew. She had had a good time on The Broads, though the food had been a disappointment. Watched Later With Jools...rather dull fare, once again. Aki had a shower and an early night....

Saturday 6th June 2026

Woke at 0230...took a while to get back off to sleep, worrying about the leaking roof! Woke again at 0630 with some back pain, so sat up for an hour or so before nodding back off. Got up around 0930. Porridged. Did some exercises. Early dinner...warmed up a second portion of the moussaka. Headed for Tower Hill via Finsbury Park, and Kings Cross. I bought a sandwich and water at M&S for dinner after the reading. It was raining heavily when I emerged from Tower Hill tube station...I braved the wind and rain and crossed the road to the muster point outside All Hallows By The Tower, picking up a coffee from the Costa shop opposite. We sheltered under a large chestnut tree before filing in to the church as quietly as we could...the Wolf Hall Weekend event was underway in the main body of the church, so we were ushered upstairs to a small ante-room where we got settled before doing a speed run. The punters took a break in the adjoining cafe, allowing us to descend and familiarise ourselves with the rostra, our seating, and the acoustic of the church...there was a lot of natural reverb, which meant having to hit your consonants, and project...skills beyond some of our number, unfortunately. Our reading was preceded by a very interesting talk from a former RSC cast member...the play had been written for and performed by the RSC originally. We attacked the piece with pace, having to battle the acoustic, and the regular rumble of the Circle Line somewhere below our feet. We seemed to go down well. The bulk of the cast wandered across the square for dinner at the Chinese restaurant I'd recommended...I made do with my M&S sandwich and a Bakewell tart, then headed for the Hung Drawn & Quartered for a swift half...but on arrival found my phone, and thus my ability to pay for anything, had died. I hung around briefly to see if any other cast members showed up, then gave up and headed for home, walking up through the city to join the tube system at Liverpool Street. Got home around 2145. Listened to the Ladies singles final on playback...the Polish qualifier was easily beaten by a dominant Meera Andreeva, who lifted her first Grand Slam trophy at the age of nineteen. Briefly FaceTimed Aki...they had enjoyed a gala dinner this evening, ahead of the final morning's rowing tomorrow.

Friday 5th June 2026

Woke around 0630, but managed to nod back off. Woke again around 0745...got up and brought tea back to bed. Rose around 0900 and porridged. Spent another hour or so hand rolling pici...finally used up all the dough! Pottering about, I discovered a 3m long damp patch in the spare bedroom, atop the external wall, and on the ceiling! Great...just one thing after another!!! Early lunch. Listened to Zverev v Mensik in the first of the Men's singles semi-finals from Roland Garros. Did some exercises. Heated up a lamb moussaka for dinner, with lots of vegetables, before heading off to Stoke Newington on public transport. Got to the theatre in good time. Four or five people missing from this evening's run! But it went reasonably well, and we adjourned around 2115...made my way home. Got on a diverted bus, which seemed to go round in a big circle back toward Stoke Newington...got off and caught a bus from Green Lanes, changing at Manor House. FaceTimed Aki in her hotel room. They'd enjoyed today, but tomorrow's trip is under threat, as it's due to rain all day. Watched a bit of telly before retiring for the night...

Thursday 4th June 2026

Woke around 0530. Got up at 0615 and pottered about for a bit. Back actually not too bad, so don't know why I woke so early...seems to be becoming a bit of a thing! Climbed back into bed and sat up for awhile before eventually nodding off. Aki up by the time I awoke again at 0915. Got up and porridged. Did a bit of pruning of the wisteria out front before the rain started, then drove Aki up to Muswell Hill to hook up with her rowing pals...Shelley is driving her and Vicky up to Wroxham for their jolly on the Norfolk Broads. Drove back down to Holloway and dumped some stuff at the tip, then popped in to Waitrose to get provisions. Pizza for lunch, with torchon ham and salad. Listened to the Ladies Singles semi-final from Roland Garros...the Ukrainian Kostyuk v the Russian Andreeva. The match never quite took off as I'd anticipated, the Russian winning comfortably in two sets. The second semi-final between a Polish qualifier, and another Russian, was far more interesting...the qualifier had pocketed a long first set by the time I had to leave for Stoke Newington. Took a bus to Stamford Hill and walked down to Stoke Newington from there, it having stopped raining. This evening's rehearsal was treated as a dress, with a couple of invitees in the audience. Paul's Cromwell coming on a treat, but Tim's Gardiner still all over the shop...and Geoff's Kingston inaudible. It's going to prove a mixed experience for the paying punters on Saturday! I repaired next door to The Axe for a well-earned half of London Black before heading home...Aki sent photos of her base for the next three nights...Sprowston Manor...looks impressive!

Wednesday 3rd June 2026

Woke around 0430, and took a while to get back to sleep. Fitful night from there on in. Aki got up about 0830...I brought tea back to bed before rising around 1000. Porridged. Made, or rather tried, to roll my pici dough, but it was too brittle. Spent an hour or so getting virtually nowhere...lesson learned...buy dried pasta from the supermarket! Aki popped out to Waitrose for bread and leaf salad ahead of lunch. Another wet day out there! I put lunch together. Did some exercises. Tried mixing the chestnut flour dough with a white flour mix in a bid to save the day. Looked and felt better...left it to rest until tomorrow. Early dinner...warmed up Aki's chicken traybake, and added mashed potato. Kevin and Laurence from No.93 knocked us up at 1800, and we all headed off to Kennington to see a play at The White Bear...hadn't seen anything there for about 25 years! What attracted me on this occasion was the fact that the play has been directed by Simon Usher, an old favourite of mine. Partook of some exciting workshops he ran back in the mid 1980s. Got to the venue in good time to sit and have a beer before the show. The play was called "The Name", by a popular Norwegian playwright, John Fosse...it all took place in a living-room, and followed the relationships of family and lovers unable to communicate properly with each other...put across by the spare, absurdist dialogue...it was slight, but very good...John Fosse had evidently been reading his Ionesco. Aki and Laurence delighted in the lines "You never listen to me", repeatedly delivered by the young pregnant girl to her evidently disinterested boyfriend...both Kevin, and I, got the hard stare!