Friday 23rd October 2026

Woke around 0530...didn't really get back to sleep properly. Aki got up at 0700 in the vain hope that the rain would clear so that she could go rowing. I got up and made tea. Porridged. Spotted Lynne outside with the dog, so ventured out for a chat and updated her on the scaffolding saga. She reported that the rain was coming in through her back bedroom ceiling, and through the flat roof in her bathroom...that's what I could hear last night, as I lay in the bath, making dripping sounds as the rainwater hit her bath more or less above my head! The scaffolders turned up around 0830 and finished putting the tin hat on. Gary showed up at 1000, just after they'd gone on to their next job of the day...in pouring rain. He made a quick survey of the leakages upstairs, then started to take off the roof slates. Did my exercises. Aki made ramen soup for lunch. Rain came down relentlessly...not a great day to be a roofer! Wind got up mid afternoon, too! They packed up at 1615, promising to come back tomorrow to check that the tin roof hasn't blown away in the night! Aki cooked sea bass for dinner, which we ate with the remans of the baked rice I'd cooked yesterday. Watched "Celebrity Traitors". Miranda Hart was murdered...she's been very entertaining. Watched The Ten before bath and bed...

Thursday 22nd October 2026

Woke around 0530...took an hour or so to nod back off again! Alarm at 0800. Got up and made tea. Had expected the scaffolders to be finishing off the tin hat, but no sign of anyone. Porridged. Scaffolders eventually showed up...they winched several loads of corrugated tin sheets up to roof level...the lad doing the hauling was completely uncontrolled, letting the sheets swing into the door of the bike shed, and catch on the metal trim around the green roof. I had to go stand in the front doorway to make sure he behaved himself. Pain in the butt! Light lunch. Gary and Charlie turned up to take a closer look at the southern parapet wall...it's in a bad way, but they had taken a look at it back in August at my insistence, so I'd rather assumed any works had been costed into the quote. Gary wanted Casey to extend the tin hat toward the party wall with No.5, and they vowed to come back and finish it before dusk, but needless to say, didn't turn up. Lentil curry, baked rice, and vegetables for dinner, preceded by a baked fig and taleggio starter. Watched "The Traitors", and started 70Up. Had a bath...as I lay there, I could hear the rain battering our skylight, and an alarmingly loud drip, drip sound somewhere above my head...I surmised that it was rainwater being diverted from the tin roof onto the wrought iron guttering to the church next door. Hope there's nothing coming in behind the bathroom tiling!!!

Wednesday 21st October 2026

Alarm at 0700. Got up and made tea. Put the ladder up in the back yard in anticipation of the arrival of the scaffolding team. I swear he'd told me last night that they'd rock up at 0800...by 0945 there was no sign of them. Rang the roofer, and he chased them up. They had had to go and pick up some more poles from a depot in Crouch End, and rocked up at around 1015. I made them tea. They got on with sticking a 'tin-hat' on top of the scaff rig. Took them most of the day. Aki and I moved the dining table so that we could take up the rug...we had a non-slip layer delivered, cut to the same size as the rug; hoping that it will protect the floor from the black staining from the rug. Aki tried to clean the stains off the floorboards, with only partial success. Stopped for soup for lunch. The underlay turned up and we got it laid successfully and repositioned the dining table. Early dinner...chicken chasseur and vegetables. Drove to Southgate Road for rehearsals at Martin and Janet South's house. Same set up as yesterday...worked through three pieces...I was only in one piece, which we happened to do first. It was the worst crafted piece of the lot, unfortunately, so was a bit of a slog. Martin was in the scene with me, which is always fun, but he seemed to have come down with a very heavy cold, or may be suffering the onset of a bout of flu...sincerely hope he hasn't passed it on to me!!! Made my escape after doing my piece, and left them to it. Drove home, listening to the Bayern v Arsenal game on R5Live. 

Tuesday 20th October 2026

Woke around 0530, but managed to nod back off relatively swiftly. Aki got up at 0830 and brought me a mug of tea. Got up and porridged. Grey, dull morning. The roofer phoned to confirm that a tin hat would be going on tomorrow...reckoned it would probably take all day! Pottered about on the laptop for most of the morning while Aki worked at the computer. Put a simple lunch together. Did some exercises after lunch...too damp to venture out for a walk, though I'll have to face it later, as I've got rehearsals at the South's this evening. The scaffolder came round to dump a load of scaff poles ahead of tomorrow morning's appointment! Interesting lad...must be mid-thirties, and runs the company...half Scottish, half Greek Cypriot! Early dinner...Aki cooked miso cod with rice. Headed off to rehearsals...two buses, changing at Manor House. Got to Martin and Janet South's house about 5 minutes late. We rehearsed three of the eleven short pieces; I was in two of them. Enjoyable evening...although I thought the pieces didn't read terribly well, they took on some life once we'd stood them up. Ian Hoare, co-directing with Janet and Martin, offered me a lift back to Holloway. As we were leaving he seemed to have severe breathing difficulties...I offered to drive, but he rallied enough to drive us back up the Holloway Road...he didn't look well. Sounds like emphysema or something. I asked if he'd seen anything of Angharad...he told me she'd been diagnosed with myeloma and was undergoing treatment! Got home about 2215. Watched some news and a bit of Later With Jools before bath and bed...

Monday 19th October 2026

Woke around 0800. Got up in anticipation of the roofers turning up. Sat in the living-room with a mug of tea. Porridged. Gary and a roofing mate turned up around 1000...they reckoned they wouldn't be able to start work today, as the forecast was bad for tomorrow, so he didn't want to expose the roof...he's planning to get a tin hat put on, which he is hoping will happen on Wednesday! Spent an hour waiting for someone to answer the phone at Islington Council. Eventually got through...but they weren't much help. Next to useless!!! Put a simple chicken salad lunch together. We headed in to town to watch "Naza" at the Garden Cinema. It's a series of interviews with anonymous Israeli Army operatives, spelling out a very deliberate Israeli government policy aimed at taking out as many Palestinians as possible when targeting Hamas operatives, namely whole families executed by association. It was chilling, showing the Israeli government to be the Fascists we all think they are! The audience sat in contemplative silence while the credits rolled, and we staggered back out into the day. Walked across town to the Japanese grocery near Piccadilly Circus. Found a table at Bolo, a little Italian canteen set up in the name of Gennaro Contaldo, the now 77-year old Italian chef and cookery writer. Portions were small, which allowed prices to be kept reasonable for central London, and my al forno was very tasty. Aki wasn't quite so convinced by her octopus bolognese. Hopped on a No.19 bus back home. Watched 63Up and The Ten before bath and bed...

Sunday 18th October 2026

Woke to alarm at 0800. Got up and porridged. Hauled myself off to Camden with my guitar strapped to my back...got there in good time for a coffee in the Pink Cafe, but no sign of any staff. The lesson plodded through the arrangement of "Sheriff's Ride" for an hour and a half. We adjourned for a coffee afterward...plans afoot for six of seven of us to meet up next Saturday for a jam, since there's no Sunday class, as it's half term. Walked back into Camden Town and did a little shop in Sainsburys, then caught a bus home. Aki lunching at the cafe next the Rowing Club, so I enjoyed a mini pizza and salad for my lunch. Cooked a chicken chasseur for dinner, with boiled vegetables and toasted sweet potato. Tried phoning Roz, but no reply...maybe she's trapped on the barge somewhere! Spoke to mother, who reckoned the boiler had been repaired, but when I asked her if the heating was on, she said "no"...so not sure what's going on...will have to try and speak to a responsible adult at some point! Watched 63Up, and episode 2 of Jimmy McGovern's "Time"...a tough watch! Bath and bed...

Saturday 17th October 2026

Rolled out of bed around 0900. Aki cooked an omelette breakfast before heading up the road to do a little gardening at the street parklet. I pottered about...read some "Dagga" and played some guitar. Pea and mint soup for lunch. Took ourselves off for a walk in the afternoon sunshine...traipsed up to Bread By Bike on Brecknock Road, but they had sold out of loaves. Walked back down the Camden Road...Aki went home as she was expecting an Amazon Prime delivery, while I walked on to Boots to restock my supply of suppositories! Popped into Waitrose for a couple of things. Warmed up the last of the frozen sausage ragu for dinner. Watched 56Up, followed by MOTD before bath and bed...