Thursday 13th August 2026

Woke around 0700...dozed on until 0900-ish. Got up and took my blood pressure readings before porridging. Aki cycled off to Fairbridge Road to deliver Helen's birthday card, picking up some milk on her way back. I popped out in search of focaccia to serve to our guests this evening. They didn't serve it in Pierre Alix, so I had a latte there, then walked down to Harvest on Highbury Corner, and got some there. Took a bus back to Holloway and got some odds and ends in Waitrose. Temperatures getting up by the time I walked back home...38C recorded today in Kew! Put a ham salad lunch together. Did some food prep ahead of this evening. Needed a lie down in the afternoon, as my right hip and bad hernia repair giving me much gip. News of a major train derailment outside Lewes...we were on that line a week ago! There were definitely some stretches where the train got shaken about a bit, and I fleetingly imagined us coming off the rails!  Guests arrived around 1900. George and Katherine from No.127, and Brett Rodgers OBE from No.7. Served up gazpacho for starters, followed by a chicken, avocado and mango salad. Brett had made an orange polenta cake, which we had with ice cream for dessert. Pleasant evening...though went to bed exhausted!

Wednesday 12th August 2026

Woke at 0645. Managed to doze back off for a bit. Aki got up to ready herself for Rowing Club. She'd cycled off by the time I rose. Took my blood pressure readings...all normal, though creeping toward the slightly raised borderline. Porridged. Took a call from Dr Hugo...he said he'd write to the hernia consultant to say things had gotten worse, in a bid to get me seen earlier. See what happens. Popped upstairs to go through our roofing quotes with Lynne...we resolved to pursue Six's recommendation in the first instance. Aki back in time for some lunch. Pottered about before we headed into town on the No.29 bus...Aki hoping to see the start of the eclipse from the top deck, but the sun was too bright to get any inkling of the beginnings of the eclipse. She sought out a park behind Goodge Street station, but the trees were too numerous to see much. We sauntered round to Tofu Vegan restaurant on Charlotte Street. Paul and Leanda had come over for a few days from west Wales, and joined us for dinner. Caught up over a strange mix of tofu dishes that had been fashioned to look like meat...some of it was quite tasty. Tasty enough to have attracted Micah Richards, who sat a few metres away from us tucking into his vegan fare. Walked Leanda and Paul round to Goodge Street station and said our farewells, promising to head west to visit them later in the year. We got on a No.29 bus home...a couple of young fellas gave up their seats for us!

Tuesday 11th August 2026

Woke at 0700. Pain in right hip had dissipated somewhat, but still giving me some gip. Managed to nod back off...awoken by the sound of the doorbell and knocking...Aki had locked herself out whilst watering her tomatoes! Lynne had come across the boxed hazardous waste on the doorstep, and had assumed it was a delivery for her! She turned one of the boxes over, looking for an addressee, thus managing to find the leaking wood stain! As it happened, the chap from HWC turned up, and carted it all away. Aki cycled off to Essex Road to buy fish. She dropped it back with me, then headed off to tai chi. I made some fresh hummus. Put some lunch together once Aki had got back. Took a phone call from the RoofPro guys and have hopefully come to an understanding...still a couple of queries to clear up, but lord knows when they are going to be able to come and do the work...we are heading for Newcastle on Saturday, and then away in Sicily for two weeks! Sat about nursing my right hip for most of the afternoon. Aki drove off to Angel in a hunt for cartons of gazpacho...she bought three in Sainsburys! I made harissa prawn pasta for dinner, with fried courgette. Had a little raspberry sorbet for afters. Watched another episode of "I'm Alan Partridge", followed by an episode of "The IT Crowd"...funnily enough, Graham Linehan appeared opposite Steve Coogan in the former. Watched The Ten, and Newsnight, before retiring to bed to read some Murakami...

Monday 10th August 2026

Woke around 0730. Got up and took my blood pressure readings before tea. Waited around for Mark, another roofer, to appear as arranged. He showed up around 0930 and I directed him to the loft hatch in Lynne's flat. He reckons the whole roof needs replacing. Pottered about. Invoiced Savills for my inspections work last week. Put lunch together. Something went when I put my weight on my right leg when donning a pair of trousers...much pain through right hip area, and down toward the bad inguinal hernia repair. Limped to the bus stop with Aki...we got off at Finsbury Park. Aki wanted to pop in at N4 Library, so I waited at the bus stop on the other side of the road while she walked to the library...then we got on a bus to Holloway, and I limped around Waitrose. Managed to walk back home...had to have a lie down once I got in. Aki cooked stir fry pork and rice for dinner, with lots of vegetables. Created an excel sheet so we can compare the roof quotes and decide what to do next. Watched a bit of telly...rather moving programme following the efforts of two foundlings to identify their parents. The young man had been left at the staff entrance to Kings College Hospital 30 years ago, and they showed newsreel footage of him being cared for by nurses. Extraordinary stuff!

Sunday 9th August 2026

Woke around 0700 with back ache...sat up for a bit before managing to nod back off. Aki rose to water her (and the neighbour's) plants, and prepare for Rowing Club. I got up and porridged before she cycled off eastward. I ventured out into the late morning heat, and took a bus to Archway, then walked across to the southern extremities of Hampstead Heath. Picked up a coffee, a chicken sarnie, and a sausage roll, and found a bench on the Heath. Bit too warm in the shade...strolled down to Gospel Oak train station, and caught the Suffragette Line back to Upper Holloway, then a bus to Nag's Head. A lot of football supporters in Gooners shirts...it transpired that they were to hold a friendly with Dortmund...the new season is almost upon us! Popped in to Waitrose to buy some vegetables for supper, then walked home. Aki lunched at Rowing Club. Finished off the aubergine curry, with dhal and roti for supper. Headed up the road to The Shaftesbury for our monthly band rehearsal...George and Katherine (from No.127) had brought a couple of new tunes along, that they'd heard on their trip to Stornoway last month. Keith from No.34 turned up with his bodhran. The room was a bit warm...enjoyed my pint of Guinness! Walked home afterward...George nearly got in a spat with a dodgy looking bloke who rode his electric bike at us on the pavement! He was masked, and probably had a machete down his trousers!!! 

Saturday 8th August 2026

Got up and porridged. Pottered around not doing very much in the morning. Aki drafted an email to RoofPro, replying to their renewed quote for parapet repairs...just shy of £5,000!!! Hopefully we can get a contribution from the freeholder of next door. I walked round to the GP surgery for an appointment with the nurse...they wanted to take my blood pressure. It seems as though they were alerted by the team at UCLH. The nurse was a very chatty Jamaican lady...we had a good laugh. She gave me a machine to take home, so I can log measurements twice a day. Back home to prepare lunch. The Hazardous Waste Company are due to pick up our tins of unused paint and wood preservative on Tuesday, so I taped up the boxes we'd put the tins in, and marked them with contents lists, as per instructions. We headed for the Harringay Ladder late afternoon...Kearsey and Kieran hosted a small gathering of rowing folk to mark Kearsey's birthday. They have had a lot of work done on the house, including a rather neat Japanese garden to the rear, where we sat out chatting and eating. Had an entertaining chat or two with mad Dr Dee...she's on the ADHD spectrum, and has two kids who she suggests have inherited the condition! Life at her house sounds a bit of a challenge...she gets through nannys at a rate of knots! We were among the last to leave at around 2200...walked down to the bus stop on Green Lanes in the company of Steph and Ellie, then caught a No.29 bus back to Holloway...

Friday 7th August 2026

 

Aki up with alarm at 0730. I got up a bit later to make myself a mug of tea, and retreated to the bedroom for a bit. Aki still in the meeting when I came back down around 0945. Ray and Steph appeared, and we sat out in the garden until Aki appeared, and we convened for croissants in the kitchen. Packed our overnight bags, and Ray drove us all over to Bexhill to meet up with Rob and Shelley for lunch. Glorious day for an amble along the prom. Popped into the Pavilion to take a quick look at the current art exhibition, then walked round to Picasso's Italian eatery. Rob and Shelley in good fettle. Shelley has taken to writing poetry. Rob is thinking about retiring from Birkbeck next year. Food was OK. We took another walk along the Prom afterwards, where we said our farewells to Rob and Shelley and Ray drove us back to Eastbourne via the coast road. Sat about in the back garden drinking tea until it was time to go...Ray and Steph drove us to Polegate station, and we bought something to eat on the train from the nearby Co-op. Uneventful journey...got in around 2130...shower and bed...