Sunday 16th August 2026

Woke around 0700 in discomfort. Sat up in bed for half-an-hour or so before rising to make tea. Mum marking her 93rd birthday today. Cards and lots of chocolates! Breakfasted at the table with mum and dad. Kath had gone off to the gym...no sign of Jim or Emma. Aki and I drove down to Waitrose to shop for something special to cook this evening...ended up with flat iron steak. Rather chilly out...very chilly by the fridge freezers in Waitrose! Drove back to High View. Heated up some chicken and vegetable soup for lunch, with toast. 

Prepared the vegetables for roasting later on. Read the paper. Aki modelled her geisha look in honour of mum's birthday. Jim and Emma joined us for dinner. The steak course was followed by birthday cake and ice cream. Watched Amy Hunt achieve greatness in the athletics. Aki still suffering a funny tummy...reckons it's gastroenteritis...she sloped off to bed at 2200. 

Saturday 15th August 2026

Woke around 0830. Lounged in bed for a bit, but was disturbed by Brett Rodgers OBE following Aki into our bedroom to gain access to the rear garden for plant watering instructions. Got up and porridged. Finished packing. We headed for KX at 1030, hopping on a No.91 bus with our luggage. Got to KX in good time, and sought out coffee from Starbucks...over £10 for two coffees!!! Clambered aboard the 1130 to Newcastle and took our seats. Uneventful journey. Enjoyed our packed lunch. Rolled in to Newcastle at 1415. Had time to buy chocolates for mother at M&S before meeting up with Kath in the car park for a lift to High View. Journey slowed by vast crowds heading for St James's Park to watch Newcastle take on Bayer Leverkusen in a pre-season friendly. Ma and pa in relatively good shape. Sat out in the garden for tea. Jim and Emma around...Jim has had his ears pierced...looks quite good on him, with his biker beard...just needs a big tattoo on the side of his head to complete the look! Kath made a pasta bake for dinner...I made up some custard to have with an apple bake that Emma had made...worked well. Sat about and chatted for a bit. Watched some European athletics...Amy Hunt got her third gold of the meet in the 4x100m relay.. Aki went to bed early early complaining of tummy problems. Mum was sick in the bathroom sink! Hope it wasn't my custard!!!

Friday 14th August 2026

Woke around 0515...got up...could hear a strange whirring sound coming from the living room...I'd left the fan on all night! Got back into bed and dozed fitfully. Aki up to ready herself for rowing club. She'd cycled off by the time I rose. Took my blood pressure readings. Porridged. Walked up to Waterlow Park, picking up a coffee at Archie's on the way. Warm work...though temperatures not as high as they were yesterday. Happened upon a Gooner sporting a Bruno G shirt...took a photo and sent it to Jim, who accused me of up-shirting! Caught a bus back to Holloway. Aki back for lunch. Gazpacho. Did some more packing ahead of tomorrow's journey to Newcastle. Had the last of the pork stir fry for dinner, with rice and vegetables. Watched a bit of telly before shower and bed...

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!