Woke around 0600 with back ache. Managed to doze, fitfully, until rising at 0815. Made a sandwich to take for lunch, and heated up some lentil soup. Made breakfast bowls. Headed for Stoke Newington in the car...roads very quiet, but noticed queues of Arsenal supporters outside the pubs near Finsbury Park, preparing to find a place to watch the final game of the season at Crystal Palace, where they will be presented with the trophy. Parked up in Alkham Road, and bought a coffee at Abney Park cafe before gravitating toward the theatre...first read through of "The Mirror & The Light"...went OK, though I was surprised that many people had evidently not read the script in preparation.
Woke around 0615 with back ache. Got up and did some stretches before climbing back into bed. Woke again at 1000. Cooked brunch. I spent most of the remainder of the day cooking. Made a green lentil daal, then after a bit of a rest, put together an aubergine and coconut curry which we ate for dinner, with roti and daal. We walked slowly down to Highbury Corner in the evening heat. Caught the train to Dalston, and made our way to The Victoria pub on Queensbridge Road. Hooked up with Sayan and a couple of her mates. Her daughter Kitty was headlining a gig in the back room. It was small, but not too crowded, and the air conditioning made it cooler than outside! Kitty was great...she has a natural magnetism, and gave a fab performance...great singing voice, but her tunes are rather non-descript...she describes them as "gay pop", but they are quite heavy. We snuck out before the encore and headed home...
Woke around 0700 with back ache. Sat up in bed for a bit. Aki rose to ready for Rowing Club, and brought me a mug of tea. I got up after she'd cycled off into the morning sun. Going to be a glorious day. Got up and made myself a breakfast bowl. Did some exercises. Played some guitar. Made myself a ham, cheese and mushroom omelette for lunch. Aki returned after lunching at the Rowing Club and helping clean the boat storage. Brought the step ladder inside to have a go at cleaning the underside of the skylight. Aki cooked cod for dinner, with butter beans and vegetables. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed...
Aki up early to prepare herself for Rowing Club...she brought me a mug of tea. Got up as she cycled off, and had my breakfast bowl. Made some lentil soup for lunch. Walked down to Highbury and had a coffee before heading to Egerton Pharmacy next door for a 1030 ear suction appointment with Samira. She was great, and gave both ears an over-due vacuuming! Walked back home via Waitrose and the Amazon lockers at The Junction to pick up my Italian tutor book. Aki back for lunch...the soup went down well. We headed into town to watch "La Grazia", Paolo Sorrentino's latest movie, at The Garden Cinema. It was majestic...funny, humane, intelligent, and a feast for the eyes. Jumped on a No.91 bus back home. Aki cooked pasta for dinner, with a tomato sauce, fried mushrooms, and vegetables. Watched "Get Back"... got halfway through episode 2 before bath and bed.
Woke around 0815. Back giving me a bit of gip, but relatively minor this morning. Got up and made breakfast bowls, and brought tea back to bed. Read some more Mirror & The Light before rising. Aki went off to tai chi. Pea soup for lunch when she returned. She got a phone call from Ha-chan in Osaka...she had been discharged from hospital, and is now recovering at home. Good news! I popped across the road to pick up my statins from Dev's. Finished reading The Mirror & The Light...it's very succinctly put together, telling a complex tale with great clarity. Warmed up chicken and mushroom pie for dinner, with lots of vegetables. Watched Later With Jools...on the iPlayer. Arsenal win the title after Man City are held to a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth...lots of celebratory car horns going off until the early hours in the surrounding streets...a neighbour posted a photo of her husband celebrating with the one-and-only Ian Wright, who had turned up to join in the fun!
