Sunday 31st January 2021

Lots of dreams again last night, though couldn't recall much on waking. I remember seeking out Nicholas Lumley to get him to give me some tips for the Grand National, looking over some yellow carpet tiles, and my sat-nav insisting I do a u-turn on a busy dual carriageway.

Phoned Louise for a catch up...she's about to move to Worthing for 8 months to try it out. Reckons there's a very comfortable yurt in the back garden...may have to book it up for our summer holiday!

Walked to the greengrocers on Stroud Green Road for our Sunday constitutional in our new FFP3 masks. 

Dozed off briefly on the sofa this afternoon. Spoke to ma and pa on FaceTime...they wanted to show off their new telly, though, naturally, it's proving a bit of a struggle coming to terms with the technology!

FaceTimed Kath...she is working tonight, and tomorrow...that'll make it four overnights in a row. It seems they are short-handed at the moment. Don't know how she does it, but she told us some experiences of one of her colleagues which had Kath thinking she was getting off very lightly!!!

Saturday 30th January 2021

Bit of a nothing day today...rain forecast for most of the daylight hours, so we stayed in. We designed a 60th birthday card to send to Kath...Aki put it together in Photoshop. Very good. 

Listened to Arlo Parks' new album...one or two outstanding tracks which may find themselves into What's Hip 2021. 

Didn't have lunch, as I'd cooked a huge breakfast. Read a bit this afternoon.

Dined on warmed up chicken cacciatore, and watched The Dig, a semi-fictionalised account of the discovery of the Sutton Hoo hoard. I was surprised at how moved I was when they made the first discoveries...I have been, and stood on that mound, and gawked at the treasures uncovered, in the British Museum. Beautifully shot film...very enjoyable.

Friday 29th January 2021

Dreamt I was in Edinburgh visiting Venue No.4, which had reverted to it's more usual use as a fish market....I tasted the crab...very nice! Then went to see a show in the well of a disused cinema. Later, I found myself flying a small plane over floodplains and fast flowing rivers trying to find somewhere to make an emergency landing. Had to be rescued. Then I was looking at the design of an album cover for a set of improvised piano pieces by Ogden Nash. Looked like a couple of pork chops photographed from above!

Drove back out to Wellingborough...another long day in the saddle. Stopped off at London Gateway on the M1 for a coffee, and needed a comfort break by the time I got to Wellingborough. Made a bee line for the Tesco superstore on Turnells Mill Lane. A lot of stock to photograph on extensive Council estates where I continually had to get out of the car and walk...like the set of A Clockwork Orange! Very depressing. Stopped at Sainsburys once twilight was upon us, and shopped for luncheon items, before driving back down the M1 in the drizzle.

Got home at 1915. Fish curry for dinner, then watched Juneteenth...nice little movie, but I felt it needed a bit more grit in the storyline. 

Thursday 28th January 2021

Didn't sleep particularly well last night, so decided not to spend 10 hours in the car doing inspections up Northampton way, and instead concentrated on stock that needs looking at in east London.

Didn't manage to get out of the flat until 9.45am. Needed a comfort break at Sainsburys in Harringay, where I'd gone for petrol. Got some odds and ends in store. Needed another break at lunchtime, so headed for ASDA in Beckton, as I can access the facilities there without having to go through the store. Ate my lunch in the car park, as usual!

Finished up in Walthamstow by dusk, and drove home. Phoned mum this evening to see what they were planning for Kath's 60th birthday next week. They plan to have her round for food, and are giving her some cash to put towards an E Bike.

Wednesday 27th January 2021

Alarm at 7.30am, as I've been over-sleeping recently. 

Managed to get out of the flat by 9am, and drove up the M1, stopping off at Newport Pagnell Service station for a comfort break, and did a little shopping in Waitrose. Grabbed a coffee from Starbucks, which meant I needed another break by the time I got to Kettering, where I happened upon an ASDA superstore.

Spent the rest of the day driving around the villages surrounding Wellingborough. Had my soup parked outside a block of flats in Ecton, and finished at dusk in Bozeat, before heading home via the M1. Stopped off for a comfort break at London Gateway Services. Got home around 7pm.

Aki warmed up the fish curry, and we watched Grand Designs before an early bath and bed.

Tuesday 26th January 2021

Woke a bit later than anticipated this morning, so got off to a late start at the computer. Avoided venturing out to Northants, as temperatures still low, and there's still snow on the ground up that way. Aki ventured out to the pharmacist after lunch, to get herself some eye drops...and pick up antibiotics for my right ear. Nothing much else to report. I cooked a chicken cacciatore for dinner, and we watched a bit of telly. Today was the day that the UK surpassed the 100,000 covid-related deaths. 

 

Monday 25th January 2021

 

Nothing much to report today. Neither of us ventured out into the Covid-sphere. I decided to work from today, as the roads would be a bit icy this morning, especially up Northampton way.

Beard needs a trim!

Aki cooked up a very tasty monkfish curry for dinner. Watched a bit of Netflix...slowly getting into Better Call Saul. Our viewing was interrupted by the Waitrose delivery man, which meant half-an-hour cleaning the various items prior to storage.

Played a bit of guitar before bath time...practising Rocks Off. Not quite flowing yet, but getting there. Probably makes more sense to give it a go on the electric guitar, but I love the sound of my Eastman acoustic...but it cramps the left hand a bit!

Sunday 24th January 2021

Woke very late, around 1030. It snowed until lunchtime. FaceTimed ma and pa to show them. Dad had had a run in with the builders down at the old Leisure Centre, having parked up there; his car got locked into the gated building site, so he had to wait for help to arrive, and he got a telling off in the Geordie vernacular. 

We stopped indoors in the warm and dry. Watched a couple of FA Cup fixtures live on the BBC, and cooked a skinny lasagna, using leeks instead of pasta sheets. Intriguing...and pretty tasty!
 

Saturday 23rd January 2021

Bit of a lie in this morning. Feeling very tired these days. Eventually hauled myself out of bed and cooked breakfast.

Got masked up and embarked on a brisk walk to the greengrocer on Stroud Green Road for some provisions. 

Ben and Gayu turned up at our front window this afternoon to bring us a copy of Shuggie Bain. They'd been given two copies over Xmas. 

FaceTimed Kath, who confirmed she'd had the jab. She was off to sleep over at Muriel's this evening...what a job! Got to take your hat off to her!

Made avocado mayo, then cooked up a cheesey chicken bake for dinner. Looked a bit odd, but very tasty.

Watched the first two episodes of Danish Crime drama, The Investigation. Nice, understated performances, well shot and starkly lit. So far so good.

Friday 22nd January 2021

More strange dreams last night, but can't recall any narrative logic. I remember something about the President receiving a large painting, and a bottle of beer which I hid by using a rope to sling it up onto a high branch of a tree, later pulling the rope so that it fell into my hand before it had a chance of hitting the ground.

Headed off in the motor for Plumstead, and then on to the Medway towns. Stopped at Medway services on the M2 for a comfort break, and shopped for some bits and pieces in M&S. Had lunch in a car park overlooking Chatham town centre...not a pretty sight! Visited Morrisons in Strood for an afternoon comfort break, and filled up with petrol. 

Kath texted to say she had had the jab!

Watched Dick Johnson Is Dead...a moving and uplifting documentary made by Kirsten Johnson who wanted to address the decline of her ageing father, the inimitable Dick. Had to get the tissues out at the end!!!

Thursday 21st January 2021

Slow start this morning. Worked from home, as I have a lunchtime appointment with Ear Nose & Throat. Pottered away at some work on the computer, but couldn't raise much enthusiasm for the chore. 

Aki and I had soup for lunch, which I had to swallow fast in order to set off in good time for Hornsey Rise. Walked it in record time. I donned face masks and face shield before I went in. The face shield kept steaming up, so I couldn't see...! Dr. Asma looked well...she had apparently suffered a bout of Covid-19 last year, but seems fully recovered. She did a good job on my ears, but couldn't quite get everything out of the right ear...there's wax on the ear drum. They are both enflamed with eczema, so she prescribed some spray. I walked home via TescoExpress.

Book Club zoom meeting this evening. Everybody turned up. Generally, despite it's subject matter, Will & Testament seemed to go down well, though I found it a bit of a none event narratively. Katherine stated that she didn't think it particularly well crafted as a novel, and this hit the nail on the head for me. Surprisingly, Gareth thought it a rollicking good read! We chose a poetic Irish novel for our next read.

Wednesday 20th January 2021

Decided not to venture back toward the Medway towns today, as the threat of Storm Christof appeared to hang over north Kent, so drove around east London again. Comfort breaks at Morrisons in Stratford, ASDA in Barking, and Waitrose in Woodford, where I did a bit of shopping too. The Morrisons stop was a bit of a palaver as the gents were out of action. The bloke behind me had a key for the disabled loo, so I jumped in when he came out. Where did he get the key from?

Lamb and bean stew for dinner. Watched a bit of telly, waving a fond farewell to the Orange Turd as he finally left The White House, and the distinctly more civilised Bidens moved in. Hopefully the Trump family will soon be behind bars where they belong...talk about Mafia!!!

Tuesday 19th January 2021

Drove to Strood this morning, seeking a comfort break at Morrisons, and shopping for lunch at M&S. 

Then headed for Cuxton, and Hoo, before lunching in the Blue Boar car park in Rochester town centre. 

Ended inspections in Chatham town centre as dusk fell, then headed for home.

Awful lot of traffic about, bearing in mind we are in lockdown. Roadworks everywhere closing lanes, and local throughroads in Hackney and Islington closed off, leading to gridlock in the surrounding streets. Didn't get home until 7pm! It'll presumably get worse come the end of lockdown...we won't be able to move!

Aki had cooked up a tasty lamb and bean stew.

Monday 18th January 2021

Back to work, which meant a day driving about in east London again, mostly around Romford, which has a very high covid rate at the moment. Found myself next door to Romford Hospital...I recognised it from TV footage recently, where ambulances had been backing up outside with covid patients!

Found myself a comfort break at ASDA  Chadwell Heath, and had my soup sat in the car in the car park. Didn't do any food shopping for lunch, thus avoiding having to risk being too long in the supermarket. 

Worked till about 8.30pm catching up on uploading photos from Friday's jaunt. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed.

Sunday 17th January 2021

Slow start, but we went for a long walk, taking in the Chinese shop toward Highbury, then Green & Glory on Stroud Green Road, via Gillespie Park. 

FaceTimed ma and pa, and Kath. Kath had done two nights running sleeping over at Muriel's. Must be very tiring.

Started cooking dinner at 4pm, as I opted to slow cook a whole chicken, with a spicy marinade. Stuck it in a low oven for three hours. Well worth the wait...makes the meat extra tasty!

Saturday 16th January 2021

Woke at 6.30am in anticipation of a Waitrose delivery between 7.00 and 8.00am! Bit of a shock to the system. It was snowing, but too wet to stick around.

After breakfasting, we drove to Essex Road to get supplies from the fishmonger, and the butcher. 

Got a phone call from Andy Garratt this afternoon, much to my surprise. He wanted some inspections doing in London, but I don't have the capacity to help out this month. 

Aki fried up a large fresh mackerel for dinner, and we watched Spike Lee's heavy-handed Da 5 Bloods. Best bit was footage of Muhammed Ali at the top of the film, asking why he should go fight the Vietnamese, who had never done anything to him...he deftly identified the enemy to be white Americans who had enslaved his ancestors and deprived them of their nationalities. What a man...!!!

Friday 15th January 2021

 

Another day in the saddle. Back out in east London, then on to Tilbury (and a comfort break at ASDA), and then to Shoeburyness and Southend. Bought some bits and pieces in Waitrose in Southend, and had my soup in the car park. Stopped on the seafront at Shoebury to take in the view across the estuary to the Isle of Sheppey.

Came home and cooked mushrooms and anchovies for dinner.

Thursday 14th January 2021

Another day in the car, though I got off to a late start, as someone from Savills IT phoned me just as I was about to head off. Spent the day driving about Barking and Dagenham. Managed to get myself a comfort break at Beckton ASDA, and stopped for another at Tesco in Barking, where I bought some odds and ends, and had my thermos soup in the car park.

Got home around 5.30. Aki cooked pork shoulder for dinner. Mum rang to say she couldn't work FaceTime on her ipad. Tried FaceTiming her back, but no reply. Don't know what's gone awry there!

Another 1,500 covid deaths recorded today. It ain't going away any time soon! Went to bed feeling a little breathless...hope it's psychological. 

Wednesday 13th January 2021

Quite vivid dreams again last night, but couldn't summon up a narrative on waking. I recalled being on the top deck of a bus in driving rain, and going down a very wide and deep concrete staircase in a very cavernous ultra-modern art nouveau railway station...

Spent the day in the car inspecting property in east London. Had to drive over to ASDA in Beckton for a comfort break, so had my packed lunch in the ASDA car park. Got home around 5.30pm and popped in to TescoExpress to buy some things for lunches later in the week.

We watched and cheered as the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump...but can't see them winning over the 17 Republicans they'll need to convict in the Senate. What a bunch! Meanwhile, over 1,500 deaths due to Covid reported today...it's beginning to run amok...

Tuesday 12th January 2021

Spent most of today in front of the computer screen. Aki popped out and cycled to the greengrocer in Stroud Green Road.

BT sent an engineer round this afternoon to check for faults on our internet provision. He checked the box outside, and said he could find no fault, so we let him in, suitably masked, to check out our router. He seems to think the problem may lie with our Devolo wifi extension system, as the signal strength almost halves by the time it gets to the desktop computer, but our wifi readings when in close proximity to the router were even slower. The BT guy didn't seem to know why this would be the case, so we'll just have to live with it for the present, and see what happens.

Aki set up the gas burner for a Japanese style salmon hotpot for dinner.

 

Monday 11th January 2021

Cake for lunch! Though I only had a bit of the sharp end...Aki's portion definitely looked bigger than mine...

Aki FaceTimed Naoya in Tokyo, and we said Happy New Year to him and his family. Otherwise, it was a day at the computer interface for me, as I finally got some work done. It's beginning to pile up a bit, worryingly! Still, I guess I need the money, though I'm not looking forward to having to track down functioning public conveniences on my travels!!!

Sunday 10th January 2021

More strange dreams last night. Dreamt I was going on holiday with Geoff Hoare, a retired colleague, and his wife. Geoff and I were walking along a city pavement pulling our suitcases behind us. We crossed the road at a pedestrian crossing. Walking down the opposite side of the street, Geoff realised he'd lost one of the lenses from his spectacles, which we could see glinting on the opposite side of the road. I went back to the pedestrian crossing, but by the time I got near the fallen lens, Geoff had crossed the road and retrieved it. So I attempted to board a bus, but just missed it, and had to jog beside it to the next bus stop. I got off at the train station, and looked for Geoff and his wife on the crowded platform!

Played my Christmas present from Aki...the vinyl edition of Exile on Main Street...just to check it wasn't scratched, really...sounded great, and we had a bit of a jig about in the living-room to Turd On the Run. Read a bit of A House for Mr Biswas, which I am enjoying hugely, and then watched FA Cup football on BBC1. Crawley Town hammered Leeds United 3-0...great stuff! Rebecca from next door phoned to say she had cooked a Victoria sponge...Sush passed me a couple of slices, in a plastic container, across the fence in the front garden.

Saturday 9th January 2021

Languished in bed listening to Saturday Live, and Soul Music, the latter focusing on Life on Mars? Intriguing listen. 

Aki dragged me out for a Saturday constitutional mid afternoon. We took a circular route up and over the hill to Crouch End, and had a quick look at the redevelopment going on in and around the old 1930s era Town Hall building. A lot of flats going up to the rear. Popped in to Dev's the Chemist to pick up fresh supplies of statins.

Watched Arsenal v Newcastle live from the Emirates. Aki was pleased that The Gooners ran out 2-0 winners.

Friday 8th January 2021

More funny dreams last night, though can't quite remember the sequence/narrative. I can recall preparing goods for sale at an open air market...my speciality seemed to be sponge cakes, sliced in half horizontally, laid in a baking tray and covered with custard! Retired for the night to a mattress in a warehouse, shared with numerous other market traders, prior to opening the following morning. I rose at dawn to use the loo, and found myself in a long queue that snaked down a grassy bank toward a building by a canal. I gave up waiting, and took a walk along the canal, passing a three-storey apartment building; on looking up, I saw Jim Lister on a balcony waving at me, and I asked if I could use his facilities. Katherine met me at the communal front door and let me in...

FaceTimed mum...wanted to see the snow that had fallen in the early hours. The back garden looks to have had a generous covering.

Popped out late afternoon for our constitutional, via the greengrocer in Stroud Green Road, and TescoExpress. FaceTimed Kath when we got back...she'd been working overnight looking after Muriel. Called Nigel, but he was on another line, so caught up with Julie. She said Nigel has almost fully recovered from the virus, though he's now having problems with his liver.

Thursday 7th January 2021

Woke once in the night to check the BBC live reporting on the attempted coup in the US. By morning, the news confirmed that Biden's election win had been certified by Congress. Now all that remains is to drag Trump kicking and screaming from the Oval Office in a couple of weeks' time.

Did a little prep work this morning prior to planning a drive to Medway next week...am having second thoughts about going, though, as hospitals are now so full, I'd be in danger of not getting intensive care treatment, or a timely response from the emergency services, should I be in a car accident! Will monitor the situation, and make a decision next week. In the meantime, Savills have issued us with a letter to show the police should we be stopped whilst out and about on Savills business.

Only contact with the outside world today came when Sush rang the doorbell, looking for Lynne. He had a traffic warden with him who was about to issue her with a ticket. I knocked on her door, and she finally materialised, and Sush took her car keys and moved her car for her, much to the traffic warden's bemusement.

Spoke to ma on the landline. She said their second covid jabs were still scheduled for a couple of weeks' time, and it sounds as though Kath is in line for a first jab soon.

No sign yet of the republican members of Trump's Cabinet moving to invoke the 25th Amendment. Looks like an Impeachment Trial will come from the House of Representatives, though. Bring it on!

Wednesday 6th January 2021

Not a great night's sleep. Kept waking with the impression that my breathing was getting shallow! When I awoke for the final time, my neck was aching...getting old!

Did a little bit of work after breakfast, and spoke to MD on the phone. Aki and I walked to Stroud Green, and popped into the greengrocer, and got some odds and ends in TescoExpress. Received a package from Paul Smith...but the trousers were too small, so I had to repackage them and queue up at the Post Office to return them from whence they came. 

Shocking scenes from Capitol Hill as Trump's "blackshirts" stormed the US Congress. Disgraceful scenes, that should, hopefully, lead to Trump being arrested and tried for treason. What a fuckin' mess he's made of it all, pardon my French!!!

Tuesday 5th January 2021

Aki up early, as she had to drive up to Finchley for a site visit. The site had been broken into last night, but nothing taken, as the alarm had frightened them off. I cleaned the bathroom, and got under the kitchen sink to see if I could stop the leak...I failed.

Savills are apparently classed an essential business, much to my bemusement, which means we can carry on with external inspections, so no furlough for me this time around.

Richard Willis posted on FB that he is still in hospital on oxygen...he's been there almost two weeks. The good news is that his missus has been discharged, but he reports that there are six beds in his dorm, and he has seen four of his fellow inpatients pass away. Scary situation out there, as the hospitals sink beneath the sheer weight of demand. Richard recommends buying an oximeter...I ordered one from Amazon! Our evening's TV viewing was interrupted by some scratching sounds in the ceiling below Lynne's kitchen floor. I think we have a mouse! Went up to Lynne's flat and sprayed some mint repellant about in her kitchen, but I doubt it'll do much good. 

Monday 4th January 2021

Dreamt I was opening a show for Graham Fellows in some enormous theatre. It was packed. I ventured into the Green Room to make something to eat, then realised I was going to be late for my cue. Came out into the auditorium and bumped into the Stage Manager, who seemed to be Lennox Greaves, and he complained that I'd set the grill on fire, but he led me down to stage level where everyone was waiting impatiently for my arrival. By way of apology, I bought Graham a bag of chips for 50p, after the show.

Ventured out into Covidland late morning to buy some stationery from the shop on Holloway Road, and got a few bits and pieces in Waitrose. The Asian guys in the stationery shop wanted a wee chat, asking me whether I was working from home. 

Started reading V.S.Naipaul's "A House for Mr Biswas" this afternoon, having finished the rather grim Book Club choice, "Will and Testament". 

Cooked an odd evening meal of baked cauliflower and cabbage, with cheese and pancetta, to mark the start of my low carb/no carb January diet. See how things pan out!

Boris announced that the country is to go into full lockdown mode once more as of midnight tonight!!! So it's back to watching livestreams from Ronnie Scott's...

Sunday 3rd January 2021

Managed a late morning walk to Finsbury Park, returning via the organic greengrocer's on Stroud Green Road, and TescoExpress. 

Not much else to report today. Bit of rain and sleet this afternoon, so stayed in and read the paper. I cooked dinner, which Aki seemed to enjoy. 

Watched the new David Attenborough TV spectacular, and the second epsiode of The Serpent. Then bath and bed!

Saturday 2nd January 2021

Another fitful night's sleep. So off to a slow start this morning. Aki had risen early to contact her mother in Japan for her weekly chat.

Aki persuaded me to don my thermals, and we drove up to Highgate, and had a walk through the mud at Kenwood, and on Hampstead Heath. A lot of people about doing the same. Back home for a mug of hot chocolate, and fried Xmas pud.

Lynne, from the upstairs flat, turned up, having spent the festive season at her sister's. Had a quick chat at the front door as she hauled Boston in on his lead.

Watched "Clueless" this evening. Smart, sassy script, and great performances from a young cast. Laughed out loud lots! Wished I'd watched it 25 years ago!!!

Friday 1st January 2021

A new year dawns. Didn't get a great night's sleep. The CPAP machine woke me a couple of times, and I had problems with a chronically dry mouth and throat, which needed hydrating. Woke up with a blocked nose.

Aki produced the traditional Japanese soup and rice cakes, or mochi, for breakfast, washed down with an unusual herb infused saki.

Got a FaceTime call from Ma and Pa wishing us a Happy New Year. They are worried that their second covid jab will be postponed, but they haven't heard anything concrete yet.

Katherine and George passed by, and wished us a Happy New Year through the living-room window.

FaceTimed Kath...she'd gone to bed early last night, as she had been sleeping over at Muriel's the night before, which means being woken up every 30 minutes!

Thursday 31st December 2020

Funny dream last night. Aki and I seemed to be holidaying in a rundown seaside town. Wandering about in the twilight, we bumped into an old friend of Aki's, and he invited us out for dinner. I declined, as I had another engagement. I arranged to meet them back at the hostel we were staying in. It was a bit rundown, too, and all the doors were painted purple. On my return, I entered the building from a back entrance, and found that I had to make way through small occupied rooms, even at one point having to walk across a dining table where a woman was just finishing her evening meal...I nearly knocked her drink off the table with my foot! 

Back in the real world, Aki and I decided to walk to the fishmonger on Essex Road. The sun was shining, but it was very cold. I queued at the butcher's, and the cheesemonger, while Aki joined a particularly long queue at Steve Hatt's. By the time I got home, I couldn't feel my fingers, and my knees had frozen!

Ma and pa successfully made it to the GP today for the first of their Covid jabs. 

Aki spent most of the afternoon preparing our special Japanese New Year menu, while I did a bit of work on the computer, so I could put my timesheets in before the year was out. 

Ate sumptuously, and cracked open the champagne, then watched a bit of telly. Goodbye 2020, and good riddance!