Sunday 8th July 2021

Still raining! Stayed in bed and read a bit more of the Ocean Vuoung novel. It's intriguing in that it conjures an air of poetical imagery, but yet feels a little bit awkward...he's taken the English language and used it to express a Vietnamese spirit which doesn't quite dovetail or translate. Got up around 1030. Aki cooked up a late brunch, and we managed an afternoon walk up to Stroud Green and back. Looks as though The Dairy, an above average gastro pub on Stroud Green Road, has gone under. All boarded up. FaceTimed Kath, who had had a good time up in Dunbar, and ma and pa, who were pickling onions, amongst other things. I cooked a tagliatelle in lemon and parmesan as a starter this evening, followed by roast chicken thighs & pesto sauce, with roast tomatoes off of Aki's tomato plants, and vegetables. Watched a bit of telly.