Friday 29th July 2022

Alarm at 0700. Got up and made myself a mug of tea, and did a bit of work at the laptop. Decided to skip breakfast this morning, as I need to get a certain amount of inspections done before I head home at lunchtime. Checked out of the hotel and drove down the Eveswell and Maindee areas to the east of the city centre. Had to wander around the Broadmead Park estate on foot, as the frontages are pedestrian only access...another low quality build estate, with areas of heavy littering, and dumping. Managed to complete the Newport City inspections by lunchtime, much to my surprise, so celebrated by driving to Caerleon for lunch at The Green. Haven't been there since before the pandemic...as a result of lockdown restrictions, they had decided to open up the back yard to put out tables and chairs, some underneath tent like structures for shade...they've done a good job. Enjoyed a fish finger sandwich, then headed east along the M4 in ever increasing heat...stopped briefly at Reading services, and got home around 1700. Aki put together a tinned salmon salad, then we knocked up Katerina at No.49...she's the Ukrainian refugee that Andrew and Kathleen had sponsored...Andrew was left to babysit Artur, and we drove Katerina to the Tower Theatre to see Coram Boy, the theatre's blockbuster summer production, for which Kathleen and designed and made the hundred odd costumes! Simona had directed...she must have spent months on it, as there's a cast of twenty-six, music, choreography, all sorts going on!!! Some really good performances in it, but I was glad I hadn't accepted Simona's request to fill in for an actor who had to drop out during the rehearsal period. They finish at the Tower tomorrow, and re-mount the production at Minnack toward the end of August. We stayed for a drink in the bar, and I offered Alison, an ageing actress who was in the show, a lift home, as I feared rather for her ability to get home to Muswell Hill via two buses at the late hour. We got home at 1145ish, and went straight to bed!