Saturday 29th April 2023

Woke around 0900. Aki feeling a little under the weather, so lay in for a while. I made her some porridge. Did some work at the computer until breaking to cook lunch. Made for the bus stop, taking a No.253 to Finsbury Park, intending to catch the 106 to Stoke Newington, but the bus was cancelled ...realised we weren't going to make curtain up if we waited for the next bus, but got lucky and flagged down a black cab. Got to the Tower theatre with 2 minutes to spare. 

Geoff and Sarah had just arrived, and we trooped upstairs to the auditorium to see the first musical put on in the Stoke Newington space..."Pal Joey". Frank Sinatra had starred in the 50s film version. It was a terrific production, and a full house...the singing was very good, and the little band were great...the MD is a real talent! Some of the acting was a bit patchy...the lead looked awkward, and wasn't convincing, which weakened the production somewhat, but the set pieces, and the scenes in the nightclub, were very enjoyable. Managed a quick catch up with neighbours from No.36, and No.49, before heading for Stoke Newington rail station with Geoff and Sarah, and getting a train in to Liverpool Street. Took the Circle Line to Temple, and walked up to The Aldwych. Stunned to discover the south side of The Aldwych has been pedestrianised...looks like a little bit of Paris. Really good. Geoff and Sarah took us to the Indian Curry Club in The Strand...you enter through a rather unprepossessing doorway and up some tatty stairwells, to the eatery on the 2nd floor. It's all very basic, to say the least, but the place was packed. It's been there since 1964! The food was tasty and cheap...a lot of LSE students in there, so it's noisy, but we will be back! Caught the No.91 home...

Friday 28th April 2023

Woke around 0800. Got up and porridged, then made a packed lunch. Did a little work at the computer before climbing back in to the motor, and heading back to Hounslow. Got into a little end terrace house...terrible black mould on the ceiling in the back bedroom, and bathroom ...looked to me like there was a roof leak at the gable end which was causing the problem...I told the tenant to go see Citizens' Advice and get shirty! On top of that, the house was on the Heathrow flight path, and planes were coming in for landing above the back garden every 90 seconds...it was deafening! The headed for Forest Hill. Had my lunch in the car in Sainsbury's car park in Sydenham, then drove on to Woolwich, finishing at property on Shooters Hill. Traffic bad all day...and very slow going home. We had planned to eat around 1800, but I didn't get in until 1845...managed to swallow my bowl of pasta carbonara, and we headed for the bus stop. Took a tube into Euston, and walked across to The Place to see a couple of pieces by the South Korea Contemporary Dance Company. The first piece was a bit dull....not much dancing going on, just a lot of hand and arm movements, signifying the machinations of a clock. The second piece was better, with some great unison work. We stayed behind for the post show chat, which was interesting, in that it meant a significant proportion of translation back and forth. Got the No.91 bus back home...

Thursday 27th April 2023

Woke around 0800. Got up and made tea. Did some work at the computer before porridging, making a packed lunch, and setting off for Harrow and Wealdstone. Inspections then took me down to Southall, Hounslow, and Hampton. Had my lunch in the car in a Tesco car park somewhere. Found myself driving past Hampton Court Palace...noticed they had a tulip festival on over the coming Bank Holiday weekend...Aki might like that! Got home around 1930...just had time to get some dinner down us...Aki had made a daal, which we ate with rice, naan, and a samosa. Wandered over to No.38 for Book Club. Gayu and Ben had put on a generous spread, so we had dessert...Ben had made his speciality cheesecake. "Master & Margarita" received mixed reviews. Dulcie failed to get past the first five chapters, neither Gayu nor Aki had finished it, and Gareth loathed the biblical references. Ben, Jane, George, Katherine, and I, had all enjoyed bits of it. Polly wasn't able to attend, which was a pity, as she had studied Russian literature, and might have been able to shed some light on the more enigmatic sections of the novel. Got home around 2230.

Wednesday 26th April 2023

Woke around 0800. Got up and showered. Wandered into town for breakfast at Bill's. I wasn't very impressed. The eggs benedict looked good, but the avocado had come straight out of the fridge, and had made the hollandaise sauce, and the toast, cold. Checked out of the Radisson and headed east along the M4. Stopped at Reading service station for a spot of late lunch. Got home around 1500. Walked up to Whittington Hospital for a 1620 appointment with the imaging department...an ultrasound scan on my hernias. The one giving me the most gip looked OK, and the newly discovered one turned out to be a muscular aberration...I was surprised I still had any abdominal muscles! The umbilical hernia has re-opened, though, which may mean repair surgery. A report will go to my GP, so will have to organise a chat next week. Walked back down the hill, popping in to M&S to get Aki some fruit juice. Aki cooked a tasty aubergine and steak lasagne for dinner, followed by ice cream and pomegranate juice. watched a bit of telly before shower and bed...

Tuesday 25th April 2023

Got up around 0800. Showered. Descended downstairs to find the robot vacuum cleaner scurrying around the kitchen floor like a wee beasty. Nige made me a mug of tea, and a toasted bagel. Packed my bag and jumped in the car. Finished the Coastal Housing inspections by lunchtime, mostly in suburbs to the north-east of Swansea. I looked at a property in Clydach Road to find it under scaffolding...it was five doors down from the terraced house that was destroyed in a gas explosion a couple of weeks ago. The destroyed end terrace still looked much like it did on the News bulletin then...bits of bedroom furniture and window blinds still visible, and bunches of flowers on the nearby fencing. The house I looked at had had to have a new roof installed. Drove in to Swansea for petrol, and had lunch at the M&S cafe, then set off for Barry to complete the Newydd Housing inspections. Found myself having to wander around a rather deprived local authority estate on the southern fringes of the depressing Barry town centre. Can't believe people come here for their holidays! Drove on to Cardiff, and checked in at the Radisson in the city centre. Wandered over to John Lewis's for a browse around the clothing department, then went for dinner at The Ivy round the corner. Back at the hotel I did some work at my laptop before watching a bit of TV, then bed...

Monday 24th April 2023

Fitful night’s sleep. Nodded off in Room 3 around 2330 only to be woken at midnight by someone trying to enter my room…glad I’d locked the door! I shouted at them to bugger off, which seemed to do the trick. Woken again at 0230 by pain in the abdomen…thought I’d gotten food poisoning at the Indian restaurant! Managed to nod off again but woke at 0530 worrying about whether I needed to stay another night at the B&B in Newtown! By the time the alarm went off at 0730 I was exhausted! Got up and showered then went down to the breakfast room. Mentioned last night’s experience to the hostess. It transpired it was a woman who had been sleep walking who had tried to get into Room 3 last night…she had mistaken it for Room 4, but had ended up in vacant Room 8…!!! She came in for breakfast and confessed, apologising profusely. She had won the ladies singles in a pool competition last night and had had a bit too much to drink by way of celebration. Eggs Benedict for breakfast…very good. Checked out and spent the morning on a housing estate on the western edge of Newtown. Drove back into the town centre to pick up some lunch from Costa, which I ate in a lay-by on the road to Llandrindod Wells…beautiful drive south through verdant rolling countryside, despite the wet weather. Got to my next inspection in Crofty, on the Gower Peninsula, around 1600. Got to Nigel and Julie’s around 1900. Nige drove us down to the Miller’s Arms in Ynysforgan for dinner…it was pretty poor. 

Sunday 23rd April 2023

Woke around 0800 after a decent night's sleep. Got up and made tea, which we drank in bed. Rose to cook breakfast. Needed to do a couple of hours work before lunch. Aki cycled off to watch the second half of the Regatta at the Rowing Club, despite it spitting with rain, so I waved her off from the living room window. Had a bite to eat then packed my bags. Gave ma and pa a quick call. Headed north westward at 1415. National emergency alarm sounded on my iPhones as I was driving onto the Westway. Stopped for petrol in High Wycombe and picked up a coffee. Traffic ok until I got on the M42 at Birmingham but cleared by the time I hit the M54. Weather not too good though…a couple of very heavy downpours and lots of spray. Got to Newtown at 1915 just as the FA Cup semi final went into penalties…Man Utd beat Brighton 7-6 to set up a final with Man City! Checked in to the B&B at Parker’s House in the town centre. Well appointed if a little cramped. The town is very pleasant. Sits on the River Severn 10 miles west of Welshpool. It’s very well kept…the streets seem remarkably clean. Had dinner at the Gulshan on the High Street…very friendly staff. The food was passable. Back in my room I watched MOTD2…which featured Newcastle’s extraordinary 6-1 win over Spurs!

Saturday 22nd April 2023

Woke around 0230 with a coughing fit...my hernia is really not enjoying the continuous coughing, and now gives me constant gip. Managed to get back to sleep, though, and woke around 0830. Made tea. We were out of bread so walked up to the Farmer's Market at Yerbury school to replenish supplies. Ma and pa FaceTimed us, and we had a brief chat en route, so to speak. It seems dad sought medical advice for his swollen leg too late...the latterly diagnosed snapped Achilles will not now knit itself back together, so he has to focus on exercises to build up the muscularity around it...luckily, it seems to be holding together, but will give him some on-going pain I suspect. It hadn't stopped him planting some spuds! Walked back home with our loaf and had a late breakfast. Did some work at the computer while Aki did some gardening. Watched the Man City v Sheffield Utd FA Cup semi-final before dinner. Pork shoulder with rice and vegetables. Tuned in to BBC Wales radio commentary on the Wrexham v Borehamwood game...Wrexham won 3-1, securing a fairytale promotion back into the Football League. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed...

Friday 21st April 2023

Alarm at 0730...dozed back off, and got up at 0800. Headed downstairs for breakfast. Packed my bags and checked out, then headed for Briton Ferry, and inspections in east Swansea. Stopped to grab a coffee at Starbucks in the Quayside quarter. Finished in Morriston, then headed for home. Stopped for a late lunch at Leigh Delamere Service station on the M4 near Bristol...my sandwich in Pret A Manger cost £5.60!!! 

Got home at 1800 and called Carlos from No.36 across for a brief rehearsal of "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude", then we walked up to No.127 where Katherine and George were hosting a gathering to mark Jane's 80th birthday (she's also from No.36). About twelve guests turned up, everyone bringing some nibbles to share...Aki had hand made some tasty sushi. The celebrations ended with a musical interlude...Dulcie from No.110 sang an Edwardian parlour song to a recorded piano accompaniment, Katherine, George and I murdered a couple of Scottish waltzes, and we finished off with a Beatles sing-a-long with George busking some flute, and Carlos tooting away rather badly on his saxophone....it all went down very well! It also happened to be Kathleen from No.49's birthday, so a double cake ceremony was masterminded by our hosts, though I don't think Kathleen has yet reached 80! Walked home with Gayu from No.38 and made for our beds...

Thursday 20th April 2023

Alarm at 0730. Got up and made tea and did a little work at the laptop before breakfast downstairs. Headed for the Afan Valley north of Port Talbot first thing, then back down to Cwmafan...the mountains looked glorious in the bright spring sunshine...felt like I was on holiday. Then it was across to Neath...another depressed and depressing south Wales town, half full of drunks all staggering about in the town centre, can in hand. Stopped at Cafe Forty-Six for my lunch...they do a decent and reasonably priced jacket potato in there. Drove to Mumbles at close of play, and had my dinner at Verdi's, on the harbour front there...wholesome home cooked Italian food...I had the beef in actasty pizzaiola sauce, followed by tiramisu. Took a short drive up to Bracelet Bay and The Mumbles lighthouse (see photo) as the sun was going down. Got back to the hotel and worked until midnight trying to catch up on uploading all the photos, and filling out the inspection sheets! Fell into bed exhausted...

Wednesday 19th April 2023

Alarm at 0730. Made tea and took it downstairs for breakfast in the restaurant. Spent the day in the car in and around Swansea. Broke for lunch and parked up in a street on the western fringe of the city centre, and walked into the shopping zone. Lunched in the cafe at M&S. The chicken wrap was tasty enough. Ended the day in the Quayside quarter, aiming for dinner at Lotus, but it was packed, so ended up in the Indian restaurant in the old J Shed opposite. Aki had been invited out to Highgate for a showing at the Dartmouth Park Film Club in the company of friends and neighbours Helen and Martin...who had persuaded their neighbour Viv along (on the far right in the photo). She was the guitarist in all female punk outfit, The Slits, one of the first punk bands I saw, at a gig at Newcastle University in 1977! Aki told her I had stuck a framed copy of their album cover for "Cut" on the wall in our hallway. Helen and Martin met her shortly after she'd moved into an intriguing modern infill development a few doors down from their house...she had been seeking planning advice. Not sure what she's up to these days, though she told Aki that a special edition of "Cut" was due for release this coming weekend to mark Record Store Day. 

Tuesday 18th April 2023

Alarm at 0730. Descended to the restaurant for breakfast. Walked in to the city centre to hook up with a couple of members of the Coastal Housing team at their modern office in a rather impressive city centre redevelopment scheme, largely inspired by the Housing Association. I was given a couple of contacts, and set off on foot for a long morning of external and internal inspections. Broke for lunch in a trendy little city centre cafe, but the fish finger wrap was disappointing...it badly needed some tartare sauce. I did an internal inspection at a city centre flat...the tenant buzzed me in. I found a lady in her fifties, maybe, with an arm in a sling, and an oxygen mask on...she told me she was dying, and would have gone a long time ago if it wasn't for the effort she'd put in to maintain her flat! Got back in the car mid-afternoon to complete a day's inspections. Too tired to venture far for dinner, so strolled across to La Braseria, opposite the Premier Inn. Very friendly Spanish Maitre D...reckoned he used to run a restaurant in Borehamwood. Food was very ordinary, though. I had a spicy lamb kebab, but it tasted more of soap than spices!

Monday 17th April 2023

Got up about 0800. Descended downstairs... Nige made me a tea, and toasted a bagel, which sufficed for breakfast, with some raspberry jam smeared on it. Talked about a plan of action over the coming week, then I packed my bag and jumped in the motor before Julie surfaced. Spent most of the day doing inspections in and around Port Talbot. Had my lunch in a cafe on the beach at Aberavon...£9 for a jacket potato and baked beans! I visited the loo afterward, and as I pressed the push button flush, it sprung off and landed in the toilet bowl! I tried in vain the fish it out with the toilet brush, so had to go confess to the chef. He told me he'd see to it...I advised him to don elbow length rubber gloves! Ended my working day in Margam, then drove into Swansea and booked in to the Premier Inn at the bottom of Wind Street. There was no plug by the bed, so I had to go and ask if the hotel could supply me with a cable extension so I could plug my CPAP machine in...I needed three extensions in the end! Wandered over the road to Morgan's Hotel to try them out for dinner...it's a big hotel, and beyond the Savills budget for a stay, but the food was reasonable...had the chicken supreme. Strange little restaurant space though, in a sort of mezzanine basement area, quite small and cramped, with timbered internal walls and no windows....don't think I'll be rushing back. 

Sunday 16th April 2023

 

Woke around 0730. Aki got up and cooked breakfast prior to cycling off to Rowing Club. I did some ironing and packed a bag. Loaded the car and set off for Swansea around 1230. Stopped off at John Lewis’s in High Wycombe, in a vain search for the pestle and mortar I’d spotted online. Picked up a coffee at Costa and then headed down the A404 to join the M4 east of Reading. Took another comfort break at a service station with an M&S shop and bought some nice Italian themed food items to compensate mein hosts for feeding me this evening. Got Julie a bottle of Shiraz on the Savills ticket. Slow going past Newport for some reason…sheer volume of traffic, it seemed! Got to Ynysforgan just after 1800. Nigel gave me a quick tour of the refurbished house…they seem very pleased with it. Nigel now down to a three day week. Nigel served up dinner…a tasty spicy tomato soup followed by a roast chicken dinner, partially ruined by him swamping the food with so much gravy it was difficult to see what you were eating! Chocolate cake and cream to follow! Needed to go out to walk it all off, but it was drizzling outside. Chatted at the dining table before retiring for an early bath, and bed…

Saturday 15th April 2023

Woke around 0800 with a bit of a cough, but got a decent night’s sleep. Got up and checked the garden gate…Lynne had come home late and had merely draped the padlock over the gate latch…will have to show her how it’s done! Simple enough, surely!?! Aki cooked breakfast. Drove to Camden so Aki could get herself some compost. Did a bit of a shop at Waitrose on the way home. Came home then walked up Hornsey Rise to Crouch End. Bumped into Six and Julia. Popped in to the kitchenware shop and bought the Robert Welch steak knives I’d spotted on Thursday. Had a snack at a cafe on Park Road. Bumped into Jude Chalk outside…she’d been busy with the get in for Pal Joey at the Tower. Walked home. Had a chat with George and Katherine who were gardening in front of No.127. Got home in time to catch the Grand National…my each way bet pulled up with about 5 fences to go, and my bet to win could only manage third place. Cooked roast chicken dinner with Greek lemon and garlic roast potatoes and vegetables, with a cheese walnut sauce. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed…

Friday 14th April 2023

Decent night's sleep. Woke with a bit of a coughing fit, though, at 0730. Aki brought me tea in bed. Got up and porridged. Did a little work from my laptop this morning. Read some Bulgakov. Put a simple ham salad together for lunch. Went out on inspections in Hackney and Islington after lunch. Home by 1630. Worked at the laptop until 1800. Warmed up the remaining lasagne for dinner, eaten with broccoli. Watched “Better Things” and the excellent “Rain Dogs”. 

Thursday 13th April 2023

Not a great night's sleep...very dry throat, which triggered some coughing early on. Removing my CPAP mask seemed to help, and I nodded off. Alarm at 0730. Aki got up and unlocked the garden gate. She brought me a mug of tea. Got up and porridged. Put lunch together...omelette and salad. Aki scooted off to Brixton, with camera and tripod in tow...intending to photograph the completed flat refurbishment she's been working on. I took a walk over to Stroud Green. Caught a bus there to Crouch End, and had a wander around. Put a bet on a couple of horses in advance of Saturday's Grand National, then found myself in a kitchen cookware shop looking at pestle and mortars. Spotted some steak knives which match our Robert Welch cutlery. Didn't buy anything, but resolved to go back with Aki in tow. Walked back through Crouch End, and up Crouch Hill, where I caught a No.91 bus back toward Holloway. Got off at Tesco and bought some milk, then walked home. Aki got back about half-an-hour later. She seemed happy with her refurbishment, and the photos look good. Aki cooked a fish curry, which we ate with rice and naan. Watched a documentary fronted by Brian Cox on the Mars rover mission...very interesting. Amazing images of the red desert. Padlocked the garden gate, only to hear someone come in through the front door a few minutes later. I opened our door expecting to find Lynne, but it was her nephew's partner, Beth, and her dog Ziggy...I asked them how they'd gotten in...she said she had long legs and had simply stepped over the garden gate! Bath and bed...

Wednesday 12th April 2023

Woken by violent coughing around 0400...took ages to get back to sleep. It was so violent it seems to have bruised my sternum! Eventually got back to sleep about an hour later. By the time I awoke, Aki was heading for Rowing Club...nice day for it. Porridged. The metal gate manufacturer came by to take a look at the situation...the problem lies in the gate posts being too close together, and, certainly in one case, too low. He recommended removing the brick pier to widen the entrance, and he has a point. Not sure how to progress things from here. Popped over to Jane and Carlos at No.36 to practice "Yesterday"...after a few hiccups, it seemed to flow reasonably well, though Carlos is no great shakes on the sax...beginner level stuff. That didn't stop him wanting to do a couple more Beatles numbers, namely "Hey Jude" and "Michelle"...said I'd transpose them, and give them a go, but we have little or no rehearsal time to plot in. Came home and made myself a sardine salad lunch...Aki had returned, but had eaten at the cafe next to the Rowing Club. I popped out to Waitrose...took the car, as it had started raining. Bought some odds and ends to make tonight's dinner. Bought an exterior use padlock at Franchi's, for the garden gate. Came home and prepared an aubergine parmigiana lasagne for dinner, which we ate with kale doused i a walnut and parmesan sauce, inspired by our dinner on Monday night. Watched episode 1 of "The Last of Us", a dystopian post apocalypse drama that has received rave reviews. Aki hated it, but I thought it was very well done...the sets and set dressing were very convincing. Padlocked the gate before bed...

Tuesday 11th April 2023

Another reasonable night’s sleep, though woke up coughing at 0800. Doorbell went…it was the Islington Street Cleaning chaps. We had a quick chat with them and they took away the bagged waste. I got back in to bed and listened to R4 for a bit. Eventually got up and porridged. Aki decided to trim the hedge out front, so I joined in until Carlos came round with his saxophone ...we sorted out a key for "Yesterday", and hopefully we'll get a rehearsal in tomorrow at some point. I made us some lunch. Aki working at the computer this afternoon, so I walked over to Holloway Road to deposit the used coffee capsules at a store that sends them off for recycling, then took a bus up Archway Road to seek out a gate builder I'd found on the internet. Got there only to discover they'd moved to Edmonton, and the shop was now a bicycle repair shop! Managed to get through to them on the phone, though, and arranged for someone to come and have a look tomorrow morning. Had myself a coffee and an almond tart in the cafe at Jackson's Lane Theatre, and picked up a brochure, then caught the No.43 bus back down to Holloway. Clocked in at ours, and Aki sent me out again to get milk and some other bits and pieces from Waitrose. Walked there and back in a light drizzle. Aki warmed up the leftover pork stir fry, and added some egg to the rice...very yummy! Had ice cream with melted chocolate for dessert. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed.

Monday 10th April 2023

Not a bad night's sleep. Woke at 0400, but got back to sleep pretty quickly. I was slow to rise, though. Aki brought me a mug of tea, then I got up and porridged. Discovered another human offering on the doorstep this morning. I reported it to the Council Street Cleaning team, but guess they are on leave, it being a Bank Holiday. Lynne came down and bagged it up with a couple of her doggy poo bags, and I applied bleach and cleaned up the doorstep and footpath. Didn't feel much like having lunch afterward! Sat about not doing very much this afternoon...bit grey outside, with sporadic showers. Listened to some of the National League game between Wrexham and Notts County...both teams on 100 points with five and four games to go respectively. It was a very exciting second half, Wrexham coming back from a goal down to win 3-2, Ben Foster saving a Notts County penalty in the last minute...fairytale stuff...Wrexham just have to win two, and draw one of their remaining four games to get the automatic promotion place. Must have been gutting for the Magpie's fans! Knocked Jane and Carlos up at No.36, and walked them up to the Landseer where we had dinner. The lamb kofta sandwich was good, and so was the beetroot ravioli. Jane and Carlos are due to head for Lille to mark Jane's 80th birthday, and have a train excursion down the eastern seaboard from Montreal to NYC later in the year! Walked home. Watched "Daisy Jones & the Six", and the first half hour or so of "The Graduate"...had forgotten just how funny it was...

Sunday 9th April 2023

Woken at 0400 by violent coughing. Seems to be getting worse by the day. Got up and made myself a mug of tea, and sat up on the sofa waiting for my breathing to calm down. Spent some time penning an email to the Welsh contingent, warning them that, unless there's some kind of miraculous intervention come Easter Monday, I won't be fit enough to undertake inspections from Tuesday, as planned. Will have to cancel my hotel bookings. Watched a bit of telly and drank a couple of mugs of peppermint tea with added lemon and honey. Went back to bed at 0800 and slept till 1000. Aki had cycled off to Rowing Club by then. I had planned to join her for Sunday roast there later, but didn't feel up to it. Porridged. Went for a late afternoon walk once Aki had returned, as the sun was shining. Walked up to Archway, and bought some chicken legs at the halal butcher on Holloway Road. Roasted one for my dinner, with roast potatoes, vegetables, bread sauce, and gravy. Aki had a bit of mine...the leg was huge! I think it could have done with an extra 15 minutes in the oven, as it proved a little tough getting the meat off the bone. Watched a bit of telly, including ep 3 of "Great Expectations"...it's all getting a bit one-note as we move to dirty old London town in the company of the despicably evil Mr Jaggers. Aki decided she ought to sleep in the spare room to put a little distance between her and my cough...

Saturday 8th April 2023

Woke at 0230...breathing uncomfortable, but managed to get back to sleep eventually. Woke again around 0730...had to get up and sit up...made a mug of tea. Sat on the sofa watching videos on my iphone for a bit. Prepared breakfast, which I cooked up once Aki had risen. Nice day. I walked up to the Farmers Market to buy bread, but it wasn't on today...Easter break! Got a loaf at the Green Room cafe. Bumped into jane and Carlos in the street...they invited us over for a drink on Monday. In the meantime, we were invited for coffee and pastries at No.49 by Andrew and Kathleen. They gave us a tour of their maisonette. Nice roof terrace, which Kathleen has decorated with a bit of cod Gaugin. They have a ground floor flat, which they had given to a Ukrainian refugee and her young son, but it turns out they had returned to Odessa at Christmas, and had decided to stay put for the moment...must be difficult! Returned home. Aki did some gardening. I vacuumed. Aki cooked a tasty pork tenderloin stir fry, followed by cheese and biscuits. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed...

Friday 7th April 2023

Woke around 0230 with sore, dry throat....the coughing kicked off again. Took ages to nod back off to sleep. Aki up at 0730 to ready herself for rowing club. I stayed in bed till 1045. Got up and porridged. Sat on the sofa studying some guitar tutorials on YouTube for a while. Aki had lunch at the cafe next door to the club, and got home around 1400. I got by on a hot cross bun and a mug of tea. We went out for a walk mid-afternoon, as the sun was still shining. Walked over to Finsbury Park, and popped in to the Tesco at Stroud Green, then walked home. Ma FaceTimed from 12 High View...Kath had taken them out for a drive in the countryside. Kath struggling with her back, and dad still awaiting a surgical boot to speed the mending of an achilles rupture. Aki did a bit of gardening out back while I made hummus, then I warmed up a couple of portions of the ragu I'd made yesterday, which we ate with tagliatelle and some green vegetables. Watched "Wildfire", a rather bleak tale from Northern Ireland charting how two sisters some to terms with the suicide of their beloved mother...cheered us up no end of a Good Friday!

Thursday 6th April 2023

Woke around 0430 with a bit of a sore throat, and had trouble getting back off to sleep. Aki brought me a mug of tea around 0830. Hernia repair giving me gip, so stayed in bed hoping a bit of rest would be beneficial. Got up at 1030 and porridged...Aki had headed off to Brixton to see how the refurb project was going. Read some Bulgakov. Aki was back in time for lunch...I fried some tinned sardines, which we ate with salad and a hunk of bread. Feeling under the weather this afternoon...the cough seems to be back, and it's aggravating the bad hernia repair. It's uncomfortable sitting down, or standing up...thought I'd better test for Covid, just in case, but the test proved negative. Cooked a ragu using a tin of stewed steak I'd bought many moons ago in case of lock down panic buying. It's a couple of months past it's use by date, but smelled tasty enough...cooked it up with lentils and a tomato sauce. Poured the sauce into containers and stuck 'em in the freezer. Cooked a mushroom risotto for dinner. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed...

Wednesday 5th April 2023

Woke around 0700. Aki got up...I assumed she was preparing to go rowing, but instead she sat at the computer to get some work done...I thought she was retired now! I got up around 0900 and porridged. Didn't a little work at the laptop, prepping for next week's trip to Wales. Broke for lunch...Aki cooked cheese omelette, which we had with some salad. We wandered over to Morrisons to get some supplies. Warmed up the last of last week's fish pie for dinner, which we ate with cabbage and broccoli, followed by chocolate microwave pudding. Watched a fascinating documentary from Lucy Worsley, following the epic efforts to re-build Notre Dame after the destruction of the fire in 2019. Some extraordinary images of thousands of pieces of scaffolding within the structure itself, covering the ancient walls from floor to vaulted ceiling. 

Tuesday 4th April 2023

Woke around 0830...drew the curtains to let the sunshine in...the North Sea still looked a dirty brown, though! Went downstairs for breakfast at 0930. Enjoyed a full English, with locally sourced bacon, and pork sausage. Packed up and checked out. Discovered the hotel garage was also used as a pigeon roost, and they'd evidently had much fun excreting all over our car during the night! Put our stuff in the boot, then walked southward along the strand to the Martello Tower, and views toward Orford Ness. Still pretty breezy out, but not as bad as yesterday. 

Drove to Orford, stopping off on the way at Snape Maltings, a former industrial site with amazing buildings, now converted into shops, cafes, workshops and studios, and, the centre-piece, the Concert Hall, now the home of the annual Aldeburgh Music Festival. The concert hall is literally a great barn of a place, with a huge stage big enough to fit a full orchestra on...the seats didn't look terribly comfortable, though! Had a browse in the Ancient Music shoppe, full of clavichords and harpsichords, lutes, wooden recorders, and ancient looking bulbous guitars. 

The bloke behind the counter was a bit perturbed to learn we were ukulele players, but instead of ushering us from the premises, he played a couple of the keyboards for us, and told us a bit about them...the clavichord had been owned by Peter Maxwell Davies, and they had had to pick it up from his home in Orkney after he'd passed, and get it to a restorer, in Dorset! Drove on to Orford, and parked up by the quay. Had lunch in a little wooden shack fronting the River Ore. Drove on to Lavenham, stopping off at a Tesco garage on the outskirts of Ipswich to take advantage of the car wash, which cleaned most of the pigeon poo off the windscreen, so Aki could see out of the window. Parked up in Lavenham Market Square and took a turn round the village, admiring the stunning timber framed buildings, then headed for home. Got back to Holloway around 1930. Walked round to Big Jo's for dinner, then back home to flake out on the sofa in front of the telly.

Monday 3rd April 2023

Woke just before 0900, so had to roll out of bed and get downstairs for breakfast. Managed to smuggle Aki's birthday card, chocolate rabbit, and canned gin and tonic on to the breakfast table. Aki had eggs benedict, and I had eggs royale. Tasty enough. Packed up and checked out. Drove eastward. Wanted to stop at Framlingham to take a look at the castle, but roadworks had closed most the through routes, and we gave up and headed to Thorpeness instead. 

Parked up and had a brief walk on the pebbled
beach... it was very windy. Repaired to the antiques shop, and cafe, where we had our lunch. Took a turn round part of the boating lake, then drove southward to Aldeburgh. Checked in to the Brudenell Hotel on the south beach, and parked the car in their garaging, such as it is. Room on the third floor, with a sea view. Wandered up the High Street, and on to the north beach, where Maggi Hambling's "Scallop" (2003) sits looking out to sea, a tribute to the works of Benjamin Britten. Stopped in a little local hostelry for a beer on the way back to the hotel. Dined in their Bar and Grill, with a table overlooking the strand and an expanse of brown sea. Dinner was good...I had whitebait for starters, followed by sea bream in a bean and chorizo stew. Chocolate Marquise for dessert. 

Sunday 2nd April 2023

Woke around 0800. Hauled ourselves downstairs for some breakfast. It was busier than I thought it would be. We ordered boiled eggs and soldiers…we had to make our own soldiers, and Aki’s egg had broken and was all but empty of yolk…neither of them were big enough to sit up in their egg cups, and no teaspoons were provided…we are not looking forward to this evening’s tasting menu with any confidence! Drove to Hengrave Hall, where Tim and Lynn were hosting brunch at their cottage...they bought it a couple of years ago. It was apparently part of the 16th Century stable block, but is two-storey, with chimney breasts, which seems a bit over the top for our equine friends. It is part of the Hengrave Hall estate, which is a huge, magnificent Tudor era building, which was latterly used as a Convent and retreat, but now hosts weddings. 

The cottage feels very small and cramped, despite, or rather because of, having two small reception rooms, a little kitchen, and a WC on the ground floor, and two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, though they use the larger bedroom space as a living-room. There's a small rear yard, and a paved yard to the side. It all felt a bit crowded, and a little dark inside. Tim gave us a tour, and we chatted to a couple of other guests before making our way back to the car, and driving in to Bury St Edmunds. Parked up near the football ground, and walked into town. Found a takeaway panini shop, and ate that for lunch sat below the famous electric road sign on Angel Hill, known colloquially as "The Pillar of Salt".

We had booked a town tour guide, Alex, and met him at the Pillar of Salt...in fact, we'd met him at the party last night, as he trained as a tour guide at the same time as Lynn did. He'd been a policeman in the town for several years. He walked us round the exterior of the Cathedral, and the ruins of the famed Abbey, which had originally held the remains of King Edmund, before Henry VIII came along and destroyed it all. The original gateway into the Abbey has since been converted in to very quirky housing. 

We left Alex outside one of the old Corn Exchange buildings, now a Wetherspoons, and had ourselves a cream tea in the Market Cross cafe. Got back to the hotel late afternoon, and slept for awhile before getting up to go downstairs for dinner. We had a five course tasting menu to plough through as part of the VIP booking. It was nothing to write home about; pea soup, followed by pork terrine, a sorbet, then chicken in a mushroom sauce with fondant potatoes, and a chocolate brownie for dessert. There was a wine flight, which I didn't get involved with...of the three wines Aki tried, only one turned out to be half decent...I had a bottle of Peroni! Got back to our room in time to watch episode two of "Great Expectations"...

Saturday 1st April 2023

Woke around 0800....Aki brought me a mug of tea, then cooked breakfast. Packed our bags, which I hauled to the car. Set off north-eastward at around 1130. Aimed for Manor House first and stuck some petrol in the car, then drove to the farm shop near Babraham, just south of Cambridge. Stopped there for a coffee and a pastel de nata…served hot! Drove on to West Stow and had ourselves a walk around Lackford Lake and along the River Lark. Drove into Bury St Edmunds, stopping off at ASDA to buy Tim a bottle of champers to mark his birthday. 

Drove on to the Priory Hotel for our VIP stay…it started well, with my name nailed to a tree, denoting my reserved car parking space. The executive suite was very disappointing, though, and we hurried back out into  the  gloaming. Got lucky with a town centre parking space on Angel Hill, and walked to the Queens Bar & Grill on Churchgate. Ordered the lamb…an hour and a half later we were still waiting! They charged us half price by way of apology, and we walked up Churchgate, a trifle late, to the Unitarian Meeting House where Tim was celebrating his 60th. Managed a brief chat with him and Lynn…no other ex New Vic alumni had made it, so I was the sole representative…Tim and Lynn met on the first production of Good Golly Miss Molly. 

Caught up with their daughter, Sidi, who is living on a canal barge currently moored up in Hackney Wick. Got chatting to a couple, Danny and Finn, at our table, who had recently moved to a nearby village after living for most of their working lives in London. 

I vaguely recognised Danny…he’d been an actor with London Bubble, and we discovered we had mutual friends in common. We snuck out during the last Ceilidh dance and got back to the hotel before the 2300 curfew!

Friday 31st March 2023

Aki up with alarm at 0730. She brought me a mug of tea. I read some Bulgakov in bed...it's all getting very silly, now we've been introduced to Margarita, who has become a witch, and has been flying about on a broomstick...she flies in to the empty apartment of her lover's literary critic, and smashes the place up with a hammer! The author's revenge! Got up and porridged. Did a little work at my laptop at the dining table. Broke for lunch...finished off the stuffed chicken. Pottered about doing nothing very much this afternoon...read some more which lead me to nod off on the sofa! Popped out to Morrisons to get a couple of things for tonight's dinner...cooked Jamie Oliver's fish pie...it was all a bit more of a palavar than I'd anticipated, particularly skinning the potatoes once they'd been microwaved, but it tasted OK. Watched Steve Coogan's film "Philomena", with him and Judi Dench...nicely done. Hadn't realised it was based on a Martin Sixsmith investigation. I remember him as a BBC News reporter...