Monday 29th May 2023

Alarm at 0800. Aki got up to ready herself for Rowing Club. I got up and porridged. Listened to R4 coming from the Hay Book Festival, with the delightful Barbara Kingsolver talking about how Charles Dickens influenced her latest novel, "Demon Copperhead", and Michael Rosen about re-writing MacBeth for youngsters. Aki cycled off for Stoke Newington. I did some exercises. Simona texted me to say the chap playing Captain Cat in the up-coming Tower production of "Under Milkwood" had dropped out....could I step in? It opens in 9 days! Tempted, but my voice hasn't recovered from the One Hundred Day Cough, and I've too much work on to spare the energy, sadly...would have loved to be involved. Took a walk up Highgate Hill and bought a coffee at Gail's, which I drank on a bench in Waterlow Park. Read a bit of "A Golden Age", then walked back down the hill, stopping off at M&S on the way to get some odds and ends. Got home and made some lunch...Aki came home shortly afterward, having eaten at the cafe next door to the Rowing Club. I made a gluten free chocolate cake for tomorrow evening's get together to mark the forthcoming marriage of Sush and Rebecca...I wanted to do Nigella's chocolate Guinness cake, but remembered Rebecca is gluten intolerant, so went to Waitrose and found a gluten free chocolate cake mix, and a can of gluten free beer in the Indie Beer shop on Holloway Road. Busy evening making the cake and icing it, cooking an aubergine parmigiana lasagne for dinner, and making a pea and basil soup.