Wednesday 28th June 2023

Aki up at 0700 to ready herself for a cycle ride to Camden Town for a meeting. I got up around 0830. Porridged. Worked at the computer until lunchtime, by which time Aki had returned. Put a tasty ham salad together for lunch. Accompanied Aki to the plumbing showroom round the corner to enquire about new bathroom fittings...I left her in there, and walked up Hornsey Road to the ENT clinic for a 1510 appointment...stopped briefly for a coffee at Aladdin's on the way. The specialist confirmed my ears were clear and we had a wee chat about hearing aids...he confirmed that a hearing aid would suppress my tinnitus, and recommended I look into titanium models in a bid to minimise the risk of inflamed my skin. He suggested I get a hearing test done first, and that I'd have to request a referral via my GP! Walked back home. Getting very muggy outside. Aki cooked a mushroom risotto for dinner. Watched Bill Nighy in "Living", a Kazuo Ishiguro re-write of a famous 50s era Japanese movie...he was very good in it, as always. A master of the under-stated. Bath and bed...

Tuesday 27th June 2023

Alarm at 0730....dozed until 0800. Got up and made tea. Porridged. Did a little prep work at the laptop, and threw together a packed lunch...not much in the larder, though. Drove off to Abbey Wood, stopping off at Manor House for some petrol, and at Charlton for a coffee. Found Leon sat outside Abbey Wood station. We targeted a 13 storey tower block, before breaking for lunch. Parked up in the under croft at Sainsbury’s and ate in the car. The afternoon was spent on an estate in central Thamesmead. Managed to get in to over 30 properties between us today…result! Dropped Leon at Abbey Wood station and drove home. Stopped for a coffee at IKEA in Charlton and sat and wrote up some inspection sheets. Got home around 1845. Aki had roasted a chicken for dinner…just what the doctor ordered. Watched a bit of telly before shower and bed...

Monday 26th June 2023

Woke around 0830…Aki got up and made tea. Wandered upstairs for breakfast in the restaurant area. Aki went for the smoked salmon, and I had smoked haddock. Packed the car and checked out. Went for a walk in the woodland above the River Teme, taking the old donkey steps up the cliff. Nice views across Ludlow and the castle. Crossed Dinham Bridge and walked up to the Market Square…bought strawberries in the little Farmer’s Market. Walked back down to the hotel and found the car, then headed for Banbury. Got there around 1345 and parked up near Banbury Cross, then ambled into the town centre to find a spot of lunch. The place looks very depressed... don't remember it looking as bad as this last time I stopped by. A lot of empty shops in the town centre, drunks and addicts staggering about. We took refuge in the shopping mall, and found a little food hall with tables outside by the canal. Had our lunch there, then walked back to the car and headed for home. Got home around 1600. I made a romesco sauce to go with a side salad and warmed up aubergine parmigiana lasagne. Watched a bit of telly before shower and bed...

Sunday 25th June 2023

Woke around 0730. Aki got up and made tea. I prepared breakfast. Started tidying up and packing…had to be out of the apartment by 1000. Michael came over for a chat, and we got to meet his wife…great couple…very friendly. Drove off around 1030 and headed eastward down the A5…it’s a glorious drive. Joined the A49 south of Shrewsbury and arrived in Ludlow at 1315. Parked up and walked into the town centre looking for some lunch. 

Wandered through the Market Square and on round the castle perimeter, finding our way down to the River Teme and Cafe on the Green. I was expecting a sandwich joint but it was eastern Mediterranean cuisine…we had a trout salad and an asparagus dish with black olive gnocchi and a delicious romesco sauce…it was excellent. Ambled along the Breadwalk along the river bank which took us to Ludford Bridge, where this evening's accommodation is sited, then up the hill, under the medieval gatehouse, into the town centre.

Had a wander round the town centre...came across a plaque in the churchyard commemorating A.E.Housman. Drove to the Charlton Arms Hotel and checked in. We had been upgraded to a room with a private balcony over the river...I say room, but it was more like an apartment, with a small sitting room, a large double bedroom, and a massive bathroom with two wand wash basins, a bath, and a walk-in shower. We ate dinner in their restaurant conservatory, with views up-river, looking out in vain for otters. Enjoyed the pork loin roast, with Yorkshire pudding, followed by Eton Mess. Repaired to our balcony for a beer afterward, then watched a bit of Elton John's performance at Glastonbury before bed...

Saturday 24th June 2023

Woke around 0900 after a comfortable night’s sleep. Got up and made tea…we had the oats I’d prepared last night and slowly got our act together. Weather much improved so decided to drive up to Lake Idwal and take a hike up to Devil’s Kitchen. Took a while to work out where the walk started, but when we got there the car park was full. Drove back along the south side of Lake Ogwen and lucked out with a roadside parking space. Decided to take a hike up the mountainside there instead (Pen yr Ole Wen). Glorious, dramatic scenery. After about an hour we found a rocky outcrop to perch on and eat our lunch. The clouds slowly cleared from the peaks on the other side of the valley to render spectacular views. We embarked on the descent, which was tougher than coming up! Saw a skylark, lots of sheep, and a couple of wild ponies. 

Drove back east, then turned north toward Llanrwst, stopping off at Finn y Parc, an old country house that had been turned into an art gallery…nice cafe too. We had a quick drink and some almond tart, then browsed the art…some interesting stuff. Drove back to Celyn y Coed Hall and showered. Ate at the old coaching inn, Ty Gwyn, a few hundred yards down the road. Very uncomfortable chairs, but the food was OK. Aki had cod wrapped in Parma ham and brie, I had steak and kidney pie and minted mash. Declined dessert and walked over Thomas Telford’s Waterloo bridge into Betws…bought ice creams at the little convenience store and sat in the park, before heading back to the Hall.

Friday 23rd June 2023

Our hostess brought breakfast to our door at 0800…a simple continental version with croissants, coffee, yoghurt and granola, and toast and marmalade, plus an orange juice. Ate in our room then packed to head north-west on the scenic A5 to Betws y Coed, then on through Snowdonia to Llanberis. As we got higher, so the grey clouds got lower…Snowdon’s peak had disappeared in the cloud cover. 

Parked up on a street off the High Street and found ourselves a coffee in the Pandarn Hotel...Tony met us there. We then walked down to the lake so Tony could exercise the dogs, then accompany us to the Mountain Railway station. At the ticket office they informed us that the weather was so bad the train journey would be severely curtailed…we accepted a refund and returned to our car as the heavens opened. We decided to follow Tony back to Abersoch and take a look at Sarah’s cottage, where we were planning to stop over on Wednesday night if Aki hadn’t come down with covid. We found a cafe in Abersoch which welcomed dogs, and ate lunch there. Abersoch is a cute little seaside village with a small harbour, which has a rather Cornish feel. After lunch Tony took us to the beach, but the cutting wind soon drove us back to the car park, and we repaired to Sarah’s quaint cottage a mile or so down the road…glad we didn’t stop there, as the whiff of damp dog and dog food was a trifle discomfiting. Tony served tea and cake and we chatted in the living room, before we had to head back to Betws, via Porthmadog. Arrived at Celyn y Coed Hall and were met by Michael, our host. He and his wife had sold their Oxford semi 20 years ago and bought half a hall…but it had proved costly to refurbish, and they had been forced to let out apartments as self catering BnB units. The apartment was very roomy...a large living-room with big leather sofa, a double bedroom, a kitchen with all mod coms, and a bathroom with shower. We ventured into Betws in search of dinner...ended up at the Gwyndyr Hotel...had a seafood linguine...it was OK, but nothing to write home about. Took a turn around the village before heading back to the Hall for a bath before bed...

Thursday 22nd June 2023

Up bright and early to make final preparations before driving to Wales. Made packed lunches to use up what was left in the fridge. Packed the car. Set off around 1100, heading up the M1 to the M6, then on to the M54. Stopped at a service station near Telford and ate out packed lunches at a picnic table, before driving on to Llangollen. Parked up on a street on the south bank of the Dee and had a wander round. Found the wee cottage we’d stayed in 12 years ago which overlooked the river. 

Didn't find anywhere interesting to aim for at 

dinner time despite perambulating the small town centre. Found ourselves outside our BnB so checked in. Nice 3-storey Victorian terraced house which has recently been refurbished, providing three well appointed rooms. We were on the top floor with a pleasant view of the old railway station and the river. Decided to eat at the Corn Mill, but walked to the Hand Hotel first for a quick drink alfresco on their riverside terrace. At the Corn Mill, we found a table outside, overlooking the river...watched a dipper hop about on the rocks a short distance below. We enjoyed steak and chips. Took a turn along the Llangollen canal afterward, before returning to Riversdale House for the night...

Wednesday 21st June 2023

Woke around 0900. Got up and made tea. Porridged at the computer...managed a couple of hours work. Aki made okonomiyaki pancakes for lunch. Checked the oil in the car...had to pour half a litre in to top it up a bit prior to driving off to Wales tomorrow morning. Bumped into Kathleen from No.49 who happened to be walking past...she told me she hadn't enjoyed the Tower production of "Under Milk Wood" very much...very mixed performances. Aki decided to trim the hedge...I assisted, sweeping up the cuttings. I made a salad Nicoise for dinner, with tinned tuna and boiled eggs. Watched a bit of telly and did some packing. Warm evening...we were invaded by a swarm of flying ants which congregated on the wall below the skylight. Hope they aren't breeding!!!

Tuesday 20th June 2023

Woke around 0700 to the sound of thunder and rain beating down upon the bedroom roof. Got up around 0800 and made tea...Aki still dozing. Sat at the computer with a bowl of porridge and worked through until lunchtime. Aki feeling a bit better today, so we decided to head for Llangollen on Thursday, and booked a B'nB. Doesn't look as though we are going to get to hook up with Tony, though. Put a salad lunch together, and shared a tin of skippers. Did a bit more work in the afternoon...watched a bit of tennis from Queen's Club, and kept an eye on the first Ashes Test from Edgbaston. Looks to be heading for a nail-biting conclusion. Aki pan fried a couple of hake fillets for dinner, with cannelloni beans and a tomato sauce. Not much on the telly tonight...

Monday 19th June 2023

Got up around 0730. Worked at the computer, made tea, and ate a bowl of oats I'd soaked overnight in latte with chia seeds. Works well. Broke for lunch, then back to the grindstone for the afternoon. Warmed up the chicken biryani for dinner, with dal and chapatis on the side. Watched a bit of telly before shower and bed...

Sunday 18th June 2023

Woke at around 0800. Aki had had a fitful night's sleep, but got up and made tea. Made a fruit salad for breakfast. Martin Atkinson alerted us to the fact that Margaret, next door, appeared in a BBC documentary about saving old church pipe organs...so we watched the programme on the iPlayer. Very moving. The programme follows one bloke who travels the country seeking out endangered pipe organs, and then endeavouring to rescue and refurbish them. He took apart a huge organ in a chapel in County Durham, and transported it down to Clapton where he re-built it in a church used as a music school...extraordinary fellow! Margaret turned up briefly in a scene in a digital organ showroom, but didn't speak, and didn't play. FaceTimed dad, it being Father's Day...he was busy cleaning the oven, mum having burnt the breakfast croissants. Kath was there...she has injured her back and has an x-ray lined up on her coccyx. Jim was there too, Emma having gone to Bristol to visit her daughter. Jim says the surgery on her spinal column has allowed her remarkable use of her damaged left hand. Pizza for lunch. Pottered about a bit during the afternoon, not doing very much. Brett popped round with some homemade cake, having heard that we had had to cancel our getaway to Wales. Cooked a mushroom and anchovy pasta sauce for dinner. Watched a bit of telly before shower and bed...

Saturday 17th June 2023

Alarm at 0730...dozed to the radio. Got up and made tea...Aki feeling under the weather, so she decided to take a covid test...which proved positive! Thrown our week's holiday into disarray. I rang the hotel in Ludlow where we were due to stop over tomorrow night, but we were too late to cancel without losing our money. Managed to get them to transfer the booking to Sunday 25th, in the hope that Aki would have recovered by then...that's assuming I don't come down with it too! The guy on the other end of the phone had a very heavy European accent, Spanish I think...he sounded a bit like Manuel from Fawlty Towers. At the end of our conversation he confirmed that the booking "has been successfully transferred, Mr Huge". Phoned Tony, who was walking the dog on the beach at Abersoch Bay, and told him we probably wouldn't make it, but would keep him posted. I cooked breakfast. Aki then went back to bed. I hoovered, then cooked some pigeon split peas to make a dal for later, and marinated the chicken in yoghurt and spices, before walking over to Morrisons, and Waitrose, to do a bit of a shop. Came home and cooked a chicken biryani, which we ate with dal and chapatis. It wasn't as good as I recall...I think thighs would have been better than breast meat, and white basmati rather than brown. Watched a bit of telly. Enjoyed "Later with Jools...". Aki went back to bed and I practised a couple of Stones songs in open G tunings...coming along nicely. 

Friday 16th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Got up and porridged. Aki feeling under the weather, so didn't go rowing. She cycled off to the fishmonger on Essex Road, but only made it as far as Waitrose. I did some work at the computer, then headed back out to Harlesden, via the petrol station at Manor House. Knocked on almost every door of Keir Hardie House trying to get my internals target up. Saw a couple of kitchens which should be condemned! At one flat, the lady let me in, just as her alarm was going off...she was cooking some buns in her oven! I complemented her on her creations...she turned out to be Columbian, and was making almonjabanas, and insisted I try one...they are light fluffy little rounded buns filled with melted cheese...delicious. Must look up the recipe. Drove home for dinner. Aki had bought some breaded plaice fillets in Waitrose, which she grilled, and served with rice and fried vegetables, the Japanese way, apparently. Watched a bit of telly before bed...

Thursday 15th June 2023

Alarm at 0730...dozed to the radio until 0810. Got up and porridged. Put a packed lunch together then headed for Abbey Wood. Found Leon waiting for me under the road bridge on the north side of the station. Hadn't seen him since working with him on internal inspections in east London in the New Year...he'd developed dreadlocks! Drove back to the estate that Zeke and I had been working on last week, and began where we'd left off. Some very grim units...one bloke let me into an upper maisonette, which had barely any furniture, a girlfriend spark out in an armchair, and children's crayon drawings over every inch of lower wall space! I didn't hang about! Another hot day...soon got sweaty. We repaired to Sainsburys to use the facilities and get some lunch. Ate in the car in the under-croft car park. Ended the day in west Thamesmead...on a small development of slightly unusual terraced houses built c2000 of timber framed construction beneath vari-pitched tiled roofs with integral solar panelling. They didn't look too good inside, though....most of the units I got into still had the original kitchens in, which were beginning to fall apart. Dropped Leon off at Woolwich Arsenal station, and drove home. Dreadful traffic jams in Finsbury Park, so didn't get home until 1930. Aki had cooked an aubergine parmigiana lasagne for dinner. Watched a bit of telly...very moving scenes on the News at a mass vigil in Market Square in Nottingham for the students murdered a couple of nights ago. bath and bed...

Wednesday 14th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Dozed to the radio until 0815. Got up and porridged. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. Another hot day in prospect. Did a little prep work before driving off to Harlesden. Picked up some inspections in Pentonville, Maida Vale, and Queens Park on the way. Stopped for a coffee at Gail's in Kensal Rise, then ate my lunch in the car on a street adjacent to Roundwood Park. The estate in Harlesden was grim...tiny one-bed flats in a 50s era block. One guy's living-room was dominated by a drum kit and recording equipment...there was nowhere to sit! The streets outside were home to numerous crackheads, who staggered about shouting and grunting in the sunshine. Drove home for dinner...Aki warmed up the poulet a la moutarde for dinner, which she served up with some orzo. Finished off her lemon cake for dessert. Did a bit more work at the computer before watching the News. Shower and bed...

Tuesday 13th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Dozed to the radio until 0815. Got up and porridged. Did a little work at the computer. Aki cycled off to Camden for a meeting. I took public transport to Canary Wharf, taking the No.43 bus to Monument, then walked to Bank and caught the DLR to South Quay. Hot already! Spent the day knocking on doors in an 8-storey modern block, trying to get into as many as possible. Broke for lunch at a nearby Pret a Manger, then returned to the block to perambulate the upper storeys. One woman had decided to rip up the flooring in her living-room, intending to replace it, and planned to spend £7,000 on a new kitchen, so fed up was she with Peabody's response to her complaints about the appalling kitchen units she was forced to put up with. She had three very hairy house cats, called Picasso, Reubens, and Renoir! Got home around 1830. Showered. Aki cooked a mushroom risotto for dinner. Worked at the computer for a bit before watching the News and bed...

Monday 12th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Dozed until 0800. Aki brought me a mug of tea. Got up and porridged. Sat at the computer all morning. Broke for lunch...Aki threw a ham salad together. Brief shower and thunder storm blew in...had to rescue the washing from the back garden. Headed for Tate Modern to see the Yayoi Kusama show...took a tube from Finsbury Park, changing at Green Park for the Jubilee Line. Found our way to the correct floor, in the Switchroom block, only to discover that Aki had come on the wrong day! We were denied entry, and repaired to the cafe for a beverage, before deciding to look in on the Mondrian/af Klint exhibition. The pairing of these two artists, who never met, felt a little forced, but it was interesting to see their transformation from figurative landscape painters to abstract painters. Enjoyed the Mondrian much more than the af Klint...I came to the conclusion that she was bordering on the insane. Walked to Blackfriars station and got a train to St Pancras, then a No.259 bus home. I cooked poulet a la moutarde for dinner, with mashed potatoes, and vegetables...very tasty. Read a bit of "Trust" on the sofa...it's an easy read, and gallops along...most intriguingly, there is no dialogue...conversations are reported, but I am now 20% of the way through the novel, and only one word has appeared in quotation marks...less than that, really...one letter, "I"...!!! Warm, humid night. Got to bed late after showering.

Sunday 11th June 2023

Slow to rise this morning after yesterday's exccesses. Got up and cooked breakfast. Wandered out into the midday heat to take a look at a small community garden, which was having an open day, but there was no-one there! Walked on to Waitrose and did a bit of a shop. Bumped into Kevin and Laurence from No.93. Came home and sat on the sofa for the rest of the afternoon, reading "Trust". Aki cooked dinner...pan fried cod with a creamy sauce, with mussels in white wine on the side, and some vegetables. We got our bikes out after dinner, and cycled to Stoke Newington. We had tickets for the Grove Trio, who were performing at the Old Church, a building that goes back to 940AD, though was re-built in 1563 by William Patten, who now gives his name to the Primary School at the eastern end of Church Street. The trio consisted of cello, violin, and wooden flute...they were all excellent players, and they gave us a mix of the old, with a bit of Haydn, and Bach, and some contemporary, as well as a haunting Celtic Elegy which sounded like a Scottish piper's tune. Cycled home and showered!
 

Saturday 10th June 2023

Woke around 0800. Got up and porridged, then readied ourselves for a trip to SW19. Took the Victoria Line down to Vauxhall, and got a train to Wimbledon. Got there in good time...it was already 25C by the time we walked out of Wimbledon railway station. Ambled slowly through a park to the UAL College in Merton Park Road, and found our way to the room where Sarah's end of year work was on display. We were admiring Sarah's handiwork when Eliza unexpectedly turned up, with boyfriend Albert in tow. Matt, Mim, and Sarah then showed up, followed by Georgie, and we had ourselves a tour around the various departments, meeting some of the students. I particularly enjoyed the take-away for crocodiles, with a tasty menu of deep fried hands, ear kebabs, and pickled eyes. 

Eliza and Albert disappeared to catch a train to

Nottingham, while Georgie headed back to Guildford. The rest of us tramped back into town for lunch at Franco Manca, which was very enjoyable. We all had ice-cream for dessert. We accompanied Matt, Mim, and Sarah back into central London...Mim wanted to visit the RA, so we took her there, popping in to Fortnum and Mason on the way. As we trooped through the doors of the Royal Academy, I recognised the lady usher to be Carol Holt, an actress I'd worked with in Stoke on Trent some 40 years ago! I flumoxed her by asking her the way to the Carol Holt exhibition, as she didn't recognise me under my hat/sunglasses and beard! When she finally twigged, she showed us into the Summer Exhibition gratis, and we spent an enjoyable hour wandering round looking at the vast collection. After that, we took them on to St Pancras Station for a glass of bubbly at Saercy's champagne bar on the station concourse, before parting outside on the Euston Road, pointing them in the direction of Euston train station. We got a No.91 bus home, and collapsed, exhausted, in front of the telly...

Friday 9th June 2023

 

Alarm at 0730. Dozed for a bit before rising...it's going to be hot today, so thought I ought to try and get on the beat earlier rather than later. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. I drove back out to Amhurst Road. Kath FaceTimed me as I roamed the streets....she had an x-ray on her hand this morning, which has been mysteriously swollen...we await the results. She said the Emma and Jim had departed 12 High View, and were now living in the van, somewhere. Broke for lunch with a visit to Somine, a favourite haunt of old when I lived in Clapton...little Turkish cafe with generous helpings of meat, stew, rice, Turkish bread, and salad. Ended the working day in Highbury, with temperatures hitting 27C...decided to go home early and write up some notes. Aki put together a salad Nicoise for dinner. Watched a bit of telly. Over-joyed to learn that Boris has resigned as an MP with immediate effect, he having caught sight of the report into accusations of misleading Parliament over partygate. Now Labour just need to find a charismatic leader!?!

Thursday 8th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Eventually hauled myself out of bed, and porridged. No Zeke to help me today, so aimed for north-east London. Inspections in Stoke Newington and Islington, in the main. Saw some particularly poor Peabody properties...a secure tenant in Alvington Crescent had a kitchen that was literally falling apart. He's a secure tenant, which means his rent is fixed...at an astonishing £50 a week, he told me....for a 5Bed House! No wonder Peabody can't afford to buy him a new kitchen! Broke for lunch at Ginette cafe, and enjoyed a tasty cheese and ham savoury crepe. The cafe is in a small but trendy east London refurbishment, comprising a number of pop up commercial units, including accupuncturists, little art galleries, and a vintage kimono shop with some interesting baseball hats. Ended the working day on Amhurst Road, Hackney, where I had briefly resided in 1983...at No.138, if memory serves...it was then dubbed 'The Front Line' due to the almost nightly race riots...I recall having to wander past smouldering vehicles every other morning, on my way to Hackney Downs station. I didn't live there for long! Got home in time for dinner...Aki had pan fried some salmon fillets, which we had with mashed potatoes and a miso mayonnaise sauce. Wandered up to No.110 for the Book Club meet. Everyone had enjoyed "The Golden Age", though Gareth went off on a bit of a rant about the author using occassional Bangladeshi nouns...since she was writing about events in Bangladesh, and is of Bangladeshi heritage, I can't see what the problem is!?! Next read is "Trust", by Hernan Diaz.

Wednesday 7th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Got up after the News at 0810 and porridged. Warmed up some soup to take as a packed lunch. Aki cycled off to the Rowing Club. Headed for Thamesmead, stopping off at M&S in Charlton on the way, and then picking Zeke up on Yarnton Way, where I'd left him yesterday evening. I sent him off on inspections of a long 5-storey block of concrete framed flat accommodation that would probably take all day to cover. I resumed inspections of the three-storey concrete framed houses. Found one damaged by fire, and another with chronic mould and a continual stream of water leaking in to the hallway from the downstairs cloakroom...I recommended she contact her local MP, or the Housing Ombudsman. Broke for lunch and drove us to the Sainsburys superstore in Abbey Wood. Ate my packed lunch in the car in the under croft car park. Then it was back to where we'd left off. Called it a day just after 1600, as it was getting uncomfortably hot, and my feet were hurting. Dropped Zeke at his motor, and drove home, stopping at M&S for a cold Coke from the cafe. Got home about 1830. Cooked up some mushrooms, and covered them with the noci pasta sauce I'd made a few days ago...we ate it with the turmeric pasta. Finished the Book Club read...a sad and traumatic tale told with a gently epic sweep, and a humane touch. Enjoyed it, though...very well written.

Tuesday 6th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Did an hour at the computer before making a packed lunch...spinach and mushroom quiche with salad. Drove off to Abbey Wood and hooked up with Zeke. Undertook internal inspections in Thamesmead. Broke for lunch. Zeke went for a KFC while I ate my lunch in the car park, then popped over to Morrisons to get some odds and ends. Finished in Belvedere at around 1700 and dropped Zeke at his car, then drove home. Got in around 1830. Aki had warmed up the mapo, and cooked some rice. Did a bit more work at the computer before watching a bit of telly. Extraordinary footage of damage to a huge dam in Ukraine, which is flooding towns and villages below it...why would the Russians flood the areas they currently occupy?...very odd! Bath and bed...

Monday 5th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Sluggish in rising, but eventually got up to make porridge. Did a couple of hours at the computer. Heated up some soup for my packed lunch and set off for inspections in Islington, firstly the Canonbury and Highbury New Park areas. Got in to one unit on Petherton Road. Stopped at Belle Epoche to buy some lunch for tomorrow. Ended the working day traipsing around the New College Mews development, a strange 80s era scheme of pokey 'mews' houses, and flat conversions in an old two storey warehouse. Pretty poor quality stock, and lots of complaints about Peabody. Got home around 1700. Aki had baked hake fillets with ham, which we ate with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Headed for Finsbury Park tube station, and got out at Shepherds Bush Market. The Bush Theatre is on the opposite side of the Uxbridge Road. Full house to see Lenny Henry deliver his one man 'play' exploring the Windrush scandal. Lenny was in good form, delivering plenty of laughs as he built up a picture of a young immigrant who had come over to England in the fifties with his mum, been schooled here, worked, played, and brought up family here...in short, becoming unquestionably British, only to fall victim to May's Hostile Environment programme, finding himself in a deportation centre. He got a standing ovation from a full house at the end, blew us all a kiss, and departed the stage. 

Sunday 4th June 2023

Woke around 0800. Got up and made tea. Cooked brunch before Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. Tidied up the flat a bit prior to Bianca turning up for rehearsal. She was half-an-hour late. Ran through "Stormy Monday" and "I Can't Stand the Rain", and had a go at "Malted Milk". I promised to get to know Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" for next time. Served up Aki's parsnip and turmeric soup for lunch...B said she wanted the recipe. Pencilled in another rehearsal for the end of June. Aki returned, having lunched at the cafe next door to the Rowing Club. Strolled up to meet Katherine and George at the bus stop near Sainsburys on Holloway Road, carrying our instruments...we had arranged to do this month's folk band practice session at Celia's mum's flat...she's 101, and had been invalided by a nasty accident on the tube a few months ago, which had resulted in a badly broken arm, meaning she couldn't get out and about anymore. She lives on the fourth floor of a 6-storey block of flats near east Finchley tube station, and Katherine, George, Aki and I piled into the small lift with our instruments. Celia was already there, as were Christine, and Lorraine. We decided to play in the living room...there was an invitingly large roof terrace we thought of playing on, but it was getting the full sun from a cloudless sky, and the acoustic wouldn't have been great. Played for Celia's mum until 1800. She seemed to enjoy the distraction. Said our farewells and caught a No.263 bus back to Holloway. Warmed up the last of the parmigiana lasagne for dinner. Watched a Japanese film, "Plan 75", which explored themes of aging...in a not too distant future, the Japanese government had decided to offer people over 75 the option of having their lives terminated. It may soon become reality!

Saturday 3rd June 2023

Got up late. Aki cooked brunch. We took a slow walk up Highgate Hill, stopping to pick up a coffee at Archie's halfway up the hill, which we carried up to Waterlow Park. Glorious weather...sat on a bench and drank our coffee. Walked back down the hill, popping in to Sainsburys on Holloway Road to buy some bits and pieces. Got back home in time to watch the FA Cup Final. Manchester City scored within the first 12 seconds...astonishing start. Manchester United got a goal back through a dubious penalty, but City deservedly got a second and lifted yet another trophy! Cooked a noci sauce, which we ate with some turmeric spaghetti which Aki had bought the other day from the Italian deli on Essex Road. The drained pasta water stained the kitchen sink a dull yellow... FaceTimed ma and pa and caught up with Emma and Jim...Emma has been billeted at No.12 High View since her op on Tuesday, and seems to be making a good recovery. They plan to stay for a couple of weeks, by which time Emma should be fit enough to drive the minibus as they begin a trip around the Scottish coast! Wandered up to the North Nineteen with Lynne and Boston from upstairs...only to get there and discover the band had cancelled...disappointing, but we stayed and had a chat over a beer before walking back home. Extraordinary strawberry moon hung above Sussex Way illuminating our route!

Friday 2nd June 2023

Slow start this morning, but eventually rose and did some work at the computer. Porridged. Worked through until lunchtime. Set off in the car after lunch, undertaking inspections in Muswell Hill, Tottenham, Chingford, and then ending up in my old stomping ground in Clapton. Beavered away until 1800, then turned for home. 

Thursday 1st June 2023

Woke around 0700. My hernia was giving me gip, so got up and made tea, then porridged. Set to work at the computer. Broke to make lunch...heated up the sausage roll I'd bought in Gail's yesterday...tastiest sausage roll I'll ever had! Even Aki liked it! Ventured out in the car in the afternoon, as the weather was rather inviting...stuck to inspections in the Finsbury Park area, before returning home. Aki cooked pan fried sea bass for dinner, with lentils, and we had the pea and basil soup on the side. Cheese and biscuits to follow. Watched the final of MasterChef ...great cooking from all three participants, but the little Thai woman, Chariya, was a worthy winner...we got rather moved and had to reach for the tissues!