Sunday 30th July 2023

Woke around 0715 feeling uncomfortable...abdomen feels very bloated. Got up and made tea, and drank some Laxido. Turned the telly on and watched the NZ v Switzerland game...the Ferns were knocked out of the competition after a dull 0-0 draw. The Laxido did it's job. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. I took a hike up Highgate Hill for a latte at Gail's, then walked back down via Waterlow Park and M&S, about 3.5 miles all told. Got home in time to put lunch together before Aki got back. Very wet afternoon. Read some "Pickwick Papers"...the writing is sublime, effortlessly flowing like liquid gold. Aki warmed up the vegetable stew she made midweek, and added chicken thighs, orzo, and mushrooms to beef up the flavours, as it was a bit bland. Very tasty! Watched "Everybody Hates Me" on the BFI Player...well acted comedy 'horror' set in a rattling Devonshire mansion. It was tense in that the main character was so cringe-worthy!

Saturday 29th July 2023

Woke at around 0815. Got up and made tea. Back to bed to read for a bit. Cooked eggs menemen for breakfast with toast and a bit of rocket. Took our constitutional up Highgate Hill, via Yerbury Farmer's market, where we bumped into Jane from No.36. We then carried on up the hill to Lauderdale House and had a gander at the photo exhibition...some kind of local competition. One or two good ones, but otherwise all a bit ordinary. Walked back home in time to let Vince in...he wanted to cut away a bit more plasterboard before having a go at re-directing the shower tap pipework. Gave him a cuppa tea and we had a chat about Holloway in years gone by, and his exploits as a teenage DJ. 

Aki did a bit of gardening out front. We caught the No.91 bus to Kings Cross. Wandered over to the Regent's Canal and hooked up with Roz and Walt at the Albert Dock, where they had moored up for the night, just behind Kings Place. Lucy came out from the stern exit to greet us. The vessel is a long narrow boat called Arcona...nicely painted outside in reds and greens, and Walter ushered us into a well kept, tidy interior. The living quarters are decked out with a couple of comfy armchairs, there's a wood burning stove, and a kitchenette. Then there's the bedroom with a narrow looking double mattress, a WC and a tiny "bath", the engine room with a magnificent brightly polished two-cylinder machine, then another little room in the stern with a drop down bed and hot plates, where Lucy will be kipping tonight. 

It's all very homely, though a bit cramped for my liking...Walter has banged his head on the door jambs on innumerable occassions. I had trouble getting in and out of the vessel...don't think I'd last long! We ambled over to Granary Square, and took a table outside at Granary Brasserie. It was very busy. The food was good though. Enjoyed a catch up...Lucy is currently unemployed, but has had a few job interviews; Lol sounds OK, though Annie's mum died, and Annie couldn't bear to get rid of her mum's possessions, so their already over-cluttered house is now packed with clutter from floors to ceilings; Cath is awaiting another op on her badly broken leg, as it hasn't been re-aligned properly. Phil now has to do most of the dog walking duty; Nick is now 40, and the grandchildren are growing up fast...the eldest is now at secondary school. Emily seems to be holding her own OK after going a bit AWOL for a few months. Walked them back to the dock, and promised to arrange to jump aboard on the River Lee at some point midweek. Caught the No.91 back to Holloway. Watched a bit of telly before showering in the bath tub, and bed...

Friday 28th July 2023

Woke around 0730 after a fitful night's sleep. Stomach making lots of noises!!! Aki got up and made tea. Got up and porridged. Aki cycled off to the library to see if she could get hold of the Flannery O'Connor. A couple of birthday cards arrived, from Kath & Stuart, and from ma and pa, the latter an amusing take on the eternal Magpies v Black Cats schism. I watched a bit of England v Denmark...rather a dull game, certainly second half, but England got the win they needed to see them through to the knockout stage. Vince turned up late morning and did a bit of de-grouting in the shower tray. Joined us at our lunch table for a cuppa tea and a chat...gave him a slice of our home-baked chocolate cake. Managed to get a bit of work done this afternoon; attempting to clear the decks before my birthday on Monday. Cooked linguine with cabbage, and a nduja paste sauce...simple but tasty. 

Thursday 27th July 2023

Woke around 0730. Got up and made tea. Had put a couple of small bowls of oats in the fridge overnight...had them with fruit, chia seeds, and syrup of figs. No sign of any movement, though! Aki cycled off to Highbury pool for a swim. Worked at the computer until lunchtime. Aki threw together a ham salad on her return. Managed to do a couple more hours. Baked a cake to take to Book Club this evening. Aki helped icing it...it looked less than impressive! She then cooked a fish curry out of the Nisha Katona cookbook I'd bought in Mowgli on Monday night. It was nowhere near as good as our Goan fish curry recipe...tasted like soap! Drove Aki up to the Book Club meet at No.127, cake in an old shoe box. Full turn out this evening save for Katherine. George was hosting. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed "Trust", though there was a little gentle criticism of the novel's contrivances...but all novels are contrived to a greater of lesser extent. The cake went down well. We chose "Wise Blood" by Flannery O'Connor for the next read. Walked back down Sussex Way with Carlos and Jane, who had only returned from the States yesterday. Carlos flagged up the August blues weekends in Broomfield park as up-coming, and promised to alert us when they planned to go...

Wednesday 26th July 2023

Woke at 0700ish and watched a bit of the second half of the Japan v Costa Rica game. Wandered over to Brown's for breakfast...mushroom omelette. Very civilised in there...an oasis in the centre of Cardiff. Checked out of the Clayton, and drove back to St Mellons to complete the inspections. Ended up in Marshfield, driving past a pub I recognised as having stopped at once before, so went in for my lunch...ham, egg and chips! Headed back east along the M4, stopping at Reading Services to stretch my legs. Got home around 1845. Aki had cooked a bean and cabbage stew with pancetta for dinner. Watched a bit of telly. Enjoyed the new BBC comedy, "Dreaming Whilst Black", centred around a young black Londoner trying to get a break in the film industry. Nice performances...the lead also co-wrote. 

Tuesday 25th July 2023

Fitful night's sleep. Abdominal discomfort kept me awake for a bit. Got up around 0800. Went out for breakfast at Brown's over the road...very tasty eggs benedict. Drove north-eastward to spend my day on the endless 90s era housing estates of St Mellons. Very depressing! Happened upon a Tesco at lunchtime and ate a chicken wrap in the car in the car park. Got back into the city centre around 1800. Parked up in the Marriott Hotel multi-storey opposite the Clayton, as it's cheaper than the John Lewis's car park, by £8 a night! Walked up to Church Street and ate at Bacareto, a little cichetti bar. Had the beef ragu on polenta with greens,,,very tasty. Stuck my head in at Porter's. Jen already had a long list of players. She pencilled me in for 1045, if I can last until then! Went back to hotel to pick up my guitar and have one last run through. Eclectic evening in Porter's...a metal goth girrrrl who sang along, very loudly, to a backing track on her phone, an excellent singer-songwriter from Newport who I'd seen play there last week, who had written a song about a t-shirt, and a Chinese girl who played her pipa to a backing track...what a treat she was! I had to follow that! But my two Stones songs went down well, despite my Bb harmonica blowing a reed. Got back to the hotel around 1130...

Monday 24th July 2023

Woke around 0630. Dozed back off for a bit. Got up and made coffee. Sat on the loo only to realise I was plugged again! Couldn't leave my room. Eventually phoned down to reception for more toilet roll. A little later some porridge, orange juice, and toast arrived, the chambermaid recommending I down the honey she'd brought! I got a bit panicked when the fire alarm sounded!!! Fortunately, it later transpired that someone had set it off accidentally...thank God I didn't venture down the fire escape in my soiled underwear! Later, a passing cleaner heard my groaning, and knocked on the door to see if I was alright. She went downstairs and brought the deputy manageress up for a chat! I was having to talk through a crack in the door, as it had gotten a little whiffy in the room. The cleaner brought me some cleaning products I'd requested, some disposable rubber gloves, and some air freshener! I rang 111 to start the process of trying to track down a possible prescription for Laxido, as I only had one sachet left. They promised a clinician would ring me back, and in the meantime texted me some contacts for local GP's, but I would have to register with one of them as a temporary patient. I got off the phone and at 1410 precisely I finally gave birth to a healthy stool weighing in at 2kg. Phew....just then, the clinician rang! I told her I'd make do with a trip to Boots to garner some laxatives and nappies!!! Showered, then ventured downstairs to the piazza and popped in to Pret a Manger to get a sandwich for a late lunch. Back at the hotel I had to make another dash for the water closet. Ventured back out to get some laxatives from Boots. Aki suggested I find a curry house for dinner...walked up to Church Street and found Mowgli's. Managed to get squeezed in...it was very busy, and very noisy! Enjoyed Mother's School Tiffin, four tiffin tins of vegetarian curry, dal, and rice. It was great. Walked back home via the car park and brought my guitar back to the hotel...it needed re-tuning prior to tomorrow night's planned appearance at the open mic night down the road. Moving tributes to George Aligayah on the BBC News tonight...

Sunday 23rd July 2023

Woke around 0815. Got up and made tea, then got back into bed to read for a bit. Aki cooked breakfast. She went off to Waitrose to get some bits 'n pieces for tonight's meal...she has Tokiko coming round for tapas. I tidied up a bit and put the carpet tiles back down outside the bathroom. Did some vacuuming. Made lunch. Turmeric roast potatoes and chicken thighs, with peas, carrots and mange tout. FaceTimed ma and pa...they looked good, though dad had had a tooth removed a day or so ago, and was still feeling a bit queasy. Kath in Tibshelf at Stuart's daughter's wedding. Packed my overnight bag, and my guitar, and headed west down the M4. Stopped off to use the facilities at Leigh Delamere service station. Weather held up...a bit of rain going past Reading, but that was about it. Got to the Clayton Hotel in the city centre around 1900. Top floor room...I think there are 12 storeys, so quite a view across the cityscape from my windows. Walked to the restaurant quarter, dining at Cote Brasserie. Had the salade Nicoise, followed by creme caramel. Naughty but nice! Took a turn around the west end of the city centre, taking in the quietly impressive Victorian railway station, which now fronts a huge piazza with hefty modern carbuncles sited directly opposite...one of them the BBC Wales studios. FaceTimed Aki and Tokiko...they were making their way through a second bottle of wine! Watched a bit of telly, and read a bit, before bed.

Saturday 22nd July 2023

Woke around 0730. Got up and made tea. I got back into bed to read; Aki got up to watch Japan v Zambia in the Women’s World Cup. She was pleased with the 5-0 result! I cooked breakfast. Our viewing of the England v Haiti game was interrupted by the arrival of Vince. Needless to say he hadn't brought any tools with him, but was now advocating the use of Fix-A-Floor, an expanding mastic that is to be injected under the loose tiles in the shower tray. We duly ordered said product. On ushering him off the premises, I drove Aki down to Essex Road to the fishmonger...she normally cycles, but the rain had already set in, and didn't look like stopping any time soon! The traffic was dreadful...much quicker by bike! Popped into Waitrose on the way back to do a bit of a shop and pick up a paper. Aki cooked gyoza for a tasty lunch, with fried carrot and Chinese leaf. Lounged about for the rest of the afternoon, reading. Aki baked trout for dinner, which we ate with lentils and broccoli, followed by banana 'ice-cream'. 

Friday 21st July 2023

Aki up at 0800 to ready herself for rowing club. She cycled off before I managed to rise. Got up and porridged. Sat at the computer for most of the morning, working. Broke for lunch when Aki got back. She threw together a ham and poached egg salad with nduja toast. Managed another 3 hours or so at the computer this afternoon, plugging away at the VP research on the stock I’d looked at in Cardiff. I cooked a pasta dish for dinner, with fried mushrooms and pancetta in a pesto and creme fraiche sauce…very tasty! Aki made banana ice cream for afters. Watched "Enys Men" (Cornish gaelic for Stone Island), a strange folk horror tale set on a rock off the Cornish coast, and inhabited by a single woman tasked with taking daily soil temperature measurements. But she was not alone...there were ghosts of drowned lifeboatmen and sailors, suffocated tin miners, a dead daughter, and 16th century witches around every nook and cranny! It was shot on grainy 16mm, and looked like an artefact from years gone by, but was made by Mark Jenkin in 2021. 

Thursday 20th July 2023

Slow start this morning. Eventually got up and porridged. Vince turned up around 1030. He cut a large hole in the plasterboard behind the shower tap, the plan being to insert a couple of shut off valves so that we can isolate the tap without having to turn the water off at the stopcock. Drove him to Tool Station on North Road to purchase a couple of valves, and back home he got them hooked up. He was then able to remove the mixer tap barrel and cartridge. Aki found a replacement online. Vince then started having a go at taking up the hollow tile on the shower floor, but could only get so far with his Stanley knife. He arranged to return on Saturday with a more suitable tool. Aki cooked pork mince mapo for dinner, which we ate with rice and some vegetables. Watched a bit of telly before bed...

Wednesday 19th July 2023

Woke at 0715 for some reason. Hernia repair giving me gip, so got up and made some tea. Sat at the laptop to finish downloading yesterday's photos. Wandered over to Bill’s for breakfast…they can’t seem to get their poached eggs right! Back at the hotel I packed up and checked out. Drove into the north-eastern suburbs and worked until 1300, then headed down the M4 for a lunch stop at The Green in Caerleon…can’t resist their fish finger sandwich. Ate in the car in the car park at Caerleon AFC. Headed east, stopping briefly at Reading service station. Got home around 1800. We went round to Brett’s at No.7 for our dinner. She had invited Katherine and George from No.127 (George had just got back from Uxbridge where he'd been leafleting on behalf of the Labour Party prior to tomorrow's bye-election), a German chap named Sebastian who had worked for the architects who had designed her Photographers Gallery, his husband George, who worked in niche cruise trips for medicos, and Andrew who was Finance Executive at the Gallery under Brett. Aki had cooked a tasty fried aubergine starter with miso paste; Brett had baked a huge salmon fillet with a mustard, mayonnaise and maple syrup sauce, and Katherine had made mishti doi for dessert. A very pleasant evening was had by all. Got home around 2300…

Tuesday 18th July 2023

Woke at 0830. Hernia repair giving me gip this morning. Got up and showered, then walked into town to breakfast at Starbucks. Went back to the hotel to finish downloading yesterday's photos. Set off for the northern suburbs. Had planned to lunch at Thornhill Farm Shop & Cafe, but was disappointed to find it had closed down! Repaired to a local Sainsbury's superstore, and bought a small quiche and a couple of dips, then parked up alongside some greensward on Heol Hir to eat it. Ended the working day on the Council Estates of Llanrumney. Saw some pretty grim stock on the Drawlings Close development, a low quality build 70s/80s era Council estate which included some ground floor bedsits. Got into one, which was tenanted by an autistic woman who was evidently a hoarder...you couldn't move in the bedsitting room, the bed being completely surrounded by boxes of stuff, and there was a strong smell of damp and signs of black mould in the bedsit. Drove back to the hotel and downloaded some of the photos, then walked over to Cote Brasserie for my dinner. Enjoyed a confit of pork belly with Savoy cabbage and dauphinoise potatoes. Called Aki from the hotel, then wandered along the road to Porter's Bar to take in the open mic night. Most people got up and did their own compositions, which is unusual, and there were some belting singers. The host, Jen, conjures a cheerful, supportive vibe...I promised to return next week with my guitar and harmonica. 

Monday 17th July 2023

Reasonably comfortable night's sleep in my single bed. Got up and made tea, then walked into town and breakfasted at Starbucks. Returned to the hotel and called Vince...he promised to go visit Aki later this morning. I set off on inspections, first into the northern and western suburbs of Cardiff, before dropping south-westward to Barry. Stopped for lunch at a garden centre in Wenvoe. Surprisingly tasty Korean pulled beef and cheese toasted sandwich. Finished in Barry, then headed further west out to Rhoose, and St Athan, before turning for Cardiff and the hotel. Managed to get a table in the basement at Giovanni's Italian on the Hayes. It was packed...it's graduation week in the city! I ordered the lasagne, with buttered spinach on the side. It was enormous. I could hardly get back up the stairs! Went back to the hotel for a lie down...

Sunday 16th July 2023

Woke at 0700...thought I could hear the doorbell, but it was the bell for the church next door, which we could hear because they had opened the windows of the hall at the rear. Thought for a moment that Lynne had locked herself out again! Read a bit of "Trust" in bed...got up and porridged. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. I did a bit of DIY, and finished removing the linoleum near the bathroom, with hammer and cold chisel. Prepared lunch....chicken legs and a mushroom sauce, with sauteed potatoes, broccoli, mange tout, and carrots. Aki got back just as I was about to serve. Watched the tennis. Had intended to head off for Cardiff after the first set, but got hooked into the game, wanting to see if Alcaraz could reverse his first set loss (1-6). In the event, the game went on to five sets. It was gone 1800 by the time the final set began, but I really had to strike out for the M4, and resigned myself to listening to the finale on R5Live. The young Spaniard bested the grizzled Serb to become the youngest Wimbledon Champion since Boris Becker! Astonishing stuff. I stopped for 'dinner' at Reading services...had a salad box from M&S. Ate in the food hall...it was rammed...where was everyone going!? Got to Cardiff at 2215 and parked up beneath John Lewis's, and wheeled my overnight bag over to the Radisson on Bute Terrace. Disappointed to find I'd been allocated a twin rather than a double...too weary to argue about it. 

Saturday 15th July 2023

Rude awakening this morning...my mobile phone rang on my bedside table at 0700...it was Lynne from upstairs, calling on Margaret's mobile phone from next door. She has been flat sitting in Tufnell Park while she has the floorboards in her maisonette, above us, sanded. It transpires that she had locked herself out of the Tufnell Park flat at 0600, and had had to walk over to Holloway, as she had a spare key for the Tufnell Park flat at home...but obviously didn't have keys to get into her flat. She had apparently been ringing the doorbell for ages, and having gotten no response from us, had roused Margaret and used her phone. I went out in my pyjamas to find Margaret in her front garden in her pyjamas, and Lynne in her pyjamas! I let her in with our spare key, and she got herself sorted, then gave her a lift back to the Tufnell Park accommodation! Aki came with me, and we drove on down to Essex Road to get fish from the fishmonger. Drove home. Aki popped out to Waitrose while I vacuumed the flat and did a little dusting. Aki prepared a sashimi lunch. Sarah rocked up at 1300, and we fed and watered her. She informed us that she'd gotten a 2:1 for her degree course. She has her Stockwell flat until September, and is then planning to give live back in Sywell with Matt and Mim, and see what turns up. We drove to Stoke Newington, and had a wander down Church Street, before heading for the theatre. It was the penultimate performance of "Labour of Love". Decent sized house. The play was engaging, but not a lot of laughs, which was the main reason I had wriggled out of playing Len...Matthew Ibbotson did a good job, and the female lead was very good. Sarah seemed to enjoy it. We gave her a lift back to Finsbury Park and dropped her near the tube station. Got home and watched the Women's Final from Wimbers...a rather lifeless match, in the end, which was won by the unseeded Marketa Vonderousova. 

Friday 14th July 2023

Slow day today. Got up and worked at the computer. Aki decided not to go rowing, as the weather forecast wasn't good. I made lunch, then we settled on the sofa to watch the Men's singles semi-finals. Both Djokovic and Alcaraz won in straight sets, setting up a mouth-watering prospect for Sunday's final. Aki warmed up the fish curry for dinner, which we ate on our laps in front of the telly. 

Thursday 13th July 2023

Alarm at 0730. Dozed to R4 for a bit before rising. Got up and porridged. Did some work at the computer before Vince arrived around 1100. He un-isolated the radiators, expecting to see the barometric pressure in the boiler plummet, but it didn't, so this had him baffled. He isolated the rads again, and promised to return on Sunday to see if anything had changed. I threw a packed lunch together then set off for Thamesmead. Stopped off at M&S in Charlton on the way. Had my lunch on a local authority estate in north Thamesmead, then walked the estate knocking on doors. Got into nine properties, thus finally reaching the 350 target...it was a eurphoric moment, and I celebrated by driving over to Sainsburys to buy a bottle of chocolate milk! Did some external inspections of several high rise blocks on a south Thamesmead estate before driving home. Very slow through the Blackwall Tunnel. Got home in time to catch some tennis. Aki warmed up the aubergine stew for dinner, which we ate with the last of the bulgar wheat. 

Wednesday 12th July 2023

Alarm at 0730. Got up and made tea. Porridged. Did some work at the computer. Put a packed lunch together. Headed northward on inspections. Did some internals in Houghton Regis, then headed up the M1, stopping off at Toddington Service station. Ate my lunch in the car, and picked up a coffee. Drove on to Kempston, and Great Denham, near Bedford, then turned for home. Got home around 1800. Vince came down to talk about what he had discovered in relation to our mystery leak...he'd cut away some more of the stud partition backing on to the shower, and reckoned it was drying out OK. He also isolated the boiler to see if the pressure would drop, which would indicate a problem with the boiler rather than the radiator pipework. Ate pasta with crab pate and prawns, and cherry tomatoes...it wasn't a great success...should have bought crab meat. Finished off the nectarine frangipane tart, with creme fraiche. Watched Today at Wimbledon.

Tuesday 11th July 2023

Alarm at 0730. Dozed to the radio until 0815. Got up and porridged. Took Aki a mug of tea. Booked hotel in Cardiff for work next week. Made a packed lunch. Did some work at the computer before setting out eastward on inspections. Broke at noon for a pre-arranged meet up with Carol Holt, who I'd bumped into at the RA a couple of weeks ago, at a cafe in Leyton. Had a coffee and a quick catch up...she's just filmed a Nintendo advert, and is still working, though now collecting her state pension (we'd been in several shows together at the New Vic in Stoke in the late 80s). She occassionally pops down to Hastings to see Shelly and Rob...we promised to meet up for a longer catch up at some point in the not too distant future....she went off to play tennis, while I got back to work. Stopped to have lunch in the car at a little lake on Wanstead Flats. Inspections took me to East Ham and Plaistow, before ending the working day in Hackney. Got home around 1830. Watched a bit of tennis. Aki cooked a fish curry, which we ate with dal and rice. 

Monday 10th July 2023

Woke around 0900. Aki brought me a mug of tea. Gas boiler needed re-filling again...the mystery leak seems to be getting worse...don't know if Vince is planning to turn up today to start digging the floor up! Got up and porridged. Did a little work, mixed in with some Wimbledon. Broke to make a ham salad lunch. Decided to take up the linoleum in the lobby near the bathroom, in the hope that it might reveal a bit more about the mystery leak. Chipped away at it with a hammer and cold chisel. Can't say we gained any further knowledge. Had to refill the boiler again, though...it's leaking like a sieve. Vince popped round and had another look. He isolated the under-floor heating system...if we have further loss of pressure, then we can count out a leak in the under-floor pipework, at least. He promised to return on Wednesday morning and do some more investigative works....see what happens. I cooked an aubergine and green lentil stew which we had with bulgar wheat...it was far tastier than I expected! Watched Carlos beat Matteo to reach his first quarter-final. Helped Lynne move some of her discarded carpet about...she's had it all taken up today, and it had been left on the garden path, but she has a new fridge being delivered tomorrow, so we had to move it all on to the street outside the church! 

Sunday 9th July 2023

Woke around 0900. Aki got up and made lemon tea. Read in bed for awhile before Aki cooked a late brunch. Took a Sunday constitutional up Highgate Hill for a coffee outside Lauderdale House. There was an exhibition of Storm Thorgerson limited edition prints in the gallery, which we very much enjoyed perusing. He worked a lot with Pink Floyd, designing a couple of seminal album covers, notably "Wish You Were Here", and "Division Bell". He died in 2013. Wandered back down the hill...popped into Aldi to buy some bits and pieces. Aki wanted ready rolled puff pastry to try her hand at a nectarine and cardamom tart. Got back to the flat just as it started to rain. Watched a bit of tennis while Aki prepared to bake her tart. Borrowed the next door neighbour's ladder and had a go at the wisteria which has gone a bit mad of late. Gave it a bit of a trim! Warmed up the remainder of the chicken and rhubarb curry, which we had with dal and rice, followed by Aki's burnt tart...tasted great though, with a bit of cream to soften it up. More tennis before News and shower...

Saturday 8th July 2023

Woke at 0745. Got up and made tea. Porridged. Got ourselves readied for the drive to Wrecclesham to visit Pete Glanville and his gals. Set off at 1000...sat nav suggested a 90 minute drive, traffic permitting, but we hadn't planned for the closure of the westbound M3 at J4. We came off the M25 well before hitting the traffic jam for the M3 turn off, and headed for Camberley via the A30. Stopped to use the facilities at Bagshot Garden Centre, just as a brief thunderstorm swept in. Sat in traffic for about half-an-hour on the M3, all alternative routes looking pretty snarled up. Got to Wrecclesham at 1300, parked up, and popped into the Co-op store opposite Pete and Marigold's house. Pete was hanging over his garden gate looking out for us. We'd bought the girls some Magnum choc ices for the freezer. We hadn't seen them for about three years...Tansey is now 4, Eliza 8, and Iris 11 and due to start secondary school in September. They got stuck into their Magnums! Marigold had made lunch...a tasty asparagus tart, with mayonnaise potatoes and a mixed salad. The house is c1970, and Pete reckons it was owned by the church to house staff...there's a little row of four of them. They are quite pokey inside, but bigger than the two-bed flat they were living in in Bounds Green, and there's a decent sized garden. Pete seems to be enjoying his new post as CEO of Farnham Maltings...they seem to have their fingers in many pies, and produce quite a lot of small scale touring theatre across the south-east region. Marigold is hoping to re-start her drama therapy career once Tansey starts pre-school in the autumn...they have a lot of mouths to feed. We left around 1645 and drove home. Got in around 1845. Cooked up a mushroom and anchovy sauce which we had with wholemeal tagliatelle. Watched a bit of tennis...Katie Boulter failed to put up much of a fight against the Wimbledon Champion...

Friday 7th July 2023

Aki up early to ready herself for Rowing Club. She brought me a mug of tea. I got up after she'd cycled off, and porridged. Worked at the computer for the morning. Aki returned having had a dizzy spell in the heat of the morning. Broke at 1330 to make lunch. Watched a bit of tennis in the afternoon. Aki made a Salade Nicoise for dinner, and we had trifle for afters, that I'd bought in Waitrose yesterday. Watched Andy Murray go out, swiftly followed to the exits by Cam Norrie, and Liam Broady...no British men left in the competition. 

Thursday 6th July 2023

Alarm at 0730. Aki had made me a Happy 2nd Anniversary card...with two pieces of toast on the front, toasting the occassion. I gave her the card I'd bought yesterday in Waitrose in Whetstone...which featured two slices of toast toasting the occassion! Porridged, then threw a packed lunch together before heading west to pick up Seb in Kilburn. Had to pop in to his flat to use the facilities...and mistook his flat mate for his girlfriend, which was a trifle embarrassing. Drove on to the Roundwood Estate in Harlesden, where we split up and knocked on doors in two 50s era blocks of flats...some were in appalling condition internally, one in particular where an ageing Asian fella was obviously unable to cope with looking after himself, let alone is disabled wife! The place would benefit from a gutting! Broke for lunch...parked up at Tescos in Harlesden...glamorous! Returned to the Roundwood Estate for a short afternoon session. Between us we got into about 40 units, which is a good haul. Dropped Seb back home, then drove back to N7. Got home in good time. Didi a little work at the computer, before walking Aki round to Osteria Tufo for our anniversary dinner. Burrata to start, followed by a very tasty spinach and mushroom lasagne. Aki had monkfish stew with pasta. We shared a tiramisu for afters, and walked home to watch the Murray v Tsitsipas match. It was postponed with Murray leading by 2 sets to 1.

Wednesday 5th July 2023

Alarm at 0730. Got up and porridged. Put a packed lunch together. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. I headed back north, visiting properties in Finchley and High Barnet, where I stopped to find a coffee and eat my lunch. Then headed up the M1 to Dunstable, doing internals in a couple of blocks of flats, before ending the working day in Houghton Regis. Drove back down the M1, stopping off at London Gateway services on the way home. Got in around 1830. Aki had bought cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach, and made a tomato sauce to go with it. Watched tennis for most of the evening. 

Tuesday 4th July 2023

Alarm at 0730. Dozed until around 0815. Got up and porridged. Sat at the computer for a bit, then prepared a packed lunch and set off northward. Stopped in Manor House for petrol and popped in to Sainsburys. Inspections in Haringey, Muswell Hill, and Friern Barnet, then struck out for Borehamwood. Popped in to Tesco there to use the facilities, then lunched in the car in the car park at Aberford Park. Ended the day on a fairly modern housing estate in Houghton Regis, near Dunstable. Packed in around 1630 as it had started to rain. Drove back down the M1, stopping off at London Gateway services on the way. Got in around 1830. Aki had warmed up the chicken and rhubarb curry, and made a dal to go with it. Sat and ate it on our laps in front of the telly, watching Dan Evans try but fail to turn his delayed first round match around. He put up a good fight, though. 

Monday 3rd July 2023

Woke around 0700. Got up and made tea, then sat at the computer working. Porridged. Broke at 1115. Set off to Whittington Hospital for an appointment with the Imaging Department. It started raining as I walked along Windsor Road, so caught a bus from outside Sainsbury's, which meant I got to the hospital a little early. The scan failed to find anything, other than a harmless cyst on my left testicle! Walked home. Aki had made a chicken salad lunch. Vince turned up to take a look at our mysterious leak...he was recommended by Kathleen and Andrew at No.49. He is a retired electrician, but seems to have experience in digging up concrete floors in the search for leaky plumbing. Soon after he'd departed, Dave from No.17 showed up with his thermal imaging camera. We'd turned the central heating on so that we could divine the rough positions of any pipework under the concrete floor adjoining the damp patch. Will pass the images on to Vince to see what he thinks. Aki cooked a tasty carbonara for dinner, and we finished off the last chocolate muffin. Watched a bit of tennis from Wimbledon. 

Sunday 2nd July 2023

Woke around 0930. Hauled ourselves out of bed. Aki cooked breakfast. Walked over to Waitrose and did a little shop. Had a simple fruit salad for lunch. Aki did a little gardening out front. FaceTimed ma and pa. Dad struggling a bit with his hip, but soldiering on. I made a basil and parsley oil, and a tahini and yoghurt sauce. Put together a burrata salad for starters, with the basil oil drizzled over it...very tasty. Pan fried hake with cous-cous and charred green vegetables, and sat it on the tahini sauce. Cheese and biscuits to follow. Watched a bit of telly...a documentary about the legacy of TV art sensation Bob Ross ("The Joy of Painting"), and his son's fight for the Bob Ross brand name after Bob died in the mid-90s. 

Saturday 1st July 2023

Woken around 0630 by the sound of conversation outside the bedroom window...sounds as though someone had turned up at the church and was prepping for a wedding...or a funeral, or something. Got up around 0900. Had cornflakes for breakfast...we'd brought two little mini boxes back from the B'n B we'd stopped in at Llangollen last week. Decided to venture east to investigate a Japanese Market Festival that was taking place in Dalston. Took a No. 263 bus to Highbury & Islington, then caught the Overground two stops to Dalston Kingsland. Walked up to Shacklewell Lane. The festival had been crammed into a very small space fronting the old Factory, which is now a cafe with pop up arty shops...the woman running the Festival has a vintage kimono shop on site...it was uncomfortably busy. We stayed and watched the rather amateur Chindon Yeah's, a band of flamboyantly costumed female 'musicians'...they paraded around the factory space a couple of times, leaving a smile on everyone's faces. We walked up Stoke Newington High Street, stopping for a coffee, and Aki bought a pair of summery slacks from the Retro Vintage clothes shop.

We lunched at Cafe Z...I had yumurta with feta and sucuk. Very tasty. Bumped into Stephanie in there...she was sat reading a play she was interested in auditioning for at the Tower. We caught a No.106 bus back to Finsbury park, and bought some groceries at the Turkish shop on Seven Sisters Road. Had ourselves a light dinner...I put together a ham and mozzarella salad. Walked up to the North Nineteen to see Rollo and Louis play some blues. Ben and Gayu from No.38 were already there, as was Lynne from upstairs, who had brought the dogs, Ziggy and Boston. The boys played "Walkin' the Dog" in their honour! A few of Rollo's harmonica pupils turned up, and there was a brief harmonica jam involving about five of them...a cacophony of harmonica players! Got home around 0015!

Friday 30th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Aki up and at 'em...it's Rowing Club today...nice day for it. I got up around 0815 and porridged. Made myself a packed lunch and headed south of the river. Stopped off at M&S in Charlton, and grabbed a coffee from the Costa next door, then spent the rest of the day in various parts of Lewisham, Deptford and New Cross, mostly. Ate my lunch in the car at the Sainsbury's car park near New Cross Gate station. No internals required today, but kept having to get out of the car as much of the stock was high-rise, which necessitates my photographing all four elevations. There were a couple of 26-storey monsters! So it all took rather longer than I'd hoped. It was gone 1800 when I finished in Bermondsey. Got stuck in gridlock on the approach road to Tower bridge...something amiss. I turned around shortly after an ambulance overtook the stationary line of traffic, and ventured into Southwark, crossing the river at Blackfriars. Got home around 1945. Aki had cooked a chicken and rhubarb curry, which we ate with rice, dal, and chapatis. Can't say the rhubarb added much to the mix, surprisingly. Had to do another hour at the computer after dinner. Watched a bit of telly...a showing of the very first episode of "The Fast Show"...great stuff! Paul Whitehouse looks about 12 years old!!! 

Thursday 29th June 2023

Alarm at 0730. Dozed until 0800 or so...got up and porridged, and threw a packed lunch together. Ventured northward today, with inspections in Crouch End, East Barnet and Cockfosters, before heading for Borehamwood. Had my lunch in Tesco's Borehamwood branch car park. Spent the afternoon on a 90s era housing estate knocking on doors. Got in to a reasonable number. Knocked off at 1715 and drove home. Aki pan fried salmon fillets for dinner, which we had with potatoes and vegetables. Raspberry spoom for afters. Had to work at the computer for an hour or so after dinner. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed...