Sunday 13th August 2023

Woke around 0700. Aki got up and made tea...I followed shortly thereafter, and fixed some porridge up for breakfast. Aki made sandwiches to take with us on the journey. Joan messaged Aki to say she'd changed her mind and that they were going to stay in the hotel in Liverpool Street area, rather than utilise our vacant premises ...maybe the tales of drug taking dealers hanging about outside put them off! We gave the cake we'd saved for them to Lynne upstairs, with what remained of the double cream. We caught a bus to Finsbury Park, and tube to KX. Got there in good time...bought coffee and awaited our platform number. Got into Newcastle at 1315 and took a taxi to High View, which cost us £30. Dad was weeding the footpath in front of the house, and mum came out to join us. They look in good nick, all things considered. We took tea in the back garden. Mum had cooked a ham, and served it up with potatoes from the garden, cauliflower and beans, and a tasty mustard sauce. Dad provided dessert of rhubarb and custard. Aki and I took a constitutional after dinner, walking down to Darras, where Aki picked up a bottle of wine at the Co-op, and we walked back via Woodside and Edgehill. Watched some Proms with ma and pa in the living-room. I stayed up to catch MOTD2 before shower and bed...