Sunday 1st October 2023

Aki up early to ready herself for Rowing Club...she's got a heavy day of it, helping out with a group of deaf rowers. She brought me a mug of tea, and I sat up in bed and read "Milkman" for an hour. Rose at around 1000 and porridged. Prepped some shortcrust pastry, and stuck it the fridge. Brief FaceTime call with Newcastle...dad looking considerably better, and reportedly beginning to find his appetite, though he wondered whether he'd managed to self-inflict a bout of food poisoning after cooking Wednesday evening's dinner...seems doubtful, though, if mum didn't come down with it. Took my constitutional up Highgate Hill. Bumped into Julia from No.29, walking Lucien, her severely autistic 13 year old son. I walked with them for a little while, and was surprised when Lucien took my hand...I reckon he knows who I am by the sound of my voice, though I can't be sure. I walked up to Gail's at the top of Highgate Hill, and bought a coffee, and found a bench in Waterlow Park. Read some more "Milkman"...it's becoming unputdownable, though it took a while to get into it. Walked back home via Sainsbury's. Got in and tried rolling out my pastry, but it cracked and crumbled, and seemed too dry, I put it back in the whizzer, and added a little water, which seemed to do the trick. Aki got back in time to help me fill the pastry case with custard, and we shoved it in the oven for half an hour. Very leased with the results...we had some for dessert after finishing off the pork and bean stew. Watched "Boiling Point", the Stephen Graham film having been turned into a sequel of four small screen episodes...got off to a cracking start...breathless film making!