Monday 6th November 2023

Slow start, as seems to be usual these days. Got up and porridged, then sat at the computer for the morning session. Broke for lunch. Aki cycled off in to Soho to get some bits and pieces from a favourite Japanese food store. I climbed back into my seat in front of the computer. Jane from No.36 knocked on the front window...we arranged to meet here at 1730. Aki got back in good time. Jane and Carlos turned up as arranged, and we walked down the Holloway Road in the gloom. Took a punt on a little Italian place called Berto's...cheap and cheerful, and very tasty. I had a spaghetti with a flavoursome sausage ragu. Aki had a charcoal pizza with a dollop of burrata in the middle of it! Walked on to the Union Chapel. Errol Linton and his band were the support act...his harmonica playing has matured like a fine wine...enough to greatly impress Carlos, who has been having lesson recently. Managed to say hello to Errol in the interval, but there was no time for a catch up. We had worked together at Oily Cart back in 2007. At least he recognised me! The second half of the evening was given over to Sarah Brown singing songs from the Mahalia Jackson songbook...a lot of gospel and spirituals...she was fantastic...a class act with a belting voice. Great little band behind her...Chris Spedding made an appearance on guitar accompaniment...I last saw him and his band at the Reading Festival...in 1976!!! By the time Sarah sang "Amazing Grace" at the end, we were all brushing away tears! Amazing!!!