Saturday 18th May 2024

Slow start to the weekend. Got up around 1000 and cooked a brunch. We took a walk down to Highbury Corner, and down Upper Street, doing a bit of window shopping on the way. Nice day; a lot of people out and about. I bought some expensive sunglasses at Vision Express...kitting myself out for our July trip to Lisbon. Aki bought a t-shirt in Muji, and we wandered back up to Highbury Corner to catch a No.43 bus to Nags Head. Popped in to Waitrose to get some odds and ends. 

Aki out tonight for dinner at the rowing club, where they are welcoming a party of Parisian rowers who have come over for a few days to row the River Lea (Aki is going on the Paris return trip in September). I ate at Eglal's supper club at the Upper Place. It's her last fling for a while, having sold Girasole, before she goes back home to Milan for a break and to re-group. I was planning on eating alone with my Dickens novel, but she had set up a long dining table with six places on either side. I found myself sat next to a young doctor, named Rachel, with her husband Guy sat opposite, on my left, and a young French girl named Oceana, and her Italian husband Gian-luca to my right. They were all good company, and the food was great. I had burrata to start, followed by a sea-food risotto, and tiramisu for afters. Got home about 2115. Watched Later...Elbow, and Idles, were among the guests. Aki got home about 2215...the welcome dinner for the French rowing party had gone very smoothly...she's due to help out on their rowing trip down the River Lea to Limehouse on Monday.