Sunday 1st December 2024

Woke around 0930. Got up to make tea. Aki cooked cheese omelette for brunch. She's struggling with a septic wound on the outside of her right heel...and has to travel to Twickenham today for lunch with Tokiko. It's raining. Waved Aki off then packed a bag and headed for the bus stop…caught a No.91 to Kings Cross, and walked along the canal to Granary Square. Bought some expensive biscuits at the market in the old goods yard, as gifts for my hosts in Stoke. 

Bought a creme brulee doughnut, and a chicken bao to eat on the train. Walked to Euston and caught the 1452 to Stoke-on-Trent. Stopping the night with James Earls-Davis, erstwhile sound technician at the New Vic Theatre...he kindly picked me up from the station, and we drove to the ex Council semi he shares with Anne, and their eldest daughter Beth. They bought it 15 years or so ago...it was unmodernised, and remains so! No central heating, and a very basic kitchen, comprising a couple of stainless steel basins with taps. The interiors are dominated by James's huge CD and vinyl collection...like a hoarder's cavern! The spare bedroom is full of guitars, amps and sound equipment, and as Beth is back home, I'll be sleeping on a blow-up mattress on the living-room floor. The place is pretty filthy, there being several cats! We walked round to their local hostelry, The Sanctuary, on Hartshill Road...it was Vinyl Night, so James came tooled up with several LP's. We sat and chatted, though my left ear is still blocked, which made conversation a little fraught at times. We left the hostelry at around 1930 and headed back to the house for a generous bowl of vegetable curry with paneer. Tasty enough. At 2215 or thereabouts, the blow-up mattress appeared, and everyone retired to bed...