Monday 3rd November 2025

Woke to alarm at 0815. Descended for breakfast with ma and pa before packing my bags and saying farewell…had to drag father out of the bathroom to wave goodbye. Kath drove me into town on her way to the foot hospital. I walked in to the city centre and enjoyed tea and flapjack in the cafe at Fenwicks. Wandered down Grainger Street to the Central Station. My train was delayed by 20 minutes…very busy, with people standing, but managed to secure my seat. We were 50 minutes late getting in to KX. Got home around 1615. Aki cooked mapo for dinner, then I ventured out to Stoke Newington for rehearsal. I worked with the ensemble for an hour, trying, largely in vain, to instil some character…had fun hot seating them all, and we had a rummage in the wardrobe for bits of costume that might assist in the venture. Rosie, our choreographer, took over at 2030, and I slunk off home for a bath…

Sunday 2nd November 2025

Got up around 0930. Breakfasted with ma and pa in the dining room. Prepared the apple crumble…mum helped peeling the fruit. Prepared a rice salad to have with some salmon for lunch. Kath nipped off to Peary Close to take my brown Levi work pants up…the material was too thick for the sewing machine here at mum’s. Kath and I drove over to Kingston Park after lunch to do a shop…included some Xmas essentials…a turkey crown, and a frozen roulade, as well as wine and chocolate. Jim and Emma had arrived by the time we got back. Did some food prep before having a sit down and a chocolate biscuit. Cooked a roast chicken dinner with lots of vegetables. The apple crumble was tasty enough but failed to crisp up in the oven. Watched a bit of telly. Emma and Jim sloped off to sleep in the van. I stayed up to watch Jools…enjoyed Welsh female pink band, Panic Shack.

Saturday 1st November 2025

Got up around 0830. Breakfast with ma and pa. Pottered about. Read the paper. Got dad back on the computer…had to open mum’s old computer in order to  receive a code to input into dad’s computer. My salmon salad lunch was sabotaged by Margaret…I entered the kitchen to find her preparing baked beans and cheese on toast…I added some salad so that we can at least say we attempted to get some of our five a day! Cooked up an Indian rice pudding with saffron and nuts…smelt fantastic! Kath popped out to buy me some Guinness. Took mum for a short walk down to Whinbank and back…took a handful of cooking apples that had been left in a crate outside a house on Whinfell Road…will make apple crumble tomorrow. Cooked a beef and Guinness stew for the freezer. Warmed up the last of Kath’s fish pie for dinner. Watched some telly…a rerun of 1985’s classic Edge of Darkness, with a young Joanne Whalley, though she gets killed off halfway through episode 1. Stayed up to watch MOTD…

Friday 31st October 2025

Woke around 0800. Descended for breakfast with mum and dad in the dining room. Kath disappeared off to the dentists. I cooked a sausage ragu to store in the freezer. Looking over the paperwork for dad’s LPAs I discovered Leigh had signed herself Tattersall, but dad had mis-informed me it was spelt Tattershall…popped next door to get Leigh to initial a correction. Did my exercises…back giving me much gip at the moment. Put some lunch together for mum and dad, then drove off in the Passat to do a shop at Waitrose. Cooked a chicken curry for dinner, which we had with rice, naan and vegetables. Made enough to put some in the freezer. Watched a bit of telly…

Thursday 30th October 2025

Got up around 0830. Porridged. Did my exercises. Vacuumed. Made some lunch before saying farewell to Aki and heading for KX and my train to Newcastle. Train was very busy, but non stop to Newcastle Central station. Got in ten minutes late. Bought mum some chocolates in the station shop, then nursed a half of Guinness in the Centurion while waiting for Kath to pick me up. Kath had made a fish pie, which dad had put in the oven…it was ready when we got in. Margaret looking well…Johnners too, but seems to be carrying a bit of a limp. Very warm in the house…the heating on high! Watched some telly…very loud! Had to wait until they’d all gone to bed to watch Celebrity Traitors…got to bed around midnight!

Wednesday 29th October 2025

Aki up early for an 0830 Teams meeting. I got up about 0930, by which time she’d cycled off to rowing club. Porridged. Did some exercises, and a bit of packing ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Newcastle. Aki back for lunch…spinach soup. Read some Dickens and sang some songs. Aki baked trout for dinner before I headed off for Stoke Newington and an 1800 production meeting at the theatre. All seems to be on track. Watched a bit of the dance session with the bugs…looking good. Headed for home…got in just in time to catch the Celebrity Traitors. Alan Carr still hanging in there, but for how much longer. Bath and bed…

Tuesday 28th October 2025

Got up around 1000. Porridged. Did some exercises. Aki cycled off to Tai Chi. Took up and pinned two pairs of trousers to take up to Newcastle…am employing Kath to sew up the hems. Aki back for lunch. She made  cheese and mushroom omelette…very tasty. Pottered about for the afternoon. Worked a bit on my voice. Had a bit of a sing. Cooked three portions of chicken cacciatore for Aki to eat while I’m up in Newcastle. Cooked chicken in some of the green sauce I’d made last Saturday, for dinner. Served with rice. Watched a bit of the Wrexham v Cardiff League Cup game, and an episode of Fawlty Towers, in tribute to the passing of my old Roundhay flatmate, Pru! 

Sunday 26th October 2025

Woke around 0900, only to find it was actually 0800, as the clocks had gone back. Got up. Avocado toast for breakfast. Headed for Brixton…got a Victoria line train from Finsbury Park. Got to the cafe, Parisi, a little early, and had to wait for a table. Tom Wicks and Hayley turned up first…hadn’t been told they were coming, so that was a nice surprise. Jim and Katherine turned up next, then Barney and Jen…enjoyed a catch up over a slow brunch. 

Barney and Jen have moved into a flat around the corner, just off Effra Road, and have the option to purchase it after 12 months. Barney is due to go on a short European tour with MRCY before Xmas. We walked over to The Dairy where Barney has a new recording studio, which he’s renting off Nitin Sawhney. It’s a much bigger room than his previous studio, but looks like it still needs a bit of tidying up, though he’s been working in there with Jesse Ware. Exciting times! We said our goodbyes and headed home, eager to avoid the football crowd coming out of the Emirates after the game with Crystal Palace. Warmed up the last of the lamb stew for dinner. Cherry tart and ice cream for afters. Watched The Ridge, a new BBC thriller set in NZ…dreadful! Bath and bed…

Saturday 25th October 2025

Got up around 1000 after Aki cycled off to the market for bread. I prepared Mexican green eggs for brunch…the tinned tomatillos had a vinegary flavour which wasn’t too pleasing. I headed off for Stoke Newington in the drizzle. They worked on choreography for the tap number, which is looking hilarious! Did some re-blocking of the opening scenes, but rehearsal was cut short when Sorrel developed a migraine…I think she wanted me to take over, but I pointed out that I was departing at 1700, so we called it a day and broke early. I walked to Clapton station. The rain had stopped but temperatures had dropped noticeably. 

Caught the overground to Walthamstow. Walked up to the theatre, which was re-opened in May after a major refurbishment. Had a mint tea in the foyer, then walked round the corner to meet Aki in Sodo for pizza. She’d been joined by about 9 or 10 rowing comrades. Enjoyed my pizza, but we were all sat on high stools at high tables, and the plates were so big we could hardly fit them all on the table top! Very noisy in there…won’t be back. Walked back round to the theatre for a 1930 show…Bog Witch, a one-woman show by Bryony Kimmings. The theatre is enormous…950 seater…and they’ve done a full refurbishment…it looks great. Puzzled as to who funded it, as it’s run by Soho Theatre, which is a small venue in the West End. The show felt a little out of place on such a vast stage, though the set, with a huge white back cloth onto which projections and shadows played, worked well. Bryony spent much of the time changing the set whilst nonchalantly delivering her lines…it was effortless. Got home in time to catch MOTD and Sunderland’s epic win at Stamford Bridge, which took us to second place behind the Gooners overnight!

Friday 24th October 2025

Got up around 1000. Aki had already cycled off for rowing club. Porridged. Walked down to Highbury Corner for a noon appointment at the Egerton pharmacy  to have my ears micro-suctioned. Young Chinese chap had the pleasure, with the rather surprising name of Dustin “as in Hoffman”; he was very good, and cleared both ears. He recommended I return in 9 or 10 months to have dried skin removed from my ear canals as they are exacerbating wax build up. I bought some arancini from the Italian deli next door, and walked home. Aki back for lunch. Did some exercises in the afternoon. Aki cooked hake for dinner. Watched Terence Davies’ 1992 movie “The Long Day Closes”…an affectionate meditation on his childhood in 1950s Liverpool. Not much in the way of wide shots, which gave it more of a televisual rather than a filmic feel…bit disappointing.

Thursday 23rd October 2025

Aki had departed for the hairdresser’s by the time I got up around 0930. Rain in the night. Porridged. Noticed another small damp patch in the back bedroom. There also appeared to be a 10” crack in the skylight glazing. I went up on the roof via next door’s roof garden…Sush was in and came up with me. The cracked glazing turned out to be a length of dried grass. Couldn’t see anything that gave any clue as to the leak in the back bedroom. Don’t know what to do about that! I set off for Southwark to hook up with Aki at Tate Modern. She’s purchased a year’s membership. Met up in the turbine hall. Went to view the Do Ho Suh exhibition…a Korean artist who specialises in reinventions of houses, and rooms, he has lived in in Korea, USA, and London. The most extraordinary piece was the life size rubbing of his childhood home in Korea…he covered the house in mulberry paper and rubbed everything with charcoal…took him months. He then peeled it all off and mounted it on a metal frame…gobsmacking! 

We then hightailed it over to Borough Market where I’d booked a table at Cafe Francoise. We enjoyed a rather overpriced French onion soup lunch. Headed for Oxford Street as Aki was keen to visit the Doc Marten store. I left her to go on to Camper in Regent Street while I headed for Hobgoblin in the hope of procuring a dozen kazoos for Saturday afternoon’s rehearsal. Unfortunately they only had the tin versions, which at £10 a piece would mean blowing a £120 hole in the show budget. I headed for the bus stop. Aki had gotten home ahead of me, having bought a nice pair of black boots at Camper. Warmed up the Irish stew for dinner. Settled down to watch Celebrity Traitors before bath and bed…

Wednesday 22nd October 2025

Aki up early to ready herself for rowing club. She’d cycled off by the time I rose. Porridged. Set off for Oxford Circus. Wanted to try on some grey workwear pants I’d spotted last week in John Lewis’s. Ended up going for brown, but got suckered into buying an unusual pair of patterned cords too. Headed home with my purchases, popping in at Waitrose for some bread. Aki returned for lunch…warmed up the last of my vegetable soup. Pottered about and did my exercises before Aki made a carbonara for dinner. Set off for Stoke Newington and Panto rehearsal. It was a song rehearsal so I wasn’t really needed. Stuck around for an hour or so then went home to watch Celebrity Traitors…got a bit of a soaking on the walk home from the bus stop!

Tuesday 21st October 2025

Got up around 1000. Porridged. Aki cycled off to tai chi. I prepared lunch on her return…finished the last of the vegetable soup. Headed out on a jaunt to the V&A Storehouse, recently opened in the Olympic Park. Aimed for Hackney Wick, and walked across the River Lea. Loads of building work still on-going around Hackney Wick station. A vast city has sprung up here over the last ten years…incredible. The Storehouse has been created in what was the Media Centre for the 2012 Olympics. On several floors, and is a bit like wandering around IKEA but with a vast range of treasures piled high on massive shelves. We got in to the David Bowie archive…interesting up to a point…if you know what you want to look at you can order up a Ziggy costume and take a gander, but the exhibition is rather small. Nice cafe on the ground floor. Took a train and a bus home. Aki pan fried salmon steak, with rice and vegetables, for dinner. Watched some telly…really enjoyed Trying; Rafe Spall is fantastic in it.

Monday 20th October 2025

Got up around 1000. Spells of heavy rain hammering on the bedroom roof. Porridged. Sat about reading before putting together an early lunch, then headed for the dentist on Upper Street, where I had a 1400 appointment with Mrs Jhand…she was very excited as she had been looking forward to applying a veneer to my mis-shapen front tooth…I had grown half of a third tooth over my second, and had been rather proud of the anomaly these last 60 years or so…but she had found signs of tooth decay at the joint, and was now charged with making the tooth look normal for the first time. I was in the chair for an hour and a half! She numbed my upper jaw, and set to work on removing the decay, before re-surfacing. I was stunned by the result…she’d done a terrific job. Went home via Waitrose. Cooked a pasta dinner, then rushed out again for panto rehearsal. Sorrel took them through their paces on a couple of dance routines…looking great. We were disturbed by a mouse in the studio! Evidently freaked out by our clod-hopping! 

Sunday 19th October 2025

Got up at 0930. Aki cooked brunch. I left for the bus stop…caught a bus to Camden, then a tube ride to Belsize Park. Got to the Royal Free on time and made my way to urology. Had to wait an hour and a half before being seen by the consultant. He said the ultrasound had found a benign cyst on the left testicle, and some varicose veins. He recommended cutting out tea, coffee and chocolate for the next three months to see if the discomfort in my right testicle subsides. It was raining when I exited the hospital. I walked down Haverstock Hill into Camden Town. Bought a couple of items in Sainsbury’s before getting on a bus home. Aki and I shared a rather flavourless Sainsbury’s pulled pork and cheese wrap for lunch. Sat about reading. Aki warmed up the paella we’d been unable to eat last night, adding prawns. Churros and creme fraiche for afters. FaceTimed Kath, who was at 12 High View. Watched the final episode of Hot Spot. Bath and bed…

Saturday 18th October 2025

 

Aki cooked omelette for breakfast, before heading off up the road to help planting out the communal flower boxes on Sussex Way. I walked to Stoke Newington via Highbury Barn, stopping off at Gail’s to pick up a sandwich for later. Worked with Sean on some physical delineation of his five split personalities for King Gregg…he’s not a natural, so didn’t get very far, but hopefully sowed a seed or two for him to work on…I think his costume changes are going to have to take most of the strain. Got a bus back home. Aki and I then set off for Waterloo…we’d booked a table at a tapas bar on The Cut, but arrived about half an hour early, so took a stroll down Lower Marsh, a lively destination of an evening. We over ordered at the tapas bar…portions are in my experience usually rather parsimonious, but we had to order a doggy bag! Walked across to the Free Association venue in Union Street Arches for an hour of comedy improv…based around a spoof TV hospital drama. Recognised one of the girls in the cast…she’d lead the Beginners Improv classes I attended in Camden about seven years ago! It was a very entertaining evening, though would have been better if my left ear wasn’t blocked!

Friday 17th October 2025

Aki up early…by the time I got up at 0930 she had cycled off to rowing club. Porridged. Caught up with Celebrity Traitors. Walked round to the GP surgery for my flu jab, then up to the dry cleaners. Hiked on down to Highbury Fields to buy focaccia before popping in at Waitrose on the way home. Put a mackerel salad lunch together when Aki got back. Sat about reading. Cooked a buttery mushroom sauce to go with some tortelloni…it was rather flavourless. We watched the Netflix adaptation of Pedro Paramos, which the Book Club had just finished reading. It was all a bit one-note, and a trifle long. Had its moments though. Bath and bed…

Thursday 16th October 2025

Woke at 0845. Aki brought me tea. Got up around 1000 and porridged. Worked on finalising LPAs for father, with a view to posting them off to Leigh (Certificate Provider)...she can then take them round to dad at her leisure. Quiche salad lunch. We walked round to Nags Head Market…Aki wanted to suss out the taco store ahead of this evening’s Mexican themed Book Club meet. We wandered on into Morrison’s to look at fajita kits, but didn’t find anything suitable. Ended up buying dragon fruit, and custard apples at the stall on Holloway Road. Tried a jesters hat at the Fancy Dress shop…may suit Noggins in the panto, though it was rather too roomy for me…perhaps Sean has a bigger head…will have to check! Walked on down to Highbury and back home via Highbury Fields. Enjoyed the Irish stew for dinner. Aki left for Book Club…I watched Traitors, and then the Mercury Prize coverage from Newcastle. Aki back by 2215. Late bath and bed…

Wednesday 15th October 2025

Fitful night’s sleep. Aki up at 0730…she’d cycled off to rowing club by the time I surfaced. Fancied a greasy spoon breakfast…aimed for the Hope Dining  Rooms on foot. Walked up to the counter only to spot a Cash Only sign so turned on my heel…ended up at the third rate Amici opposite Highbury tube station. Took a Victoria line train to Oxford Circus. Wanted to try on a pair of brown Paul Smith jeans, but only one pair left…headed to KX and the Paul Smith store at Coal Drops Yard…couldn’t find a comfortable fit so gave up and headed home. Aki was already back when I got in. Warmed up some soup for lunch. Spent most of the afternoon cooking up a lamb stew, for eating later in the week, then cooked a crab linguine dinner. Aki had been invited to accompany a couple of rowers to see a play at the Park Theatre…walked her up to Finsbury Park, where I jumped on a bus to Stoke Newington for this evening’s panto rehearsals. The audience participation song, I Am The Music Man, is going to be a hoot. Got home around 2210…we watched Celebrity traitors before bath and bed…

Tuesday 14th October 2025

Woke around 0815. Got up and took tea back to bed. Read for a while before porridging. Aki cycled off to the fishmongers, then headed for tai chi at the Chinese Community Centre up the road. I took a walk to Highbury and had coffee at La Maison, then walked home via Waitrose. Aki made ramen for lunch. Sat about reading. Did my exercises. A bloke turned up to look at the Takamine guitar I’d put up for sale on Gumtree a month or so ago. He’s been teaching a teenage pupil, who turned up 15 minutes later with his mum, and little sister. He liked the guitar…but I can’t say he seemed to have anything resembling musical talent…but his mum forked out £150 in cash and they left with the guitar. I’d bought it 27 years ago  on Dean Street in Newcastle! End of an era. Aki cooked hake for dinner, with black beans and bulgar wheat. Watched The Hotspot…getting very silly, but refreshingly good fun. Caught the second half of the Latvia v England game…a 0-5 win ensures we’ll be at the World Cup in 2026.

Monday 13th October 2025

Got up around 0915 and took tea back to bed. Rose around 1000 and porridged while listening to Cerys Hafana. Sat about reading. Walked over to Waitrose to meet Aki, who had cycled over to do a shop...I walked back home carrying 24 loo rolls! Put together a sardine salad lunch. Did some exercises. Read some CD. Aki prepared dinner...bibimbap, and gyoza. I ate early, before heading off for the Tower Theatre...but Aki was also cooking for Jane from No.36, and Gayu from No.38...a girl's night in! They showed up just as I was leaving. I caught a couple of buses to lordship Road, and walked from there down to Church Street. There was no rehearsal space available at the theatre, but they had managed to get us a large function room on the top floor of the new boutique hotel next door. Great rehearsal space, but the hotel looks decidedly grim!!! Worked through the opening scenes of Act I...I had to read in for Louise, who was missing. Enjoyable evening. Wrapped up around 2145 and caught a No.106 back to Finsbury Park. Jane and Gayu were preparing to leave when I got in...Aki tidied up, and I put out the bins before a late bath and bed...

Sunday 12th October 2025

Slow start…Aki feeling a little under the weather, so didn’t fancy rowing club this morning. Brought me tea in bed. Got up around 1030 and made brunch. Pottered about. Did some exercises. Walked to Newington Green via Highbury Barn. Only took about 30 minutes…so had a bit of time to kill before heading to No.60 for an early dinner. We shared chicken skewers and rice, and a warm halloumi salad. Walked on down to Dalston for the Cerys Hafana gig at St Matthias church. Large Victorian era church…great acoustic but very uncomfortable timber pews! Managed to sit through the support act, Astra Forward…a silken voiced experimental songwriter…a sort of half-speed Enya. Beautiful sings if a bit samey, but they had a liturgical vibe that was a perfect fit for the venue. Retreated toward the rear to watch Cerys from a standing position against a stone pillar. She plays the Welsh triple harp…gorgeous sound, and has a delicate voice…played with a sax player and a percussionist…standing ovation at the end…£19 well spent!  

Saturday 11th October 2025

Woke to alarm at 0815. Got up to make tea. Aki cycled off to buy bread at the Farmer’s Market while I prepared brunch. Aki dropped me off outside the Royal Free for my 1100 appointment with the ultrasound team…having my right testicle inspected. Results will be passed to the Urology team in due course. I walked down to get a Northern Line train from Belsize Park, getting out at Tottenham Court Road. Walked down Oxford Street to buy replacement Doc Marten shoes, then hopped on a No.22 bus to Sloane Square. Passed the old Savills HQ in Berkeley Square…the building has been demolished and a new modern block is rising from the ground. 

Got off the bus at Sloane Square and popped in to Peter Jones….haven’t been in there for many years! Met Aki in the 6th floor cafe for a swift lunch…the leek and potato soup was very disappointing. Walked across to the Royal Court…had tickets to see, or rather, hear, Katie Mitchell’s Cow/Deer…a 55 minute piece for four foley artists, including Tower Theatre regular Ruth Sullivan, who dropped out of Moby Dick to take up the job. 

It was a fascinating hour, an hour in the life (and death) of a pregnant cow, and a deer, portrayed with a dignified delicacy. Walked back to Victoria station via the eastern fringes of Belgravia. Bumped into Jen as we emerged from Finsbury Park tube station…she was heading for Hackney Wick to deliver an early evening DJ set. Pork shoulder for dinner, with black beans, mashed potato and plenty of vegetables. Watched “Rye Lane”…a quirky movie set in south London, shot in vivid saturated colours, with a rye and witty script to match.

Friday 10th October 2025

Aki up early to ready for Rowing Club. Tea and porridge in bed. Got up around 1000 and did some exercises while awaiting Aki's Amazon delivery. Vacuumed. Aki back in time for lunch. Sat and read some CD. Rehearsed a couple of tunes. Warmed up the last of the chicken chasseur for dinner, with orzo and vegetables. Watched Hot Spot, and Alan Partridge before bath and bed…

Thursday 9th October 2025

Woke around 0800. Got up eventually to bring tea back to bed. Rose and porridged. Grey day. Read some CD. Sardine salad for lunch. Ventured into town as Aki had been given a National Gallery membership card by a chum who has gone to Japan for a month…went to see the Neo-impressionist exhibition…Seurat, Pissaro, Signac et al. It was interesting but failed to blow me away. Seurat’s drawings with black crayon were very impressive though. Walked up to Piccadilly Circus and from thence to the Japanese convenience store on Brewer Street before heading home. Tortelloni with puttanesca sauce for dinner. Watched some of the Scotland v Greece game before switching channels to catch this evening’s episode of Traitors…Alan Carr is proving to be priceless entertainment…

Wednesday 8th October 2025

Woke at 0630…back giving me gip. Managed to get back to sleep, though. Aki up early to ready for rowing club. I got up at 0900…porridged. Read some CD before doing my exercises. Aki back in time for lunch. Took a late afternoon walk up to Highbury Barn and popped in to Mario’s deli…bought handmade tortellini and gnocchi for dinner tomorrow. Warmed up the last of the fish curry for dinner, with dal and rice. Watched the opening episode of Celebrity Traitors…Alan Carr his usual very funny self! Stayed up to watch the TV podcast…got to bed at 0030!

Tuesday 7th October 2025

Woke around 0900…got up to find that Aki had departed for the dentist. Made tea and porridged. Spent some time penning letters and emails to the Office of the Public Guardian…still trying to get the LPA’s sorted for mum! What a palaver!!! Did some exercises before Aki cooked omelette for lunch. Pottered about before heading up to Archway for a walk. Returned to warm up the last of the mushroom lasagna for dinner. Watched ‘Hot Spot’ before bath and bed…

Monday 6th October 2025

 

Woke around 0800…Aki brought me a tea. Got up and porridged. Pottered about then did some exercises. Warmed up the soup for lunch. Set off mid-afternoon for the dentist on Upper Street. Bumped into Gayu from No.38 and Jane from No.36 outside our pad…they were going in our direction. Almost got run over by a speeding electric cyclist at the lights on Seven Sisters Road…he was trying to run the red light, but bailed out, slamming on his brakes, skidding, and crashing to the tarmac in the middle of the junction…I stared at him in contempt whilst Aki, Gayu, and Jane rushed to his assistance. He’d damaged his bike and grazed an elbow…I left Gayu and Jane ministering to their charge, and pulled Aki away, as I had to get to the dentist by 1530. 

Walked down Upper Street…had time to pop into a new gallery…selling some Tracey Emin, Banksy, etc at eye watering prices. Aki parted company outside the dental practice and headed for Angel. I had a 30 minute session with the hygienist…my second in a week…she’s very good…a young lady of Slavic origin, I’d hazard. Caught a bus home. Warmed up chicken chasseur for dinner, with mashed potatoes…delicious! Took a couple of buses to Stoke Newington for panto rehearsal. Wasn’t needed as the musical team were concentrating on the songs. Had a rummage in the wardrobe department for hats and things for Sean to help him develop the split personalities of King Gregg…didn’t find much. Departed for the bus stop early and got home around 2130. 

Sunday 5th October 2025

 

Aki up early to ready for Rowing Club. She brought me tea in bed before she cycled off. I delayed breakfast…cooked up some lentil soup for later, then headed into town. Decided to stick my head in at Maison Assouline on Piccadilly…I read that it was worth a visit…a book cafe opposite the Royal Academy. It’s housed in an interesting Georgian edifice next door to St James’s Piccadilly…and the coffee and food are well over-priced. But I enjoyed it nonetheless…an interesting one-off. Bought Bleak House in Hatchard’s next door, and took a Piccadilly line train home. No sign of Aki, so I ventured back out to buy pork belly from Waitrose…and sticky toffee pudding! Aki still not back when I got back in…can’t recall if today was boathouse cleaning day or something. Phoned ma and pa. Dad had taken mum out for a spin this morning…his eye having recovered. Kath reportedly hooking up with Dex for lunch in the Borders. Aki turned up around 1600. Pork belly for dinner with roasted leeks and celery. Watched ‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’ with the excellent Tim Key, who’d co-written the script. Very enjoyable. 

Saturday 4th October 2025

Slept relatively well, though had to get up at 0830 as my back was starting to give me gip. Made tea and got back into bed. Read some Chuzzlewit. Aki cycled off to the Farmer’s Market to buy bread. I got up to prepare brunch for when she returned. Left for the theatre at noon, taking two buses to Stoke Newington…too windy to cycle! First read-through of Rapunzel…nice to see two or three ex Moby Dickers in the room. The guy playing King Gregg was absent so I read his part. After the break, the MD started working on the opening number…the harmonies sound great already! Repaired to the Jolly Butchers afterward for a quick drink with some of the team…then caught two buses home. Aki cooked a tasty fish curry for dinner with rice and dal. Watched some telly before bath and bed…

Friday 3rd October 2025

Woke around 0400… took ages to get back to sleep. Lay in until 1100. Got up and porridged. We drove over to Sainsbury’s at Manor House to do a shop and put the car through the car wash. Came home for a light lunch, as eating out this evening. Cooked up a chicken chasseur for Aki to have tonight, putting the remainder in the freezer. I headed in to town via the Victoria Line, alighting at a busy Victoria station. Walked in the drizzle toward Eaton Square to hook up with former Trent Poly mates, Colin Yates, Andy Widdup, and Pete Chilton. They’d been drinking since 1530 though looked none the worse for wear…Colin celebrated his 68th birthday yesterday…he looked a little weary. 

Andy still working, much to my surprise, though Colin is still doing a couple of days a week. Andy and Kim had recently been on holiday to Canada…while crossing to Vancouver Island, they bumped into Pete on the ferry!!! They all had to catch trains back south…Andy to Haywards Heath, Colin to Brighton, and Pete to Portsmouth, so we headed back to Victoria station for 2030 where we parted ways…nice to see them, even though it was all rather brief. Got home by 2130…getting a bit wet and windy out, but not too bad…Storm Amy wreaking much more havoc up north!

Thursday 2nd October 2025

Got up at 0945. Tea. Porridge. Watched highlights of the Champions League games. Read some CD before doing my exercises. Aki made ramen noodle soup for lunch. More sitting about, reading mostly. Warmed up the mushroom lasagna for dinner. Walked up to the Shaftesbury on Hornsey Road…Ben at No.38 had spotted they do a folk night…he turned up later, as did fellow band members Katherine, and Celia. But it turned out not to be an open mic…just a duo playing bluegrass tunes in one corner of the pub. Had a couple of beers before walking home. 

Wednesday 1st October 2025

Woke around 0500…managed to nod back off after a while. Aki up at 0730 to ready herself for Rowing Club. Got up and made myself a tea once she’d cycled off. Porridged. Sat and read for most of the morning. Aki back for lunch. Warmed up the last of the carrot and chickpea soup. More sitting about…felt very weary, perhaps a reaction to the cycling yesterday. Aki baked trout for dinner…with polenta and vegetables. She then departed for a site visit on the Haringey Ladder. I participated in a virtual meet ahead of Saturday’s panto read through. Watched some telly once Aki had returned…before bath and bed.

Tuesday 30th September 2025

Woke around 0800…got up and made tea. Read in bed for a bit. Porridged. Did my exercises. Aki cooked omelette for lunch. Went into town to take one of the cushions we’d bought at John Lewis’s last week, back. Took the Victoria Line to Oxford Circus. Swapped the cushion for a smaller one, getting a bit of a refund in return. Tried on a blue jacket in the Menswear department…it had a £210 price tag, but I loved it…took it to the checkout only to discover it was in the end of season sale…I got it for £84!…don’t think that’s ever happened to me before! We took a look at the revamped M&S Food Hall…basically they’ve added a cafe, but it was about as attractive as a Costa store…disappointing. Walked up through Noho. Popped into a little art gallery on Newman Street…stunning modern art from Bulgarian Theodora Axente, mixing Dali with the Dutch Masters. Caught a bus home from outside Goodge Street station. Quick tortelloni supper with puttanesca sauce. We cycled off to Stoke Newington in the gloaming. First night of Girls, which opens the Autumn season. Good performances, though the rather wordy piece was ill-served by one of the three actresses being inaudible…a shame, as I could see she was inhabiting her role in a way rarely seen at The Tower. Sat behind Brett from No.7, and Andrew from No.49…he kept having to elbow her as she kept nodding off. Surprised to see Nick Hall in the audience! I was told that he’d turned up at the Poetry Night insisting he read a poem he had written! Exchanged a couple of words with him as I left the building…but I can see he’s going to become a thorn in the side…they should have taken decisive action and banned him! 

Monday 29th September 2025

Woke around 0400…took ages to nod back off…I’m going to have to ask the GP for sleeping pills! Aki brought me tea in bed. Got up and porridged. Did my exercises. Read some Chuzzlewit. Aki cooked lunch. I set off for my dental appointment on Upper Street. Got there in good time. The hygienist had her work cut out, given the build up of 20 years worth of plaque. In the event, she only managed to clean the bottom row of teeth…I had to book and pay for a second session next week! Walked home, stopping off at Euphonium for a decaf coffee, then walking up to Waitrose to do a bit of shopping. Eating alone this evening…Aki working as a translator for a Japanese client of a design company based in Camden. They were headed out for a posh meal in Coal Drops Yard. I made a taleggio and mushroom lasagna…took rather longer than I’d anticipated…didn’t eat until 2000. Aki got back around 2130. Watched The Ten before bath and bed…

Sunday 28th September 2025

Woke around 0800. Tea. Cooked brunch. Cycled off to Stoke Newington, via Clissold Park, to attend the panto recalls. Parked the bike outside the theatre and bought coffee at the Yellow Warbler. Sorrel already set up in the Smith Studio…Vahan and Kat, our musical directors, were also in attendance, as well as Sarah, our SM. Saw various people…had to make a choice between three potential Princes, and two potential Rubellas. A bit of disagreement amongst us, but eventually agreed on an Italian lady as Rubella…I wasn’t terribly convinced, but some of our number knew her and felt confidant she could be worked up into the role. Adjourned around 1345…aimed for the Jolly Butchers, but it was fully booked, so I made my excuses and cycled up Church Street for a sandwich at Gail’s. Got home around 1445, ahead of Aki, who had been rowing. Listened to some footie on R5Live. Did some exercises. Rehearsed a couple of tunes with Aki. Wandered round to Brett’s at No.7 for dinner. She did a tasty spread…pea and lettuce soup, chicken filo pie with cauliflower, cheesey orzo and ricotta and spinach balls, followed by apple pie and cream. As we chatted afterward, Aki spotted a mouse in the next room…Brett charged up a mousetrap with chocolate, and we made a hurried exit!

Saturday 27th September 2025

Got up around 0900. Cooked brunch. Did my exercises. Vacuumed the car. Aki made savoury Japanese pancake for lunch. Watched the first half of the Women’s Rugby World Cup final…England looked on the road to lifting the trophy. Wandered up to No.127 for a meet up with the Scottish folk band, hosted by Katherine and George. Had a meet to chat about taking things forward…resolved to meet monthly and to try and learn tunes by heart. Sat down to a tasty vegetarian supper…chickpea and spinach curry with rice and naan, followed by German apple pie with creme fraiche. We then spent an hour on a couple of tunes to kick start our honing of the repertoire. All in all a very enjoyable evening. Got home around 2100. Watched an episode of Hotspot, The Ten, and MOTD before bath and bed…

Friday 26th September 2025

Woke around 0330 but got back to sleep again OK…woke again around 0730…dozed before getting up and bringing tea back to bed. Aki up preparing herself a packed lunch. Got up and porridged. Aki left for JCUK lunchtime get-together in west London. Did my exercises. Lunched. Set off for Holborn and a return visit to the Garden Cinema. Watched Di Caprio’s new movie, One Battle After Another…well put together, good performances (Sean Penn as watchable as always)…but what a load of old nonsense…stretched my credibility too far! Caught a bus to Oxford Circus and hooked up with Aki at the Photographers Gallery. Exhibition celebrating the work of Dennis Morris…who bunked off school when he was 14 to go ask Bob Marley for a photo, and got hired as his tour photographer on the spot…and the rest is history. He went on to work with the big names of the punk scene. Very enjoyable…got my photo taken with Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious. Got home by 1915…Aki rustled up a quick salmon dinner. Watched Japanese comedy drama series Hotspot before bath and bed…

Thursday 25th September 2025

Woke at 0330, but managed to nod back off fairly readily on this occasion. Woke around 0800. Brought tea back to bed before getting up and porridging. Much pain in my left foot…managed 11,000 steps yesterday which may have summat to do with it! Did my exercises. Early lunch...warmed up the chickpea and carrot soup. Limped to the bus stop to catch a No.253 bus to Finsbury Park, then a tube train to Holborn. Early dinner at a Japanese restaurant…good value at £22. Walked around the corner to meet Tammy at the Garden Cinema for a showing of Japanese movie, Happyend. The girls seemed to enjoy it, but I found it rather dull…struggled to stay awake. Got home around 2000. Aki worked at the computer…I watched some telly before bath and bed…

Wednesday 24th September 2025

Woke around 0400. Took ages to get back to sleep…seems to be becoming an unwanted routine! Aki up early to ready for rowing…she’d cycled off by the time I got up to make tea. Took it back to bed with me…read some Chuzzlewit. Porridged. Did my exercises. Aki back in time for lunch. I departed thereafter for a tooth-hurty dental appointment…I think that’s the first time that’s happened in my 67 years. I haven’t been to the dentist for about 20 years…supposedly NHS but had to fork out at reception. Seen by a young Asian lady and her Slavic assistant…they were great…took x-rays which came back OK, though some filling required, and I was booked in for a thorough clean with the hygienist next Monday…more money passed hands! Walked up to Kissawa near Highbury Fields for a coffee, then walked home via Waitrose. Aki cooked pasta with homemade pesto, plus tomatoes and vegetables. 

Walked to Holloway Road tube station and took a train to Covent Garden, from whence we ambled down toward the river and the RSA. Had tickets to see a documentary about a Japanese health food pioneer Yoshiko Tatsumi…marking her 100th birthday. She preaches the benefits of simple soup recipes, teaching doctors and nurses how to cook up life enhancing broth for their patients…came out feeling hungry! Repaired to the RSA bar, which is housed in an C18th building originally occupied by the Adelphi Tavern and Coffee House. The interior decor now has a very modern vibe, and we sat by the groovy fireplace and enjoyed a cocktail before heading home on the tube from Covent Garden…

Tuesday 23rd September 2025

Woke at 0430…took ages to get back to sleep. Back giving me gip again! Got up at 0830 and took tea back to bed. Got up at 0930 and porridged. Aki cycled off to the fishmonger on Essex Road. Did my exercises. Pinged off my CV to the Vic…see what happens. Made carrot, harissa and chickpea soup for lunch. Travelled into Oxford Street to look at cushions in John Lewis’s…bought three of a bright yellow hue that will sit well on our grey sofa suite. Aki headed for home with the purchases…I ran an errand for a chum, picking up a DVD from HMV that needs sending on to him in Spain. Bought some underwear in M&S. Walked down North Audley Street and enjoyed a crepe in the Mercato before getting a bus to Tottenham Court Road. Popped in to Regent Sounds on Denmark Street then headed for home on a No.29 bus. Aki cooked mackerel for dinner with rice and yams. She went off to a site meeting on the Haringey Ladder…I had a bath and watched some football before Aki got back…early to bed…

Monday 22nd September 2025

Slightly better night’s sleep…woke at 0330 and 0630. Got up at 0830 and brought tea back to bed. Got up and porridged. Sat at the computer composing emails. Managed to attach a different photo to my Theatrical CV ahead of pinging it off to the New Vic Theatre. Kath sent a photo of dad, having returned from eye hospital…hopefully one cataract down! Put a salt beef salad lunch together. Did some exercises. Sat and read some Dickens…just starting Martin Chuzzlewit…it’s a big one! Did my exercises plus a little voice work. Aki warmed up chicken curry and dal for dinner. Watched a bit of telly. Early bath…

Sunday 21st September 2025

Woke around 0530 and didn’t really manage to get back to sleep. Aki up at 0800 to ready for rowing. She brought me a mug of tea before cycling off. Porridged. Watched some athletics before catching a No.253 bus to Stamford Hill…stuck my head in at BHF store to check on the price they’d put on our old sofa…£285!!! Walked down the hill to the cafe next to the Rowing Club…got there just as Aki’s boat pulled in. I bagged seats at the cafe. Most of the usual crew rocked up. Enjoyed a full English, though had to listen to Oz burbling on about talking trees! Aki cycled home via Waitrose…I walked through Springfield Park and jumped on a No.253 back to Finsbury Park. Getting busy, as Arsenal due to kick off against Man City at 1630. Aki cooked a mushroom risotto for dinner. Kath FaceTimed from High View…dad in for cataract removal tomorrow morning. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed…

Saturday 20th September 2025

Got up around 0800…feeling a little tender today…must have overdone it a bit yesterday. Aki cycled up to the Farmer’s Market to buy bread. I prepped brunch. Popped round to the GP to have the steristrips removed…nurse seemed to think they had done a good job of the stitching but it looks a bit of a mess to me…the white bits are scar tissue, apparently. Watched some athletics. 

Wandered up to the Sussex Way street party for a spot of lunch. Low turnout this year…but enjoyed a sausage sarnie and a chicken drumstick. A handful of Book Club members hanging about. Stayed and chatted for a couple of hours before retiring for a tea and a sit down. Aki seemed some chicken for dinner, which we ate with the leftover vegetable stir fry. Watched “Ordinary People” on Prime. Robert Redfords’s 1980 directorial debut…bit of a slow burner, but nice performances, particularly from Mary Tyler Moore, cast against type as an angry, emotionally frigid wife…and a youthful Timothy Hutton.

Friday 19th September 2025

Another fitful night….Aki up early to ready for Rowing Club. I got up and took a tea back to bed. Porridged. Message from Bob Eaton suggesting I write to the casting director at the Vic. Did my ironing. Walked down to Upper Street in the late summer sunshine, stopping off for a coffee and a muffin at La Maison on t’other side of Highbury Fields. Bought a custard flan, and a mushroom quiche, at Belle Epoche, then jumped on a No.43 bus back home. Aki back for lunch. Started working on trying to track down cast and crew from the three New Vic productions of Good Golly with the intention of organising a get together on opening night of next year’s new production. Watched some athletics. Aki prepared a prawn stir fry for dinner…Katrina coming round to eat with us. She rocked up after 1700. Aki cooked up some stir fry prawns and vegetables, served with rice. She and Katrina headed off to catch a bus to Upper Street to see The Pitchfork Disney at the Kings Head theatre, Katrina taking my seat. I watched a bit of telly then bathed. Aki got back around 2130…they seemed to have enjoyed it, dark though the material was!

Thursday 18th September 2025

Another very fitful night’s sleep. Abdominal spasms still going on…and a bout of coughing didn’t help! Got up at 0830. Made tea. Car still outside. Porridged. Ventured out…headed for the garage on Camden Road intending to enquire as to whether I ought to get the car key signal changed…but after waiting in reception for five minutes and no-one coming to my assistance, I walked on down Holloway Road to the little auto parts shop where I get my engine top up oil. They sold Faraday pouches, but explained that these were only relevant for keyless car technology, so not relevant to my situation…so how did the thief get into the car, and lock it on exiting!?! It’s a mystery! Walked home via Waitrose. Watched World Championship athletics. Put some lunch together…salt beef and a fig salad. Had my first bath in two weeks. Aki popped out to the library. Feeling very tired after two lousy nights sleep. Warmed up Aki’s spicy chicken tray take for dinner.

Wednesday 17th September 2025

Took ages to get to sleep…shouldn’t have taken an afternoon nap yesterday! Got up around 0815…Aki cycled off to Rowing Club, convinced the rain was going to stay away. I fired a text message off to Bob Eaton to see if there was any chance of getting cast in next year’s New Vic revival of Good Golly Miss Molly. Porridged. Did some exercises before settling down in front of the athletics. Aki back for lunch. I went for a late afternoon walk, as I’d not had any exercise for two weeks. Took it slowly. As I walked back I walked past my car and noticed the wing mirrors were deployed…I accused Aki of having left the car unlocked for two weeks, but when we tried the doors, they were locked. Items had obviously been tampered with inside…my binoculars were missing, and my night driving glasses. We assume the car key has been cloned. Tried in vain to get through to the police via 101…reported the incident online instead. Had hoped to ask whether this meant someone could gain access to the car at will, but no such luck. Eventually got a report back together with a crime reference number…tried the helpline number on the report and got through surprisingly quickly. But the guy on the phone didn’t know enough about cars to help out with my queries…I’ll need to phone VW tomorrow. Watched ‘Toxic Town’. Decided to unload what was left in the car in case it was going to get stolen tonight! Hope it’s still there in the morning…!!!

Monday 15th September 2025

Woke at 0515….felt uncomfortable so got up walked around the living room for a bit. Halved my dose of painkillers yesterday, which may have something to do with it. Got back into bed around 0615 and managed to sleep for a couple of hours. Got up and porridged. Had a semi-shower before walking round to the GP surgery to have the wound dressing removed…Tanya left the steristrips on, saying they’d fall off in their own good time…I’m to call in on her on Saturday so she can give the wound a final once-over. Walked home…very windy out and about! Watched World Championship athletics. Aki made ramen soup for lunch. Watched the astonishing Mondo Duplantis break the world pole vault record…for the 14th time!!! Aki cycled up to Helen and Martin to pick up some of their homemade plum compote…we’ve plans to turn it into spoom for the freezer. Warmed up a chicken curry with dal and rice for dinner. Aki had a JCUK zoom meeting in the evening. 

Tuesday 16th September 2025

Woke around 0230…had to get up and walk about for half an hour. Managed to get back to sleep. Got up around 0900…porridged. Watched athletics. Made lunch…which was interrupted by a coughing fit…extremely painful abdominals!!! Like getting stabbed! Matthew phoned from Savills…had a chat about the op, and Moby Dick. He lives in Brighton…but didn’t come see the show. Aki cycled off to Sainsbury’s at Angel. She cooked trout for dinner, with buckwheat and vegetables. Watched Cate Blanchett’s magnificent performance in ‘Tar’ on the iPlayer. A gripping two-and-a-half hours! Got a message from Sean in Stoke alerting me to the fact that Bob Eaton is to mount a revival of Good Golly Miss Molly at the Vic in Stoke next spring…got to wondering if I might put myself up for the role of Grandad…!!!

Sunday 14th September 2025

Got up around 0830…lower back giving me gip. Tea. Porridge. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. Watched the Canelo v Crawford fight and World Athletics Championships. Aki back for lunch…cooked a mozzarella and mushroom omelette. Sat about listening to music…and reading the Rapunzel script…it’s all rather uninspiring. One or two of the ‘topical’ gags lead me to surmise it was written in 1987! Rained for most of the afternoon. Had a lie down and listened to the Manchester derby. Aki cooked a tasty chicken traybake for dinner. Watched ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’…great stuff. 

Saturday 13th September 2025

Slept through until 0900…got up for tea. Aki cycled off to Yerbury Farmer’s Market to buy bread, returning to make brunch. Abs feeling slightly better every morning…much less painful getting out of bed, but my abdominal muscles go into spasm every morning…sort of yawning, but it means the belly gives me gip for hours thereafter. Sat and watched the World Athletics championships from Tokyo. Aki cycled over to Waitrose to buy some supplies. She cooked hake for dinner, with black beans and tomato sauce. Watched a bit of MOTD before bed…

Friday 12th September 2025

Woke around 0900. Belly painful after yesterday’s walking. Numbness in my heels for some bizarre reason. Got up…Aki had made tea. Porridged at the dining table. Aki departed for town…meeting up with Tammy for lunch and art at the National Gallery. Listened to music and did a bit of doom scrolling. Made a tuna salad for lunch. Aki returned around 1500, dodging the showers. Abdominal pain showing no signs of retreating. Kath phoned from High View to pass on the news that dad had signed a contract to have his novel published...on further examination, this turned out to be via vanity publishing house, Austin MacCauley, who were stinging him for £4,000 for the privilege! Dad seems happy with the prospect...I just hope he's not counting on getting any of his money back. Aki had bought some Greek style pork shoulder for dinner, which we ate with black beans, rice and vegetables. Watched "Sing Street"...a third rate coming of age movie surrounding a young Dublin schoolboy who finds escape from a traumatic school and home life through forming a band with some random school mates...not a patch on either "Once", nor "The Commitments"...

Thursday 11th September 2025

Slept through until 0800…a sign of progress at long last! Got up and made tea. Porridged at the computer. Finished filing my phone photo collection. Aki made soup for lunch. Took a semi-shower in the bath tub. Aki went out to fulfil a dental appointment…I followed shortly thereafter to attend the GP surgery. The nurse removed my wound dressing. She seemed to think it was healing well, but applied a new dressing, suggesting I come back on Monday. Walked up to Tesco and bought some odds and ends. By the time I got home my belly felt painful. Aki was back when I got in…her dental application had gone to plan. She cooked dinner…ravioli with a tomato sauce, before heading off to No.120 for Book Club. 

Wednesday 10th September 2025

Managed to sleep through until 0545. Had to get up to use the facilities…it remains an agonising manoeuvre, which sets my day up very negatively. Made tea and sat at the computer for a bit. Aki got up at 0800. Porridged at the dining table. Feel very tired this morning…could happily sleep standing up, but for the risk of falling over! Aki cycled off to Rowing Club, hoping to dodge the showers. Watched a panto on YouTube which had been produced at the Old Vic about 20 years ago, and screened on ITV…pinching ideas for audience participation. Aki back for lunch. She put an egg and halloumi salad together. Sat about working on moving photos about on my iCloud apps. Aki warmed up the remains of the salmon and couscous meal we'd had the other night, for dinner. Watched the new Mitchell and Webb sketch show on C4...the production values are very high...beautifully lit and shot, but the material is patchy...though we very much enjoyed the airport security gate staff!!! Felt generally a bit more comfortable for most of the day, though getting pain in the abdomen again come the evening. Hope tomorrow's appointment with the nurse moves things on in a positive direction...

Tuesday 9th September 2025

Woke around 0515…dozed until 0600…my back too uncomfortable to sustain a much needed lie-in. Got up and made tea. Sat at the computer for a bit before porridging. Aki got up around 0830. Listened to music and tried to nod off at the dining table. Put a chicken salad lunch together. Aki cycled off to Clerkenwell to look at tiles…we’ve decided to abandon the shower tray commission, and instead go for wedi board and a large, quartered, non-slip tile. It hailed while she was out and about! She returned home via Waitrose. Pasta and a tomato sauce with meatballs for dinner. Cheese and biscuits for afters. Watched England thrash Serbia. In much discomfort this evening…not looking forward to trying to lie down in bed…

Monday 8th September 2025

Managed to sleep through until 0500. Too uncomfortable to stay in bed so got up and made tea, and sat at the computer. Nodded off a bit in the chair. Belly remains very sore. Can’t help feeling that I’ve popped my stitches every time I’m forced to engage my stomach muscles! Porridged and downed my opioids for breakfast. Sat about trying to make the hours go faster, with little success. Aki made lunch. I phoned the GP…made an appointment with the nurse to have my dressing removed on Thursday. Aki made a dal to have with a defrosted chicken korma for dinner. Filled an hour or so by downloading Amazon’s photo storage app…unlimited storage means I can start deleting photos currently stored on my iPhone…

Sunday 7th September 2025

Woke around 0215 in great discomfort…very painful having to utilise my stomach muscles to get out of bed. Sat at the computer for a bit, killing time, before nodding off fitfully in the office chair. Couldn’t face going back to bed so killed time reading the BBC website on the iPad. Porridged at 0830 so as to take an opioid. Aki got up around 0900. I sat at the dining table for the rest of the morning trying not to move. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. I prepared lunch before she returned…had mine on my own as I needed to take my opioid with food. Now in constant pain…feel as if I’ve been run through with a Samurai sword! Somehow got through a long afternoon. Aki cooked salmon for dinner. Kath FaceTimed from High View where they were marking mum and dad’s 68th wedding anniversary with chicken tikka masala. Listened to the US Open tennis final between Alcaraz and Sinner…start delayed by security checks as Trump decided to show up…

Saturday 6th September 2025

Woke around 0245 needing the loo…absolute agony rolling out of bed. Walked around the living room for a bit, too terrified to try and lie down again! Sat at the computer and did a bit of work reconciling the Rapunzel script…managed to nod off for a bit a couple of times, in the chair. Aki appeared around 0945. Feeling in constant discomfort now. Aki prepared a late brunch. Sat about waiting in vain for the dreaded bowel movement!!! Aki persuaded me into bed before she cycled off into town to run a couple of errands. Managed to get a couple of hours sleep. She brought me tea and a fruit salad once she’d returned, all of which I managed to consume whilst lying in a prone position! Dozed until dinner time…Aki cooked a tasty pork stir fry. Managed a bowel movement at last. Got back into bed and got some shut-eye…

Friday 5th September 2025

Woke at 0215 needing the loo...very painful rolling out of bed. Managed to get back to sleep, though...slept through to 0815. Aki already up readying herself for Rowing Club. I got up and porridged as she cycled off. Listened to the radio and exercised by walking around the living-room a few times, as if in the prison yard. The painkillers don't seem to be doing much, though I guess there's an argument that things would be worse if I didn't take them...one of them is an opioid...if I run out I can probably get some off the drug dealer on the street outside the front door! Sat at the computer for a bit to work on LPAs for dad...emailed him some queries. Also emailed Will, saying he could stand down as my executor, having recently drawn up a fresh will. Aki back for lunch. She cycled off afterward to her hairdresser on Essex Road. I had a doze in bed and listened to 6Music. Very painful getting out of bed to sit at the dinner table. Still no sign of a bowel movement…constipation on top of this would probably finish me off! Aki warmed up Spanish chicken pie from freezer, served up with plenty of vegetables. Started reading the panto script…it’s not very good…if Sorrel wanted to direct a traditional panto she really could have chosen a trad panto storyline…Dick Whittington, Cinderella, Mother Goose. Very tired by 2300…rolled into bed, an act that is becoming increasingly painful!!!

Thursday 4th September 2025

Woke at 0245 with uncomfortable back pain…had to get up and do some stretches. Doesn’t bode well for my hernia op recovery!!! Managed another couple of hours sleep eventually. Aki drove me to the Whittington for 0700. Surprised to find so many people on the waiting area…there weren’t enough seats, and the reception desk hadn’t opened! Got my name called around 0730 and walked in to the treatment centre. A couple of Filipino nurses took my details ahead of a visit from the Indian anaesthetist. 

The surgeon, Dr Rama, also introduced himself and explained I would be having open surgery, which involves pushing the hernia back in and sewing up the hole! I’m first up. Anaesthetic involved the usual general anaesthetic. They took me down to theatre at 0800 on foot. They decided not to add a spinal anaesthetic, as it meant keeping me in overnight, though they numbed the belly with a local. Came round at about 1100 and was wheeled back up to recovery. Given tea and a marmalade sandwich, which I had to make myself. Passed water, as instructed…got message from Aki saying new furniture had been delivered, and old furniture taken away…Tom from No.99 took the armchair. 

Aki came to get me in the car. New furniture looks great…parked myself in the armchair for the rest of the afternoon. Downed my painkillers, but feeling sore, especially when I cough! Kept myself hydrated. Aki cooked a chicken and mushroom broth for dinner. Managed to stay awake until The Ten. Can't bath, as I'm not to get the dressing wet, so climbed painfully into bed around 2300. Don't know if it's the fact of the earlier cough, or that the anaesthetics are wearing off, but the wound is very sore, especially when engaging the surrounding musculature in getting into or out of a chair, or into and out of bed...hoping I haven't coughed the stitches out!

Wednesday 3rd September 2025

Got up around 0800 and made tea. Porridged. The Ebay auction on the sofa ended without a sale, so I crossed the road to the British Heart Foundation second hand furniture store, and they agreed to come by to collect it tomorrow. They wouldn't take the armchair, as they reckoned the re-upholstery job invalidated any fire safety certification. I put it on Gumtree for £0 in the hope that someone would turn up to take it away. Spoke to the Bolton-based bespoke shower tray people...looks like we are going to go with them...slightly less sophisticated than the Woking bunch, but considerably cheaper. Did some gardening out front ahead of my incapacitation, and Aki moved her plant pots to one side to facilitate the exit/entry of various bits of furniture over the next day or two. Moved the sofa over to the other side of the room just in case the new one turns up tomorrow before the old one has been shipped out! Made a chicken salad lunch. Did some exercising. Signed up to Freecycle and stuck the armchair on there in the hope that someone would get back to me today. Cooked Jamie Oliver's meatball traybake for dinner, with tagliatelle. Spent most of the evening trying to get someone interested in taking the armchair off our hands for free...got some interest from the Denizens...see what happens. Back causing me some gip…I overdid it today on the chores! Early bath and bed...set the alarm for 0530…

Tuesday 2nd September 2025

Woke at 0745. Got up and made myself tea. Ebay auction of the armchair ended last night with no bids…messaged a bloke on Gumtree who had offered £100 a couple of weeks ago saying he could have it for £75…getting desperate now! Aki cycled off to the fishmongers before returning to cook omelette for lunch. I did the vacuuming. I walked across to Morrison’s and then Waitrose to do a small shop for ingredients for tomorrow night’s dinner. Did my exercises. Aki made poke bowls for dinner with sashimi and rice. Kath phoned just as we were about to sit down to eat...she'd taken dad to the eye hospital for pre-cataract procedures, and he'd had to put eye drops in, which had made everything blurry. Hopefully he'll get procedured within the month! Nowt on telly. Early bath and bed...

Monday 1st September 2025

Slept through until 0900. Got up and porridged. Invoiced Savills for the work I’d done in August. Aki popped out to the dentist…they ordered her a new bespoke retainer. Kath FaceTimed from High View. Dad at eye hospital tomorrow. Lunched on tinned fish and salad. We took a walk up Camden Road to Bread by Bike, to buy bread, and bought some pasta in the Italian deli. Managed to miss the rain. Walked home via Tufnell Park Road. Aki cooked a mushroom risotto for dinner. Watched a bit of telly…not much of interest on though. Bath and bed…

Sunday 31st August 2025

Woke around 0800 after a good night's sleep. Got up and made tea. Did some exercises...my back hurting a bit after yesterday's car journey. Aki got up and picked tomatoes out front before doing a little work at the computer. I cooked breakfast. Drove over to Stamford Hill and parked up…walked down to the river and along the towpath to the Rowing Club. They were holding a regatta. Caught up with a few club members, and walked the length of the course. I’ve never found it a particularly invigorating spectacle, but I enjoyed an ice cream. We headed for Waitrose in Holloway to do a shop before they closed. Cooked a roast chicken dinner. Nowt on telly. Early bath and bed…