Wednesday 30th July 2025

Woke around 0900. Got up and porridged. Put a packed lunch together then packed the car. Got away around noon…headed up the A10, then turned eastward, aiming for Old Felixstowe. Found a car park on the seafront, and had our lunch on a strip of greensward overlooking the roofs of countless beach huts. Managed to eat without being attacked by seagulls. Walked northward along the sea wall to the Deben Ferry. 

Had a cuppa tea at the small cafe there, overlooking the mouth of the River Deben, and watched the little foot ferry going back and forth. Got back to the car around 1630 and headed up the A12 to Saxmundham. Found the house…No.36 St John’s Road…and unpacked the car. It’s a small Victorian mid terrace cottage with back addition. Sizeable garden to rear with apple and pear trees. Walked into the town centre and did a shop at Waitrose, then dined out at the Bell Hotel, which has recently been refurbished. Came back and watched a bit of telly before shower and bed…

Tuesday 29th July 2025

Woke around 0700. Aki up at 0730 to cycle off to Harringay for a site visit. I got back into bed with a cuppa tea. Did some Italian lessons…I can now order pasta and chicken at the restaurant. Read for a bit...finished The Wreck of the Essex...a gruelling first hand account of a shipwreck in the south Pacific...thirst, hunger, enforced cannibalism. It was amazing that anyone survived to tell the tale! Walked over to Waitrose to do a little shop, and collected a pair of troos from the alterations fella on Tollington Way. Came home and put lunch together. Did some pruning of the wisteria out front. We ventured into town to look at sofas in John Lewis’s on Oxford Street…nothing caught our fancy. Walked up through Noho and took a tube train from Warren Street back to Finsbury Park. Cooked pork shoulder for dinner, with sautéed potatoes and plenty of vegetables, followed by Bon Maman salted creme caramels. Watched a bit of telly and did a little ironing ahead of our drive to Suffolk tomorrow. Bath and bed…

Monday 28th July 2025

Woke around 0700...back giving me gip, so had to get up and do some exercises, and lie down on the floor for a bit! Made tea...took Aki hers in bed. Porridged on overnight oats. Packed up the jacket APC had sent me...it's a little too big, and if I'm spending £200 it's gotta fit spot on...so it's going back to France. Walked up to the Whittington in the sunshine for repeat pre-op tests, stopping off at the Italian deli on Holloway Road to buy ravioli for tonight's dinner. The hospital took nasal and armpit swabs, blood, as well as blood pressure...no ECG this time. Walked on up Highgate Hill afterwards. Bought a quiche from Gail's to share with Aki for lunch, and a coffee, and sat in Waterlow Park to drink it. Wandered home via Sainsburys. Put lunch together. Spoke with Kath...arranged to video call later when she's at 12 High View to double check the correct sections of the LPAs I'd sent up had been signed by mum, and David Tanner. Cooked a creamy mushroom sauce to have with the mushroom ravioli at dinner...plus lots of vegetables. FaceTimed Kath...she found the two LPAs had not been kept separate, and it appears that the instructions as to the strict date order of the required signatures wasn't followed. I think I may be able to salvage the Finance & Property LPA, but signatures are missing on an important section of the Health & Welfare LPA...I'll have to reprint the botched pages and re-post to 12 High View for mum and David Tanner to sign properly. Kath is posting the paperwork back to me tomorrow, so I can see what I can use. Watched a bit of telly...nowt much on, though. Bath and bed...

Sunday 27th July 2025

Woke around 0700…got up to use the facilities, then got back into bed. I see from the cast WhatsApp that a few people went clubbing into the early hours after doing the get out last night! Rose and descended to the kitchen to make avocado toast for breakfast. Sat out in the back garden with Colin for a bit before heading for the shower, and packing my stuff into the boot of the car. Took a walk down to the esplanade and had a coffee on the beach, then wandered up to The Connaught on Hove Street to find Alicia, Mim, and Alicia’s fella, James. Had a catch up over a very tasty Sunday roast…the belly pork was melt in the mouth good! Alicia is a Physician Associate, and seems to be enjoying what must be a tough job in a cancer clinic. Eliza has bought a flat in west London with an Irish chap from Cork, who Mim seems a little uncertain of. She’s working for architects Basha-Franklin, based in east London. Sarah is working as a runner for Goldcrest Films in Soho, and living in Bounds Green. She met a fella at work, who lives in Hackney…so Matt and Mim are now living in an empty nest! Mim very generously paid for lunch and we parted company outside the pub. Walked back to Colin and Trudi’s via Portland Road. Said my farewells and set off for north London. The roofer who had visited Lynne this morning g phoned me to say he thought only minor repairs were needed, specifically to the felted valley gutter. We also talked about felting the parapets, the feeling being that re-rendering would only lead to water getting between the brick and render again at some point, especially given the extensive spalling. He mentioned a price of £450!!! Sounds worth a punt, given the thousands involved with the alternative quotes! Got home just as the England v Spain Euros final kicked off. Cagey, rather uninspiring game…but Chloe Kelly came on to work her magic, and fired in the fifth and final penalty which saw the girls retain the trophy! Aki cooked salmon for dinner, with rice, okra, and miso aubergine. Watched The Narrow Road to the Deep North…pretty tough watch. 

Saturday 26th July 2025

Woke around 0800. Got up and made tea, ate porridge. Put together a packed meal for later. Slung my guitar on my back and picked up a No.1 bus to Churchill Square, then a No.47 to Seven Dials for coffee at Gail’s. Walked up Dyke Road to the theatre for an 1130 start. Warmed up and worked a couple of set pieces. Found a bench in the park and ate a sausage roll I’d bought in Gail’s. About 120 in for the matinee…which was somewhat marred by the music from a not too distant reggae festival! Got a taxi back with Colin and Trudi, and picked up my car…headed back to Dyke Park, finding a parking space in front of the cafe. By the time the evening show went up, the reggae festival was in full swing…probably contributing to my forgetting the last line of my new song! Though I think it was more down to sheer exhaustion! Loaded my guitar, guitar stands and costume into the boot of the car after the show. Hung around watching the guys taking the set apart, but decided to head for the digs…need a quiet beer before flaking out! Colin and Trudi still up. Sat about with a glass of lager before hauling myself upstairs to bed…too knackered to shower!

Friday 25th July 2025

Woke around 0630. Got up to use the facilities before getting back to bed. Took an hour or so to drop back off to sleep…next time I woke it was 1000. Got up and descended to rendezvous with Colin and we struck out on foot for the border with Port Slade and brunch in a cafe called Shoreline…no view of the seafront from there though! Walked back in the sunshine along the seafront…quite a lot of new development going on, and numerous landscaping projects to smarten up the front. Walked back to Modena Road to collect my guitar, then headed in to town via the No.1 bus. Got off at Churchill Square and wandered up to Hobgoblin, near the station, to buy some spare plectra, having lost one after last night’s show. Hopped on a No.7 to Seven Dials and bought takeaway food from Gail’s, then walked up Dyke Road to the theatre for a 1545 call. Worked through some bits and pieces, and rehearsed my new song in situ, which helped come the evening show. Alicia spotted me from her perch before curtain up, and came over for a quick chat. She’s working as a doctor in the Cancer Clinic at Eastbourne Hospital, commuting in from Port Slade. She pointed out her fella James, and Charlie’s son Harvey, sat in the auditorium…I gave them a vigorous wave! Show went pretty well…about 150 in, who gave an enthusiastic response at the curtain call. I didn’t see the Hagues afterward, but moves are afoot to meet for lunch on Sunday before I drive home. Caught a bus back into town, transferring to a No.6 at Churchill Square. Sat up with Colin and Trudi for a bit before diving in the shower and heading for a comparatively early night…

Thursday 24th July 2025

Woke before the 0700 alarm. Got up and porridged before putting a packed lunch together. Showered. Headed into town on the No.1 bus, changing for a No.7 to Seven Dials. Had a coffee in Gail’s before walking up to the theatre. Warmed up then worked bits and pieces and some technical sections before breaking for lunch…bought a sandwich from the Park cafe. Ate at the theatre. The dress rehearsal was patchy…and it started to rain, which saw the musicians having to shelter in the gazebo stage left. It was still drizzling by the time we went on for the evening show, but it cleared fairly quickly…show was better than the dress run…about 130 in the audience…partial standing ovation, and enthusiastic feedback. 

Repaired to The Cow in Seven Dials and rewarded myself with a pint of Guinness…bought Tom a lager…cost me over £14!!! Crept away once I’d finished my beer, and walked down Dyke Road to find a bus from Churchill Square. Got back to Colin’s after midnight…they were up drinking and listening to The Stones…Trudi was pretty drunk! Sat up with them for half an hour before hauling myself upstairs to bed, exhausted!

Wednesday 23rd July 2025

Woke around 0745. Got up to make tea…Colin appeared briefly to show me where things were in the kitchen. Took porridge back up to bed and listened to R4 for a bit. Did my exercises. Returned to the kitchen to put together a packed lunch. Sat out in the back garden with Colin and the cats…grey skies threatening rain! Whittington Hospital rang to give me a date of 4th September for the hernia op…got to go back in next week for pre-op tests. Drove to Dyke Park with Colin…was lucky to find one 11 hour max parking space on Port Hall Road…paid £9.10 for a seven hour stay. Found the theatre in the park, behind the Dyke Park cafe. I arrived as the set was being unloaded from the van. The theatre space is great…a horseshoe shaped seating area rising some six steps or so…a bright green astro-turf stage area. Hung around for a bit…bought a coffee in the cafe and watched the gang construct the set. Had my packed lunch at the picnic tables with some of the cast…found the area to be frequented by a rather sleek, grey rat. Worked through various set pieces on the stage. Sound is remarkably clear, much to my surprise. Checked my parking via the app…I assumed there were two and a half hours left, but the app says I’m good until 1122 tomorrow morning…baffled…my £9.10 appears to have bought me 24 hours parking!!! The heavens opened around 1630…the musicians took shelter in a gazebo. Broke at 1815. Wandered down to Seven Dials…the rain came down again which forced us into The Good Companions…ordered a chicken burger. It was pretty ordinary. Got back to Modena Road pretty late but Colin and Trudi still up. Stayed up with them for a little while before collapsing into bed exhausted…

Tuesday 22nd July 2025

Woke around 0745. Got up and made tea. Got back into bed. Rose to porridge. Pottered about finishing my packing. Wandered round to the North Library to return a book, then picked up my altered trousers from the dry cleaners. Transferred stuff to the car boot then we had lunch. Said our farewells and I drove south…decided to go via the A23 and Tower Bridge…mistake. Very slow going…it ended up adding over an hour to my journey. Hit Brighton about 1630…stopped off at Dyke Park to suss out the cafe…they do panini and burgers etc…so handy in an emergency. Drove into to Colin and Trudi at Modena Road and transferred some of my belongings to the upstairs bedroom. Very comfy. We had a little catch up in the back garden, which is looking beautiful. Then bussed into town for dinner at Latinoamericano…Argentinian steak house. I had the beef fillet…delicious, as was the rice pudding with cinnamon. I paid the bill in lieu of ‘rent’ to my hosts. Back at Modena Road, we caught the second half of the England v Italy semifinal…England looked to be heading out but the subs came on for the last ten minutes and turned the game…astonishing!

Monday 21st July 2025

Woke around 0830. Aki brought me tea in bed. Read for a bit before rising to porridge. Took a call from the GP to say my PSA reading was normal, and that the bad cholesterol level had gone done, following the blood test I had a couple of weeks ago. Walked up to the dry cleaners to get the trousers I’d left for alteration…but they weren’t ready. Did a bit of car boot sorting ahead of tomorrow’s drive to Brighton. Aki put some lunch together. Ventured into town…had cheap tickets to see the new Tim Robinson film, Friendship, at Regent Street cinema. The poster quotes a review stating it “the funniest thing I have ever seen”, but it was a strange beast…Tim Robinson’s character so cringingly embarrassing that all we could do was squirm in our seats. Came home on the tube with the rush hour crowd. I made a lentil dal while Aki trimmed the hedge. Eaten with the last of the chicken and coriander curry. Called Matt and Mim to get the lowdown on the two blokes Alicia is planning to bring along to the show on Friday…her partner James, and Charlie’s son Harvey…Charlie is away in Cologne to attend a Patti Smith gig! Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed…

Sunday 20th July 2025

Woke to alarm at 0750. Got up and porridged. Made room in the car boot for my guitar and drove over to Stoke Newington. Cast and crew met at the theatre…but we marched around the corner to rehearse on Stoke Newington Common. The weather was changeable for the morning session, which meant having to leave the guitar in its case half the time. A summer Fun Day got going on the other side of the railway tracks, which meant having to compete with their live bands, as well as the buses, lorries and motorcycles passing by on the gyratory. We broke for lunch…I retreated to the car and ate the mackerel salad I’d prepared last night. We didn’t find time for running the show…just as well, as we couldn’t compete with the din! Broke around 1800 after a long and exhausting day. Got back to my car to find a Lime bike had been pushed over into my car…small dent in my nearside wing! Drove home for dinner…pork stir fry with noodles. Watched episode 1 of BBC adaptation of The Narrow Road to the Deep North…harrowing, but beautifully shot! 

Saturday 19th July 2025

Woke around 0915. Raining at last! Got up and made tea. Cooked brunch…Stornoway black pudding and fried eggs…delicious. Did my exercises. Phoned John and Margaret...they seemed in good spirits, despite dad having had another fall yesterday. No damage done. Decided to venture into Kings Cross...Aki keen to look over APC's summer sale stock, so we hopped on a bus to KX, and wandered down the Regents Canal into Coal Drops Yard. Looked in on the Paul Smith sale, too...but came away empty handed. Got a No.91 bus back home. Aki baked trout for dinner, with boiled potatoes. Watched the France v Germany game. 

Friday 18th July 2025

Woke around 0815. Aki already up readying for Rowing Club. I brought tea and porridge back to bed with me. Read some. Nice day...warming up! Walked up Highgate Hill. Bought coffee and boretki at Gail's at the top of the hill, and a quiche for lunch later. Walked back down the hill to Waterlow Park and partook of the coffee and boretki...had to listen to a very annoying estate agent a couple of benches away, on the blower to head office! Walked home to find Aki had returned. Put lunch together. Quote from RoofPro guy came back...£34,000!!! Don't think we can run to that! Bought some tarpaulin from the DIY shop around the corner and stuffed it into the gap between the two back additions to see if it prevented wind blown rain getting between the buildings and causing water staining to our back bedroom ceiling…a test of the RoofPro guy’s theory over the next three days of forecast heavy rain…though it might make the problem worse, of course! Aki got on the roof and gave it a sweep. Chicken coriander curry for dinner with dal and paratha. Watched the Spain v Switzerland Women's Euros game...good first half, but the Swiss fell off the pace in the second half, and the World Champions go through to the semi-finals. Another very warm, muggy evening. Bath and bed...

Thursday 17th July 2025

Woke around 0800. Aki got up and brought me green tea. Rose at 0915 for a porridging. Bloke came round to look at the shower…we’ve given up on Vince ever completing the job before 2030! He’d been recommended by Helen and Martin, but can’t make a start on it until September. He said he’d send his plumber round to take a look before giving us a price. Worked through Act 2 before lunch. Afterward, I walked down to Highbury Corner…bought some sunscreen ahead of next week’s open air shows. Walked on down to The Kings Head theatre intending to change the dates on a couple of tickets for September, but the venue was locked…wandered on down to Angel, then hopped on a bus to Euston. Weird weather…kept on trying to rain, but very muggy. Wandered through Bloomsbury and stuck my head in at Heals…Connor reckoned he’d made contact with Case and that the sofa would be delivered in bits, which should make things easier. Walked on down into Seven Dials and Covent Garden to pick up some cake make up I’d ordered from Kryolan. Caught a tube train back to Holloway Road. Bought pork fillet in Waitrose for tonight’s dinner…Aki stir fried it with noodles; cheese and biscuits for afters. Watched the first half of the England v Sweden quarter final…the Lionesses were 2-0 down by the time we left for the Park Theatre. Had tickets to see James Acaster on his Work in Progress tour. Show didn't start until 2200, due to the play in the theatre space over-running. It was an hour of Acaster cunning...beautifully written and conceived...the conceit being that he's not James Acaster, but Craig Simons, Britain's No.1 James Acaster tribute act, which lead his narrative into ever increasing circles of Escher-esque whimsy. Unfortunately, his mic wasn't terribly good, or his mic technique a bit slap-dash, which meant I missed a handful of punchlines...disturbingly, the rest of the audience guffawed loudly, so maybe it's my hearing! Got home at about 2330...watched the last ten minutes of the England v Sweden game...Chloe Kelly came on and put two crosses in that resulted in goals...so it went into extra time. I fast-forwarded to the final 15 minutes, then watched the penalty shoot-out...it took 14 penalties to secure a result...most of the spot kicks were appallingly bad...the worst being taken by the Swedish keeper...instead of taking a penalty kick she basically goal-kicked the ball high over the crossbar...England scraped through by the skin of their teeth, and meet Italy in the semi-final. Bath and bed...

Wednesday 16th July 2025

Aki up early to ready herself for site visit in Harringay. I got up and brought porridge and green tea back to bed with me. Read for a bit and did an Italian lesson. Eventually hauled myself out of bed. Worked through Act 2 ahead of this evening’s rehearsal. RoofPro fella turned up around 1130. He parked up in a tiny Smart Car…he assured me he had a ladder! It was one of those telescopic ones. Got up onto the butterfly roof…it’s a bit of a mess…large chunks of render have come away from the brickwork to the party wall with the church, exposing the brickwork which is spalling. He cleaned the bits of brick and render from the central gutter into two rubble bags I purchased from the boys over the road. He had a look at leaks to our flat roof…reckoned rain was getting blown into the gap between our extension and next doors’. Not sure I found that very convincing, tbh. He went away promising to get a quote to me. 

Made some lunch…Aki eating out, so just me. Fried up some Stornoway black pudding…it’s so good! Aki back about 1430. I looked at Act 1 before warming up defrosted chicken cacciatore…had it with lots of vegetables and mashed potatoes…delicious! Drove over to Stokey for rehearsal  on Stoke Newington Common. Warm evening…so there were quite a lot of locals about, picnicking or playing ball games. Useful rehearsal allowing people to suss out how much vocal power they are going to have to bring to the outdoor shows. Finished around 2130 as it was getting dark. Drove home, dropping Peta off on Brownswood Road as per usual. 

Tuesday 15th July 2025

Woke around 0745. Aki got up to make tea. Read in bed for a bit before rising to porridge. Did some exercises. Rather grey, overcast day. Bought a new rug online from Case…to go beneath the dining table. Slung lunch together. We ventured into town, walking up to Finsbury Park station and taking the Victoria line to Warren Street. Wandered down Tottenham Court Road past the tents of the homeless dossing in plain sight…some very ragged, barefoot folk crisscrossing the busy road…they look like castaways on a desert island! Went to Heals to order our Robin Day furniture…questions arose regarding ease of delivery, and a site visit from the couriers was booked in for next week. Caught a No.29 bus home. Aki cooked mackerel with miso paste for dinner. I drove off to Stokey for rehearsals. Met at the theatre rather than on the Common, as there was a threat of rain. I was disappointed to find my voice not in good shape as we rehearsed the new shanty…but the crew kick in for the chorus, so I can drop out then. Reworked the Moby Dick sequence in Act 2 before breaking at 2200. I drove home, dropping Peta off outside The Brownswood…

Monday 14th July 2025

Woke around 0815. Aki brought me a mug of green tea. Got up and porridged. Had borrowed George and Katherine’s British Museum member cards to go see the Hiroshige prints. Walked to Finsbury Park station and caught a tube train the Russell Square. The BM was rammed, but the Hiroshige exhibition was upstairs above the Reading Room. The woodblock prints, largely early C19th, were stunning. We spent an enjoyable hour or so in there, then had a sarnie in the Member’s Room overlooking the inner courtyard. Walked up Tottenham Court Road to Heals…we were looking to buy some side plates after a couple of breakages…but they were overpriced. Found some for almost half price online. 

However, we stumbled upon a collection of Case designer furniture…we have been contemplating replacing our aging sofa, and Aki liked the Robin Day inspired Forum three seater…very nice. Also looked at some rugs…made out of recycled plastic bottles! Caught a No.91 bus home to think about it. Aubergine parmigiana lasagna for dinner with a side salad. Aki researched the sofa online…the Case website are doing them at a sale price, but it didn’t beat Heals’ summer sale price…resolved to order it tomorrow and pay over 12 months interest free…now need to sell our sofa!
 

Sunday 13th July 2025

Woke at 0815. Aki got up and readied herself for rowing club…brought me a mug of green tea. Got up for brunch before she cycled off. Walked over to Waitrose to shop some ingredients for a chicken and coriander curry…bumped into Kevin in the car park. He is replacing his kitchen at present so unable to cook…he had bought a few tins of baked beans. Felt sorry enough for him to proffer an invite for dinner this evening. Walked home and prepped a coriander and yoghurt marinade for the chicken. Lunched on the leftover phad thai before Aki returned, she having eaten at the cafe. Kevin turned up for the start of the Men’s final from Wimbledon. We had strawberries and cream. Cooked the chicken in the marinade…served up with dal and rice…it was OK, but had expected more flavour. Sinner claimed the Wimbledon title from Alcaraz in four sets…a deserving champion. Kevin left and we watched the England Ladies sweep the Welsh away in the Euros, before bath and bed…

Saturday 12th July 2025

Woke around 0900. Got up and had tea before walking up to Yerbury Farmer’s Market to buy bread. Walked home via Sainsbury’s. Aki put brunch together. Day warming up! I drove over to Wood Green to deliver the bass guitar to Roxy…she lives in a flat in a large area of new building blocks to the west of the High Street…like a new city has sprung up. I then drove back to Holloway to do a shop in Waitrose. Got back home in time to settle down in front of the Ladies Singles final between Swiatek and Anisimova…it was shockingly one-sided, with Swiatek winning 6-0 6-0 in under an hour! We needed a box of tissues at the end! Aki made phad thai for dinner. Watched some footage celebrating 40 years since Live Aid…I watched the original from Kerry and Louise’s digs in Muswell Hill! Aki cooked a phad thai for dinner. Watched "Civil War", a film that imagines the US president under siege, having granted himself a third term, and follows a bunch of war reporters as they traverse their war-torn nation. 

Friday 11th July 2025

Woke around 0730. Aki got up to ready herself for rowing club…I rose about half-an-hour later. Going to be another hot day in London Town! Porridged. Emptied the car boot then drove to Colindale to stick my car in for MOT at the VW garage. Walked to Burnt Oak station via Starbucks and found a bench with some shade beneath a bush in Montrose Park. Got off the train at Camden Town and popped into GuitarGuitar to buy a plectra box, then took a No.253 bus home. Aki back in time for lunch…I slung a chicken salad together. Watched Fritz take on Alcaraz. Headed back to Colindale via bus and tube train…the No29 I caught broke down halfway up Camden Road! Fortunately there was one behind it! Walked from Colindale station to the VW service centre and picked up my Golf…it had passed its MOT, and they’d given it a wash. Drove home listening to the Sinner v Djokovic game…no contest…the auld fella’s time is up! Got home in time to see Sinner serving for the match. Aki headed off to meet rowing pals in Walthamstow…one of their number professes to be an artist and is holding a viewing this evening. I warmed up a fish curry and dal for dinner. Practised the new song I’ve been handed for the Brighton run, and went through some of the other tunes. 

Thursday 10th July 2025

Woke around 0730. Got up and opened the gate before climbing back into bed to do a bit of scrolling. Rose to porridge around 0915...day warming up swiftly. Colin Guthrie has sent me a new song to learn ahead of the Brighton run...a verse and chorus of The Bold Harpooner...nice song...hope I can manage to learn the lyrics in good time! Worked on the LPAs...decided to post off the first 10 sections of each form to dad, to get mum and David Tanner signed up, then we can do the attorneys and witnesses when we go up to Darras Hall in August and get the forms posted off to the Office of The Public Guardian. What a palaver! 

Lunched on kippers and salad. Watched the Ladies singles semi-finals from Wimbers. Early dinner...warmed up some defrosted chicken cacciatore, with buckwheat and vegetables. Hopped on a bus to Finsbury Park, and caught a Piccadilly Line train to Covent Garden. Aki wanted to visit the Agnes B sale; I popped into to Kryolan to order a block of black cake make-up. Hopefully I'll get it before the Brighton run. We then walked down Wellington Street, past Charles Dickens' office, and on across Waterloo Bridge to the Hayward Gallery to view the Yoshitomo Nara retrospective...a charming hour was spent wandering through the rooms. 

Wandered across the road for a drink in the roof garden at the National Theatre before heading for home via Blackfriars station to Finsbury Park...the overground isn't as hot an experience as either the buses or the underground. Popped into the Turkish shop on the walk home and bought strawberries ahead of tomorrow's Men's singles semi-finals. 

Wednesday 9th July 2025

Fasting this morning ahead of another blood test. Aki up and away for Rowing Club. I walked round to the GP to pick up the blood test request form, then headed for Laycock Street for a noon appointment. I was tended to by a very loud nurse of African descent who told me she loved my straw stetson and kept calling me “Cowboy Richard”…as I left she insisted on high-fiving me and I let out a loud “Yee-haw!”. Lord knows what the rest of the clinic thought!!! Treated myself to a coffee for brunch, and sat on a nice new wooden bench in Highbury Fields. Walked home via Selby’s …bought some safety pins. Got home at same time as Aki. Slung lunch together…chicken salad. Watched the last of the quarter finals…Sinner hitting imperious form just at the right time! That bloke has superhuman hand-eye co-ordination! Early dinner. Garlic and mushroom pasta…used a rice spaghetti…it was odd, but has a pleasant nutty quality. Put our new folding deck chairs in the car boot and drove to Stoke Newington. Managed to find a parking space in front of the shopping parade…short walk across the A10 with our chairs on our shoulders…they are super light…to Abney Park Cemetery to watch Moving Parts adaptation of “Vanity Fair”, which Simona has directed…a few Tower stalwarts in the cast, and indeed in the audience. The adaptation is crisp and concise, and the simple staging worked a treat…good stuff! Got home around 2200…bath and bed.

Tuesday 8th July 2025

Woke around 0900 feeling a little refreshed. Kath phoned to say mum still having tummy troubles...more tests are in the offing. Got up and porridged; a mug of green tea on the side. Sat and read through Act I of the Farndale Avenue MacBeth...it's pretty chaotic, but plenty of opportunity for comic invention. Walked to Stroud Green to get some odds and ends from Tesco. Very pleasant, sunshiny day, Aki had prepared lunch by the time I got back. Watched tennis…Cam Norrie had no game plan to worry Carlos, who won in straight sets.  Cooked a fish curry, and a red lentil dal, for dinner, with rice and cabbage. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed…

Monday 7th July 2025

Woke around 0700. Grey day…had been raining overnight. Signs of water ingress to the back bedroom ceiling. Green tea and porridge for breakfast. Aki went up on the roof to clean the skylight. Got a phone call from the Whittington cancelling my July 15th op date! I’ve to phone back in August to arrange another pre-op test appointment. Sat about for most of the day watching tennis…recovering after a gruelling weekend of shows. Put a mackerel salad lunch together before settling down to watch Djokovic win through to the quarter finals. Sad sight of Dmitrov tearing a pectoral muscle when serving against Sinner, and having to retire in tears…he was two sets to the good at the time. Aubergine parmigiana lasagne and roasted cauliflower for dinner. 

Sunday 6th July 2025

Woke around 0830…got up and made green tea. Porridged on overnight oats. A bit overcast this morning…we are due some rain. Put together a packed meal to take to the theatre…salmon salad. Early lunch…chicken cacciatore and buckwheat. Drove into Stoke Newington and parked up, then sat in the cafe at Abney Park…downloaded Martin Chuzzlewit onto my phone and read some of the introductory notes. One of the Furies taken ill this morning with suspected food poisoning…our director stepped in…seamless performance…a very talented young lady!!! Geoff Hoare and his missus were in this afternoon, and we managed a quick catch up in the bar afterward. Promised to come down and visit them in Dorking. My voice playing up a bit so I excused myself and shut myself in the Meeting Room to have some food. There’s a library in there and I found three Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Operatic Society plays…basically spoofing up amateur theatre…I like the notion of directing one next year, so smuggled them out to read at my leisure. Pretty much a full house for the final show…Sangita had returned from her sick bed. Aki and her Rowing Club chums were in…about 15 of them! Good show…packed up the dressing room afterward, and brought the car round to the front of the theatre. Aki helped me bring my stuff up from the basement dressing room, and we hightailed it home before I got pulled into helping dismantle the set. 

Saturday 5th July 2025

Woke around 0800. Got up and had coffee…and overnight oats with oat milk that I’d stuck in the fridge before bed last night. Two shows today…so made a packed meal to take with me for between the shows. Aki did an early lunch/dinner…pan fried salmon. I walked to Finsbury Park station at 1230 to catch a No.106 bus to Stoke Newington. Already busy with fans converging on this evening’s Fontaines DC gig…I was asked the way to the local Best Western by a bloke with a heavy Black Country accent…had a pleasant chat about the band as I walked him in the right direction. Got to the theatre in good time…sat in the cafe at Abney Park and read the final chapter of Barnaby Rudge. Martin Doughty and his missus were in this afternoon…but weren’t in the bar when I came to look for them after the show…thought perhaps they’d stayed in the theatre for the Q&A. Had my ham salad in the bar before reconvening in the theatre for warm up ahead of the evening show. Another sell out, and standing ovation. Made my way home via last night’s route…No.243 bus to Seven Sisters tube station, then Victoria Line to Finsbury Park. 

Friday 4th July 2025

Woke around 0830…Aki off early for Rowing Club. I got up and made tea…got back into bed to read the penultimate chapter of ‘Barnaby Rudge’. Got up and porridged. Watched some tennis. The Whittington Hospital phoned with a date for my surgery…15th July which means I’ll have to bow out of the Brighton shows. Cooked a chicken cacciatore for lunch, with couscous and vegetables. Watched Sonay Kartel and Cam Norrie progress to the second week. Walked to Stokey to avoid the gridlock in Finsbury Park…Stereophonics playing there this evening. Walked through Clissold Park in the sunshine. Another warm evening on stage…another full house…and another standing ovation. Katrina and Lesley were in and greatly enjoyed it. Got home via a No.243 bus to Seven Sisters and a tube train to Finsbury Park…it was very busy, as the crowds were coming away from the concert. Watched Emma go down to Sabalenka in an entertaining match up on Centre Court…which meant not getting to bed until 0130!
 

Thursday 3rd July 2025

Woke around 0830. Made tea and lay in bed reading for awhile. Got up and porridged. Sad news…28 year old Liverpool forward Diogo Jota died in a car crash in Spain last night, driving himself and his brother to catch a ferry back to Blighty for pre-season training. Watched some tennis and did my exercises. Aki cooked a big lunch…cauliflower ‘steaks’ and aubergine parmigiana lasagna…very tasty! Popped out to the pharmacy to pick up some anti-thrush medication. Took a first dose and found it slightly anaesthetised my vocal cords, so am going to have to delay taking the course until next week. Put a boiled egg salad together to take to the theatre. Drove in for a 6pm call…heavy traffic around Finsbury Park as they prepare for a weekend of open air rock concerts. Got to Stokey in time to sit in the car and listen to some tennis while eating my egg salad. Another pretty full house tonight, and a standing ovation. Phil Ley was in, so had a wee chat about the panto set he’s designing before I drove home. Aki getting out of the bath when I got in…
 

Wednesday 2nd July 2025

Woke around 0830. Aki already up preparing to cycle off to rowing club…strange weather…keeps trying to rain…very muggy. Brought some tea back to bed. Read some Dickens before porridging. Did some exercises. Turned on the tennis from Wimbledon. Aki cooked cod and potatoes for lunch, with a bean and tomato salad. Settled on the sofa to watch more tennis. Voice in fairly good nick, so refrained from doing too much with it beyond some gentle humming. Made a sarnie to take with me to the theatre…drove in for a six o’clock call ahead of our first night performance. Pretty much a full house…staggered through it in good order, with one or two longeurs, but otherwise pretty smooth. Peta and Jackie bought me a beer and I sat with them in the bar until we decided to head home…I dropped them on Brownswood Road. Aki in bed by the time I got in…I bathed and stayed up for a bit before getting to bed around 0030.

Tuesday 1st July 2025

Woke around 0600…dozed until 0700. Got up to make tea and sat on the sofa for a bit…another muggy morning but not quite as bad as yesterday. Porridged. Aki cycled off to Waitrose to do a shop. I did some more wisteria pruning before it got too hot…had to borrow Margaret’s extendable shears. Made a packed lunch to take into the theatre, then drove to Stoke Newington. We slowly worked through the end of Act I…lots of technical things with the potential to go wrong, not least Ahab’s flaming harpoon! Worked through Act II…broke at about 1945 for my packed lunch! Ran the whole thing from 2015…plenty went wrong, notably for me the several times we musicians ended up off stage when we should have been on…but it kinda worked…just meant playing from behind the curtains. I reckon it’ll be alright on the night! Got home about 2345. Bathed. Watched Today at Wimbledon and lay on the hard living room floor for 15 minutes…after spending 10 hours with my guitar slung around my neck, my back is starting to gimme gip! Finally got to bed around 0130…