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!