Tuesday 30th December 2025

Woke around 0330…took a while to nod back off. Got up around 0900. Started packing before descending for breakfast. Mum and dad turned up, followed by Jim and Emma who had slept out in their van on the drive! Kath had gone to work. Packed the car, made a packed lunch, and managed to get away by 1045. Roads not too bad…busy, but kept moving! Stoped at Tibshelf to eat our lunch, and swapped drivers. Aki drove us the rest of the way, heading straight for Waitrose to do a bit of a shop. Got in around 1700 and unpacked the car. Warmed up a frozen fish pie for dinner. Watched “Spinal Tap II”…great fun. One of the ageing band members mentioned being inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography, “I’m Bruce Springsteen, Going on Sevensteen”! Bath and bed…

Monday 29th December 2025

Woke around 0500…took a while to nod back off. Got up around 0900. Breakfasted en famille in the dining room. Emily from Occupational Health turned up on time and sat at the dining table posing questions, before touring the rooms and making suggestions. She’s ordered a wheelchair for dad to trial. I wrote up her suggestions and emailed notes to dad, Kath and Jim. Jim and Emma helped Kath and Aki in the garden before we broke for lunch. Aki and I walked down to the shops at Darras. Back at High View, Aki cooked a chicken and bean broth for dinner. I cooked a bolognese sauce to store in the freezer. Watched a bit of telly before bed…

Sunday 28th December 2025

Woke around 0800. Got up and made Aki a tea, then set about making the pea and ham soup for lunch. Breakfasted en famille at the dining table. Sat about reading the paper for a bit. Had a quick shower. Lunch. Drove the ladies out to Newburn for a short walk along the Tyne. Tried to get ourselves a tea at the rowing club but it was rammed. Tried the Boathouse but they are not a pub…it’s a restaurant, so we walked back to the Keelman and had tea there. Drove back to High View via Sainsbury’s. Listened to the final 15 minutes of the Sunderland v Leeds game…ended 1-1. Ready meal for dinner…chicken and mushroom lasagna. It was tasty enough but rather wet for a lasagna. Watched some telly.

Saturday 27th December 2025

Woke around 0700 with back pain…struggled to nod back off! Got up around 0900. Aki hadn’t had a good night either. Breakfasted in the dining room. Sat about reading and generally pottering about. Aki made boiled egg and soldiers for lunch. Drove down to Waitrose to do a bit of shopping, then on to the petrol station at the airport to fill up for the trip back to London on Tuesday. Also popped in to Dobbies to buy a couple of frozen ready meals…interested to see how they go down. Aki boiled a ham for dinner…wasn’t a very nice cut. Will use the stock to make pea soup tomorrow. Watched some telly before bed…

Friday 26th December 2025

Woke around 0930. Got up and descended for cereal at the dining table…the rest of the family slowly emerged one-by-one. Jim and Emma had spent the night in the van on the drive. I made chowder for lunch. Dad still feeling sick, so didn’t eat much. I drove Aki and Kath over to Chopwell Wood…near Rowlands Gill. Hooked up with Helen, Martin, and their daughter Emily for a long walk along the woodland trails…a lot of cars in the car park, but the trail was quite quiet. Got back to the car as the sun was setting. Said our goodbyes and drove back to Darras. Made a turkey curry with one of the cook in sauces we’d given dad for Xmas. It was a bit spicey! Fried Xmas pud for afters. Sat in front of the telly for the evening…had to listen to a lot of Lesley Garrett! Enjoyed Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson in The Great Escaper…formulaic and sentimental though it was…Glenda was especially good in what must have been her final performance!

Thursday 25th December 2025

Woke around 0830. Got up to prepare the croissants. Kath popped out to see a client so we ate our croissants without her. Started to prepare the dinner…peeled the potatoes, sliced the parsnips and carrots, and put the turkey in cold water to finish the defrosting. Aki prepared smoked salmon blinis for the starter while I tried to time the different elements of the dinner, and steam the Christmas pud. Served up around 1430. Opened presents between courses. Everyone slumped onto the sofa and nodded off to the television. The Amandaland Xmas special was rather good. I prepared a simple buffet…but people weren’t hungry. Dad feeling a little nauseous after taking some morphine. Washed up and tidied the kitchen before bed…

Wednesday 24th December 2025

 

Got up around 0800. Ate breakfast downstairs with ma and pa. Did my exercises. Prepared an early lunch timed to Kath’s work schedule. Took mum out for a short drive and a little amble around Big Water…we were stalked by a large swan! Aki cooked a fish stew for dinner. Watched a bit of telly…

Tuesday 23rd December 2025

Woke around 0530. Took ages to get back to sleep. Woken at 0800 by an alarm…assumed it was the chairlift again, but found it was a radio in the dining room. Aki made porridge for breakfast…sat with mum and dad. Kath out working. Walked down to Darras Hall to shop a few items…luckily bumped into Kath in the Co-op, as it started raining…bummed a lift back to High View. Made some lunch then drove to Kingston Park to do a big shop in M&S, and to buy dad some hearing aid batteries. Got mistaken for Santa Claus in M&S…I told them I was Santa’s younger brother. M&S had run out of parsnips, so had to drive over to Tesco. Very busy!!! Roasted a joint of ham for dinner with sautéed potatoes and a mustard sauce. Watched a bit of telly.

Monday 22nd December 2025

Alarm at 0800. Got up and started to pack the car…needed to make room in the boot first. Porridged. Set off for Newcastle at about 1045. Headed for the M1 and put my foot down. Broke for lunch at Tibshelf service station around 1330, and swapped drivers. Aki took us all the way into Darras Hall…arrived around 1630…an impressive effort! Unpacked the car. Dad was awaiting the arrival of a chap from the stairlift installers, as his machine had ground to an unexpected halt…he duly turned up…he reckoned the power had been switched off. Kath had made dinner. Watched some telly before bed…

Sunday 21st December 2025

Woke around 0900. Slowly got our act together. Made brunch. I drove over to Sainsbury’s to fill the car with petrol for the journey tomorrow. Did a bit of shopping in the store…the place was rammed! Eventually escaped and drove home. I put my 2025 mixtape together while Aki wrapped presents. Did a little packing. Aki cooked a fish pie for dinner. Put a packed lunch together for tomorrow’s car journey. Nowt much on telly…early bath and bed.

Saturday 20th December 2025

Woke around 0900. Rough night with the hacking cough! But otherwise felt on the mend. Decided to delay our journey up north, and alerted Jim that we would have to miss the Holmfirth bash this year. Aki made omelette for brunch. She popped out to the chemist for cold medication, and came back with a new plug in doorbell, as ours had dropped off its perch yesterday and seemed beyond reviving! Took me a good two hours of grappling to get the old backplate off the wooden base plate…the screw heads were unfit for purpose, and I eventually had to saw them off with my multitool. What a palaver!!! Leftover lasagna for dinner, filled out with lots of vegetables. Orange and almond cake for afters. Watched Godland…a rather good Danish movie set on Iceland. A rather mean spirited Danish missionary gets what he deserves from the locals! 

Friday 19th December 2025

Aki up at 0730 to ready herself for rowing club. I stayed in bed till gone 1100…still feeling under the weather. Brought porridge back to bed and did some reading. Dickens being very rude about the yanks…their vulgarity, greed and arrogance…he could be writing about Trump’s America! Got up and made some lunch…Aki ate at the cafe then cycled back…via the cycle repair shop! Her chain causing problems…£175 later!!! Resolved to buy white tiles for the bottom row to match the base, as the grey ones we’d bought from Chadwell Heath were a bit too dark…means we can halve the delivery cost with Tim. We’ll have to drive back out to Chadwell Heath with the unwanted tiles in the New Year! Aki put the order in. Cobbled dinner together. Leftover vegetable biryani from last night’s dinner party at No.36, with some defrosted dal, and lots of vegetables. Aki added some prawns. Watched some telly before bath and bed…

Thursday 18th December 2025

Fitful night’s sleep…difficulty breathing through my blocked nose. Headache getting worse. Got up to lay dust sheets ahead of Tim’s arrival. Thought I ought to do a Covid test…proved negative, so must be a dose of the flu. Porridged. Tim turned up and continued where he’d left off. Aki had to leave to drive herself to the funeral of Tokiko’s ex husband, Geoff, at Golders Green cemetery…just as she was about to depart Tim came in and confessed he’d left a score mark across the face of one of the tiles he’d cut for the shower base…it meant shutting down the project, as well need to buy replacement tiles…so we won’t be showering again until well into the New Year! Tim offered to pay for the replacement tiles…they don’t come cheap…the delivery charge more than doubles the bill! What a shame! He packed up and I saw him off the premises. Aki back by 1530. We were supposed to be joining neighbours at No.36 for dinner, but I was too ill to go. I made the planned mushroom and taleggio lasagna and ate my portion with Aki’s cabbage and chestnut side…yum! Aki trotted off with the remainder to No.36. I watched a bit of telly and nodded off over some Dickens before running a bath and having a soak. Aki back around 2300.

Wednesday 17th December 2025

Woke at 0800. Coughing seems to have eased but still have a sore throat, mildly aching limbs, and a wee headache. Got up and laid dust sheets ahead of the arrival of Tim. Text from Tony saying his dad had had a fall yesterday and had broken his hip…lucky we had cancelled last night’s dinner date! Aki disappeared to have a blood test at the Whittington before cycling over to see how the Haringey Ladder project was going. Tim arrived lugging a massive tile cutter…set it up in the back yard. Printed off a bunch of paperwork from the New Vic…couldn’t sign the contract as they had inputted the wrong rehearsal rate. Printed off the script. Tim nipped out to take the cutter back to the hire shop and I made myself lunch. He returned to finish the tanking. Aki back before he’d left…they had a conversation about grout colours. He left and we tidied up. Warmed up the last of the chicken chasseur for dinner. Watched some telly before bath and bed…

Tuesday 16th December 2025

Woke around 0800. Got up and put dust sheets down ahead of the arrival of Tim and Chris. Porridged. They rocked up at 0900. Tim showed Chris what was to be done then left him to it. The eight tiles we ordered from Chadwell Heath arrived in an oversized truck. Aki sloped off to t’ai chi. By the time she got back for lunch Chris had departed. Tim returned briefly to prime the surfaces ahead of the tanking. Aki cooked a mushroom risotto for dinner. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed.

Monday 15th December 2025

Woke around 0830. Got up and laid dust sheets in anticipation of Tim’s arrival. Porridged. Tim did some more digging out ahead of the plumber’s arrival tomorrow. Aki headed off into town to meet Tammie for lunch. Tim knocked off around 1300. I made a meringue and zabaglioni dessert ahead of tomorrow night’s dinner party. Then set about contacting HMRC to retrieve my UTR no.; registered for self assessment and had to request a new number. Came straight through online…will need to pass that on to the New Vic. Re-instated my Equity membership. Aki back in time for a zoom meeting with rowing chums…trying to decide which overseas rowing trip they fancy going on next year…it’s between Norway and Sicily! Made chicken cacciatore for dinner. Texted Katrina and Tony to warn them I was nursing mild flu symptoms…they decided to keep their distance, and we cancelled tomorrow’s get together…resolved to re-arrange for January.

Sunday 14th December 2025

 

Got up after a bit of a lie in. Made some brunch then began prepping the orange and almond cake for our guests this afternoon. Had to pop out to Waitrose to get some more ingredients. The prep was quite fiddly…had to peel half a dozen clems…Aki did a good job of setting them in concentric circles. Listened to the Sunderland v Newcastle game…rather dull, but exploded into life when Newcastle’s centre forward headed powerfully past his own keeper! People turned up around 1600 for band practice…low turnout today. Only one violin, one accordion, and a flute…the cake went down well. They pushed off around 1730. Aki baked mackerel for dinner, with rice and a vegetable soup. Bob Eaton replied to yesterday’s email saying he would need me in rehearsal first week of March…so I won’t be able to go to see David Byrne with Aki on March 3rd…so we watched a filmed version of his American Utopia show, which we saw at Hammersmith Apollo about five years ago…human, empathetic, intelligent fellow…with some great songs!

Saturday 13th December 2025

Got up and prepped brunch whilst Aki cycled off to Yerbury Market to buy bread. Emailed Bob Eaton asking for time off to go to Jim and Emma’s wedding at the end of February, and wondering if he might let me go see David Byrne during second week of rehearsal. The latter, I have to confess, is pushing it! We drove out to Chadwell Heath with the intention of picking up some bathroom tiles, and thus saving ourselves £60 delivery charge. Took an hour and a half to get there, only to be told that the warehousemen didn’t work at weekends so they wouldn’t be able to retrieve them from the storage shelf…the girl on the till took pity on us and arranged free delivery for Tuesday…phew! Drove home. Cooked a chicken chasseur for dinner with mash. Yum! Watched Paul Giametti in The Holdovers. Entertaining enough, but a trifle long…

Friday 12th December 2025

A bit of a lie in this morning. Got up around 0930 and porridged. Did my exercises. Received an email offering me the role of Grandad in GGMM at the New Vic next spring…very excited! Aki not impressed…she immediately phoned Hachan to say she’d be flying over to see her in March. Started researching possible digs…was hoping Romy might have a spare room, but she’s got her step daughter stopping with her. Sardines on toast for lunch. Drafted a festive missive to send to the wider family. Headed for Stoke Newington in the car. Met several members of the rowing club for dinner at Rasa on Church Street, then headed for the theatre. Very adult audience this evening…and I think they’d been enjoying a few festive drink’s beforehand…it was riotous good fun! The Rowing Club went home happy! 

Thursday 11th December 2025

Alarm at 0800. Got up to take the car back to Marlborough Road garage to have the replacement part fitted. Walked back home for porridge. Aki cycled off to the hairdresser. Tim turned and did a bit more work layering up the plaster, and doing a little exploratory digging around the old shower trap. He knocked off around 1130! Aki returned for lunch…she made ramen soup. I headed for the Whittington for a blood test…eager to see if the increased dose of statin has brought my cholesterol level down. Got to the hospital and suddenly remembered I should have fasted for 12 hours! Walked back down the Holloway Road to Waitrose and did a little shopping. Grilled hake this evening with beans, spinach and chorizo…very tasty! Watched some telly…Pluribus was very silly…had had high hopes, as it was written by the guy who wrote Breaking Bad. 

Wednesday 10th December 2025

 

Woke around 0500…took a while to nod back off. Got up around 0915. Porridged. Aki assisted with my creating some useable templates for creating some set signage for the show tonight. Took some soup with me for lunch and drove into the theatre. Spent a few hours tracing the signage lettering onto the signs so Dinah could paint them in…took ages! Got cramp in my right hand! Slunk off for a kebab round the corner. Back at the theatre, I gave out first night cards then settled in a seat as the punters were ushered in. About 80 in the house, including some enthusiastic youngsters. Show went down a storm! The cast upped their game in front of an audience. Great stuff. Had a beer in the bar with the cast before driving round to the Rowing Club to pick Aki up from their Xmas bash. Had a bit of a dance and a chat with Shelley. Drove us home and fell into bed…!

Tuesday 9th December 2025

Alarm at 0730. Got up and laid dust sheets in preparation for Tim’s arrival. Porridged. Tim rocked up at 0930. Did work repairing the plasterboard in the lobby. Aki headed off for the annual JCUK Xmas lunch. I finished the last of the chicken chasseur for lunch. Tim departed early. I headed in to Stoke Newington in the car. Helped out painting a couple of signs…before the cast rocked up for the final dress rehearsal. I snuck out and bought a wrap. Dress rehearsal went pretty well. Sorrel decided to delay notes so got away before 2245…

Monday 8th December 2025

Alarm at 0730. Got up and laid out dust sheets ahead of Tim’s arrival…he’s working on re-tiling the shower so we can get it all working again. Porridged. Tim turned up at 0845. He’s London-Irish…lives on a council estate in Highgate…and turns out to have been a punk rock fan…so we bonded happily over memories of past punk gigs…Viv Alberteen was brought up on the same estate in Highgate. He removed the bottom row of tiles in the shower, and prepped the walls prior to effecting some major plasterboard repairs. He knocked off around 1430. I cooked an early dinner…pasta and puttanesca sauce. Headed for Stoke Newington in the car. Helped out on the set build before watching the first dress run. Went fairly well…though some of the scenic transitions need tidying. Notes afterward meant I didn’t get away until 2300. Aki was out of the bath when I got home…bath and bed.

Sunday 7th December 2025

Alarm at 0800. Got up and porridged before heading for Stoke Newington. Damp and drizzly day. Sausage and egg sarnie in Leo’s cafe. Long day’s technical rehearsal. I presided over a line run in the dressing room. Broke for lunch. Then a long cue-to-cue tech. I left once they’d gotten to the end of Act I. Got a 106 bus back to Finsbury Park and picked up some cans of Guinness on the walk back to the flat. Picked up Aki and we walked up to No.93 for dinner and a catch up with Kevin and Laurence…she had cooked a beef bourgignon. They are still darting over to Meaux every so often to check on her mother, who is now in a care home. They are back in London for Xmas, entertaining their sons. Staggered home around 2230…bath and bed.

Saturday 6th December 2025

Alarm at 0800. Got up and drove the car to the garage on Marlborough Road. They open at 0800 during the week…Yiannis failed to inform me that they open at 0900 on Saturdays! Parked on the forecourt and walked up Hornsey Road to get a coffee. Left the car once Yiannis turned up, and walked home. Aki popped up to Yerbury Market to buy bread while I prepared brunch. Got a call from Yiannis saying the part that had arrived was for a left hand drive, so going to have to wait until the correct part turns up! Walked back up to the garage after brunch and collected the car! Pottered about for the rest of the day. Did some exercises, and read some Dickens. Aki popped out to Waitrose. FaceTimed Kath…dad could be seen speeding about the living room with his new Zimmer frame. Made chestnut gnocchi to put in the freezer ahead of our dinner party on 16th. Ate the last of the lentil bake for dinner. Tart Tatin and ice cream to follow. Watched the final episode of The Beast in Me…all rather silly in the end!

Friday 5th December 2025

Woke around 0900. Languished in bed for a bit…still feeling under the weather. Got up and cooked brunch. Did my exercises. Aki cycled off to Angel to do a shop in Sainsbury’s. I prepared the apples for a tart tatin…Aki came back with the puff pastry and I popped it in the oven. Aki baked trout for dinner. Had ice cream with the tart tatin…yum! Watched the penultimate episode of The Beast in Me. Bath and bed…

Thursday 4th December 2025

Fitful night’s sleep…woke feeling my flu symptoms had advanced somewhat. Didn’t get up until 1015. Porridged. Did my exercises. Grey, damp day. Kath rang…she has secured the Attendance Allowance for Margaret…just need to persuade father to follow suit. Cooked lunch. Had a bit of a lie down in the afternoon. Fraser and Charlotte, Lynne’s niece and her fella, have moved in upstairs while Lynne away in Bali. Fraser knocked on our door to report that the roof repair we had had done in the summer had failed. Managed to speak to the roofer…he asked me to phone back on Saturday…I’d be very surprised if he picks up! Chicken and leek pie for dinner. Aki departed for Book Club meet at No.38. She took mushrooms on toast over as a snack, in honour of the mushroom poisoner at the centre of the Shirley Jackson novel they were due to discuss. I watched Lawrence of Belgravia…Xav and Charlie of Itchy Teeth now play in his backing band, though the film was made in 2010, way before their involvement…

Wednesday 3rd December 2025

Woke around 04 do 00…took ages to nod back off again. Got up around 0800…still nursing a sore throat. Porridged. Started a lengthy vocal warm up…steamed my vocal cords, then a lot of humming. Aki went off to A&E at UCL…opposite where I’d be heading for my audition. Arranged to meet for lunch later. Set off for town around midday. Got to Warren Street a little early, so had coffee and a raspberry bow at Miel. Got to audition venue at Old Diorama Arts Centre…took some finding in the maze of high rise glazed blocks behind Euston Tower. Bob came to get me and lead me to the studio, where Sayan was waiting…she’s MD. Met Shirley, who was reading in…she played Molly in a Liverpool production…and Anji the casting director, who gave me a big hug, saying she felt she knew me already! Never met her before! Read the row with Stevie scene after a lengthy catch up…they suggested I come back at 1430 to work with Georgina, who was auditioning for Bridget. Met Aki outside Heals and enjoyed a sandwich in the cafe. UCL had given her the all clear on her right arm…no fractures or torn ligaments. Sprained though. I walked back to the Old Diorama and ushered Georgie into the studio. Did two more scenes as Grandad, then sat in as Stevie, and Jack. Went well…got another big hug from Anji as I left…never met so enthusiastic a casting director…if I haven’t landed the role I’ll be flabbergasted! Took a bus home. Aki warmed up the last of the chicken curry, and made a dal. Headed for Stoke Newington for panto rehearsal. Sorrel back in the saddle. Went for a full run…it was under energised, but everything seemed to be in the right order. Notes went on a bit afterward…didn’t manage to quit the building until 1945. Walked to the bus stop in the rain. 

Tuesday 2nd December 2025

Woke to alarm at 0815. Porridged. GP phoned and booked me a blood test for next week. Did an hour or so at the computer…invoiced Savills. Cooked lunch. Feeling a little under the weather…there’s a bug going round the panto team! We walked to Stroud Green to do a little shopping. Back home Aki steamed salmon for dinner, with aubergine and vegetables. Watched The Beast in Me, and Daddy Issues before bath and bed…

Monday 1st December 2025

Woke around 0700. Got up at 0800. Porridged. Aki headed to Angel for a dental appointment. I managed an hour at the laptop then headed for Camden Passage…met Aki for lunch at Kipferl. Hopped on a No.38 bus to Holborn and walked to Covent Garden. I wanted to try a pair of boots at Camper…they weren’t as comfortable as I’d hoped. Aki bought a pair of pumps. Home by 1530. Kath phoned…she’d arranged a preliminary meeting at Home Instead to discuss help at High View. Managed another hour’s work before warming up the venison stew…we enjoyed it with sautéed potatoes and green vegetables. Left Aki to it and headed for Stoke Newington. Cold, damp evening. Bumped into Councillor Dribble on the No.149 bus…he comes up from Thornton Heath…takes him about two hours. No director this evening…off sick. The choreographer lead the evening’s proceedings…marked out the dance routines in the performance space. A good night’s work…Rosie bossed it! Two buses to get home…pouring with rain…