Wednesday 22nd July 2026

Aki had cycled off to Rowing Club by the time I woke up. Got up and porridged. Pottered about on the laptop for a while. Still no sign of the stocklists I'd been promised from Savills last week...so no work in the pipeline...not too bothered, despite rather needing the cash for roof repairs. Popped out to Tesco to get milk. Aki back for lunch. Phoned Maggie Stanway for a brief chat...she's planning an 80th birthday bash at the winery near Dorking where she held her 70th. I think her short term memory is in decline...I told her all about my recent sojourn in Stoke, playing Grandad in Good Golly Miss Molly...as we said our goodbyes, she wished me luck for the show!!! I walked and bussed my way up to the Whittington for my annual PSA test. Didn't have to wait very long, and the nurse wished me a happy birthday for next week! Aki working at her laptop when I got back in. Walked up to Helen and Martin's on Fairbridge Road for a spot of dinner in their back garden...bumped into George and Katherine outside No.127, and had a brief catch up...they've just gotten back from a cycling holiday on the Outer Hebrides. Helen served up a tasty three course meal as we chatted around a table beneath their damson trees. Martin filled us in on the health of his 99 year old dad. He's developed cirrhosis of the liver, and is now confined to a room at a £1,500 a week Care Home. Helen is singing some Beach Boys material with Vox Holloway...we missed the Ally Pally gig, but will hopefully catch a reprise at the Clocktower Festival in a couple of weeks...

Tuesday 21st July 2026

Woke around 0730 with back pain. Managed to nod back off, though. Got up around 1000. Aki had already cycled to the fishmonger on Essex Road and back by then! She departed for tai chi. Porridged. Vacuumed. Popped out to the GP to pick up a form prior to tomorrow's blood test at the Whittington. Walked over to buy a card for Colin and Trudi's 20th wedding anniversary at the little gift shop on Stroud Green Road. Hooked up with Aki and Gayu outside No.38...went in for our lunch, courtesy of Ben, who was labouring in the kitchen with a potato omelette. We ate outside in the back garden. They showed us plans for the conversion of their house into two flats...they will lose half their rear garden to the new galley kitchen. Phoned ma and pa...Kath picked up. She said that mum's blood test results had come back normal, so she's to concentrate on finishing her course of antibiotics. Ankle still swollen. Aki prepared food ahead of the arrival of our guests. Sabrina and Tom showed up around 1800, as arranged. I don't know them very well...Sabrina is a retired social worker, while Tom worked for the Probation service. They have a profoundly deaf son, who, astonishingly, learned to speak Japanese, and spent four years in Tokyo teaching English as a foreign language! Aki had done a proper Japanese spread with lots of raw fish, scallops, crispy raw vegetables, rice, and soup. Sabrina wolfed it down! Tom didn't seem quite as keen. They had left by 2030...

Monday 20th July 2026

Woke with back pain, so got up and made tea. Sat up in bed doom-scrolling until 1000. Porridged. Aki did some work on her minutes at the computer. We ventured into town to take a look at the newly upgraded Grosvenor Square garden, and bought a rather expensive sandwich at the kiosk there. Found some shade and ate our viands. Wandered up to Marble Arch to take a look at the recently opened Museum of Contemporary Art...rather sparse gift shop, and £24 to get in to the Keith Haring exhibition. We ambled on to Hyde Park, and took a look at the Serpentine Pavilion, and the Cecily Brown exhibition...neither did much for me, I have to say. Caught a bus to Hyde Park Corner, and took the Piccadilly Line back home. Aki got out at Holloway Road and popped in to Waitrose. I got home to find a bloke from OpenReach in the front garden...sussing out how Aki's order of fibre broadband might delivered to our flat. I put a tuna salad together for dinner. Watched a bit of telly. Shower and bed...

Sunday 19th July 2026

Aki up before me to ready herself for rowing club. I got up around 1030, after she'd cycled off. Porridged. Watched an old episode of "I'm Alan Partridge" on the iPlayer...I'd forgotten how good it was. Wandered down to Highbury Fields for a coffee from the Dusty Knuckle van, and sat on a bench in the shade. Lunched at Lamezia on the Holloway Road...enjoyed a ham and mushroom pizza, then walked home via Waitrose. Aki and I cleaned the Toto toilet seat...took some doing, and much of the underside of the electronics housing is a little beyond hope, the grime having calcified. We did what we could. I made a chicken Thai curry for dinner, using up some cooked chicken, with basmati rice and peas. Watched the World Cup Final...Argentina were dire, and Spain came out deserved winners, scoring the only goal in extra time. Showered before getting to bed around 0045...

Saturday 18th July 2026

Woke around 0500...roofworrying! Must have eventually nodded back off. Got up around 1015. Porridged. Pottered about all morning...did some mandolin practice, and some song. Put a tasty lunch together. We headed out at 1645...took train and tube to Tooting to hook up with Tammie and Franco for steak and chips at a little Argentinian eatery in Broadway Market. The market is a warren of alleyways, crowded with an exotic mix of cheap eateries, and very crowded. Barra 10 is a cut above the rest, serving tasty Argentinian steak and grilled vegetables. The bone marrow on toast starter was good too. Franco insisted on paying the bill, which was very generous of him. He had been to the Montreux Festival a couple of months ago to see Deep Purple sing "Smoke On The Water"! We tentatively arranged to join them for next year's festival by Lake Geneva. Got home a little before 2200...switched on the telly to watch The News...who broke the news that England had scored against France in the Bronze Medal match after only three minutes, so I switched over to watch the game...astonishingly, we were 4-0 to the good by half time...even more astonishingly, the French had gotten back to 4-3 after about 20 minutes of the second half...the game finished England 6 France 4!!! Could easily have been 8-6 to France, though! Bonkers!!!

Friday 17th July 2026

Aki up with alarm at 0700 to ready herself for a morning's work in Camden. I languished in bed with a mug of tea. Made some belated headway on adding captions to the Good Golly re-union photo collection. Got up and porridged. Played my mandolin along to a couple of the tunes we'd worked on at the Folk Club last night, before Aki got home...she doesn't like English folk! Aki back in time for lunch. Spent most of the afternoon adding more captions...25 photos altogether, and had to dig out the old programmes to make sure I'd gotten names right. Uploaded them to the Photo-pick sharing site. Aki cooked a chicken risotto for dinner. Watched a bit of telly...including Diane Morgan's new comedy vehicle, Ann Droid. It was a fair to middling start to the series, but I was hoping for a smarter script. 

Thursday 16th July 2026

Woke around 0500...took ages to get back to sleep! Languished in bed until gone 1000. Got up and porridged. Feeling very listless, and depressed...the roofing problem is really getting me down. We headed for Crouch End on the No.91 bus, then walked up Park Road to The Good Reader for lunch. I enjoyed burger and chips, sat out in the south-facing garden. Shelley and Kim turned up around 1400...we had a detailed chat about plans for our Sicily trip in September...Shelley and Kim will be part of Aki's rowing team, but then we will share a car for a few days for a road trip across the island. Said our farewells...Aki and I walked back into Crouch End to do a little shopping in Sainsburys and Waitrose, before we hopped back on a No.91 bus. Put together a salad Nicoise for dinner. Phoned Volodymyr for a chat...no news on any solution to our roof problem, but he promised to get back to me next week. I told him the freeholder next door had given us the all clear. I walked down to the folk club at Highbury Corner to play some tunes with The Angel Band. They are looking for some new blood...a mix of people showed up...mandolins, a fiddle, clarinet, and a concertina, joining the regulars on clarinet, violin and button accordion. Only three tunes they'd sent me included the chords, so I couldn't strum along to most of it...all a bit of a waste of time, but I enjoyed sitting there listening. I didn't stick around afterward. Caught a No.91 bus back to Holloway. Got in around 2145. Aki slunk off to bed early, as she has a work meeting in Camden in the morning. I sat up trawling the internet for chords to the tunes I had, and printed stuff off to have a go at tomorrow morning. Got to bed after 0100...

Wednesday 15th July 2026

Woke to alarm at 0730...Aki got up to ready herself for Rowing Club. She brought me a mug of tea before heading off on the bus...too hot to cycle! Porridged. I popped next door to proffer my apologies to Sush for ruining his weekend...he gave me a hug on the doorstep! Had a chat on his roof...we agreed that the RoofPro team must have raised the glassfibre profile strip in order to slide their ply underneath, butting up against the OSB base on his side of the party wall line. I think I'm going to have to try and elicit an apology from Volodymyr...see what happens. I walked to Highbury Fields and sat on a bench with a coffee and a croissant from the Dusty Knuckle van. Walked home via Waitrose and did some shopping. Aki already home when I got back...they'd cut their rowing short. I put some lunch together. Aki headed off for the hairdresser. I fielded a call from Matthew Sale...some Savills inspections work in the offing. Not sure I want it, given the weather conditions, but I need the cash! Cooked some pasta for dinner, with pesto and burrata, and watched a bit of the build up to the England v Argentina game. Kept having to switch over...too much guff from the likes of Micha Richards and Wayne Rooney...Joe Hart is worth listening to, but the others are irritating. The game was very watchable. 0-0 at halftime. Anthony Gordon opened up the scoring, but the Argies piled on the pressure, and fought back for a 2-1 win. Messi was superb for the last twenty minutes or so!

Tuesday 14th July 2026

Woke around 0800. Email from Rebecca next door giving my draft email to their landlord a thumbs up. Tea. Porridge. Tried sending my email to the contact we had for the landlord, but it bounced back!  Aki went off to tai chi. I printed off some English jigs that I'd been sent ahead of folk band rehearsal on Thursday...unfortunately, only three tunes included the chords, so I don't think I'll last long! 

But had a go at them, playing along to some YouTube links. Put some lunch together when she got back. Sat about doing not very much, feeling very down about the roof shenanigans...the more I think about it, the more I reckon Sush is right and RoofPro are mistaken about his doing repair work at the junction along the party wall line, for which they stated that the warranty had been invalidated. I'm going to have to go next door and proffer an apology, I think. We headed for Hackney Wick for early evening food at Lucia's Taco Bar, ahead of attending the opening night of the newly re-built Yard Theatre. Had tickets to see "Philosophy of The World", a high-octane, mad-cap look at 60's all-girl group, The Shaggs...basically three sisters, taken out of school by their domineering father, having been told in a palm reading when he was a kid that his daughters would be in a famous pop group. They had no musical skills whatever, didn't even know that guitars had to be tuned, and little sense of timing, but dad forced them to write and rehearse for hours on end each day...they produced one album, the gloriously dreadful "Philosophy of The World", got heard by Frank Zappa, and became a cult phenomenon!!! That said...the songs are awful! Quite impressed with the new Yard Theatre venue...it's basically a big and rather charmless shed, but the seating in the auditorium is on a good rake. The show was a bit of a disappointment...got off to a quirky and amusing start, with some very creative audience participation, but the end section descended into feminist agit-prop...understandable, given the subject matter, but delivered in a frustratingly indecipherable manner. Headed back to Holloway...found ourselves wandering past The Upper Place, so headed inside to join a sea of Spain supporters to watch the second half of the Spain v France semi-final...they were in high spirits after coming out 2-0 winners!

Monday 13th July 2026

Woke around 0400. Aki having problems sleeping with her itchy skin. I then got to re-run the worries about the roof for the next hour or so! Must have nodded back off eventually. Woke again around 0900 and sat up in bed with a mug of tea, doom-scrolling for while. Got up and porridged. Aki busied herself re-booking accommodation in Sicily, as we are now sharing much of our journey with her rowing mates, Kim and Shelley. Shelley will be hiring a car and driving us across the mountains from Palermo to Syracuse, with various overnight stops along the way. I continued drafting emails to the landlord next door, and to RoofPro, in connection with the urgent roof repairs required to the party wall parapet. Aki made a cold noodle ramen soup for lunch. I popped up onto the roof to see if Sush and Rebecca had plonked their stuff back on top of the parapet...all clear. Rebecca was sitting at the outdoor table beneath her sunshade...I took the opportunity to tell her I was drafting a letter to their landlord seeking permission to do repair works to the parapet on both sides of the party wall line. She seemed agreeable, but I subsequently forwarded her a draft which she could run past Sush this evening. Put a salmon salad together for dinner, followed by cheese and biscuits. No word from Sush or Rebecca...finally got a message from Rebecca saying they'd look at it in the morning, as she had gotten so little sleep last night due to Saturday's upset! It's all getting me down! Tried to cheer myself up with an episode of Ted Lasso, but am finding the script and storylines rather insipid...don't get why it was so highly acclaimed...new series about to land. 

Sunday 12th July 2026

Woke around 0600...worrying about what to do with the roof meant I was unable to nod back off. Got up and penned a draft letter to the landlord of No.5, seeking permission to apply any repairs necessary to their side of the party line as well as ours, though we've yet to hit on a solution. Drafted a letter to RoofPro attaching a drawing Aki had done detailing a possible solution, and requesting their advice on progressing the much needed work. Watched the highlights of the Argentina v Switzerland game...the Swiss took the game to extra time, despite having a man sent off for diving, but went down 3-1 in the end...so it's England v Argentina in the semi-final!!! Made tea. Porridged. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. I took a walk to Archway...bit too hot out there to attempt a climb up Highgate Hill. Bought myself a lunch bowl and samosa in M&S and sat on a bench in Whittington Park to eat it, beneath the shade of a tree. Ambled slowly home, trying to find shade where I could. Aki back in time for the start of the Men's Singles Final between Sinner and Zverev. I put a ravioli supper together and then we took a No.91 bus up to The Shaftesbury for Scottish jig band rehearsal. Only us, Ben, and Celia showed up. Sat in the back room and went through a handful of tunes...we were joined for a mazurka by Ewan, a local jazz musician who got his clarinet out. Walked home with Ben. Warm, sticky evening. No football to watch so sat about twiddling our thumbs until bedtime...

Saturday 11th July 2026

Alarm at 0730. Got up and made tea...discovered the RoofPro team sat outside in their van. Got them up on the roof. Sush was already up there clearing away his cooking apparatus...Rebecca hadn't passed on the message that the roofer was coming this morning. The parapet covering was opened up to reveal rotten ply underneath, sat on top of the coping stones. The two Vlads applied some temporary repair to the resultant holes, and retired to consult their team back at Head Office. It looks as though we'll need a fresh, (higher(!) quote. All very dispiriting!!! And the fact that it's party wall greatly complicates the issue. They left around 1100. We await further developments. Lunched on the cheap food I'd picked up through the Too Good To Go app yesterday...tasty enough...a frittata, and a vegetable lasagna. Added lots of salad. Ventured out into the heat of the afternoon...drove to Sainsburys and did a bit of a shop, including some bulk buys. Drove home in time to watch the Ladies Singles Final from Wimbledon...a rather topsy-turvy affair, which ended when young Czech, Noskova, finally converted a match point over her compatriot, Muchova, to take her first Grand Slam Championship...rather moving speeches afterward from both ladies. Daal for dinner, with rice and some vegetables. Phoned Ma and Pa...they had received a visit from Ronan, Emma's helpful son, bearing fish 'n chips. They had gotten confused about Margaret's antibiotics...I had to phone Jim, who was camping in a field near Matfen, to make sure he was in possession of supplies, as we had been informed. He seemed to have enough of a wi-fi signal to pick up the England game later. Phoned Dad back to let him know that Jim had a supply of antibiotics, which he would dispense on the morrow. Watched England beat Norway 2-1...we were lucky to limp through, with some very shaky play at the back, and the game went to extra time, during which I had to fight sleep whilst lying on the sofa...got to bed around 0100.

Friday 9th July 2026

Woke around 0630. Dozed until 0730. Got up and popped round to No.7 to borrow their garden hose, but no reply. Sent a voicemail. Porridged. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. I popped out to Waitrose to get some odds and ends for dinner...30C out there! Aki back for lunch...put a salad together.  Watched Arthur Fery take on Zverev in the Men's semi-final from Wimbledon. Arthur fought hard for the first set but went down to love in the tie break, and never really recovered. Nipped out afterward to pick up a Too Good To Go offering from Broccoli...fritatta for lunch tomorrow! Took delivery of a garden hose from No.7 and began flooding the flat roof to test the lower section. Watched Djokovic go out in straight sets to a merciless Jannick Sinner. Aki cooked pasta for dinner, with pesto and burrata. Watched Spain defeat Belgium...they will meet France in the semi-finals. It was dark by the time I ventured back up onto the roof to unplug the hopper and drain the pool on the roof...I'd intended to slowly let the water out, but half of my plug got instantly washed through the opening and flew to the ground below...I had to lean over the parapet on my stomach and stem the flow as much as I could with a small towel, but not before several gallons of water had flooded the back yard and hit next door's garden shed roof! 

Thursday 9th July 2026

Woke around 0730. Got up at 0745 and made tea. Porridged. Got the ladder out and put it up against the rear elevation, planning to create a pool on the roof to see if anything shows up in the way of damp on the back bedroom walls and ceiling...but got up there to find that Sush and Rebecca's hose was not there...Sush was using it on a job and had left it on site. I swept the roof and had a chat with Sush before he headed off to site. Sat about not doing very much...too hot! Encouraged to see that the Count Binface election campaign is in full swing ahead of the Clacton by-election! He even appeared on Newsnight last night. Prepared a salad to go along with Aki's omelette for lunch. Watched the Ladies semi-finals from Wimbledon. Coco got off to a slow start, and paid the price, beaten in a final set tie break by Muchova. Aki cooked sea bass for dinner, with bulghur wheat and beans. Settled down on the sofa to watch France v Morocco in the first of the World Cup quarter-finals...a rather dull game until France scored midway through the second half...showered, then bed.

Wednesday 8th July 2026

Woke around 0645...dozed until rising around 0800. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. Popped out for some milk and bumped into Kevin from No.93...he's off to his family house in the south of France. Did some wisteria pruning with our new extendable loppers, before the sun climbed around to the front of the house. Aki back for lunch...finished off the last of the tomato tart. Watched Arthur Fery beat a stunned Cobolli in three sets to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon...remarkable scenes! Showered. Took a bus to Camden and hooked up with Katrina for dinner at Dolsot, a Korean BBQ restaurant on Parkway...the bus ride was very uncomfortable, with temperatures outside nudging 35C. Enjoyed our food, then crossed the road and made our way to Cecil Sharpe House to hear Rooted & Rising, a mesmeric fusion of English and Scottish folk, Brazilian, African, Indian and Pan-African vibes, led by  Adriano Adewale, and featuring the stunning young squeeze box virtuoso, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne. Really enjoyed it...retired to the bar downstairs for a badly needed beer...it was extremely hot in the hall...sat and listened to the Cecil Sharpe Choir in the next room...Aki expressed an interest in signing up for the autumn term! Caught a No.29 bus back to Holloway. Too hot to go to bed...

Tuesday 7th July 2026

Woke around 0500...took ages to get back to sleep. Woke again at 0845. Got up and made tea. Porridged whilst watching highlights of Belgium's decisive 4-1 win over the disgraced USA team...justice duly served following Trump's intervention in overturning Balogan's red card suspension! The Belgian fans sang "Overturn this!" at the final whistle. Aki went to tai chi...bit hot out there already! I put some lunch together when she got back. Watched tennis in the afternoon...Osaka limped out, but Djokavic survived a gruelling five-and-a-half hour match with Auger-Aliassime to make yet another Wimbledon semi-final. Meanwhile, Argentina survived being 2-0 down to Egypt, but scored three in the last 15 minutes to make it through to the quarter-finals! Cobbled a pasta sauce together using the remains of my homemade tomato sauce and some frozen spinach. Sat on the sofa and ate whilst watching the tennis. Tuned in for the penalty shoot out between Switzerland and Columbia...the Swiss scraped through...now all eyes turn to the quarter-finals...

Monday 6th July 2026

Alarm at 0800. Got up and made tea. Porridged. Watched the extended highlights of the England v Mexico game...it looked like we missed an amazing game in the early hours! Great goals from Bellingham, and a penalty from H...though we had to face the home side with only ten men for the second half. Astonished to see England come out 3-2 winners in the Azteca Stadium...great stuff!!! Took the car up to Yiannis for it's MOT, then walked over to Stroud Green Road and bought some tomatoes in Green & Glory, and bits 'n pieces in Tesco. Walked back home in the mounting heat. Found a card from Aki when I got in...I'd forgotten today's the fifth anniversary of our civil partnership! She cycled off to buy some champagne in Waitrose. I cooked a tomato tart for lunch...used Marcus Wareing's recipe...very tasty! Wandered up to Marlborough Road to collect my car, and an MOT certificate. Watched some Wimbledon. Very impressed by Arthur Fery's victory over Dimitrov in five sets...the guy doesn't know when he's beaten. Aki cooked trout for dinner. Watched Spain edge Portugal out of the World Cup.

Sunday 5th July 2026

Woke around 0800 with back ache. Sat up in bed for a bit. Aki got up and contemplated heading for Rowing Club, but decided to stay put...she brought me a mug of tea. Got up around 1000. Porridged. Kath called from the Auld People's Home at 12 High View...dad's hearing aid batteries were evidently on the blink, which meant we were treated to a couple of stream-of-consciousness monologues about distorted gardens, and Bernie, the Head of the Planning Committee. Mum's foot and ankle still looking very swollen and red. The antibiotics are apparently running low...Kath plans to take her back to the GP tomorrow if things don't appear to be improving. Light lunch. Watched some tennis from Wimbledon, then took the car up to Muswell Hill to attend Kim's birthday garden party. A mix of rowing club colleagues and friends. Shelley turned up, and we got to chat about plans for travelling around Sicily in September with a couple of her acquaintances who are due to be out there at the same time. Enjoyed a couple of egg sandwiches, and plenty of birthday cake before I drove Aki home. Light dinner...pici and cheese sauce with chicken, mushrooms, and walnuts. Caught the end of Osaka's victory over Sabalenka, and enjoyed Mochizuki's spirited attempt to take a set off Sinner, all to no avail. Watched the second half of the Brazil v Norway game...Norway got through courtesy of the magnificent Erling Haaland...

Saturday 4th July 2026

Woke around 0830. Got up and made tea...repaired back to bed to watch highlights of the Argentina v Cape Verde game on my phone...astonishingly, Cape Verde came back to equalise to force extra time, went down 2-1, then scored a dazzling equaliser, only to concede an own goal late on...what a journey they've been on! Got up and porridged.  Walked up to Tesco on Stroud Green Road then wandered over to M&S in Finsbury Park to pick up Aki's click and collect dress. Aki made ramen for lunch. Watched some tennis from Wimbledon. The last Brit standing, young Arthur Fery, came through a five set epic to reach the last sixteen, where he'll take on the remarkable Grigor Dimitrov, who looks like a man possessed...he's desperate to exorcise the catastrophe that befell him at Wimbledon last year when he was two sets up on Sinner. Made a tagine with meatballs, couscous and vegetables for dinner. Watched Morocco hammer the Canadians 3-0 to reach the last sixteen, and then France v Paraguay...the Paraguayans never looked like scoring, and came out of it all looking distinctly unprofessional. Good riddance to them...showered and got to bed around 0030.

Friday 3rd July 2026

Got up and watched highlights of last night's games whilst porridging on the sofa. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. Watched some action from Wimbledon. Aki back in time for lunch. Headed into town...took the overground from Finsbury Park to Blackfriars, and ambled through the crowds to the Tate Modern. 

Got through the first three rooms of the Frida Kahlo exhibition before seeking out Midori and Dan, who texted us to say they were in the Member's Bar. Sat out on the north balcony and had ice cream, a drink, and a catch-up. Descended to the Switch House to take a look at Julio Le Parc's playful light installations. Browsed the Gift Shop before walking slowly to Meson de Philipe in The Cut for a slap up tapas dinner. We were a bit concerned to find three fire engines parked up outside with lights flashing...I asked the Maitre D if they had overdone the caramelised onions...turned out it was the flat above, but all had been successfully sorted, and the engines departed one-by-one. Dan and Midori have arranged to move in to Tami and Franco's granny flat in Earlsfield for a generously low rent. We vowed to come visit once they've settled in. 

Thursday 2nd July 2026

Woke around 0800 with the usual back pain. Got up and made tea. Watched the highlights of the US win over Bosnia...they face Belgium in the last 16, so could well get through to the semi-finals! Porridged. No word from RoofPro about doing the roof repairs next week. Not very encouraging, as it's looking a bit grey out there today. Did some wisteria pruning out front...the sun came out and made it very hot work. Put some lunch together. We ventured in to town. Popped in to John Lewis's on a very busy Oxford Street to look at wall clocks, as Aki's pride and joy has started to falter. Took a look in IKEA too, but couldn't find anything we fancied. Repaired to M&S...Aki wanted to try on a couple of denim dresses, but came away with nothing. Zigzagged our way down toward Piccadilly to buy some items from the Japanese grocery shop, then headed for home. Aki cooked salmon for dinner. Watched Spain defeat Austria to progress to the last 16...

Wednesday 1st July 2026

Woke around 0730 with back pain. Aki got up to ready herself for Rowing Club. She brought me a mug of tea. She'd cycled off by the time I got up. Porridged with Louise before she packed her bags and headed off. Caught up with Lynne...she had asked if Fraser could borrow our car, so I got a bit more detail...he has a couple of hair-dressing jobs up Kings Langley way, ahead of a wedding, and usually borrows Max's car, but he has leant that to someone else on the required date. I said I'd think about it and phone Fraser later. Discussed roofing problems...she's made contact with a couple more roofers in the hope of getting some more quotes in. Watched some tennis from Wimbledon. Aki back for lunch. England kicked off their Round of 32 game with DR Congo at 1700...and were 1-0 down by half time. Djed Spence had a poor game, and things didn't look up until he was replaced by Anthony Gordon, who set up both of Harry Kane's late goals. Kath sent us a rather grim photo of mother's infected right ankle, which has swelled up and looks very angry. The GP reckoned her skin is so thin and dry that it is easily split and open to possible infection. She's been on antibiotics since this morning, so hopefully she can keep on top of things! Warmed up the last of the chicken cacciatore for dinner, with orzo and plenty of vegetables. More tennis from Wimbers. Djokovich was awesome in crushing Tsitsipas. Watched Senegal lose a 2-0 with 5 minutes to go as Belgium came back from the dead...nodded off on the sofa during extra time, only to wake up to find Belgium scoring a winner from the penalty spot...gone midnight when I got to bed!

Tuesday 30th June 2026

 

Reasonably good night's sleep, though plagued by the usual back ache come the morning. Got up around 0900 and descended to find Sylvie preparing the breakfast table in the living-room. Cereal, followed by scrambled egg on toast, followed by whisky marmalade on toast...we got the five star treatment! Took a taxi to Stoke station and boarded a train for Stafford. 

Strolled through Victoria Park and had a browse around the Ancient High House, an impressive four-storey timber framed building on the High Street. Enjoyed lunch in the Soup Kitchen near St Mary's church before heading for the Gatehouse Theatre to see Sean O'Callaghan in "Richard III". Bumped into Howard Chadwick, an actor I'd met during my "Good Golly" run...he was bound for the same venue. James and Anne were awaiting us in the foyer. The production was hamstrung by the decision to set it in 1920s Peaky Blinders land, a pub named The Crown frequented by low class criminals...but since the characters were all aristocratic elite, it really didn't work. Good performances all round...we particularly enjoyed Sean in drag as the hag-like Queen Margaret, widow of the murdered Henry VI, who curses the House of York! Had a brief catch up with Sean in the foyer afterward, before we all parted company...Paul, Sylvie, James and Anne headed back to Stoke, and we wandered around the town centre looking for somewhere to dine. It was all rather underwhelming, so we ended up buying a couple of salad bowls from M&S to eat on the train back to London. Had a quick drink in The Picture House and watched some of the Ivory Coast v Norway game on the big screen, before heading back to the station via Victoria Park. Not surprised to find our train to Euston was delayed by half-an-hour! Sat on Platform 1 and ate our salads, watching the rain pour down on the tracks. Got home around 2130 to find Louise about to retire for the night after a long day at her Arts Admin Conference. Aki showered. I stayed up to watch France demolish Sweden 3-0 before crashing for the night...

Monday 29th June 2026

Woke around 0730 with back ache...lay there for another hour or so trying to ignore the pain. Got up and porridged. Louise departed to meet a chum at The Premises studios in Hackney. Did my exercises. Packed a small bag. Early lunch, then headed for Euston to catch the 1347 to Stoke. Very busy, for some reason, but managed to bag seats. 

Train was 25 minutes late getting into Stafford, so we missed our connection to Stoke, and had to wait around for an hour...walked to the nearby Sainsburys and bought a bottle of wine to give to our hosts. Got to Paul and Sylvie's in Newcastle at around 1730 and sat out in the back garden with a cuppa tea. Aki disappeared into the house to watch Japan v Brazil. It was 1-1 at half-time, when we had to go to dinner...walked round to Basmati. James and Anne were already there. Enjoyed a convivial meal, then we all walked back to Florence Street for a night cap in the back garden. James and Anne left, and we repaired to the living-room. Aki showered and went to bed, but Paul and Sylvie looked up for drinking the night away! Sylvie nodded off on the sofa, and I made my excuses and went to bed...

Sunday 28th June 2026

 

Got up around 0900. Porridged. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. I took Louise for a wander down Memory Lane...walked down Hornsey Road past The Tollington, Arthur Road where Richard Bealing and John Christie had lived back in the mid-80s, and past the Harvist Estate where Kerry and I had resided on the 11th floor of Hind House. Walked to Highbury Fields, then doubled back to Holloway Road and stopped for coffee at Pierre's. Walked on up the Holloway Road to what is now the London Metropolitan University campus, but was the Polytechnic of North London when we frequented the building...I met Lou on a production of "Twelfth Night" that the PNL Players took to Malta...Lou stage managed the London performances. We had hoped to go in and have a look at the old theatre, but the building was closed for the summer holidays. Walked back home a prepared lunch...Aki back in time to join us. We then hopped on a No.29 bus to Camden Town to go see Ivor Dembina at the Camden Head...I'd bumped into him at Tate Britain a couple of weeks ago, and he had flagged up that he was doing work in progress on a show called "Obituary", which he planned to take to Edinburgh Festival. We found him sitting in the bar with his friend Caroline, and he explained that as we were the only bookings he would give us our money back, but wanted to read us the material he'd put together so far...we refused the money, but acquiesced in attending his reading, which he did in the little upstairs venue. It was an intriguing 40 minutes...it's definitely not in advanced enough shape for an Edinburgh crowd, but he found the afternoon helpful, and we vowed to come see it again once he returned from the Festival. We caught a No.253 bus back to Holloway and walked down to Xian Impression for dinner. Back home to watch the first of the World Cup knockout games, Canada v South Africa...a pretty dull affair, though Canada managed a last gasp winner to go through to the last 16...don't think they'll go much further!

Saturday 27th June 2026

Woke around 0800. Dozed for a bit before rising to porridge. Caught up with highlights of games played in the early hours...the most remarkable being Cape Verde's 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia which sees them through to the knockout stages in second place in their group, Uruguay having failed to get points against Spain! Louise turned up at 1045 to deposit her baggage before heading back into town to see "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Palladium with her sister. Gave her a set of keys. Aki and I ventured out into the heat...a bit cooler today...around 29C, but still hot wandering the baking streets. Popped into Selbys to show Aki the Dyson Air Cool fan and discovered they had boxed up a display item which they sold to us for a 10% discount. I left Aki to pay for it and headed on to Waitrose to do a shop. Bought some beers from Tesco ahead of the England game this evening. Back home, Aki had got the fan up and working...very swish, quiet, and effective. Aki made cold okra soup for lunch, with gyoza on the side. Pottered about on the laptop. Did some exercises. Louise turned up around 1800. I put another majestic salad together for dinner. Sat about catching up, and watching England v Panama...a rather forced England performance resulted in a 2-0 win, and we won the Group...now for the knockout rounds! 

Friday 26th June 2026

Woke around 0730...very warm and humid already. Sat up in bed for an hour or so. Got up and porridged whilst catching up with the highlights of Turkey v USA. Wandered across to Waitrose to do a shop...found the shaded sides of the streets as I made my way. Popped into Selby's to see what they had in the way of electric fans...really liked the Dyson Cool Air, but at £250 it would have to be a bit of a treat! Aki cooked Korean pancakes of lunch. Aki decided the fan would be a good investment, so sent me back out into the afternoon heat...only to discover that Selbys had sold out! Popped into Morrisons to buy some consolatory ice cream, only to find that their freezers had packed up! Put together a salad Nicoise for dinner. Watched France v Norway...an easy 4-1 win for the impressive French, though the Norwegians had rested more than half the team...no Erling Haaland to bother the French back four. Watched Later With Jools...intriguing Newcastle based jazz band, Knats, who profess to have invented Geordie jazz...OK, though their sound is a little old fashioned; really enjoyed the mesmeric Angine de Potrine, and Arlo Parks' new material...

Thursday 25th June 2026

Woke around 0730. Sat up in bed and doom scrolled for a while before managing to nod back off. Got up around 0900. Porridged. Caught up with some World Cup highlights via the iPlayer. Put lunch together. Very warm...30C outside, but felt warmer as very humid today. Worked up a sweat vacuuming and dusting in the living-room. Managed to get hold of the RoofPro chap...doesn't sound as though they can come and do the necessary works next week...may have to live through a few more thunder storms before then! Meat balls and pasta for dinner. Aki headed off to Book Club meet at No.120. I popped in next door to have a word with Sush and let him know the roofer's plans. Returned home to watch Germany v Ecuador...great result for the South Americans, who won 2-1...they would have been going home otherwise. Aki back in time for kick off in the Japan v Sweden match...it was 0-0 at half time, when she sloped off to bed. I stayed up and watched them fight out a 1-1 draw...both go through to the knock out stages...

Wednesday 24th June 2026

Woke around 0900. Got up and porridged. Too hot for Aki to consider cycling over to Rowing Club. Pottered about...tried to get some clarity on RoofPro's repair suggestion to pass on to the neighbour. Wanted to sort out the Registration of Power of Attorney forms that Kath had passed me at the weekend, but I don't have the pertinent account numbers...emailed father in the hope of progressing things a little, but think I'll have to get in touch with NBS directly...wish I'd popped in on them last week...hadn't realised they were next door to the Co-op on Darras Hall Broadway, though I must have walked past dozens of times! Aki made hummus. I popped out into the wall of heat to buy bread...tried to walk in the shaded bits of the street. Came home to find Aki putting lunch together. Aki pan fried cod for dinner, with freekah and fried vegetables, followed by a Magnum each! Watched Canada go down to a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland. Showered. Stayed up to watch Scotland's dismal display against Brazil...they are hanging on to a third place qualification place, but only by their finger nails...

Tuesday 23rd June 2026

Woken around 0300 by a violent thunder storm...the rain hammered down on our leaky roof for over an hour. Woke around 0930 and made tea. Porridged. The damp patch in the back bedroom not looking worse, but my damp meter readings are up 5%. At a bit of a loss as to what to do...the roofer has quoted us £2,000 to add a layer of membrane to the parapet with No.5. Aki cycled off to tai chi...already 25C out there! I caught up with my blog at the laptop, and listened to some music the while. I ventured out into the temperatures to do a bit of a shop at Waitrose. Bumped into Lynne from upstairs...she'd had a great time in Madagascar. I promised to send her details of a couple more roofers I'd come across on the Which? website...told her we were having our own roofing problems. I was surprised to learn that her back bedroom ceiling hadn't let in any water during last night's deluge! Came home and put some lunch together. Enjoyed a Magnum for afters! Had to venture back out again...got some sparkling water from Tesco across the road...we'll be needing that...it's 32C this afternoon! Warmed up the chicken de-frosted chicken cacciatore for dinner. Settled down to watch England v Ghana...a rather dull hour and a half ensued as Ghana sat back and England failed to break through the ranks of yellow shirts. It was too hot to go to bed, so stayed up and watched the Panama v Croatia game...though I nodded off for most of it, despite it being way more exciting than the England game! Got to bed after 0100...

Monday 22nd June 2026

Got up and packed. Stripped the bed. Breakfasted downstairs with ma and pa. Kath turned up with a load of shopping...we thought she was in bed listening to the radio she'd left on! Starmer announced he was to resign as Prime Minister, paving the way for Andy Burnham. Prepared some lunch...Jim joined us. Mum came rushing in to announce that Andy Burnham had resigned! Said our farewells, and Jim drove us to Callerton Parkway to catch the train into town. Got to Central Station in good time to climb aboard the 1427 to Kings Cross. Got into London at 1745, 15 minutes behind schedule due to delayed trains in front of ours. Noticeably hotter in London...caught a No.91 bus back to Holloway. Dropped our bags off, and walked down to Xian Impression for dinner. Back home to catch the end of the Argentina v Austria game. Watched the final episode of "Get Back" before settling down to watch France defeat a plucky Iraq before shower and bed...

Sunday 21st June 2026

Delivered dad's Father's Day card, featuring his children reading "Dagga". I addressed the envelope to J H Hagga, 12 Plumpff View, Lollybrod. Aki drew the King of Lollybrod on the stamp. Breakfasted. Aki and I walked down to Darras to do a bit of shopping...had our coffee at Davidson's, as Number 9 was full. Walked back to High View in the sunshine. Lunch out in the garden. Jim and Emma showed up...Emma had gone for a half-hour run! Watched a bit of the tennis from Queen's...won by Argentine, Cerundolo...a new face on the scene. Prepared and cooked chicken for dinner...Aki reprised her no famous harissa potatoes. I stayed up to watch Cape Verde take on Uruguay...astonishingly the islanders scored first, but it was 2-1 to Uruguay by the time I retired for the night, unable to keep my eyes open for the second half...

Saturday 20th June 2026

Woke early again with back ache. Got up and pottered about a bit until porridge. Aki and wandered down to the shops at Darras Hall to buy some bits and pieces for lunch and dinner. Enjoyed a coffee at Number 9. Walked back up Whinfell Road to prepare lunch...eaten in the garden, as it was another fine day. Watched a bit of tennis from Queen's with mum. Aki cooked salmon for dinner, with harissa potatoes. I stayed up to watch the Netherlands thrash Sweden 5-1...they are looking good!

Friday 19th June 2026

Woke early with back ache. Got up and wandered into the office to watch the highlights from last night's World Cup games. Aki got up and made porridge for breakfast. Aki, Kath, and I took a walk down to the shops at Darras...Kath got an emergency call from work, so had to walk back ahead of us...Aki and I enjoyed a coffee at Number 9 before heading for High View. Prepared lunch, which we ate in the back garden. I spent the afternoon cooking up a beef in beer stew for the freezer, while Aki prepared a chicken curry for dinner. A bottle of Prosecco was opened to mark the launch day of dad's novel, "Dagga & The King of Lollybrod". Jim and Emma had gone off in the van for a couple of nights near Bamburgh. Watched Scotland's defeat at the hands of Morocco...the Scot's now need a point from their final game to ensure progress to the knockout rounds...against Brazil!

Thursday 18th June 2026

Readied ourselves for our trip up north. Breakfasted, and made a packed lunch to eat on the train. Made our way to Kings Cross with our baggage. Caught the 1130, calling at York and Newcastle. Uneventful journey, though the family in front of us were a bit loud...on their way up to Edinburgh. Disembarked at Newcastle at 1410 and phoned Jim...he arranged to meet us at Callerton Parkway Metro station. 

He was driving dad's car...has got himself on dad's motor insurance, which is a good idea. He dropped us off at 12 High View, and drove off to pick Emma up from work. Mum and dad looking pretty good, all things considered. Dad still has on-going pain management issues...Kath has referred him to her back specialist, but no sign of an appointment as yet. Sat out in the garden and enjoyed a tea before Aki got to work cooking a carbonara for dinner. Emma and Jim made their own arrangements...they are both looking good, too...Emma now in training for the Great North Run in the autumn! Watched a bit of telly in the living-room...dad doesn't seem to be too interested in watching the World Cup. 

Wednesday 17th June 2026

Woke around 0800...Aki got up to ready herself for Rowing Club. I rose and made tea. Porridged. Aki cycled off. I set about laying dust sheets in anticipation of the roofer coming to inspect the back addition leak. Put the ladder up. Had time to wander over to Morrisons to buy chicken and a couple of tins of tomatoes for dinner tonight. Tom from RoofPro turned up at noon...he's a likeable chap. Got him on the roof and he checked all the joints, but couldn't find anything obvious. He found three or four small pin-point holes in the covering above the parapet...I find it very hard to believe such small holes could result in such a large build up of water in the ceiling void, but got nothing else to go on. He suggested adding an extra membrane layer to the parapet, and he left vowing to send me a costing. I tidied up the dust sheets. Aki back in time for lunch. I ascended the ladder after lunch to give the roof a good sweeping, and did a little pruning in the back yard. Cooked a chicken cacciatore for dinner, with orzo and vegetables. Watched England beat Croatia 4-2...we were fantastic for the first 20 minutes of the second half...haven't seen England play that well for a very long time!

Tuesday 16th June 2026

Aki up at 0730 to ready herself for a dental appointment. She brought me a mug of tea before cycling off. I got up and uploaded the photos from yesterday's inspections, and started writing up the notes. All done by 1130...not a big job, so not much in the pay packet! Put lunch together once Aki had returned from tai chi. Helped Aki tidy up after she attacked the hedge with the trimmer. Watched France defeat Senegal 3-1. Aki cooked sea bass for dinner, with white beans and vegetables. Showered. Came out of the shower just in time to see Iraq equalise against Norway....though Haaland made it 2-1 within a couple of minutes. I retired for the night at half-time.

Monday 15th June 2026

Alarm at 0800. Got up and made tea. Porridged. Headed for Camberley in the car on inspections for Accent Housing. Made a pitstop at Heston Services on the M4. Found myself looking at property very close to an address I had for cousin Beryl...parked up at Carlin Place on the off-chance, having failed to get through on the phone, and as I stepped out of the car I found myself face-to-face with her daughter, Lisa! She'd just dropped her mum off after a shopping trip...and guided me round to Beryl's flat where I surprised her in the living-room. Had a cuppa tea and a biscuit...and a brief catch-up. They've both had a rough couple of years, Beryl with the loss of Eddie, and Lisa with the loss of her son Daniel...so they'd just got back from a well-deserved holiday in Marrakech. Daniel had been taken by sepsis following the strangulation of his long-standing umbilical hernia. They said they may venture north to visit mum...but we'll see. I got back in the car and continued my inspections. Ate my sandwich in the car on a small infill development north-east of the town centre, then finished up in Camberley before driving on to my final port of call in Bagshot. Very warm in the car...23C outside. Drove home via Heston Services, getting back to Holloway around 1630. Watched a bit of the Spain v Cape Verde game...0-0 at halftime. Popped out to Sainsbury's to put some petrol in the car and get a receipt for my expenses...by the time I got back Cape Verde had successfully negotiated a 0-0 draw...astonishing! Shredded pork shoulder for dinner with sweet potatoes and stir-fried vegetables. Watched the Belgium v Egypt match, which finished in a draw, before bathing. Caught the end of the Saudi v Uruguay game...another draw...before retiring.

Sunday 14th June 2026

Got up around 1000. Aki cycled off to Rowing Club. Porridged. Took a slow walk to Highbury Fields. Bought coffee and a pastry from the Dusty Knuckle van and sat on a bench under a tree. Very pleasant morning. Walked back home via Waitrose on Holloway Road. Put lunch together before Aki got back. Watched Emma Raducanu take on Vekic in the final from Queens Club...Emma wasn't at the races and lost the first set 6-0, but could and should have taken the second set...she let it slip through her fingers, and the Croat raised the trophy. Read some Dickens. Warmed up the n'duja sauce and meatballs for dinner, which we ate with pappardelle and vegetables, followed by cheese, and creme caramel. Watched Germany v Curacao...astonishingly, the Caribbean minnows scored to make it 1-1 after 20 minutes...but went down 7-1 in the end! Watched some more of the "Get Back" documentary before settling down for the Japan v Netherlands game. Japan played well, and deserved their 2-2 draw...

Saturday 13th June 2026

Got up around 0900. Cooked brunch. Set about fitting the grille over the hole in the wall above the boiler. Had to vacuum out the squirrel droppings first! Awkward space to work in...the walls turned out to be plasterboard cavity...so the rawl plugs I put in failed to work...had to use special plasterboard fixings...lost the head off my ratchet screwdriver in the process...it disappeared behind the boiler somewhere! Eventually succeeded in getting the grille fixed in place, and tidied up. Settled down to watch Emma Raducanu's quarter-final win against Rakhimova. Lunched on pici and cheese sauce with fried mushrooms. More tennis...semi-final Boulter v Vekic...Vekic came out on top. Then Emma was back on for her semi-final tussle with the exciting Iva Jovic...she was a set up when we had to leave for Stamford Hill, though we managed to watch as Emma took the match, on my iphone as we took the No.253 bus to Clapton Common. Walked down to the Rowing Club where Kate and her partner, Titus, were celebrating their 70th birthdays. We sat out on the balcony overlooking the River Lea. Really enjoyed the food...bussed in from Rasa in Stoke Newington...went back for seconds. A handful of Aki's rowing mates had been invited, and we sat with them. Ended the evening having a jig about to The Stamford Hillbillies, before walking back up to catch a bus home from the Common. Watched the Brazil v Morocco game...Morocco were fantastic, but the game ended 1-1.

Friday 12th June 2026

Aki up with alarm at 0730 to ready for Rowing Club. I enjoyed tea and porridge in bed. Got up around 0900 and showered before wandering up to Crouch Hill to get some odds and ends in Tesco. Overcast day, but it promises to brighten over the weekend. Aki back in time for lunch. Made some lentil daal. Watched some tennis from Queen's Club. Emma through to the quarter-finals. Early dinner...warmed up the last of the chicken curry, eaten with the daal, and rice. Katie Boulter doing well against the world No.1, Rybakina, when we left for Pimlico. Aki had tickets for Member's Night at Tate Britain. Free to wander around the galleries...stopped to listen to a string quartet and take advantage of the pop-up bar. Took in the Hurvin Anderson exhibition, where I spotted comedian Ivor Dembina. Had a brief chat to suss out what he's up to...preparing a couple of pieces to take up to Edinburgh in August. I promised to go catch his work-in-progress at the Camden Comedy Club. Also had time to take in the James MacNeil Whistler exhibition...some stunning etchings, and the later large portraits in oil are very impressive, including the famous one of his mother. Really enjoyed ourselves. It was almost dark when we came out at around 2200, and made for home...

Thursday 11th June 2026

Got up around 0930. Tea. Porridge. Looks like rain all day...unlikely to get any tennis from Queens Club. Wandered over to the DIY shop and bought a grill to put over the squirrel hole above the boiler. Warmed up lentil soup for lunch. Did a bit of prep ahead of fitting the grill...couldn't face cleaning up the squirrel pooh...postponed that bit until tomorrow! Aki made a carbonara for dinner. Ate early before heading for Paddington. Took the tube to Warwick Avenue, and walked to The Bridge House, which hosts the Canal Cafe Theatre. We were there to see Sam Brenton, who played Stevie in Good Golly Miss Molly, in the weekly NewsRevue...he's got the MD gig for six weeks. Arrived in good time, so took a stroll along the canal towards Paddington Basin...very lively...lots of bars and restaurants. Bought beers in the Bridge House and took our seats in the tiny theatre upstairs...very cramped seating, around small round tables. It was a sell out. Shirley, Alice, Connor, and his girlfriend showed up just as the revue was about to start. The four performers gave 100%...there were loads of spoof songs, which were very cleverly put together, but I struggled to catch lyrics as their voices weren't great. Sam banged out tunes and covering music on the piano at the back...impressive stuff, but I wanted more sketches, less song and dance. The audience were sent away happy, and we congregated outside for a drink and a catch up. Shirley is looking for more theatre work, though mindful that it needs to fit in with her bringing up her kids; Alice will be doing panto at Clwydd at Xmas; Connor is MD for an amateur production of Kinky Boots in Crayford. Had a great chat with Rosie, one of Sam's many half-aunts, who has been living and working in Norway. An enjoyable evening...we promised to try and plan to meet up to see Georgie in The Wife in Eastbourne in August. Aki and I got the tube to Cally Road, and a bus home from there...

Wednesday 10th June 2026

Woke at 0900. Got up. Tea. Porridge. Grey day. Aki made amaretti biscuits...she sent me out to purchase more ground almonds. Watched a bit of tennis from Queens before putting lunch together. Headed into town...had tickets for a sound installation in The Pit...Lee "Scratch" Perry's final recording before he died last year, mixed with the electronic sounds of Mouse on Mars...been enjoying listening to the album, Spatial, No Problem, so intrigued by the notion of a sound installation, The visuals were, in the event, disappointing...four large painted sheets hung in the space, with animations projected on top...the result was a bit of a mess of indecipherable images. Closed our eyes and listened to the the grooves, but came out thinking we could have listened at home whilst lying on the floor with the lights off! Enjoyed a small beer on the forecourt afterward, then walked back to Moorgate to catch the train back to Finsbury Park. Warmed up some fish stew for dinner, with orzo and vegetables. Watched a bit of England's friendly against Costa Rica, their final match before the World Cup kicks off tomorrow; got bored and went to bed...

Tuesday 9th June 2026

Woke around 0500. Managed to nod back off. Got up around 0900. Porridged. Aki prepared to depart for a JCUK meet, so she partook of an early lunch before departing for town. I wandered across to Waitrose to buy some odds and ends...polpette for dinner tonight. Came home and put some lunch together. Watched Emma Raducanu demolish her round 1 opposition at Queens Club. Made a sofritto to go with a jar of tomato and n'duja sauce, which we had on pappardelle with lots of fried vegetables. Got up on the roof via the ladder...Sush came out onto his side for a fag, followed by Rebecca. Had to listen to Sush burbling on telling me I ought to rebuild the whole roof!!! Aki joined us via their front door and took a few photos. We lifted Sush's astroturf, which sits on his side of the parapet...not signs of damage to the fibreglass bridge underneath. No signs of failed jointing to the sarnafil on our side...it's a mystery! 

Monday 8th June 2026

Woke at 0130, and again at 0630, but managed to get back to sleep. Got up at 0900 and brought a mug of tea back to bed with me. Rose at 1000 for porridge. Raining heavily...need to get myself up on the sodding flat roof at some point! Spent most of the remainder of the morning trawling through Which? recommended roofers. Phoned dad...he seemed in good spirits...eagerly awaiting the official launch of his novel on the 19th. Put lunch together. We wandered over to do a shop at Waitrose, in between the showers. Aki cooked a chicken curry for dinner, with daal and rice. Watched some tennis from Queens Club. Aki had an early bath, and I watched some of episode 3 of "Get Back"...charming footage of young Heather McCartney in the studio with her step dad as he sang and recorded "The Long & Winding Road"...

Sunday 7th June 2026

Woke around 0630 to find I'd wet myself! Not profusely, but I was a bit shocked. It seems I have become as leaky as the back bedroom roof! Sat up in bed for a bit and eventually dozed back off. Porridged. Got up around noon. Shaved my head before showering. Pici and cheese sauce for lunch, with fried mushrooms and torchon ham. Listened to the Men's singles final between Cobolli and Zverev. Cooked a fish stew. Early dinner before heading up the road to The Shaftesbury Tavern for band rehearsal. Caught a No.91 bus, getting there at the appointed hour...George and Katherine were already there setting up, and we were joined by Ben, and Lorraine. George bought me a half a Guinness, which he then managed to spill all over the floor...spent five minutes cleaning up! Katherine had to go at 1900, so things fell apart somewhat after that, though people kept sticking their heads in to the back room saying they were loving the music. I thought it all sounded a bit rusty, to be honest. Caught a No.91 bus back down the Hornsey Road, to find Aki at the dining table eating her portion of fish stew. She had had a good time on The Broads, though the food had been a disappointment. Watched Later With Jools...rather dull fare, once again. Aki had a shower and an early night....

Saturday 6th June 2026

Woke at 0230...took a while to get back off to sleep, worrying about the leaking roof! Woke again at 0630 with some back pain, so sat up for an hour or so before nodding back off. Got up around 0930. Porridged. Did some exercises. Early dinner...warmed up a second portion of the moussaka. Headed for Tower Hill via Finsbury Park, and Kings Cross. I bought a sandwich and water at M&S for dinner after the reading. It was raining heavily when I emerged from Tower Hill tube station...I braved the wind and rain and crossed the road to the muster point outside All Hallows By The Tower, picking up a coffee from the Costa shop opposite. We sheltered under a large chestnut tree before filing in to the church as quietly as we could...the Wolf Hall Weekend event was underway in the main body of the church, so we were ushered upstairs to a small ante-room where we got settled before doing a speed run. The punters took a break in the adjoining cafe, allowing us to descend and familiarise ourselves with the rostra, our seating, and the acoustic of the church...there was a lot of natural reverb, which meant having to hit your consonants, and project...skills beyond some of our number, unfortunately. Our reading was preceded by a very interesting talk from a former RSC cast member...the play had been written for and performed by the RSC originally. We attacked the piece with pace, having to battle the acoustic, and the regular rumble of the Circle Line somewhere below our feet. We seemed to go down well. The bulk of the cast wandered across the square for dinner at the Chinese restaurant I'd recommended...I made do with my M&S sandwich and a Bakewell tart, then headed for the Hung Drawn & Quartered for a swift half...but on arrival found my phone, and thus my ability to pay for anything, had died. I hung around briefly to see if any other cast members showed up, then gave up and headed for home, walking up through the city to join the tube system at Liverpool Street. Got home around 2145. Listened to the Ladies singles final on playback...the Polish qualifier was easily beaten by a dominant Meera Andreeva, who lifted her first Grand Slam trophy at the age of nineteen. Briefly FaceTimed Aki...they had enjoyed a gala dinner this evening, ahead of the final morning's rowing tomorrow.

Friday 5th June 2026

Woke around 0630, but managed to nod back off. Woke again around 0745...got up and brought tea back to bed. Rose around 0900 and porridged. Spent another hour or so hand rolling pici...finally used up all the dough! Pottering about, I discovered a 3m long damp patch in the spare bedroom, atop the external wall, and on the ceiling! Great...just one thing after another!!! Early lunch. Listened to Zverev v Mensik in the first of the Men's singles semi-finals from Roland Garros. Did some exercises. Heated up a lamb moussaka for dinner, with lots of vegetables, before heading off to Stoke Newington on public transport. Got to the theatre in good time. Four or five people missing from this evening's run! But it went reasonably well, and we adjourned around 2115...made my way home. Got on a diverted bus, which seemed to go round in a big circle back toward Stoke Newington...got off and caught a bus from Green Lanes, changing at Manor House. FaceTimed Aki in her hotel room. They'd enjoyed today, but tomorrow's trip is under threat, as it's due to rain all day. Watched a bit of telly before retiring for the night...

Thursday 4th June 2026

Woke around 0530. Got up at 0615 and pottered about for a bit. Back actually not too bad, so don't know why I woke so early...seems to be becoming a bit of a thing! Climbed back into bed and sat up for awhile before eventually nodding off. Aki up by the time I awoke again at 0915. Got up and porridged. Did a bit of pruning of the wisteria out front before the rain started, then drove Aki up to Muswell Hill to hook up with her rowing pals...Shelley is driving her and Vicky up to Wroxham for their jolly on the Norfolk Broads. Drove back down to Holloway and dumped some stuff at the tip, then popped in to Waitrose to get provisions. Pizza for lunch, with torchon ham and salad. Listened to the Ladies Singles semi-final from Roland Garros...the Ukrainian Kostyuk v the Russian Andreeva. The match never quite took off as I'd anticipated, the Russian winning comfortably in two sets. The second semi-final between a Polish qualifier, and another Russian, was far more interesting...the qualifier had pocketed a long first set by the time I had to leave for Stoke Newington. Took a bus to Stamford Hill and walked down to Stoke Newington from there, it having stopped raining. This evening's rehearsal was treated as a dress, with a couple of invitees in the audience. Paul's Cromwell coming on a treat, but Tim's Gardiner still all over the shop...and Geoff's Kingston inaudible. It's going to prove a mixed experience for the paying punters on Saturday! I repaired next door to The Axe for a well-earned half of London Black before heading home...Aki sent photos of her base for the next three nights...Sprowston Manor...looks impressive!

Wednesday 3rd June 2026

Woke around 0430, and took a while to get back to sleep. Fitful night from there on in. Aki got up about 0830...I brought tea back to bed before rising around 1000. Porridged. Made, or rather tried, to roll my pici dough, but it was too brittle. Spent an hour or so getting virtually nowhere...lesson learned...buy dried pasta from the supermarket! Aki popped out to Waitrose for bread and leaf salad ahead of lunch. Another wet day out there! I put lunch together. Did some exercises. Tried mixing the chestnut flour dough with a white flour mix in a bid to save the day. Looked and felt better...left it to rest until tomorrow. Early dinner...warmed up Aki's chicken traybake, and added mashed potato. Kevin and Laurence from No.93 knocked us up at 1800, and we all headed off to Kennington to see a play at The White Bear...hadn't seen anything there for about 25 years! What attracted me on this occasion was the fact that the play has been directed by Simon Usher, an old favourite of mine. Partook of some exciting workshops he ran back in the mid 1980s. Got to the venue in good time to sit and have a beer before the show. The play was called "The Name", by a popular Norwegian playwright, John Fosse...it all took place in a living-room, and followed the relationships of family and lovers unable to communicate properly with each other...put across by the spare, absurdist dialogue...it was slight, but very good...John Fosse had evidently been reading his Ionesco. Aki and Laurence delighted in the lines "You never listen to me", repeatedly delivered by the young pregnant girl to her evidently disinterested boyfriend...both Kevin, and I, got the hard stare!

Tuesday 2nd June 2026

Woke around 0430 with numb forearms and hands...a condition I occasionally find myself in of a night, but usually only in one arm, which I've always assumed has been lain upon...obviously not the case this time! Woke again around 0730 with back ache. Sat up and doom-scrolled for a bit. Rose at 0915. Porridged. Raining heavily outside...forecast is for more of the same. Did some exercises. Read through my scenes in "The Mirror & The Light". Vacuumed. Put lunch together once Aki had returned from tai chi. Pottered about doing nothing very much in the afternoon as the occasional thunder storm rolled in. Aki spent most of her afternoon packing ahead of Thursday's rowing trip to the Norfolk Broads. Aki cooked a chicken risotto for dinner. Watched "The Blues Brothers" on the iPlayer...a cult movie of the 80s...what a load of codswallop! I enjoyed the cameos from the likes of James Brown, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin, but the film was complete and utter nonsense. Glad I didn't pay to see it when it came out!!!