Saturday 28th March 2026

Alarm at 0730. Fitful night's sleep, but not too bad. Woke at 0330, but got back to sleep after half-an-hour. Calf muscle in my left leg went into spasm on waking! Desperately need a rest! Got up and made tea. Porridged in my room. Aki FaceTimed from a hotel room in Nagano...she and Naoya had driven up with his father's ashes...Buddhist ceremony tomorrow at the graveyard family plot. Drove in to Basford for a 0930 start. Ran Act I at 1100...ran into immediate problems with the head mics, which demanded a computer reset. Run went pretty well thereafter, I thought, though there were some hiccups along the way. Broke at 1330. I cooked my chicken and mushroom pie in the oven and ate in the atrium. Drove back to Bakewell Street. My shirt had been delivered by Toast...but it's way too big, so will have to be sent back...what a palaver! Drove into Hanley and dropped the shirt off at the Post Office in the Potteries Centre, then had a wander around the city centre...very depressing! What a hole!!! Bought a microwaveable heat mask for my eye in Boots, and one for my neck in Superdrug, then wandered down to take a look at Little Dumpling King, a highly recommended eatery...looks worth a visit. Paid homage at the feet of Sir Stanley Matthews in the city centre, then drove back to Bakewell Street. Feel so tired...as if I've been run over by a steamroller! Pottered about for a bit, then drove to Hartshill for dinner at Kismet...but they were busy, and couldn't fit me in...so I ordered a takeaway, and had a swift half in the Old House At Home. Ate my dinner in the morning room at Bakewell Street, watching the last two episodes of series 2 of Trying...got a bit soppy, but lots of quirky comedy still to be had...delicious!