Sunday 24th May 2026

Woke around 0600 with back ache. Managed to doze, fitfully, until rising at 0815. Made a sandwich to take for lunch, and heated up some lentil soup. Made breakfast bowls. Headed for Stoke Newington in the car...roads very quiet, but noticed queues of Arsenal supporters outside the pubs near Finsbury Park, preparing to find a place to watch the final game of the season at Crystal Palace, where they will be presented with the trophy. Parked up in Alkham Road, and bought a coffee at Abney Park cafe before gravitating toward the theatre...first read through of "The Mirror & The Light"...went OK, though I was surprised that many people had evidently not read the script in preparation. 

The girl playing Lady Rochford is very good, but thought the casting of Ekaterina as both Princess Mary, and Anne of Cleves, very odd...her heavy Slavic accent works a treat for the latter, but not the former...they both sound exactly the same! Broke early as the director decided he'd have to head home and spend time excising the script, as it's too long for our performance slot. I headed up Church Street to buy a sausage roll at Gail's, and found a bench in Abney Park Cemetery and ate my packed lunch. Walked up to Peggy's ice cream stall, and sat in Clissold Park to eat my dessert, before heading back to the car, and home. Aki and I headed into town before full time, anticipating the pubs would be emptying of hordes of pissed Gooners...got to Victoria early, and found a bar in Belgravia where we could sit out and enjoy an Aperol spritz. Met up with Jim in Oliveto for some dinner. He was still beaming after watching Hull City beat Middlesbrough yesterday at Wembley. It seems he's keen to follow up his experience electioneering for The Greens earlier in the month, and is now planning to help co-ordinate another's campaign in his constituency. Barney looks set to appear on Later With Jools... soon, playing percussion for Jessie Ware, and MRCY are being lined up for a future series. Great stuff!