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...