Wednesday 26th August 2026

 

Woke around 0600 with roof fret! Dozed fitfully until alarm at 0800. Got up and descended to make tea. Breakfasted alone at the dining table. Ma and pa eventually showed up. I drove down to The Broadway for a 1000 appointment with the NBS...picked up a coffee from Elkwater on the way. I was in NBS for over half-an-hour, but got forms for both ma and pa signed...Kath needs to sign too, so will have to send her down when she gets back from Scandinavia. Picked up some milk from the Co-op and headed back to High View. Heated up some lentil soup for an early lunch, then drove ma and pa to Brokenfield for a funerary service at the Northumberland Woodland Burial Ground, a few miles north of Morpeth. Nice building, and classy humanist service...but not many people in attendance...maybe 15 of us altogether. I didn't know the deceased, nor her two sons, though mum and dad vaguely knew them, since they moved in two doors down back in 1978. Dad couldn't hear a word the 'minister' said, and the air conditioning was cold and loud...it was like sitting in a wind! Had a chat with the Russells from No.11 High View, and David Caldwell, who grew up at No.26 across the road. Drove ma and pa back to High View, they having decided not to attend the wake at Ponteland Golf Club. Sat out in the garden with tea and biscuits instead. Warmed up a readymade lasagne for dinner. Spent the rest of the evening trying to sort out roofers...our preferred roofer for the butterfly roof replacement had left me a message stating that he'd be happy to take cash, thus saving us the VAT element. Spoke to Six about him...he hasn't actually used him yet, but is in the process of finalising a job spec with him...Six says a number of acquaintances have used him and have been satisfied with the quality of the work. Spoke to Aki and Lynne...it throws a spanner in the works...how dodgy does it make the guy? Or do we just say we are happy to pay the VAT...otherwise we'd compromise our right to legal redress should anything go awry! The nightmare continues...