Saturday 13th November 2021

Woke around 0830. Aki got up and brought tea back to bed. I made Turkish eggs for breakfast, with avocado on toast on the side. Rather grey day. Decided we needed to visit the fish shop, so walked to Essex Road for the exercise. Stopped off at a patisserie on Upper Street on the way back home...I had custard flan, while Aki had a fruit Bakewell. Bumped into the fella who runs Aki's favourite clothes shop and had a quick chat about the state of the fashion market...he's moving his concern to Soho in the new year. Ordered a new iPhone mini 12 over the interweb. Aki cooked teriyaki salmon for dinner...I've missed her cooking! Too tired to do much...watched Outlaws with Stephen Merchant, and the great Christopher Walken, looking very incongruous on an Avon omnibus. Looks promising. Bath and bed.

Friday 12th November 2021

 

Woke around 0715. Made a mug of tea, then sat at the computer for a couple of hours. Ran some errands, did some vacuuming and tidying up, then set out for west London to do some inspections in Ealing, Southall, and Hounslow, the intention being to strike out from there to pick Aki up from Terminal 2 around 1700. Ate my lunch in the car in Southall. Aki texted me to say her flight was due in an hour earlier than forecast, so I finished up with a couple of stops in Hounslow East before heading for Terminal 2. Managed to find each-other on Level 1 of the multi-storey car park. Great to see her jumping up and down waving at me from outside the lifts. Had to pay £5 for the privilege of using the pick up point...I suppose they need the money after the two years the travel industry has endured! Long journey back home...traffic jams at almost every major junction...took about 20 minutes just to drive up Horn Lane. Camden Parkway even more of a crawl than usual due to road works at the Camden Road end. Got home at last around 1845. Aki unpacked while I made her a welcome home dinner...confit of duck, with mash, and pureed carrot; followed by the last of the pear cobbler. Watched a bit of telly...Aki nodding off on the sofa. Early bath and bed after a long day!

Thursday 11th November 2021

Woke around 0830 after a better night's sleep. Had a brief call from Aki who has finished packing, and is looking forward to flying home tomorrow. Spent the day at the computer writing up inspection notes for what I'd spent the previous three days looking at. Aki called again after she'd had her dinner...she'd taken Nobby out to the little tempura restaurant round the corner. Warmed up a portion of chicken tikka masala for dinner, with rice, dahl, and pitta bread. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed.

Wednesday 10th November 2021

Aki called at 0745, waking me up. Hadn't had a great night's sleep, as the mattress was a bit too firm. Got up and made tea, and jumped in the shower. Had a buffet breakfast before packing my stuff in the boot of the car and heading off to Chatham to complete the inspections. Finished by 1300 and headed for home, stopping off at IKEA for a meatball lunch, complete with Swedish flag! Wandered through the market hall intending to pick up some batteries, but they don't appear to sell them anymore, only re-chargeables. Got home around 1530. Worked at the computer till 1815, then cooked a gnocchi bake with peas, broccoli, and tomatoes in a cheesey sauce. James Earls-Davis, the sound man from the New Vic in Stoke, had sent me four CD's...instrumental pieces he's been working on over the lockdown periods. Enjoyed listening to them whilst reading a bit of Hilary before bath and bed.

Tuesday 9th November 2021

Alarm at 0700. As there is no room at the Ship & Trades tonight, and couldn't get in at my other haunt at Bridgewood Manor, I thought I'd try and get an early start in the hope that I could finish inspections by dusk, then drive home. Had breakfast of poached egg and avocado on sourdough, with a chipotle mayo...can't say I enjoyed the chipotle mayo...it's a rather unseemly addition to a breakfast dish! On the road by 0845 and headed for Gillingham, then on to Rainham, before driving southward to Waldeslade and Hempstead. Stopped at Hempstead shopping centre where I bought lunch at Costa, and ate it in the multi-storey car park. By the time it began to get dark, around 1630, it was clear that I wasn't going to get finished by nightfall...managed to get hold of someone at Holiday Inn, and booked a room for tonight. Oddly, the booking was made by a fellow in the US...he kept saying "awesome" every other sentence! It seems Holiday Inns are run by an American company called IHG. Fortunately he booked me in to the Rochester, Kent, hotel rather than the Rochester, New York State accommodation. Drove back to the Ship & Trades for fish and chips and mushy peas from the fish and chip shop there, and sat and ate in the car, overlooking the marina. 

Monday 8th November 2021

Woke at 0600 for some reason. Dry mouth, and a bit of a cough. Oximeter reading good, but did a Lateral Flow Test just in case. Came out negative, so good to go. Set off around 0900 and headed toward the Blackwall Tunnel. Stopped for petrol in Greenwich, then headed on down the A2 to Strood. Stopped off at M&S and picked up a coffee. Inspections in Strood, Hoo, and Rochester. Had my lunch in the car park at Morrisons in Strood. Ended the working day in Chatham, and then headed for the Ship & Trades hotel, on the marina at St Mary's Island. No wi-fi available, apparently because of a fire they had had last week. Could still smell it as I made my way upstairs to my room. Had dinner in the restaurant...ribeye steak and sauteed potatoes. Took Hilary's enormous tome with me, which got the waitress interested. She said she was researching her family tree, but was unable to tell me whether she was related to Thomas Cromwell. 

Sunday 7th November 2021

Got up around 0930. Made tea and went back to bed with Hilary for a bit. Got up and cooked breakfast. Didn't get up to much today...reading, listening to music, playing guitar. Aki called from Mr Shimizu's. She was just going to bed. She had accompanied the family dog on her evening walk earlier...turns out they have a Bedlington Terrier...I told Aki that Bedlington is very near Morpeth! FaceTimed ma and pa, who seemed on good form...dad has been writing to the local press complaining about the state of the river bank in the village, and drafting an objection to the local Council about plans to convert the old village police station into yet another restaurant...how many restaurants can a village sustain!? Spoke to Kath. Jim had gone up to his room, having been drinking most of the day. He had apparently planned to have a couple of dry weeks, but doesn't seem to have gotten started yet. I finished up the mushroom and tofu rendang for dinner, with plenty of vegetables, and some rice. Very tasty...I shall be doing that recipe again, for sure. Listened to West Ham as they beat Liverpool 3-2...they are on a great run at the moment...Tony will be pleased! Fell asleep on the sofa, so decided I ought to have an early bath and get to bed. Aki texted me to say she had been woken up at 0430 by an earthquake...seem to be lots of minor quakes happening all over Japan at present...some fear this presages a Big One!!! Scary! She's heading back to the flat in Chiba later today.