Thursday 5th December 2024

Aki up early to ready herself for a trip to the hairdresser on Essex Road. I took tea in bed before rousing myself and porridging. Read some Dickens. Made lunch. Grey, damp and drizzly outside. I braved the elements, and walked to Singhsbury's to drop off a return, then down to Waitrose to buy some bits and pieces. Walked on down the Holloway Road to Egerton's Pharmacy to book an appointment with their ear wax removal expert for next week. They took a £20 deposit. Walked back in the rain. Cooked pork fillet for dinner, using the last of the peanut butter sauce I'd made last weekend; we ate it with spelt and pak choi. Rehearsed our Xmas ukulele routine before watching episode 4 of "The Mirror & the Light". Early bath, and bed...

Wednesday 4th December 2024

Aki up early to ready herself for Rowing Club. I dozed on for a bit. Got up and porridged. Walked down to Hornsey Street for an 1100 appointment with the podiatrist. They gave me new insoles, recommending I change them every 12 months...I've been wearing these for about 6 years! They also recommended I get some road running shoes with good arch supports. Walked on down to Highbury Corner to buy some focaccia, and then home via Waitrose. 

Aki having soup at the cafe next to the Club, so I lunched alone before Aki got back. Cooked a chicken cacciatore for dinner. Fed Jane and Carlos from No.36, who came over to eat with us before we ventured over to the National Youth Theatre on Holloway Road. Saw their production of "Twelfth Night". The production took place in a large square rehearsal room to the rear of the building, which had had raked seating put in for the occassion. Half the seats were reserved...we assumed for a sizeable school party, but were staggered to see HRH Prince Edward and a cohort of courtesans troop in before the play got under way...I was sat two seats away, albeit on the other side of the aisle. I assume he is a patron of the NYT. The production was exuberant and fun, with a cast of 18 youths...the chap playing Aguecheek, and the girl playing Olivia, were exceptional, and will no doubt pick up agency representation from this run. Malvolia had an added line referring to Kate Middleton, which raised a hearty laugh from the bleachers! We all enjoyed it very much. Walked home before HRH left the building, but saw his police outriders amassing at the stage door. 

Tuesday 3rd December 2024

 

Woke to alarm at 0800, after a fitful night's sleep. I got up and descended to make myself a cuppa tea, and some porridge, Jenny having left out some oats and various toppings. Sean appeared, and we sat and chatted about his theatrical prospects...he complained that there is a lot less work about these days, as theatre's have slashed budgets. He's hoping to play Claudius in a forthcoming production of "Hamlet" at Stafford next year, though. I said we'd try and get up to see him in it. I packed my overnight bag, and said my goodbyes. Walked down to the station in the crisp, frosty air, to catch the 0953 back to London. Sat and had a coffee on the platform, as my train was delayed by almost half-an-hour. Got to Euston eventually, having spent most of the journey dozing off in my seat. Caught a No.253 bus home from outside Euston station. Aki getting lunch prepared when I got in. Pottered about in the afternoon; had to pop out to pick up a delivery from a local store. Aki cooked haddock for dinner, with sweet potato fries. Very tasty! Had an early, much needed bath. Aki on a zoom call with her JCUK pals, rehearsing a short festive sketch for performance at their Xmas gathering.

Monday 2nd December 2024

Woke around 0330 to find that my mattress had leaked, and I was now sleeping on the floor! Had to get up and pump the thing back up again. When I woke at 0800, it had gone down again, so I got up and found James and Anne in the kitchen...they made some tea, and peanut butter on toast for breakfast. Sat about listening to various oddities from James's endless collection of recorded music. Beth returned from her early morning shift. James drove us down to the railway station at 1115, and we awaited the arrival of Charlotte West-Oram...she'd come up on the train from Derby. James drove us into Newcastle and we found a cafe where we had coffee and a catch-up. We got back in the car and headed for Bradwell Crematorium. Found ourselves about half-a-dozen cars behind Albert's hearse as we followed him in to the crematorium. 

By now it was tipping down with rain. Sat next to Maggie Saxon, who was General Manager at the Vic back in my day. Former directors Rob Swain, and Chris Martin were in attendance. Chris's partner, the actress Mary Jo Randle, too, as well as old acting mate Sean O'Callaghan, and the now retired lighting technician, Paul Jones. Chris, now 82, revealed he was being treated for bowel cancer. But he remains as irrepressible as ever!

A simple memorial service was conducted, and we were given Albert's potted history, from activist fighting to keep his job and hundreds of others at the local steelworks, to his meeting theatre director Peter Cheeseman, who documented the fight, turning it into a famed piece of documentary theatre, "The Fight for Shelton Bar"; 

and Albert's subsequent love-affair with the theatre and his efforts to help Cheeseman build the first purpose-built theatre-in-the-round in Europe back in the mid-80s, just before I turned up to be in "Tom Jones". Eddy York, another old actor pal who had been very close to Albert over the decades, failed to get to the crematorium, his train down from Edinburgh being delayed. He managed to make it to the wake, which was held at the Vic...sat about chatting with various old faces, and enjoyed a light lunch and a cuppa tea. People began to disperse around 1700, and Sean and I accompanied Paul Jones round to what used to be the theatre local, The Crown, now re-named The HopInn. Sat and chewed the fat over a couple of beers. Paul revealed he's written a book about travelling players in the 18th Century...we swapped email addresses, and he promised to email me some excerpts. Sean and I walked to Penkhull in the drizzle...we'd intended to stop for a swift beer in the Jolly Potters', but it was shut...apparently the bloke who took it over last month died suddenly last week! We walked on to Sean's at No.37 Westland Street, just around the corner from where I used to live with Kerry. Indeed, I used to baby-sit Sean and Judy's son, Conor, in that very house. Sean's partner, Jenny, greeted us as we gained entry. She'd cooked a chick pea and tomato curry, which she served up with lots of rice. We had a bit of a catch-up at the kitchen table, then strolled round to The Beehive for a beer...it was open mic night, and very loud, but we stuck it out...an evening's free entertainment. Back at No.37 we had ourselves a night-cap, after which I retired for the night. They put me up in Conor's old childhood bedroom, which didn't look as if it had been redecorated these last 35 years! Still, it was a great improvement on last night's digs!

Sunday 1st December 2024

Woke around 0930. Got up to make tea. Aki cooked cheese omelette for brunch. She's struggling with a septic wound on the outside of her right heel...and has to travel to Twickenham today for lunch with Tokiko. It's raining. Waved Aki off then packed a bag and headed for the bus stop…caught a No.91 to Kings Cross, and walked along the canal to Granary Square. Bought some expensive biscuits at the market in the old goods yard, as gifts for my hosts in Stoke. 

Bought a creme brulee doughnut, and a chicken bao to eat on the train. Walked to Euston and caught the 1452 to Stoke-on-Trent. Stopping the night with James Earls-Davis, erstwhile sound technician at the New Vic Theatre...he kindly picked me up from the station, and we drove to the ex Council semi he shares with Anne, and their eldest daughter Beth. They bought it 15 years or so ago...it was unmodernised, and remains so! No central heating, and a very basic kitchen, comprising a couple of stainless steel basins with taps. The interiors are dominated by James's huge CD and vinyl collection...like a hoarder's cavern! The spare bedroom is full of guitars, amps and sound equipment, and as Beth is back home, I'll be sleeping on a blow-up mattress on the living-room floor. The place is pretty filthy, there being several cats! We walked round to their local hostelry, The Sanctuary, on Hartshill Road...it was Vinyl Night, so James came tooled up with several LP's. We sat and chatted, though my left ear is still blocked, which made conversation a little fraught at times. We left the hostelry at around 1930 and headed back to the house for a generous bowl of vegetable curry with paneer. Tasty enough. At 2215 or thereabouts, the blow-up mattress appeared, and everyone retired to bed...

Saturday 30th November 2024

 

Woke around 0845. Got up and made tea. Aki cycled off to Yerbury Farmer’s Market to buy bread. I cooked brunch when she got back. Popped out in search of a Santa beard…walked past the scene of the fire earlier in the week…the kebab shop totally devastated. Walked on down to the Party shop on Holloway Road and bought a beard…walked home via Peacocks, where I bought a cheap T-shirt with a reindeer in sunglasses on the front. Drove over to Stoke Newington in good time. 

Sharing Santa duties with a chap named Kevin, a local schoolteacher…he wanted to do the 1300-1430 shift, so I dressed as an elf and worked the queue outside Santa’s grotto, ukulele in hand, occasionally singing snatches of I’m Dreaming of a White Xmas. The kids were brought in on timed slots that their parents had booked. I took over from Kevin around 1430 as planned, and took my seat in my grotto. The kids were ushered in with their parent or grandparents, and dealt with as quickly as possible...1 minute allowed per child! All went well...a couple of kids turned up with a letter to Santa detailing their wishes...very sweet. Finished at about 1615. Tidied up, got changed, and headed back to the car. Got home around 1730. Aki cooked an aubergine parmigiana lasagne...I had to pop out to get her some mozzarella. Bumped into Andrew from No.49 outside...he was waiting to gain entry to the church hall...I'd forgotten we had a meeting to look over the facilities ahead of this year's Xmas bash. So I had to run round to Tesco, get the cheese, and leave it with Aki, before I was able to join Andrew, and Becky from No.5, in the church hall...Tom had kindly shown up to show us the ropes. Looks great...plenty of room, plus kitchen facilities if needed. Nowt on telly this evening, so we rehearsed our ukulele Xmas numbers before The Ten, and a bit of MOTD.

Friday 29th November 2024

Aki up at 0830 to ready herself for a site meeting at Kearsey and Kieran's. I got up and porridged. Saw Aki off on her bike. Nice sunny day. Did some boring stuff...need to agree to the Buildings Insurance renewal quote with Lynne upstairs, so ploughed through the documentation, or as much of it as I could bear to plough through! Lynne reports that rain is coming in upstairs again! Aki home in time for lunch. We walked to Stoke Newington mid-afternoon...Aki on the lookout for clothes for me to buy her for Xmas. We stuck our heads in at numerous stores on Church Street, but aside from an olive green beret, we didn't find anything. We parted company at the bus stop, and I walked on to Bee's for a quick rehearsal, before ambling down to the Tower Theatre to try on the Santa costume ahead of tomorrow's shift in Santa's Grotto. It was pretty poor...cheap, and nasty, and not very convincing. They've turned the little Meeting Room into a Grotto...looks quite good. Sarah said almost 200 kids had booked an audience for tomorrow afternoon!!! I got a No.106 bus back to Finsbury Park, and walked home...Aki warmed up the chicken and peanut stew, which we ate with rice and vegetables...very tasty. Watched "The Mirror & The Light", followed by some of The Graham Norton Show, featuring a be-wigged Cher!