Friday 30th April 2021

 

Aki up early this morning as she was planning to head for the rowing club. When she went to get her bike out of the bike shed, she noticed that some homeless person had taken a huge dump on our footpath. She shot off on her bike, and I decided to ignore it for a while and do some work, while I thought how best to tackle the problem...I was going to ask the neighbour if I could borrow their power hose. About half an hour later, I heard a noise outside, and found John and Danny from Islington Council hosing it all down for us! It transpires they had made a regular inspection of the alleyway beside the church next door, where this seems to be a regular problem, and they had noticed the delivery on our doorstep...so as if by magic, they made my problem disappear! Heroes!!! Back on the road this afternoon to mop up the external inspections on the Hightown job...drove to Taplow, up to the Chalfonts, Maple Cross, Chesham, and Berkhamsted. Back home by 1815. Aki fried up some cod for dinner. Watched The Mauritanian. Good performance from Tahar Rahim, last seen as the serial killer in The Serpent. Jodie Foster looking old...remember her in Bugsy Malone, for God's sake! 

Thursday 29th April 2021

On the road again...drove up to Luton, then on to a favourite stop, Toddington Service station, where I bought some odds and ends in M&S, and a coffee. Nice day for driving, though there were a few spots of rain, but nothing of note. Travelled on to Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, Buckingham, and Haddenham, a little village to the south-west of Aylesbury, where I had my lunch parked on the village green. Popped into the VW dealership in Aylesbury to look at a Golf SV with 7,000 miles on the clock. Rear passenger door damaged, so goes into the bodyshop next week...I paid a deposit to prevent it being sold in the meantime, and will return once the work's been done to test drive it. Feels very comfortable sat in the driving seat, and there's a sense of spaciousness, it being a trifle higher than the Golf. I liked it. I think it's the next car!!! Drove home via Pitstone and Tring, getting back around 1830. Mapo for dinner, followed by a little telly before bath and bed.

Wednesday 28th April 2021

Aki very slow to rouse herself this morning...said she felt under the weather, and stayed in bed. I stayed home and spent the morning in front of the computer screen. Late lunch, then sat about not doing very much...started early afternoon. Read a bit, and did some browsing for used VWs on the internet, planning to call in at a couple of showrooms tomorrow afternoon. Chicken curry for dinner, with dahl on the side. Nowt on telly. I noticed on FaceBook that Lucy Moffatt had made a donation to a Norwegian charity raising funds to help India in a time of great need...I followed suit, trusting that she'd have done her research and that the organisation was kosher. Terrible pictures on the BBC News this evening...fast going from bad to worse!

Tuesday 27th April 2021

 

Weird dream sequence last night. Went to a rock concert with Ray at Tottenham Stadium. Got up to our seats, but we were very early, so went back down again...Ray went for a drive in his car, while I walked around a village green looking into pub windows. The village green was paved over with an intricate maze of interlocking steps, and I found myself jumping off the higher ones, just for fun. Found myself in somebody's empty house, but was surprised by the return of the owner's son, and he walked me back to the stadium, where I climbed back up towards my seat, with Lou...don't know where she appeared from! Got halfway up the stairwell, and asked the sound guys if we could take a short cut through their 'studio', and one of them waved us through, saying it would lead to his sister's house, who was throwing a house party! Got up and downed a pint of tea before setting off on the road. Drove up the M11 to Birchanger Green Services and bought some biscuits, then on to Stevenage, and Welwyn, where I popped in on me old Countrywide boss and got a tour of the shed at the bottom of his garden where he now works for Savills! Then on to St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, and Watford. Had my lunch in the car on a housing estate in Frogmore, to the south of St Albans. Got home about 1830. Aki served up baked salmon for dinner, followed by pear crumble and custard. Nowt on the telly tonight. Bath and bed...

Monday 26th April 2021

Aki up early to call her mum. I struggled to rouse myself this morning...funny taste in my mouth! Hope I'm not coming down with a dose of the covids!!! Spent most of the morning trying to sort out the complete mess that is our energy switch...approached Octopus Energy, having had an email from Peoples Energy saying they had cancelled our account! What a bunch of amateurs!!! Also tried to make contact with Leasehold Law LLP to see if they could take on our freehold enfranchisement, but their phone no. merely lead to a full voicemail inbox, so I emailed them instead. I await a reply. Popped out to Tesco for some milk. Came home and started making a pear crumble, only to find we'd run out of butter...had to go back to Tesco! Aki cooked a mapo for dinner. Very tasty... Boris under fire for reportedly saying he'd rather see bodies pile up in the streets than declare a second lockdown...hopefully his party will soon give him the boot! 

Sunday 25th April 2021

Aki up early as she was heading off for rowing club. Not as nice a day as yesterday...bit cold out in the wind. I called Katrina to see if she had a contact from her leasehold enfranchisement, and she recommended I speak to Lesley, as she had bought her freehold more recently. Gave Lesley a bell...she used a specialist company based in Croydon. Nipped out to the cake stall outside No.104...the kids there are raising funds for Earth Day...Gareth had offered a cup of tea and some cake in his back garden at No.120...bumped into Ben and Gayu, and Carlos and Jane, and had a wee chat in the street before they disappeared in to Gareth's. I had arranged a zoom chat with Eddy, so brought my cake back for that...he looks well, and we did a bit of reminiscing. He revealed that the cottage they've been doing up is in Brittany, in a hamlet called Branzar. May be we'll get to call in one day! FaceTimed ma and pa....Kath there having her lunch. Aki had lunch at the rowing club...the sun had come out by then! I started learning Loving Cup on the guitar...nearly halfway through Exile now! Pasta and ragu for dinner. Watched the final episode of Homeland...nicely crafted ending to a long running series. Clever stuff. 

Saturday 24th April 2021

 

Slow start this morning...feeling unusually weary. Aki shoved me out of bed, and I made croque madame for breakfast. The sun was out again today, so we took a walk up Highgate Hill for a coffee in Waterlow Park, before heading back down the hill to M&S, and we bought some chicken thighs from the new halal butchers' on Holloway Road. Lounged about doing nothing very much this afternoon. Aki cooked a chicken ginger curry with a dahl on the side. Watched new Japanese movie "True Mothers" this evening...OK, bit long, but nicely shot and an engaging story detailing the travails of a childless couple, and the young woman forced to give up her baby for adoption. Bath and bed...