Wednesday 31st May 2023

Alarm at 0700...Aki got up to get ready to head for a meeting in Camden. I got up around 0830 and porridged. Worked at the computer for the morning. Broke for lunch when Aki got back from Camden Town. Headed for Tottenham after lunch, driving on to Hornsey, and over to Harlesden. Ended in Willesden, stopping at Gail's in Willesden Green for a coffee and a sausage roll, before driving home. Got in around 1700. Aki warmed up the pea and basil soup as a starter, followed by the lasagne I'd made a couple of days ago, and a slice of the Victoria sponge cake that Brett had made for last night's party. Watched MasterChef...it's The Final tomorrow. Shane Meadows' "Gallows Pole", set in 1760s West Yorkshire, was suitably earthy, though the script was a bit turgid. 

Tuesday 30th May 2023

Alarm at 0730. Got up and made tea, and did a bit of work at the computer. Porridged. Warmed up some pea and basil soup to take for a packed lunch. Headed out west to Hanwell, Southall, and up to Northolt, before heading for Wembley. Ate my lunch in the car outside Daltrey House next door to Harrow and Wealdstone station, and named for Roger Daltrey of The Who, who used to play at the Station Hotel back in the 60s. The other three blocks of flats are named Townshend House, Entwistle House, and Moon House. Drove on to Stanmore, then back down to Kingsbury, Harlesden, and Willesden, before heading for home. We went round to Brett's at No.7 at 1815 to await the arrival of Rebecca and Sush. Kathleen and Andrew from No.49 were already there. Rebecca arrived with one of Sushi's nieces, Sush having had to go and pick up Rebecca's mum and dad from the Travelodge in Finsbury Park. 

Other neighbours then drifted in. Duncan from

No.9, who was feeling a bit rough after a heavy night, Daniel and Kate from No.86, with their three kids in tow, Dave and Lou from No.17, Sechs and Julia from No.29, and Margaret from next door, among others. My cake went down surprisingly well. Enjoyed a chat and a couple of glasses of prosecco, before we managed to sidle out to eat our dinner back home. Aki had cooked a mapo. Watched MasterChef before Aki opted for an early night, as she has to leave early tomorrow morning for a meeting. 

Monday 29th May 2023

Alarm at 0800. Aki got up to ready herself for Rowing Club. I got up and porridged. Listened to R4 coming from the Hay Book Festival, with the delightful Barbara Kingsolver talking about how Charles Dickens influenced her latest novel, "Demon Copperhead", and Michael Rosen about re-writing MacBeth for youngsters. Aki cycled off for Stoke Newington. I did some exercises. Simona texted me to say the chap playing Captain Cat in the up-coming Tower production of "Under Milkwood" had dropped out....could I step in? It opens in 9 days! Tempted, but my voice hasn't recovered from the One Hundred Day Cough, and I've too much work on to spare the energy, sadly...would have loved to be involved. Took a walk up Highgate Hill and bought a coffee at Gail's, which I drank on a bench in Waterlow Park. Read a bit of "A Golden Age", then walked back down the hill, stopping off at M&S on the way to get some odds and ends. Got home and made some lunch...Aki came home shortly afterward, having eaten at the cafe next door to the Rowing Club. I made a gluten free chocolate cake for tomorrow evening's get together to mark the forthcoming marriage of Sush and Rebecca...I wanted to do Nigella's chocolate Guinness cake, but remembered Rebecca is gluten intolerant, so went to Waitrose and found a gluten free chocolate cake mix, and a can of gluten free beer in the Indie Beer shop on Holloway Road. Busy evening making the cake and icing it, cooking an aubergine parmigiana lasagne for dinner, and making a pea and basil soup. 

Sunday 28th May 2023

Another late start. We eventually rose, and Aki cooked brunch. Ma and pa FaceTimed us from 12 High View for a quick catch-up. Dad was about to plant his beans! We ventured out to take advantage of the afternoon sun...took a tube to Embankment, and crossed Hungerford footbridge for a coffee in the foyer of the SBC. Wandered slowly eastward beside the Thames...a lot of people about. Took a detour to Tate Modern and had a brief gander at the modern art collection on Level 4...Roy Leictenstein's "Whaam!" particularly drew our attention.

As we walked back over the Millennium Bridge toward St Paul's we ran into the Women's Ride London cycle race as the peleton sped down Queen Victoria Street. Took a tube back to Cally Road, and a No.17 bus to Nag's Head. I cooked Lahore chicken for dinner, using the yoghurt whey I'd strained in the fridge overnight to make a creamy cashew nut sauce with dried fenugreek leaves and melted butter...it was delicious! Raspberry spoom and chocolate brownie for afters, with double cream and pomegranite seeds. Watched a bit of telly before bath and bed...

Saturday 27th May 2023

It was gone 0900 by the time we got up. Made ourselves a late breakfast, then walked up to the Farmer's Market beneath a cloudless sky. Bought a sourdough from our Italian baker, and had a chat with the Farm Shop owner we'd met yesterday...he's a tall, gangling young man with a faint whiff of public school privilege, but very friendly...his name is Edmund. Walked back down to Sainsburys on Holloway Road and bought some odds and ends. Made salad Nicoise for dinner before wandering up to meet Kevin and Laurence from No.93. I drove us all to the Tower Theatre. Had a quick drink in the bar before going in to see their production of "Richard III", set in Boris Johnson's cabinet...so Richard Duke of Gloucester wore a fluffy blonde wig (more reminiscent of Michael Fabricant than Boris!), and the conniving Duke of Buckingham was dressed in Dominic Cummings' Oxbridge scarf and denims. I had no problem with the concept, but regrettably the delivery of the Shakespeare was on the whole appallingly bad! Only got about half of what came out of Richard's mouth, and Kornelia, playing Queen Margaret (and the director of the production) should really not be allowed near a stage! Fortunately it was heavily cut and we were home by 2200...

Friday 26th May 2023

Woke around 0600. Had trouble getting back off to sleep, as my hernia repair was giving me gip, so I got up and made myself a mug of tea, and started work at the computer. Aki woke to alarm at 0730 and I took her some tea...she's looking a bit perkier than yesterday. Worked until lunch break. Finished off the gnocchi and mushroom sauce that was in the fridge, with a bit of soup and some salad. Sun was shining, so we walked up to Fairbridge Road with some finishing samples to hand over to Helen and Martin, then walked back down the hill via the Farm Shop on Holloway Road. 

Had a coffee in the Green Room cafe, sat out

back in the sunshine, and bought half-a-dozen eggs from the chatty fellow at the Farm Shop...turns out he runs the Farmer's Market at Yerbury School. Walked over to Finsbury Park at 1800 to meet Katrina in Osteria Tufo. The singing waiter was on duty, and kept coming out with snippets of Tina Turner songs. Enjoyed a burrata starter with grilled tomatoes, and nduja toast, followed by boscaiola...very tasty. Walked round to the Park Theatre...we were in the Studio to see Philip Ridley's "Leaves of Glass". Katrina hadn't come across his work, nor been to the Park Theatre. 

Thursday 25th May 2023

Alarm at 0730. Aki feeling a bit rough, so I got up and made her tea. Porridged. Did an hour or so at the computer. Warmed up some soup to take for lunch, then set off for Shepherd's Bush. Traffic very heavy, but got there by 1100, and met up with Zeke, another rookie who I had been asked to accompany on external inspections. Found him in what I'd taken to be a cafe, where I'd arranged to pick him up, but turned out to be an ice cream parlour, so we decamped to a Costa a few yards away. He told me he'd recently completed an Estate Management course at Westminster University, but had been groomed for a career as a pro footballer....on the books as a youngster at Spurs, and then at Brighton, but things hadn't worked out, and he'd sought an alternative career path, having left school at 16. Long day in the car. Took us down to Fulham, Brentford, then to Hampton, before doubling back to Hounslow, and ending up in Northolt, where I put him on a train back into London. I mopped up the final postcode stop in Harlesden, on the busy North Circular, then headed for home via Waitrose. Got home around 1800. Aki had warmed up the fish curry, which we ate with rice, spicy vegetables, and chapati. Watched a bit of telly...entertaining episode of MasterChef which saw the final five cooking with a whacky experimental chef, at the Crick Institute...some extraordinary invention on display. Aki retired to bed early...still nursing a sore throat.