GRUHI continues

Worcester, January 2026

My sojourn at Maternal Manor continues, where I try to make myself useful as well as exploring the locality. I am becoming familiar with a couple of key bus routes - I didn't use the bus much when I lived here as a youth because I'd always be going into London by Tube, and school was close enough to walk (or cycle), and I'd get lifts to most other places. When I did use the bus as a child, I would generally make some mistake and be too shy to ask anyone (often ending up in some bus terminal far from home) or leave something on the bus (most notable was my clarinet). Navigating the buses is now transformed - another thing to thank the Internet for.

My car enjoyed an outing to deliver some stamps and envelopes to one of mum's friends who has connections with Diabetes UK. Would it be a surprise to know that there are still stamps and envelopes lurking in the building? I found some more this week, in an old briefcase in the garage. I do believe these are the last, but wouldn't bet on it. Mum and I unearthed another box from a wardrobe and opened it with trepidation, but it contained old rheumatology journals - I never thought I'd be pleased to see those. This week I also found a large lever arch binder that contained about a hundred photocopied sheets of the engravings on Trajan's columns, each within a plastic wallet. Mum separated the paper from the plastic and now has even more scrap paper and a pile of plastic wallets that her carer took away for her son.

I also took mum to Lidl, which she enjoys, and then on to the municipal recycling centre where we dumped one of the four sacks of rubble that was excavated from the kitchen floor. The dehumidifier continues to extract moisture from below the floor but the low temperatures and the fact that the kitchen isn't actually heated means that it will probably take a long time to dry out. I uncovered the trench so there is more opportunity for evaporation, moved the microwave, and reorganised the kitchen cupboards to minimise the need to go from one end to the other across the trench all of the time. This made me very happy because now the pots and pans are next to the cooker and the plates and bowls are next to the microwave and fridge instead of the other way round.

Along with watching films (on DVD, streaming, at a local cinema and at a cinema a bus ride away), and going to two different Buddhist Centres, one in Highbury and one in Chelmsford, I played badminton with a local club. It has been surprisingly difficult to find a local club. Whenever I have ventured to other parts of the world there are usually two or three that I could try out, but all I could find here were Academies for training young people up to National standard, or courts that you can book in a sports centre, neither of which is suitable for me. Eventually I discovered a club that has a really complicated arrangement for booking a spot on one of four club nights during the week. I went to one of the sessions last Friday and will go again this Friday, but in fact the Saturday and Sunday evenings would be a higher standard that is nearer to mine. I'll have to put off that experiment until next time I stay.

Another social event was a whisky tasting with Lola II and Mr M, where the other guest was a friend of Lola II's who I hadn't seen for 25 years but was still utterly delightful. Due to the nature of the evening I became more drunk than I have been for many years, and I was still feeling not quite sober next morning when I had two Buddhist Zoom calls lined up. Totally worth it, but maybe not to be repeated.

I paid another visit to Lola II and Mr M in order to support Lola II's efforts at tidying and decluttering, where my role is split between police officer (stopping her from getting distracted or running off to do something less unpleasant) and Paper Shredder Operator. [This activity used to rank as second most satisfying after my own GRUHI project, but has been relegated to third behind the behemoth that is Maternal Manor.] During the visit we also started the eBay listing for the disposal of dad's fifteen (count 'em, FIFTEEN) 35mm slide projector carousels, and initiated the insurance claim for the water leak in the kitchen. I anticipate that the latter will be a recurring item in these reports for some time.

The highlight of my stay was a trip to Morrisons. This isn't one of mum's usual shopping spots because her neighbours and friends don't shop there, but I prefer their fruit and veg. So mum came with me, and they offer people the loan of a mobility scooter with a big basket on the front, and mum had a great time going wherever she wanted and taking her time because she wasn't having to stand and walk. And I enjoyed it even more because she was having so much fun.

On my travels I encounter an heirloom

Tomb of King John, Worcester Cathedral, January 2026

I've been trying for a while to post a blog entry every six days. A few things get in the way - making preparations for two trips at once was definitely one of those things. I am currently at Maternal Manor for a two week stay - we both survived one week last time I stayed, so I'm taking that as a win and going for the 'double or quits' option. I exaggerate, there really has been minimal friction so far. After just under two weeks I'll be going skiing without returning home in between, which is why packing was so complicated. At the moment I believe I've only left behind my 'ordinary' gloves (I did remember to bring ski gloves and fingerless mittens), and the power supply to my laptop. This was the more concerning item but I think I'll be able to do everything on mum's PC, which is actually a higher spec machine than mine. Both my laptop and my phone really need to be updated, but the thought of it may put me off for some time yet.

Anyway. I met the second Estate Agent representative, and the cat is very much among the pigeons because he had a very different opinion on both the marketing approach and the price. The difference is so significant that I now need to do my own research - isn't that what Estate Agents are supposed to do for you? - and potentially contact a third company. There are many to choose from in Leamington so it's not a problem, and luckily there's no hurry or deadline.

My tour guide in front of Worcester Guildhall

A very long time ago I attended an auction of delights in aid of the Birmingham Buddhist Centre's fundraising appeal, and I won a guided tour of Worcester. I was hoping to bring a particular friend along, but her health deteriorated significantly so we had to cancel. Then Lola II was going to come with me, but finding a suitable day was quite difficult, and then on the actual date agreed we were on our way when my car broke down. The tour finally took place at the weekend, with just me and my guide. It was cold but didn't rain until the very end, and I enjoyed it a great deal. After my guide left me I went back to the cathedral for a proper look around, but I wouldn't mind going back to Worcester for a proper weekend break.

So down at Maternal Manor for two weeks means a few things. Odd jobs around the house, but also doing more clearing out - it is quite astonishing how much dad managed to accumulate, and mum and I have had a few sessions on the easier stuff (photocopied books, notes for lectures - not difficult to consign to the recycling box). The difficult stuff is dad's personal effects - identity cards, passports, school books, diplomas, drawings. I asked Sister D and Lola II to come round so we could go through it together, and it nearly worked, except Lola II was ill and couldn't be there in person so we stuck her on Zoom while the three of us sifted through everything. It has made a difference, but there is still quite a lot more to do, but luckily no particular urgency at the moment.

Mum and I have been plotting how to get rid of some of the bigger items, some of which may be worth something but mostly not, we thought. Charities will collect saleable furniture for free, and the Council will come and collect three items in any condition, but we've got to get them outside and protected from rain. I think it would probably be worth waiting for better weather, but the first targets are the sofabed with the disintegrated foam mattress, the huge wooden wardrobe that still needs emptying and will have to be dismantled to get it down the stairs, and the oval kitchen table that dad made but forty years on is now not all that stable and surplus to requirements.

There is also a big bookcase that mum thought might be worth 50 or 60 quid - I was sceptical, having had such trouble giving away my bookcase for nothing, but that one was Ikea and this one definitely wasn't. I took a couple of photos and some measurements, and ran it past Lola II and Sister D to see what they thought, and Lola II ran it past ChatGPT. Oh me, oh my, after quite a bit of this and that, it turns out to be a genuine Swedish design classic worth several THOUSAND pounds. Which was, to say the least, a surprise. Mum then mentioned that yes, she had inherited it from someone who had definitely furnished her house in style. So now we have the very welcome task of having to actually sell it, which is quite a lot harder than asking the Council or the British Heart Foundation to come and take it away for nothing.

Visiting and being visited

Lola Towers, January 2026

It's been very cold indeed. Lola II and I forgot that she really shouldn't visit Lola Towers during the winter, so she enjoyed my new heated blanket while also serving as encouragement to my ongoing efforts at shedding surplus stuff. With her help I took down quite a few items from the loft, but the most excellent service she provided was to thread the lace back into the cuff of my Wellington boot, which took a very long time. She also modelled various items that I was offering to particular people, sang songs in the car with me when we were held up on the motorway for an hour, made tea, and was generally in charge of Morale.

I continued to attempt to give away my huge bookcase, with several enquiries leading to nothing, but finally someone who was serious took it away. I was expecting its removal to reveal horrors in the wall behind it but nothing horrific emerged, so that's one bullet dodged. I imagine that many people are not looking to spend much money in January, so I'll be trying to sell the few items of value that I have in February or March.

Trips I have made - one to the north where we ate pizza and congratulated one another on progress made in various aspects of life; one to mum where I feel I was helpful by way of Organising; one to Oxford with Sister D which was quite cold, drizzly, then rainy but the Weston Library was as good as ever and we had lots of time to talk. A more local trip took me to badminton at the height of the snowfall. "This is crazy," I was thinking as I drove at 15mph, slowing down for junctions, trying not to use the brakes and turning corners very carefully. But I needed to play badminton after more than two weeks off, and there wasn't anything like the amount of snow that was forecast, and by the end of the evening it was already sleet and slush.

Cousin M and her son visited from Seattle en route to Spain, and we all met at Maternal Manor and caught up with family history and current goings on, followed by an excellent trip to the Royal Academy of Music in London for a student performance of Trial by Jury. My enlightened music teacher at junior school was quite a character, completely indifferent to the musical limitations of under-11's. He encouraged composition, percussion and harp players (as well as your traditional instruments) and we even had a school orchestra. Together with one of the other teachers he also staged productions of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. I still remember them - Pirates of Penzance was one, and Trial by Jury was another, where I was chosen as understudy for the part of the Usher. It's now FIFTY years later but some of it was spookily familiar. Anyway, I enjoyed it a great deal.

The official process of moving on from Lola Towers has started with a visit from a representative of an Estate Agent. She found the property bigger than she expected, called the garden 'generous' (which it has never been to me), and showed me comparisons with other local properties that she could find. We agreed on the ballpark figure that might be asked, and the next stage will be a similar visit from a second Estate Agent representative.

What I've been reading

Science Fictions: Exposing Fraud, Bias, Negligence and Hype in Science
by Stuart Ritchie

"Bias, careless mistakes and even outright forgery influence everything from austerity economics to the anti-vaccination movement. There are disturbing flaws in today's science that undermine our understanding of the world and threaten human lives."

Very interesting, if a little depressing to think that how many current scientific ideas may be built on sand. He does have some great ideas for how the situation might be improved towards the end of the book, but I'm not sure whether scientists and their publications are actually looking for something to increase the reliability of their results.

Thinking in Numbers: How Maths Illuminates Our Lives
by Daniel Tammet

"In Tammet's world, numbers are beautiful and mathematics illuminates our lives and minds. Using anecdotes and everyday examples, Tammet allows us to share his unique insights and delight in the way numbers, fractions and equations underpin all our lives."

He writes very well, and introduces numbers in a more sophisticated way into lived examples. For example, working through his particular mental process of finding factors of a number - not that I would or could do it that way, but it's fascinating to imagine. But it's not all numbers - there's poetry, history and more.

Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle
by Manda Scott

narrated by Philip Stevens, Jerome Flynn, Liza Goddard

"In AD 60, Boudica, war leader of the Eceni, led her people in a final bloody revolt against the occupying armies of Rome. It was the culmination of nearly twenty years of resistance against an occupying force that sought to crush a vibrant, complex civilization and replace it with the laws, taxes and slavery of the Roman Empire."

A very long book, but well narrated and went along at the right pace. A good sign was the fact that I could (mostly) tell all the characters apart, although hearing their strange ancient British names meant that I didn't have the same recall as I would if I saw them written down. I think there are more in the series; if they weren't so long I might read another.

After the festivities, retreat

Wales, September 2025

Another year gone by, and for me the overall flavour is that it was a good one. This was helped, no doubt about it, by my withdrawal from accessing any form of news except local news and other specific topics - assisted dying and films being the main ones. 

My book log for the year says I read 66 books, of which 19 were audio books. Only 8 of them gained my top rating, and 3 of those were books I'd read before. This is probably because I'm still obsessively churning through the list of literary classics like a gambler hoping for a big win, because very occasionally I've come across an absolute masterpiece which raises my hopes that it will happen again.

Volunteering went well last year - the international badminton, several Buddhist roles and the Warwick Folk Festival. After a difficult period where I recognised I'd overcommitted my time, I have been much more diligent about not doing too much, and it's paying off with more time to focus on important stuff and generally ending up in a much better mental state.

After the quiet Christmas I embarked on a home online retreat led by good friends, which extended over New Year. I don't find it easy to set up retreat conditions at home - I have to use the laptop to access the retreat so it can't be put in a cupboard and forgotten. Nor, on this occasion, could I turn off the phone. An interesting point to note was that the WiFi signal kept dropping out despite the router being in the room next door. I managed to resolve this by opening the wardrobe door... This morning when the retreat had ended I realised quite how much I had benefitted from pausing most everyday activities. 

So all is well at Lola Towers, and the flavour of coming year is set to be the taste of potential: big changes that are just peeking over the horizon.

Slightly festive greetings

September 2025

Christmas is a low key affair at Lola Towers - I turned down all invitations, although some lovely friends just said I could turn up and join them if I want. I planned some nice meals, lined up some films, took four books out of the library and didn't get dressed or speak to a living soul all day. Bliss.

The week leading up to the holiday was just like usual - went to a film with Nameless Man, spent a day with a friend from Nottingham, Muscles put me through my paces, and despite reservations I returned to Monday badminton and had a great time. Phew. At mum's we continue to go through the contents of the two rooms that need to be cleared out to accommodate me. Mum is glad to be doing it; I find throwing things away or recycling them cathartic. The dehumidifier has been set up in the kitchen.

I advertised my huge bookcase and the first person who expressed an interest didn't turn up and stopped responding to emails, the second sent a very apologetic message that after measuring again it was actually too big, and the third didn't respond when I came back to them. I'll give it another go after Christmas.

As I was loading up the photo I took of the bookcase for the online listing, I noticed a large patch of damp on the wall - I hadn't seen it at all when I was taking the photo or using the room. I still had the dehumidifier at that point so I set that going for a couple of days and the patch has faded somewhat. It might be a one-off because there's an air brick on the other side of the wall, but it might be just one more thing that needs sorting out.

Last event of the season was a very cold Boxing Day walk around Kenilworth Castle, with blue skies and sunshine followed by homemade mince pies, treacle tarts and mulled non-alcoholic wine. And so ends another Christmas.

Progress

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, December 2025

The third visit from Lee the plumber at Maternal Manor was supervised by Lola II. He continued to track the pipes under the kitchen floor and extended the trench towards the sink, and at last found a leak. Both Lola II and I greeted this news with great joy and the observation that we've never been so glad to discover a broken pipe. After a brief discussion of what to do next, we all agreed that the full length of the pipes should be uncovered, and thank goodness it was because a second leak was found further along. Lee replaced the whole section of pipe and lagged and protected it properly; now we're waiting for his report for insurance claim purposes. Meanwhile I took possession of the promised dehumidifier (which I'll take there next time I visit) which will remove as much of the water as possible before the trench is filled in, and then redecorating can start.

GRUHI has been going slowly but steadily. I managed to give away the tennis racquet via the Olio online platform, but nearly didn't. Olio seems to be used by young people, and the prospective recipient relied very heavily on WhatsApp to the extent that when he messaged me that he was outside the door and I didn't answer immediately, he considered going away again. I did see the message after a few minutes and went down to open the door, asking why he hadn't rung the doorbell. He seemed somewhat surprised at this suggestion. Make of that what you will.

Having lost so much weight (6kg now) I thought I'd revisit a bag of trousers that I grew out of but kept because I was particularly fond of them 40 years ago. They are all a similar size which is still considerably smaller than I am now, and I painfully resolved to part with them, with support from Lola II (who has been reading a book about decluttering). They and more surplus clothes have now gone to the clothes bin at the supermarket, to Action 21 along with a box of books and some random household ephemera, and a blanket and old duvet have gone to the The Dog's Trust after Guide Dogs said they didn't want them. I haven't yet advertised the big bookcase, the electronic piano and the tenor saxophone.

My Diabetes Prevention Programme coach is very encouraging, but still highly unsatisfactory in terms of providing anything other than someone to be accountable to. I ignore her advice which mostly consists of suggesting that I eat more. This advice is clearly intended to help moderate blood sugar spikes, but I am focussing more on calories and portion sizes which seems to be working so far in terms of weight. I have asked for a repeat blood test but the doctor has told me to wait until the end of February, so I'll have to wait some more to find out if all my efforts have made any difference in that respect.

There's been plenty of exercise, particularly over one 24-hour period when I did an hour with my personal trainer, went to Coventry for a gig where I stood for 1½ hours then danced my socks off for 1½ hours then had to run for the train, and next morning joined my U3A ramblers for 2½ hours. That was all quite tiring, but the gig was fantastic and I picked up the dehumidifier at the end of the walk, so worth it. My Monday badminton was slightly difficult, however, when they put on the regular end-of-year competition and I came very definitely in last place. Not so long ago (or so it seems) I was in contention for the winning position. My self-esteem was somewhat restored when I played in a match with my Thursday badminton ladies which we won.

The kitchen roof at Lola Towers started to leak during one of the recent storms, and quite a lot of water came through. It hasn't repeated this performance, but I invited the roofer recommended by Glf to have a look at it, and he came back the very next day to fix it. Standing on the roof with a cup of tea we had a very interesting conversation about the lack of young people interested in following the sort of trades that are needed, and then we talked about the painting I need at the front of the house. It gave me a good deal of food for thought around whether I want a cash trader working from a ladder or someone in a business working from a scaffold tower. The answer is now much clearer, especially after my experience of the dangerous pointing work.

What I've been reading

Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum
by Richard Fortey

"An intimate biography of the Natural History Museum, celebrating the eccentric personalities who have peopled it and capturing the wonders of scientific endeavour, academic rigour and imagination."

It was a great coincidence that I happened to pick this up at the library and was almost immediately invited to lunch at the Natural History Museum with Mr MXF and BL2. I really enjoyed the book, which takes you behind the scenes and introduces some of the characters who have worked there, or collected for the museum, or directed operations. It also provides background on the politics of running an enterprise that was originally focussed on research and has now had to change its approach in order to encourage visitors.

Cold Comfort Farm
by Stella Gibbons

"When the recently orphaned socialite Flora Poste descends on her relatives at the aptly named Cold Comfort Farm in deepest Sussex, she finds a singularly miserable group in dire need of her particular talent: organization."

I re-read this favourite because I was thinking of lending it to Lola II and Mr M, and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, this time was better because I was looking for the humour rather than not quite knowing how to handle it - it's very dry indeed. And not a single unnecessary word. I think the Gulloebls will enjoy it.

The Diary of a Provincial Lady
by E. M. Delafield

narrated by Kirsty Besterman

"It's not easy being a Provincial Lady in Devonshire in the 1920s, juggling a grumpy husband, mischievous children and a host of domestic dilemmas - from rice mould to a petulant cook. But this Provincial Lady will not be defeated; not by wayward flower bulbs, not by unexpected houseguests, not even by the Blitz."

The Bridget Jones of its day (which was 1930-40). I disliked Bridget Jones when the book first came out - I found her attitude of victimhood and passivity annoying and end up shouting "Stop whining and take control of your life!" at the page, which on reflection is pretty rich knowing what I now know about myself. Anyway, this provincial lady is made of much sterner stuff than BJ, and the book is actually four books, including her book tour of America and her attempts to find something useful to do when war is declared. She has her weaknesses - overspending on clothes and hats - and a fairly sentimental approach to her two children, but I liked her and hope that she subsequently did well in life.

Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand: Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe
by Marcus Chown

"Our adventures in space, our deepening understanding of the quantum world and huge leaps in technology over the last century have revealed a universe far stranger than we could ever have imagined."

Interesting snippets of popular science including a bit of biology but mostly at the quantum or astronomical scale. It reawakened my curiosity about some stuff and, maybe because of something going on for me at a moment, made me think deeply about the hugeness of the universe and the baffling contemplation of infinity.

The Wall
by John Lanchester

narrated by Will Poulter

"Ravaged by the Change, an island nation in a time very like our own has built the Wall - an enormous concrete barrier around its entire coastline. Joseph Kavanagh, a new Defender, has one task: to protect his section of the Wall from the Others, the desperate souls who are trapped amid the rising seas outside and are a constant threat."

I definitely wanted to know what happened next throughout this book, and it didn't disappoint. The author seemed to think the ending was a happy one, but I'm still not sure if it actually was.

Christopher Nolan: The Complete Unofficial Guide
by Dan Jolin

"Few filmmakers have made such a seismic impact on Hollywood during the past two decades as Christopher Nolan. Whether mind-twisting crime thrillers or vast sci-fi epics, his films are consistently huge crowd pleasers, despite his bold and complex visions never being compromised."

I came across this book while browsing in the library, and being a fan of the director I found it very interesting (others might not!) Aside from the three Batman films that I'm not interested in and two early films that I haven't seen, the rest are outstanding: Memento, The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet and Oppenheimer. Well, maybe not Tenet, which I found unnecessarily complicated and too long, but I liked the premise of time running both ways. It seems he is working on filming a version of the Odyssey next.

The Kellerby Code
by Jonny Sweet

narrated by Jack Davenport

"Edward is living in a world he can't afford and to which he doesn't belong. To camouflage himself, he has catered to his friends' needs – fetching dry-cleaning, sorting flowers for premieres. It's a noble effort, really – anything to keep his best pals Robert and Stanza happy."

It wasn't bad, and it was well written and narrated, but ultimately I didn't find the personalities and relationships completely plausible. So, a little unsatisfactory altogether.

The Children of Jocasta
by Natalie Haynes

"Jocasta is just fifteen when she is told that she must marry the King of Thebes, an old man she has never met. Her life has never been her own, and nor will it be, unless she outlives her strange, absent husband."

The author is a brilliant combination of classical scholar and stand-up comedian - I can thoroughly recommend her Radio 4 series. This book is great too. I've just had a look in the library catalogue and very unusually I've found more of her books. This almost never happens - Leamington library doesn't usually have the same preferences as I do.

Water trouble again

Maternal Manor, December 2025

The situation in mum's kitchen at the Maternal Manor is not good. There has been evidence of damp rising in the walls for years, which we started by covering up, then more recently we invited a reliable plumber to have a look. It wasn't serious, he said, and he recommended continuing to cover it up, despite the skirting coming away from the wall and tiles lifting. But the meter showed water consumption was increasing, and it was time to act.

Lola II made enquiries with the insurer and Thames Water and identified a WaterSafe approved firm, which turned out to be Lee. After fixing an unrelated issue with the upstairs toilet cistern he poked about under floorboards and in cupboards trying to guess where the water was coming from. On the second visit he pointed out that the unplastered wall under the sink was also showing evidence of damp, and measured the loss of pressure in various parts of the pipework to try and narrow down the possibilities of where a leak might be. Results were sadly inconclusive, so in the end we had to agree that he would dig up the kitchen floor following the pipework from the stopcock to the sink, as this seems the most likely source. The layer beneath the floor is clearly saturated, but so far no actual break in the pipes has been found.

The plumber mentioned that once the leak is fixed it will be necessary to remedy the damp using a dehumidifier. I started casting around via some of the different trading arenas I'm part of, but the one that seems to be the most reliable is my U3A walking group. I was relating the story of the kitchen leak to the person I was walking, who then revealed that she had an unwanted dehumidifier and would be happy to pass it on. [Update also from the walking group: sadly the surgeon who had volunteered to go to the West Bank had a very unpleasant interrogation at the border and was refused entry by the Israeli authorities.]

Meanwhile at Lola Towers I have finished cleaning and arranging UJ's room and have moved back in, trying to take only what I need in an attempt to lose a bit more stuff.  It is taking longer than I anticipated. I advertised a glass-topped coffee table on Freegle, Nextdoor, Olio and eBay (in that order). Olio was the successful channel, and the lucky recipient also took away my corner table (but didn't want the tennis racquet or the large bookcase). I have reconfigured the bedroom I've been using for three years and it's now ready to accept single guests, which is more convenient (and warmer) than making up the sofabed in the Auditorium. That will continue to be used for double guests, however.

Conveniently I did have a single guest staying on Saturday night - Mr M was passing through, and he was able to provide a very valuable service: that of photographer. For I discovered that my passport, although not expiring until April 2026, will not permit me to travel to Europe for skiing at the end of January. It is quite straightforward to apply for a new one online, except that a passport photograph conforming to strict standards is needed, which I am unable to provide without assistance.

Mr M provided a second valuable service in that he told me how to find out what my PIN is on a new credit card that I've received. For these services and because it is only humane I turned the central heating on for the duration of his visit (and a little bit longer). For my experiment in heating myself instead of the house is fine in the Office (fan heater), Auditorium (heated blanket) and bedroom (hot water bottle) but the kitchen floor is icy. My latest idea is to buy slippers with a more insulating sole.

Getting stuff done

Random picture of delicious lunch in Gloucester, September 2025

After leaving mum I had a full weekend back home with three Buddhist events and a birthday party, and then drove south again so that I could accompany mum for a medical procedure on Monday (which went very well). There was a badminton match to be played on Monday evening, and the person who was supposed to play found herself unable to do so, so back I drove for that. I was relieved when Tuesday came and I didn't have anywhere that I needed to be until the evening.

I started with loads of laundry that has been generated by UJ's departure, and then investigated her room, which was in a fairly good state but needs a bit of work - one of the roman blinds was torn and there's lots of dust in the corners. I was thinking of moving back in to that bedroom, but it really is very cold indeed. Having said that, most of the house is quite cold at the moment. Another lovely empty spacious day on Wednesday (I really think I might be getting better at not filling my diary) and I took down the torn blind and made a start on mending it while listening to an audio book, then went to the cinema. Good times.

Finished mending the blind on Thursday. The lining is paper thin and tears at the slightest pressure, probably due to being exposed to the sun for about 20 years. I took down the curtains for washing and managed to get the blind back up again, then made a start on cleaning the windows and wardrobe. Lots more cleaning will keep me busy for several days, but I took a break to investigate heated blankets so I can warm myself rather than the house, which should be a whole lot cheaper. Ordered one for collection tomorrow.

Friday: my regular U3A morning walk and lunch in pub, which I've missed for a few weeks due to weather and everything else. The person who gave me details of recommended decorator was sad to hear that after said decorator visited and I found him utterly delightful, he has turned down the job on the basis of being 'too far away'. However, another walker immediately stepped in with a replacement recommendation. Aside from good walks this group is invaluable for local recommendations (the auction house for dad's philatelic collection was another that came out of this group). After lunch I collected the heated blanket and tried it out immediately; great success on the warmth-providing front but a bit more velvety than in the illustration. This makes it quite slippery as well as difficult to manipulate by someone who finds velvet unpleasant, but I will persevere.

Saturday: Continued to clean up UJ's room, turned mattress, replaced cleaned curtains, furniture polish in abundance, advertised unwanted glass coffee table and tennis racquet - not a hint of interest other than the usual speculative enquiries within a minute that never amount to anything. Sewed on coat buttons, reattached worn string on cord in shower room operating fan but need new weight to hang on the bottom. In the evening there was a fundraising Indian meal at the Buddhist Centre in Birmingham, and I ate so much that I didn't eat anything for most of Sunday, when I did more jobs before an afternoon with my fellow team members supporting the local Buddhist group. In the evening I went to one of the National Theatre Live screenings before driving south to mum's in order to be there when the plumber turned up again at 9 a.m. to carry on trying to work out where all the water is coming from in the kitchen.