2026 Diary - Page 66

I went for a second walk after breakfast. The rivers team have done an excellent job of clearing one part of the River Cray. I finally finished my steps after dinner.

Our main job for this afternoon was taking the decorations down (except the tree). They are all now boxed up again and the Advent Number 8 dismantled. I'll take the tree down at the weekend then we'll be back to normal.

2 January

A quick visit to the gym then I joined June and the others for the Friday walk in the first snow of this season! It was a bit chilly but the snow was only a covering and the walk was lovely.

I took the Christmas tree down this afternoon so there's only the carousel left to put away and that's Jonathon's job for tomorrow.

Christine had her knee operation but I haven't heard how she'd got on so I hope she's OK.

3 January

Spent quite a bit of time in the gym then joined Fiona, Steve and Rowan to dismantle the tree for the last time this season.

Went to Nugent to get some stuff from Boots, M&S, Pret and some fabric from Hobbycraft. We've wanted a draught excluder for a while but our front door is really wide so the pre-made ones aren't big enough. I am really pleased with the end result and it will, hopefully, make the hall a bit less cold

Christine messaged to let me know her op had gone well and then later to let me know that she'd arrived home. It seems a very early discharge after such a major operation but she's pleased to be home, albeit really tired.

4 January

I went the long way round to get my Sunday Times today and managed to slip on the ice and go down on my right knee quite heavily. Thankfully, no damage done other than a bit bruised.

A few hardy walkers joined me for a walk through Goddington Park and round Lilly's Wood. There were some distinctly icy patches along the way but we all managed to stay upright.

Did a few weights exercises at home rather than venture out to the gym then had a nice quiet rest of the day reading my book, catching up with admin and TV watching.

Caught up with Christine in the evening. She sounded remarkably upbeat after her surgery but still quite tired and trying hard not to overdo things.

5 January

A quick visit to the gym then Gilda and Mark came and we walked through Crofton Woods to Richmal Crompton Fields and caught a bus back to Orpington.

We met Jonathon at the Orpington for lunch.

Alma was here when we got back.

I delivered some old newspapers to Andersons (Oli's vet) and the latest batch of hearts to Francis Chappell, paid for tomorrow's flowers, popped into Holland and Barratt and picked up some jars for Christine from Theresa.

My last job outside was to top up all the bird feeders - they are eating a lot in this cold weather!

6 January

Today was, as the TV football pundits (almost) say, a day of two halves.

We enjoyed an excellent exhibition 'Hyakko" at Japan House in the morning. There were about 100 craftspeople's work on display.

There was a cat display in the library as an added bonus.

7 January

Delighted to see one of my photos in the local paper this week - always nice to be acknowledged.

The rain had washed away most of the snow by the time I went to the gym but it was really icy. Jonathon's car was covered in frost and looked very pretty.

We went to Bromley to get our malaria tablets for Kenya late morning - an easier process than we thought as we can now get them from the pharmacy counter.

It was quite mild by the afternoon so I took the dogs for a walk (forecast for tomorrow isn't too promising) and we emptied the one water butt that had thawed out into the pond. It's definitely looking better than yesterday but there's still a way to go.

8 January

I went the long way round to the gym - the ice and snow had melted away and left a lot of mud behind so I stuck to the tarmac paths.

We started emptying the really big water butts into the pond - very slowly. It's looking better day by day.

Had a good turnout for the Chit Chat Gathering at Obi and The Biscuit. Jonathon came for a while as well but had disappeared before the photo was taken.

9 January

I checked the pond before I went to the gym but the promised heavy rain last night hadn't materialised so I switched the hosepipe from the water butts on again to finish filling the pond. All done now but Terry couldn't get here because they had been affected by the storm where he lives and they were practically snowed in.

June cancelled today's walk because of the wet weather so we met at the GPO for a drink and chat instead.

I had my hair trimmed in the afternoon - it hadn't grown much so that didn't take long.

I watched the video from Rhondda's funeral - it was at midnight last night. There were only a few people there and there was no way of telling how many people had joined on line or watched the video. The words that Dean and Glenn had written were very moving.

I went to Thera Dance Fit in the evening and caught up with the gang there.

10 January

The pond looked fine this morning and the Euonymus is looking lovely with its bright coloured berries. I went to the gym for a while to burn some calories off.

I took Knoll walkers round the Snoopy trail today. There was a good turnout and we had great fun. Ginny and I remembered where most of them were so that made them easier to find.

I met Carol, Jo and Irene at Ephesus for dinner. Unfortunately Sindhu wasn't able to join us.

11 January

The sunrise was both beautiful and very welcome after a few dull days.

I went to the gym then church. We had a "Sing a Song of Praise" service today for a change. Ginny came along because it was mainly singing. We had crafts as well - it was fun but went on too long.

As soon as I got home from church I had to turn around and go to Lesley's for her 70th birthday gathering. There were loads of people from church there so I caught up with a few of them then came home for lunch.

Had a FaceTime call with Mum - she was in good spirits but grounded because they'd had snow up there.

Caught up with Christine - she was also in good spirits having had a bad day yesterday but feeling much better today.

12 January

Gym first then Gilda came over for our weekly walk. We stayed local today, testing out a walk for Sunday. We saw three Little Egrets in total - a record for me on the Cray.

Jonathon met us at A Mano for lunch. He brought half his enormous pizza home for his lunch tomorrow.

Alma was here when we got back so the house is clean again.

Went to a Worship Team meeting in the evening at St. John's.

13 January

Gym first for today. I managed to get a space in Matt's class for a change!

I delivered some candles to a neighbour later and went for a soggy walk. The woodland was very muddy and the brook was very fast flowing. A very damp day all round.

Terry came over and sorted out the pond pump so that's working again now.

14 January

No gym today because June had arranged a bonus Wednesday walk (the forecast for Friday is wet!). We went past Pooh celebrating his 100th birthday (post box topper) then followed the three bridges route to Chislehurst.

It was freezing when we set off (couldn't open our wheelie bin lid this morning because it had frozen shut) but the sun helped us stay warm as we walked along.

The route included National Trust farm land hence the cattle.

I took the dogs out this afternoon (forecast tomorrow is even wetter than Friday) to make sure they didn't miss out.

The Flamingos quiz team came 5th out of 12 teams with 53/70 so a reasonable score. The winners scored a massive 65/70 so well out of our league.

I'm not sure what they put in my salmon, broccoli and spinach but something didn't agree with me and I was feeling quite poorly by the time I got home.

15 January

Not much sleep last night with not being well and felt yuck all morning but still managed to plod along on the treadmill for a while (too wet for a proper outside walk).

By afternoon I was feeling a lot better. Ginny and I went to see My Neighbour Totoro (they amended the spelling before the show!). It was fabulous, especially the cat bus - magical. Unfortuntely, but understandably, no photos were allowed.

16 January

I was delighted to see the aconites have finally started to flower. The cold snap last week must have woken them up after all. They are about a month later than last year.

The Flamingos flocked to Jo's for breakfast. Nick wasn't there but Judy told us that he has to have a staple to "fix" the bleed on his brain - he seems to be fine and is back in the gym but needs to be careful and get "mended".

We met Derek and Maureen at The Ivy for lunch.

Maureen has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer but it's very early stages and the prognosis is positive. Her operation is scheduled for the 27th so not long to wait.

I went to Priory Gardens to check on our new arrivals. Egyptian Geese are typically good parents so hopefully all nine fluff balls will survive.

Went to Thera Dance Fit in the evening. It was a bit more subdued today because Simona is worried about her in-laws who are Iranian and they have not heard from them for quite a while. It's a very scary time for them.

17 January

Today's nice surprise was snowdrops in our garden.

I went to Tesco for my newspaper but they only had the supplements and no news part so I tried Londis who had all the parts. No idea what Tesco were playing at.

I took a pair of Jonathon's shoes to the cobblers because they were letting water in - they'll be ready for collection on Wednesday all being well. There's a lovely mural at the end of the street where the cobblers is. From there I walked to M&S to get lunch for today and tomorrow. I wandered alongside the Cray to get home.

I did about an hour's gardening - tidying up the front semicircle. Caught up with Mum on FaceTime - she seemed fine.

There was a lovely sunset to finish the day.

18 January

Gym then church - normal Sunday morning.

Diana had requested a "Let's Combat Blue Monday" walk this weekend, based on a nature walk so that's what we did. Plenty of parks, the river, greenery etc. but no wandering in the woods because it's too skippery and muddy at the moment. We saw some interesting fungi, a different hybrid goose - I don't know if the girls have conjured up a name for this one. The 9 goslings are all still around and doing well.

I phoned Margaret for a chat - her cancer is spreading but she seems in remarkably good spirits despite that.

Caught up with Christine. She's stuggling a bit with the idea of keeping her leg about her heart but now has a different rest to put both her feet / lower legs on and is managing better.

Jonathon went to do a photo shoot at Cadogan Hall. I was supposed to go as well but, as we wouldn't be sitting together, I decided to stay at home and catch up with phone calls etc.

19 January

WEnt to get some shopping from Tesco then met Mark at St.Pancras for lunch at Carluccio's and a walk alongside the canal.

We walked as far as Mile End so getting my steps done today was definitely not a problem!

We saw our first daffodil of the season (seems early), loads of boats and barges, a couple of parks and some interesting graffiti and statues.

20 January

Gym then dog walking - the forecast for this morning was the best of the week so took advantage of the sunshine.

Met Gilda at Marylebone Theatre to watch Cable Street - a very powerful performance, particularly pertinent with eveything that's happening in the world at the moment.

21 January

A very welcome visitor in our garden this morning. This fox seems to be getting a bit more confident around me - doesn't race out of the garden as soon as it sees me. It's not over confident (quite rightly) but is happy to hoover up Oli's leftovers and a few extra biscuits.

Went to Ela's class at the gym - hard work but makes me do exercises I woudn't normally do so good for a change.

Went to the police Walk and Talk in the park but Gina was called into court and Matt had to deal with a sudden death so neither of them turned up. Had a brief chat with Jacqui and Zally then came home.

I joined the KRA committee meeting at GPO. The steak was tasty but the meeting wasn't very interesting or positive and one or two of them went off at regular tangents. So frustrating!

22 January

Joined June and Co for a walk today (instead of tomorrow). It was a bit muddy in the woods and, although there were only 7 of us, she managed to lose 4 - that's definitely a record!

Everyone was recovered in the end but it wasn't the best walk we've ever done.

23 January

I was going to go for a walk this morning but it was far too wet so a quick trip to Andersons to deliver old newspapers and Tesco to get my paper.

Our Friday walk was only as far as the GPO today but there was a good turnout, including three dogs, so we had a good catch up.

Jonathon and I were planning to go to Xi'an for dinner but they've closed for a holiday so we went to Masala Dabbas instead.

I finally went for my walk in the afternoon - as far as M&S for a salad box for my lunch tomorrow.

Thera Dance in the evening was very lively including coordination practice with tennis balls - great fun.

24 January

Gym first then I took the Knoll walkers to Tonbridge to follow the Jane Austen and Tonbridge trail. It was really interestingand I didn't lose anybody! We stopped for a drink at the castle cafe. The walk was supposed to go around the park but it was under water so we had a detour rather than paddle in water deeper than our wellies would have been (we were wearing trainers).

The self guided tour included a few bits of information about the Austen family but it is uncertain if Jane Austen ever visited Tonbridge at all!

Jonathon was at the cinema when I got back soon after 1 p.m. - he said the film "Mercy" was excellent.

Caught up with Mum on Facetime. She was in pretty good spirits.

25 January

Gym then church this morning. Jonathon was just about getting up when I got back! Apparently he and Oli were having a sleep in.

Finished my steps inthe afternoon taking a book to Ginny, some Biltong to Ning and a candle to Pratik.

The vixen is getting a lot bolder and she brought her "boyfriend" with her today. She was definitely flirty with him when they stopped begging for food at the back door.

Caught up with Christine. She's been to hospital to have her leg looked at this week, including an ultrasound scan, because it's still a bit swollen but the medics seem pleased with how she's getting along.

26 January

Did "gym at home" before Gilda came for our weekly walk. We went by train to Sydenham Hill then walked back to Beckenham High Street. Part of our route was through Crystal Palace Park. It was lovely to see the four sphinxes after their spruce up but there was a lot of work still going on so quite a few of the paths were closed. The non-tarmaced path were really muddy and we had difficulty walking around. A few detours later, we met Jonathon for lunch at Alba Rosa. I'd been there before with Mark but it was a first visit for Jonathon and Gilda and they both approved.

Alma came and did the cleaning. Pauline phoned about her arrangements for Graeme's wedding weekend and Jonathon and I watched the final two episodes of "Steal" on Prime TV - gripping series.

I went to St. John's for a meeting about the plans for the May 2027 Centenary celebrations that are starting with a flower festival and harvest service in September this year.

27 January

Busy day today and also some sad news.

Sad news first - Dad is very poorly. It's not known if he'll survive through the night or if he'll rally. Pauline has been with him all afternoon and it's unlikely that he will ever wake up again. I didn't know about Dad when I set off with Ginny for an Architectural Tour of the Barbican Centre. It was really interesting.

The dolphins were only added a few years ago to try and make the centre more friendly!

Larchfield called me while we were having lunch in the cafe because they couldn't get hold of either Carole or Pauline but they were talking so fast and it was really noisy so I couldn't understand what they were saying. Thankfully, Pauline got their message and soon called them back to sort things out.

28 January

Dad seems to be settled but remains very poorly so it seems it's just a matter of time but the urgency has eased so Pauline could go home after a short visit to Mum.

I went to the gym then Ben was supposed to come to help me in the garden but he's hurt his back so I got on with some of the jobs myself.

I took the latest batch of knitted hearts to Francis Chappell. As far as I know, I'm still the only person who's providing them to the Orpington branch.

I enjoyed My Neighbour Totoro so much that I went again, this time with Jonathon. It was just as good second time around - still love the Cat Bus.

29 January

Weights at home then dog walking this morning to take advantage of the dry weather.

Ginny, Diane and I went to see Vibrance - a music and light show with 5 destinations in The City. We started at 5 and worked backwards. Numbers 5 to 2 were not up to much.

Thankfully, the show at the Guildhall was spectacular, including a beautiful opera singer for part of it. That alone, was worth making the trip for.

I went straight from there to The Cricketers for a KRA meeting. Pleased to say it didn't last too long so I was home at a reasonable time.

30 January

Went for a walk first thing then joined June and co for a visit to Brockwell Park. The walk around the park isn't very long but we had a lovely time visiting the walled garden, admiring the miniature houses and enjoying the sunny weather.

Thera Dance Fit was cancelled (Simona has gone home to Lithuania for a few days) so I went to Tai Chi instead and really enjoyed it. I'm now torm as to which to go to in future (timing makes it impossible to go to both).

Tai Chi is cancelled next week so at least that will be an easy decision!

31 January

Measured the walk for tomorrow (and checked the muddiness of the route) before a quick gym session. It was a lovely morning and most of the route was OK but there were a few pretty big puddles so they've been warned to wear boots.

Scott, plumber, came and gave Jonathon some advice re our broken emersion element. Another plumber is due on Monday then we'll have to decide what to do.

Caught up with Mum on Facetime - not sure why it wasn't working properly but at least we could have a chat even if we couldn't see each other.

A few of us went to the local AmDram panto at the Methodist Church in the evening. Completely daft but good fun.

1 February

Gym then we went for a Knoll walk. It was quite wet when we set off but dried up soon after the photo and we were all dry by the time we finished the walk. The paths weren't as wet as yesterday so only minimal paddling required.

Jonathon was at Abbey Road Studios for the day so I went to get some salmon for my dinner from the new fish shop in the High Street. They didn't have any salmon ready and didn't seem inclined to sell me anything else so I went to Sainsbury's and got my food there.

Caught up with Christine in the evening. The swelling in her leg seems to be going down and it's not as hard and fiery so all moving in the right direction.

2 February

Went for a short walk before breakfast to drop soft plastics to Tesco, get my paper and do a recce for the Residents committee.

Gilda came and we went for a a country lane walk - a bit longer than some of our other walks but relatively mud free (only one puddle went right across the road!).

Gilda couldn't stay for lunch but Jonathon and I went to Locksbottom to try out The British Queen - a posh pub. It was lovely but a bit pricey.

James Hardy came round later to have a look at the wobbly fence post, pyracantha etc. and will provide a quote for the work in due course.

3 February

Gym first, including Matt's circuits class then it was time to go to Vasantha Vilas for our Chit Chat Gathering. None of us had ever been there before so it was good to visit. The menu looks interesting but we only had a drink today.

Scott came and sorted out the emersion heater. He's a hero! Other plumbers have come and told us how difficult it would be, how they weren't interested in the job and some have simply not turned up at all. So frustrating so Scott was like a breath of fresh air.

Tim, one of the local residents, found an old iPhone yesterday and brought it here to see if we could charge it up and find out who owned it. No luck - it was on airplane mode and there was no SIM card in it. As a result, we took it to the police station in Bromley then went to Crepe Affaire for a snack lunch, M&S for tomorrow's lunch and CEX for a new cable. That was enough getting wet for today so we stayed at home after that!

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