I was puttering along happily enough at the beginning of the week, noticing all the cobwebs that seem to have appeared in the flat over the winter, and vaguely thinking of doing something about them, when the niece rang up. She is now on a proper contract with Chatham House, rather than being an intern, and her boss had suggested she take a week ( Read more... )

After several blank weeks I finally have a slightly busier one. Thr g-d is visiting today (on her way back to Paris), and yesterday I had an exciting hospital appointment. Fun all the way; another glaucoma assessment. The note on my calendar said "Moorfields 2 pm", and I got there at 20 minutes to, feeling smug, and planning to get my shopping ( Read more... )

The weekend in Paris was lovely, one of the nicest weekends away I have ever had, I think. The weather was beautifully warm and clear, so was completely comfortable in sandals and a shirt, with no jacket. Friday evening was positively balmy, and we wandered pleasantly around Canal St Martin, eating sushi and drinking beer until about 2 am. ( Read more... )

I woke up today with sunburn on my ankles of all places, due to sitting in the sun yesterday watching a Victorian fete at Kenwood House. I did have the sense to apply sunblock to my face and arms, and even had a sunshade/umbrella, but somehow the ankles got left poking out into the unexpected sunshine. We sat on the slope in front of the house, ( Read more... )

I missed last year’s Highgate Village fete, since I’d just come out of hospital, and anyway it rained heavily, but this year the weather was lovely, and I was fully mobile, so I spent a very pleasant Saturday there. Highgate jealously maintains its air of being an affluent little village that has somehow become engulfed by greater London, and the ( Read more... )

BT finally sent an engineer (the same one who came in December) on Thursday, and he diagnosed a fault at the exchange, and lo! they fixed it! It wasn't anything to do with my computer, my modem (the old one or the new one I bought to replace it) or the microfilters (the old ones or the new ones I bought). Every so often I still get a little call ( Read more... )

It’s amazing what a bit of sunshine can do. Today I managed to get up relatively early, do a batch of washing at the laundrette, get a huge batch of shopping in, pay off several bills and buy a fluffy dressing-gown for hospital, as well as doing most of my usual work. It didn't get really dark until about quarter past four, and there was a faint ( Read more... )

Busy day again today. A tutorial with the Other Alex, who takes us for conservation practice, yielded little of use. I'm doing all right, apparently, and have nothing to worry about. Oh goody. I can't seem to be able to convey just how insecure I am about this course - I suppose I appear confident in most ways, so the idea that all I really want ( Read more... )