Musings of an aging fan

Central library.
Discount bookshop.
Oxfam bookshop.
Browns restaurant. The building used to be a museum and library. Anyone starting to see a pattern here?
The Red Lodge museum

Stay warm.
Relax.
Post one more card.
Hand-deliver cards to neighbours.
Do as little as possible.

Tuesday to London town, there to hold discourse with the learned men of my profession. Methinks I like going to seminars at Tillinghast; for they always serve the best canapes and wine.

Wednesday to Dublin. These trips are always tedious, for they involve much time spent in travelling, and little in meetings; and the meetings themselves accomplish little of note.

And then home, to find a message from Mr D___ the carpenter, saying that he would be with us on the morrow to start work on the shelves in our loft; a fretful evening followed, trying to empty everything therefrom.

Thursday spent feeling under the weather; methinks the previous two days had something to do with this.

Friday was a day of some note, as it marks the end of my employment with one company, and the start of my employment with another; and yet curiously enough, I will be at the same desk on Monday; such is the way of the modern world. We did have cream cakes to mark the occasion; and yet the day was still full of hassle.

Saturday, the carpenter did finish, having made a tolerable job; and Saturday afternoon was spent in re-filling the shelves. There is still more of this to do, alas!; methinks we need to stop buying books.

Then a swim, to refresh ourselves from the heat of the day. Home, to tea, and alternate viewing of England losing to Portugal; the tennis from Wimbledon; and the score from Headingley, whence came the news of Mister Truman's sad demise. But Oxford beat Cambridge; and so there was some cheer in the house.

Creatrix did cook a most excellent dinner, and we did watch the evening's entertainment from Mister Tennant and Mistress Piper, and then from the pen of Mr Conan Doyle. And so to bed.

Up betimes, to await the arrival of one Mr T___, a handy-man. He gave his views on the practically of re-decorating our bedrooms, stairs and loft / study; and did mention a figure that was within the capabilities of our purse.

Then to Flitwick, to dispose of diverse elderly books, weskits and household implements, in the manner of giving alms. The charity shop did take most of these off our hands; but did reject some of the bulkier and heavier items, which did cause much back and shoulder strain as I carried them homewards.

Eventually, and only just within the promised fore-noon, there did arrive a man from the carpet shop. He measured the aforesaid rooms, and after much pressing of buttons on his calculating device, did mention a figure which seemed to us to be high.

After a meagre luncheon, we did repair to the parish church, there to witness the dedication of our new pipe-organ. This was originally made by one Trustam, and was given to us by the most generous parish of Ecton. It made a good sound, and was accompanied by a choir from the college of Royal Holloway.

There were then sandwiches, St Agatha buns, and tea; and much discourse upon the service, the organ, the choir, and various minor matters of import to no-one but the tellers.

I then repaired homewards, to write this in my diary, to read the afternoon's missives and reply to same, and to prepare for our next brief outing; which will be brief, as we will need to return for the evening's entertainment, to be provided to us by one Mister Tennant, one Mistress Piper, and one Mister Nation.