Friends, haircuts and briefs

Wednesday dawns bright and clear and, after breakfast and a shower, Normy and I once again walk with Nellie and Betty. We have arranged to leave earlier this morning, as I am meeting Felicity in the Poppy Seed around ten thirty. After the rain, we avoid walking through "almost straight wood", as the going underfoot may be boggy. The rain has been most welcome for the gardens and the plants, as the cold spring has also been very dry. The air is much cooler and softer this morning and the birds seem happier somehow, their voices united in a chorus of birdsong. We get home for ten, I bundle Norman into the car and then we drive to Tesco's, where I manage to find a place to park. It is not too far away from the Poppy Seed and we walk the quarter of a mile or so in a few minutes, to find Felicity just In the process of finishing a plate of scrambled eggs. There is just a scrap left, which she gives to Norman, before remembering my previous admonishment, that eggs give the old boy the squits. I reassure her that such a small amount is unlikely to have any dramatic effect. Felicity looks much better today and tells me that she feels better and has been walking more, which was exactly what she needed. Her daughter, Melissa, has also booked a holiday flat for them at Sewerby, near Bridlington, over the August Bank Holiday weekend, which gives her something to look forward to. They went to the same place last year and I paid them a visit. Hanne is on holiday in Denmark and neither Thelma or Annie appear, so at half past eleven I walk Felicity back to Albert Terrace, she has been dropped at the Poppy Seed by Liz, her Australian "Sherpa", and brought her trilator, a sort of Zimmer frame on three wheels. It takes a while, but she gets back OK and after settling her into her armchair, Norman and I make our way to Tim's, in Windmill walk, for my monthly haircut. Paul is just about to turn the open sign to closed as we approach, Wednesday is their half day closing, but he lets us in because my trim never takes more than a few minutes. The sole remaining customer quips about which of the two hairdressers are going to trim Normy, but I tell him that they aren't up to it, so I do it by hand myself. Ten minutes later we all leave together, the two hairdressers for lunch and Norman and I to return to the car, as our parking time is up. When we arrive home the sun is shining, so after making myself some tea and a sandwich, I work in the garden, pulling together a file of Gino's documents for the solicitor. I emailed him and Jackie this morning, in order to bring them up to speed and I am waiting for them to authorise my contacting the lawyer. It is simple enough work, but made more complicated by a mischievous wind, which occasionally sneaks in and steals a document. By half past four the file is ready and all the relevant documents sorted into categories and date order, so I break for a meal, too late for lunch and too early for dinner. I make a salad Nicoise, boiling a few new potatoes and an egg in the microwave and after cooling them down, slicing them and adding them to a tossed salad with tuna. The weather is warm and pleasant, as my garden is mostly shielded from the wind. After dinner I check my email and there is a confirmation from Jackie of their agreement to instruct solicitors. I reply and tell her and Gino that I will put together a synopsis of the main events, as a brief for the lawyers and mail that too them for their approval. After dinner, I boot up my laptop, open a "word" document and then spend a couple of hours pulling this together, before mailing it to my sister on holiday in Sardinia. The fresh air has made me tired, although I haven't swum since Monday, as I want to conserve my energy, in order to deal with the more urgent matters in hand. Perhaps I may get time to swim tomorrow? To bed for ten.