Tuesday 31 August:

No walks this morning (in fact, I only got out of the house as far as the postbox!)…
Waited in for a Royal mail delivery of stuff from John Lewis (lighting and bathroom cabinet) and then sat down and wrote out my witness statement in connection with the damaged car in Mount Pleasant terrace on 11 August (tedious but important – just hope I’m not asked to attend court!).
We had our first Asda delivery since moving and it was something of a relief that the delivery guy was so helpful and accommodating.
Ru+Iris+Rosa all came for lunch and to take a look around our new abode. Lovely gentle chats and plenty of laughter.
Sorted out a physio appointment for tomorrow.
Evening telly: new series of ‘Vera’
Image: paddleboarders on the harbour (from Sunday). 

Monday 30 August:

Bank Holiday Monday and living in the city centre…
Although it was dry, I don’t think the sun shone once today.
No dawn walking (my hip is playing up again)… but I did venture out to the shops (Boots in Broadmead) to buy a new comb!
My main aim for today was to try to make headway with my bookgroup book… and, in fact, I managed to finish it (All For Nothing – really excellent).
Afterwards, I tried to find the pile of ‘to read’ books from number40 but, so far, without success (it must be in ONE of the boxes… but which one?!).
Evening telly: the usual Monday night ‘Connect’ and ‘Challenge’.
Image: dawn from the balcony (taken yesterday). 

Sunday 29 August:

Another rather indifferent night’s sleep (back is the main problem)… and ended up emptying one wash load and adding two more before breakfast! Drying clothes is a problem, but hey!
Frustrated that the refuse collection only includes mixed paper+cardboard recycling – NOTHING for plastic or glass (no food waste either, but that might be an issue for apartment blocks?).
No church this weekend (no services arranged… which seemed a little strange), but Alice came round in the morning and stayed for lunch. The three of us walked up Brandon Hill… lovely views.
Spent much of the afternoon reading my bookgroup book (will almost certainly not finish in time!).
Had an email announcing a remembrance service for John Loarridge (although I didn’t know it, he died in March 2020).
Evening tellie: last episode of ‘The Boleyns’ and the wonderful Mortimer+Whitehouse ‘Gone Fishing’ (new series!).
Image: Houses from Brandon Hill. 

Saturday 28 August:

No walking first thing (apart from fetching the newspaper… it’s the weekend afterall!).
But so lovely to have Alice, Hannah and Ursa visit us (and help with yet more sorting)… Moira was particularly pleased that Alice was able to see our new home.
Very good to have the chance to spend some catch-up time with Alice.
At 12noon I disappeared to an urban sketch meet-up in Queen Square… very good to see people again (perhaps a dozen plus attended?).
Had a phone call from Chris H at the end of the afternoon and ended up meeting him and Lal at the Nova Scotia for a couple of beers (Moira opted out through tiredness and mouth ulcers).
Image: bungee jumping (viewed from the balcony!).

Friday 27 August:

A bit of a recovery day really…
Having slept in my own bed (and pretty well, given everything), I went for a fairly brief walk around the harbour (cloudy, but bright) and returned to make breakfast (just espresso and toast).
Sat on the balcony (what a lovely thing to do!) and made a simple sketch.
Later, Moira and I had coffee on the balcony…
I spent much of the morning trawling the internet for cordless drills/screwdrivers, ceiling lights, wall lights and bathroom cabinets – and duly placed online orders for them all (plus checked out potential options for dining tables and wardrobes).
Very aware that we have a bookgroup meeting next Wednesday and that I’m only a quarter through our book… so spent some of the afternoon trying to make progress (and largely failing).
Messaged Clarissa about potentially ‘purchasing’ her charcoal drawing of the girls.
Evening tellie: catch-up ‘Connect’ and ‘University’.
Image: my quick scribble on the balcony.

Thursday 26 August:

Another pretty exhausting day (unsurprisingly).
Really rough night – couldn’t sleep/couldn’t get comfortable/tossing+turning… ended up sleeping on cushions in the living room!
Went for a dawn walk – the first from number17 – very grey morning… 4 minute walk to harbourside.
Continued clearing up… but resolved to go to the cathedral at 10am to see Luke Jerrom’s ‘Moon’ sculpture. Well, we were impressed and yet also left a little underwhelmed by it. Hey ho!
Back home for morning coffee on the balcony (and the sun had appeared).
I was determined to try to set up the bed in the second bedroom – which involved the tedious business of taking out all the boxes, erecting the bed (and a simple desk)(perhaps a mistake?), making the bed up… and then putting all the boxes back in the bedroom! Long, slow business – my back and hip were struggling by the end.
Went to No.1 Harbourside for early supper – sitting outside beside the harbour (excellent)… then back home to watch another ‘Montalbano’ episode… before early bedtime (need to get in some reading time… bookgroup is next Wednesday and I’m only a quarter the way through my book).
Image: ‘Moon’ from the cathedral.

Wednesday 25 August:

Finally, ‘move in day’!
Felix drove Moira and me to Deanery Road at 8am (in advance of the ‘movers’).
Spent the entire morning directing boxes into various locations, unpacking boxes and generally just trying to keep up with the movers.
By the time they departed (and taking folded empties away with them), things looked reasonably well organised. The early part of the afternoon involved further box sorting and then Ru came round at about 3.30pm, armed with a bottle of Cava – which the three of us thoroughly enjoyed, sitting on the balcony in the sunshine.
By that time, the Virgin Media man had arrived and proceeded to install the internet (really efficient, personable bloke)… so, we now have internet again!
Bought a pizza, pending delivery of a package (plug adaptor) from Alice.
Had intended to watch Montalbano – but catch-up was working for some reason, so I watched the cricket highlights, wrote my diary… and bed by 9.30pm.
Image: balcony chairs.

Tuesday 24 August:

I got the bus to number40 (the movers had borrowed a key and started at 8.30am).
Spent until noon cleaning and generally clearing up… Gail rang to say everything had gone through ok and that we could officially move in (and have money in our a/c!).
Walked into town and collected the key from the estate agent at 12.30pm… and the movers arrived at Deanery Road just after 1pm (ditto Moira). Movers unloaded the number40 stuff pretty quickly and, after a bit of ‘sorting’ Moira and I travelled back to H+F’s for the night.
Image: early morning photo of H+F’s staircase.

Monday 23 August:

Move day! Up early to try to sort out some last minute organising. Removal team came at 8.30am (and, fortunately – thanks to Tom’s help – we’d managed to organise parking space). Strange sort of day… three packers with a relatively small van, so they were just packing boxes of stuff today and coming back for the big stuff tomorrow. Stayed overnight at H+F’s… nice meal, good chat and early to bed (pretty tired!).
Image: Quick scribble while the movers started packing.

Sunday 22 August:

Lazy/restful day… got up pretty early and chatted to Steve for a long time. Eventually everyone got up and we had croissant+cereal+coffee breakfast. Weather good enough to sit outside. Lovely lunch of veggie pastie(?) and enjoyed a beer sitting on the terrace. Gail+Ian went out on the canoe and Steve+Diane paddleboarded.
Steve drove us to Swindon station for 4.30pm and then straightforward train to Temple Meads, plus walk home. Some last minute organising in preparation for movers tomorrow.
Image: out on the water. 

Saturday 21 August:

Lazy breakfast bacon+pancakes. Wet day in prospect but decided to go to sculpture trail – which proved really nice. Something like 170 sculptures (some a lot more impressive than others!). Ended up watching footie (Liverpool v Burnley) and then ‘Hundred’ women’s cricket final. Another beautiful evening meal over drinks and lots of chat.
Image: one of the sculptures from the trail.

Friday 20 August:

Hannah’s and Alan’s birthdays (43 and 68 respectively!).
Despite the prospect of a somewhat hectic day, I decided that I needed to go for an early morning walk along the harbour – for old times’ sake (as it would be the last one taken while still living at number40). Sadly, all rather grey and cloudy, but good to do it anyway…
Ended up being quite an uncomfortable walk – both my back and my hip were ‘playing up’!
The rest of the morning was spent posting number40 reflections and general packing/clearing up… it all seems rather never-ending!
Popped down to Cork’s to buy George a home-warming welcome… and I wrote him a brief note to go with it (very strange not to have met the new occupier of our house – a new experience for us in our five house moves).
Walked to Temple Meads mid-afternoon and caught the train to Swindon – where we were met by Steve and driven back to their second home in the Cotswolds.
Gail+Ian were already there (they’d arrive dmid-afternoon).
Despite feeling very tired, enjoyed lovely catch-up supper and fine wine before bed.
Image: my last pic of the marina before our move.

Thursday 19 August:

Last full day to work on the house before we disappear to the Cotswolds for the weekend (what great timing!)… so no early morning walk.
Wrote Alan an email (conscious that there probably won’t be much time to communicate before our move).
George’s electrician came round at 9am to carry out an inspection.
Remembered to sort out (and post) Alan’s and Hannah’s birthday cards.
Also managed to get one of the local charity shops to accept my old golf shoes!
Lots of cleaning (especially floors) during the course of the day, plus oven cleaning and even the basement toilet (in a vague, ineffective way).
Took a lateral flow test as a precaution for the weekend trip… happily both Moira’s and mine were negative.
Evening telly: ‘Fake’.
Image: morning sky from the bathroom (perhaps my last number40 bathroom photo?). 

Wednesday 18 August:

Up very early trying to sort out ‘stuff-for-the-tip’ in advance of Felix’s planned collection. Transferring the left-over debris from the basement into the hall (which still awaits further collection by Ru+Stu over the weekend. Somewhat depressed at the extent of stuff still to ‘got rid of’… perhaps more than one full car load for Felix??
It was also recycling collection day by the Council… and for the third week running, our boxes and cardboard blue bag were all full to bursting (BUT the wonderful collectors took them without complaint!).
Bloke’s Prayer at the Society Café (Robin, Ed, Dru, DaveM, Nick and me)… very good to see Ed there after his ‘heart scare’ of last week. Nick didn’t get his job in the Forest of Dean (6 month contract) – but was pleased by the very positive feedback he’d received. Pressure now for him to find new accommodation within the next 2-3 weeks… although it actually looks as though the Bristol Diocese will let them stay in their current home for the time being… which is very good.
Felix (and Ursa) came to collect ALL the rubbish for another tip-run… and, amazingly, he managed to get everything in the car. What on earth would we have done without him?
Yet more kitchen unit cleaning…
Moira and I met up with Lee (at Underfall Yard Café) in the afternoon – in advance of his department at the beginning of September. Great to meet up… we’ll miss him hugely.
Tiring day… earlyish bed after another Montalbano episode.
Image: dining room fireplace+stuff. 

Tuesday 17 August:

No walk today… juggling various stuff.
Ru (and subsequently Rosa and Iris) came round to continue the studio clear out… they’ve done incredibly well (but there’s SO much stuff!). Had a chance to catch up with her over coffee and she’s hoping she might be able to persuade the powers that be at BV Studio to allow her to erect a mezzanine to take ALL her things – she feels this would be so much better than renting a small storage unit. Fingers crossed (we’ve said we’d contribute £250).
I bought some pizzas for lunch and then, afterwards, Rosa and I cleaned out the fridge/freezer/recycling cupboard/pan drawer!! Quite a difference before and after!
I took Rosa to the dentist (she’d cracked a tooth – which ended up being a baby tooth)… she ended up having what was left of the tooth extracted (with a small injection)… but everything fine (nice dentist and Rosa took everything in her stride). Walked her home (via Southville Centre to update Ru).
Ru and Stu came to collect a whole load of more stuff… still more to go. Felix is coming round tomorrow to take another car load of ‘other stuff’ to the tip… another very full car!
Watched some ‘Hundred’ on telly in the evening (not ‘proper cricket’ but very entertaining).
Ru posted a selfie on instagram… marking the end of 17 years in her studio at number40… poignant stuff. X
Image: marina at dawn… with rowers (from yesterday). 

Monday 16 August:

Went for my dawn walk down the harbour (my first for a few days)… bright, calm morning.
My hip was giving me a bit of trouble (combined with my back, I’m feeling like an old croc!).
Home for espresso+toast breakfast.
More stuff put out on the pavement (only a couple of days left before it all goes to the skip?).

Spent much of the morning filling holes in walls after the pictures had been removed.
Ru+Iris+Rosa came round to start the studio clearing earnest… and did brilliantly well. They filled the ENTIRE hallway with Ru’s stuff (Ru+Stu are collecting some of it tonight), but there’s still LOTS of items left in the basement.
I cooked chips for lunch (like the old days at the Watershed!)… then Ru had to go off to work, Iris was meeting up with friends and Rosa, Moira and I went to Tincan Coffee for early afternoon refreshments. I then accompanied Rosa home (she was in good form – always makes me smile).

Ru+Stu came to collect a car load of stuff at the end of day for transferring to BV (fingers crossed that Ru comes up with a way of persuading BV to allow her into her new/bigger studio early!).

Listened to some of the Test match cricket (England, despite being favourites at the start of the day, managed to lose the game!).
Evening telly: ‘Connect’ and ‘Challenge’.
Image: Ru’s clear up (in progress!).

Sunday 15 August:

Decided on no church (or streaming) this morning… our minds are on ‘other things’!
Came across another random selection of old slides – including some from our Athens trip – and so ‘took photographs’ of some of them (using the same technique as I’d done about a month ago – slide against camera lens and click!). Generated lots of memories!
Moira and I walked to Greville Smyth Park (and sat down for coffee under Moira’s Indian Bean Tree).
Spent much of the afternoon sorting out the back studio room – putting filled plastic boxes up on the worktop and clearing (and sweeping) the floor. Felt as if I’d made decent progress… but then decided to take it easy (my back’s still troubling me).
Afternoon/evening telly: watched an episode on the Boleyn’s and then another ‘Montalbano’ (nothing else on the box!)
Image: two images from our 1971 Athens trip (Moira in Rome; Steve in Dubrovnik). 

Saturday 14 August:

A standard start to a Saturday these days – fetch newspaper and put out ‘stuff’ in front of the house (‘collect-for-free’). Hopefully today, it won’t rain!
Morning coffee inside (it would be nice to think we’ll at least one more morning coffee in the garden before we move?) and then continuing with all the list of house move jobs required.
All the pictures (except two) are down and we’ve done amazingly well at getting rid of picture frames (currently only 5 left on the pavement – which means we’ve probably ‘disposed’ of more than 30 perhaps? Pretty amazing). All my large format sketches and photographs have gone. Stones duly sorted into ‘take with us’ and dump in garden categories.
Even managed to spend a little time in the afternoon sketching the dining room fireplace.
Both Villa and City lost (first day of the season for Villa).
Last night, we have a note pushed through our letterbox (from lovely neighbours Hannah+Cormac, Roz+Simon and Claire+Geraint) inviting us to attend a ‘mini street party’ to wish us well for our impending move. How special is that?! We ended up laughing, chatting, enthusing fore more than 3 hours!
Image: our very special neighbours (oh, how we’ll miss them).

Friday 13 August:

Again, no early morning walk (definitely need to get out again next week – not many more days left in Southville!).
I put out stuff on the pavement again – but had to bring it all back in again at 9.30am due to rain (and it stayed inside for the rest of the day… more rain later).
Morning coffee inside(!) then out to pharmacy to collect my statins medication (not available when I collected stuff earlier in the week) and then called in to Storysmith to collect our latest bookgroup book (Walter Kempowski’s ‘All For Nothing’).
Rest of the morning juggling various house-move things.
Ink-sitting in the afternoon - finished my Hemingway 'The Old Man And the Sea' book (Ru, Stu+Co due back tonight - they arrived just after I'd left, around 5pm).
Evening telly: another re-watched Montalbano episode.
Image: broken cardboard box lid (by Ru a long, long time ago!). 

Thursday 12 August:

Another ‘no walk’ day… decided to concentrate on getting stuff out on to the pavement (and also advertising to facebook friends that picture frames would be available until Sunday)(anything left after that would go to the tip). In the event, it was pretty successful – put out 10 frames plus various picture shelves and all but two had gone by 3.30pm (when it started to rain!).
Also got a batch of washing done very first thing… which was dry by lunchtime.
Moira and I had morning coffee inside and then had a very useful zoom chat with Dave to discuss shelves/cupboard unit at number17.
Moira was Ink-sitting in the afternoon… so I prepared a fish finger+chips supper!
Spent some of the afternoon going through stuff in the rear studio storage cupboard – SO many drawings and textile pieces (some framed!)… already got enough paper and cardboard to fill our recycling containers and there’s still 6 days to go!

The woman (Teresa)whose car was damaged yesterday brought round a bottle of Prosecco in gratitude (which was a rather lovely thought).
Moira re-discovered my old oil painting (man, woman+baby) from 1970 - just 51 years ago!
Pretty rubbish telly night – ended up watching ‘Fake or Fortune’ and then bed to read more of my Hemingway book.
Image: my old oil painting re-emerges (yet again!).

Wednesday 11 August:

Bloke’s Prayer first thing (Nick, Dave, Dru and me)… good session (despite Ed’s absence).
Worked on some shelving layout for Dave (think I got into far too much detail!) and messaged them through (zoom session tomorrow to discuss).
Lorry driver demolished car wind mirror and put a great scratch/dent down the side of a new Mini this morning (didn’t actually see it, but passed on Reg number to owner – think driver tried to find owner).
Afternoon involved a spot of Ink-watching… straightforward.
Evening telly: more ‘Hundred’ cricket (well, half a game) and ‘Repair Shop’.
Image: ducks+humans… so depressing. 

Tuesday 10 August:

Finished my excellent Michael Rosen book last night, so scribbled a quick review first thing.
Felix was doing another tip trip today (after lunch) and so I spent an hour sorting out various items in the hall.
Morning coffee inside with Moira discussing today’s plans.
Put out some more ‘stuff’ on the pavement (the forecast was for it remain fine)(and bits and pieces did ‘disappear’ during the course of the day.
Had coffee with Ana at Underfall Yard mid-morning (and handed over my drawing board!). Very good to catch up with her.
Fee arrived shortly after lunch and managed to virtually fill his car with stuff for his tip trip! Felt so grateful for his efforts… AND the hallway suddenly felt quite empty again (ok, so there was stuff still on the pavement!).
Had an email from Robin to say that Ed was A+E with some heart-related issues. I subsequently emailed Anne (he’s been kept in overnight, but his ECG is normal – which is good news).
Had to go to Southmead Hospital for my 7pm CT Scan appointment… the bus managed to get me there in good time. All fairly straightforward – now just a case of awaiting the results (slightly embarrassingly, they discovered I had my specs in my breast pocket during the first scan!! Oh, how we laughed!). Most people wore face masks on the bus – the exceptions being: men aged 50-60 and any 20-somethings! Bit depressing and unsettling.
Image: empty(ish) hallway. 

Monday 9 August:

A busy ‘business’ day (involving quite a lot of walking!)…
A reasonable night’s sleep (in the context of recent nights)… and up pretty early. Weeded the front steps.
Morning coffee with Moira inside (raining+sun alternating), then to the pharmacy to get my prescriptions (all but one available – need to collect the final one on Friday)… and to check if there were still recycling bins in the Asda car park (there were).
Sorted out clothes for ‘throwing’.
Immediately after lunch, took Moira and my clothes-for-recycling down to the Asda car park (four full and quite heavy of our green Waitrose carry bags). Tiring, but good to have got it out of the way!
Felix has agreed to take some more stuff to the tip tomorrow… so sorted out a batch of things for him. It all feels like progress… the hall is slightly less crowded!
Late afternoon Ink-sitting (and reading my Michael Rosen book) at Temple Street. Ink seemed very pleased to see me (and the house was wonderfully tidy… probably thanks to Ru’s job rotas!).
Evening telly: usual ‘Connect’ and ‘Challenge’.
Image: another Upfest photograph on my walk to Temple Street. 

Sunday 8 August:

Another difficult night’s ‘sleep’ – my back continues to hurt when I turn over or reach down etc. Torrential rain overnight… and further rain forecast for various parts of the day. Despite this, I decided to go to church (St S’s) – essentially because it meant me being able to take David McL’s church model and storing it away in the store at the back of church (with churchwardens’ permission!)… the last opportunity at a St S’s service before our moving.
Moira decided to give church a miss and so went to collect the newspaper herself.
I cooked cauliflower+broccoli cheese for supper during the course of the afternoon (and read some of the newspaper)… but, all in all, a pretty lazy day – which I found quite depressing (feeling guilty about all the things I COULD have been doing in connection with the house move).
Last day of Olympics… and, despite my initial lack of enthusiasm, I think I’m going to miss it!
Evening telly: another episode of the V+A documentary series and a bit of the Olympic ‘roundup’.
Image: blue skies from a few days ago. 

Saturday 7 August:

A wet start to the day (and, ultimately, very heavy rain in the afternoon).
Fetched the newspaper first thing AND popped into Hugo’s to buy some fruit+veg (and, somehow, very nearly left my camera there!).
Later went to Wilko’s to get some washing up salt (noticed that the pub on Cannon Street was bursting with customers at 11am… no social-distancing worries it seems!).
Watched a little more Olympic stuff (penultimate day) and then spent much of the afternoon finishing my Roddy Doyle book.
Moira did some more ‘file sorting’ (Felix has agreed to make a trip to the tip during the course of next week).
Evening telly: more ‘Montalbano’.
Image: pre-dawn photo of waning crescent moon (taken out of the bathroom window!).

Friday 6 August:

Pretty awful, restless night’s sleep (in part due to back pain whenever I turned over)… awake from 2am, eventually got up at 3.30am.
Exciting morning! Sue Smith called in her way down to see her brother in Devon and dropped in for a couple of hours for coffee… AND H+F+U+Juno dropped in one their way back from their second Covid jabs. Good to have some time altogether… and Han took away a couple of picture frames.
Moira chatted to Alice via zoom.
Spent much of the afternoon catching up watching the Olympics on the telly.
Felt like something of a wasted afternoon – but perhaps it was all about feeling tired after a sleepless night?
But Ru popped in her way home from work (and to drop off her key – for Ink-sitting next week)… and it was lovely to see her and find out more about her new studio.
Watched a SkyArts ‘Portrait Artist’ episode from 2013 on telly.
Moira had a bookgroup zoom ‘gathering’ in the evening.
Early night for me…
Image: rapid scribble from watching Olympic speed wall!

Thursday 5 August:

Started the morning off (early) by emailing Lesley Warren (solicitor Director) and Laurence to chase up/query why exchange STILL hadn’t happened. Response from both of them (well from Sally at solicitors) saying that they hadn’t been able to get hold of our buyer’s solicitor yesterday despite chasing a number of times. They (plus buyer George) would be chasing up today! So frustrating.
Morning coffee inside with Moira.
Rain forecast later, so decided to have a brief walk around North Street etc and take photographs of various Upfest artworks (this year Upfest is happening over the course of 4-5 weeks, I think).
After much thought, we decided to tip the Indigo dye (that’s been in a bin for several years!) down the drain!
Another Asda delivery just after lunch (our penultimate at number40?).
Eventually, at 3.45pm, we received confirmation that contracts had been exchanged. Tangible relief!!
In other news, Grealish signed for Man City and Ings signed for Villa!
Eveening telly: more Olympics and early to bed (I cricked my back a couple of days ago and it’s still very painful).
Image: Upfest collage from this morning. 

Wednesday 4 August:

Bloke’s Prayer first thing… at the Society Café in the sunshine (Ed, Robin, Nick and Dru). Chatted to Phil as usual on the bridge and he was pleased to tell me he’d been given a place to live (in Whitchurch, I think)… he moves in tomorrow. Pretty significant moment for him obviously (I’ve known him for the past 10 years of him living on the streets).
Coffee with Moira (inside) once I’d returned home… general catch-up on stuff we needed to get down etc.
Spent 90 minutes online ‘talking’ to Virgin Media about transferring our stuff to Deanery Road. Ended up with a new phone (part of the package currently on offer) and a reduction of £25 in our monthly payments (was £60). Not quite sure what to make of it all, but we should be re-connected on the 25^th (afternoon).
Continued to try to do some packing (small objects on shelves into a plastic box etc).
It sounds as if Ru’s been offered a bigger(?) studio at BV and has decided to accept it (which is very good news – stuff in her basement at home was showing signs of mildew). I’d previously checked (without telling Ru) about the possibility of taking up space in a self-storage place (35sq.ft for say £20/week for a year… a possibility?).
Felt mesmerised by the Olympic speed wall climbers (amazing agility and speed).
Storysmith bookgroup – actually in the shop (for the first time for 18 months)… felt slightly unreal, but lovely to see everyone.
We were SUPPOSED to exchange today... but it just didn't happen (and Moira+I have no idea why not - we'd asked our solicitor to keep us posted). Feeling VERY frustrated by it all. 
Image: BP at the Society Café (it was a vague point+click pic and, of course, I failed to include Robin!! 

Tuesday 3 August:

The guy from the Removers rang at 8.30am to say that they’d had a cancellation and that he could therefore confirm our moves dates (23^rd: pack; 24^th: load+commence delivery; 25^th: complete delivery)… so HUGE relief and gratitude!
No walk this morning (I’d cricked my back yesterday and was finding it difficult to move freely).
We had morning coffee in the throne chairs… significant final use of them!
My friend Gemma (Lane) came to collect the throne chairs at 10am (£100)… lovely to see her briefly (relieved that they could fit into her car!).
Today marked the 50^th anniversary of the start of our Greek minibus trip! I’d lost most of my best slides, but managed to find two slides of Moira… held them against the lens of my camera and raised it towards the sky… and, ridiculously, they actually came out pretty well! Very nice to be able to have something to post to mark the occasion.
Spent a little time filling holes in walls (after picture removals) and sorting out LOTS of cardboard for recycling (think all the shredding may have to be taken to the tip – because we’ve got LOTS of paper for recycling too?).
Afternoon spent partly reading and partly watching ‘Gravity’ film (although I have to admit to fast forwarding it at about half way through).
Evening telly: more from the V+A documentary series.
Image: Moira in Rome, 1971. 

Monday 2 August:

I DID go for my dawn walk this morning (the usual circuit)!
Very grey, but still… and hardly anyone about.
I put out more collect-for-free stuff (fingers crossed).
Back home for espresso+toast… and a quick sketch of a typical ‘lockdown drinking tent’ (from a photo taken this morning at The Coronation).
Morning coffee with Moira inside.
Then had a strange zoom call with one of the prospective Removal firms… due to Covid, they’re still not carrying out actual property inspections for quotation purposes, so it meant me walking round the house pointing my laptop at everything (not entirely convincingly!). Anyway, the removal guy seemed to get what he needed… and actually came back to us with a quote before lunchtime… which we accepted… and then (irritating) I received a phonically from the bloke’s colleague saying that their Bristol weren’t able to do our move (fully booked – DESPITE me being reassured about 24 August!), but was confident that someone else within their group would be able to do the work (moaned and insisted that he rang us back as soon as he was able to PROPERLY confirm!!).
Moira did very well on the furniture front (thanks to GumTree) – people have collected the dining chairs AND our bed-settee! Fingers crossed that Gemma comes to collect the throne chairs tomorrow!
Another boat sketch after lunch (based on another pic from this morning – unremarkable stuff, I’m afraid – but my ‘library’ of sketches was getting rather sparse!).
Read some more of my ‘Love’ book.
Evening telly: some Olympics, plus ‘Connect’ and ‘Challenge’.
Image: lockdown drinking tent.

Sunday 1 August:

Usual Sunday newspaper and morning coffee routine. Didn’t go to church (HTH), but did tune in to the streamed talk (by Laura – quite good, but too long in my view).
Spent the remainder of the morning sorting out yet more paperwork… and, yes, after that spent another couple of hours shredding (at present this totals SEVENTEEN bags of the stuff!).
Took down all of the ‘picture display shelves’ from the back studio room and did a general tidy up in preparation for removal firm ‘zoom’ tomorrow morning. Put out more stuff on the pavement (including quite a few A3 sketches and photos)… despite the ‘iffy’ weather forecast… all but one of the photos went during the course of the afternoon (probably 15?).
Watched bits and pieces of Olympics (some while shredding!)… and then watched the second innings of another ‘Hundred’ game.
Evening telly: Chris Packham walk (Hampshire countryside).
Image: more bare walls (another staircase pic).