I spent three hours this morning just catching up, much of which could have been done the day before if only I’d had my phone.  I left to pick up my friends in Beccles a few minutes later than I’d meant to, then stopped for petrol but we were still in Norwich by 12.15, which was not late.

It often puzzles me that I’m so damn busy now, more than ever.  Why was I not at my busiest when I had children living at home?  I certainly thought I was.  But when my mother was here, we used to go out regularly together – she loved shopping, going to Norwich for the day with frequent stops for coffee and food.  I wasn’t very bothered about it, but was quite happy to go with her.  She was one of those people who gets little enjoyment from doing something alone. I rarely did much shopping for myself when I was with her, it was simpler to do what she wanted, but then I’ve never been that bothered about buying things for myself.  When I find myself in the mood and find things I like, I get ’em quick, the feeling might not come again for a long time.  However, my point is that I did find time for it, I don’t now.  Perhaps I do things slower now that I’m old.  Oh dear.

Good friend Graham helped me out in another way this morning.  When I arrived home last night, an overflow pipe was gushing from one of two tanks in the smallest attic to the ground outside the kitchen.  This happened a few weeks ago and my other good friend Jamie came round to help out.  He couldn’t work out what was amiss.  Roses climbed up into the attic too (this is through a small trap door with no loft ladder, it’s just a matter of clambering and even more dodgy to get down) but neither of them could work it out.  However, the water stopped and the problem seemed to go away for a bit.  I talked to Al about it last night, as it had happened three or four years ago and he’d gone into the attic under Russell’s instruction, but he couldn’t make out the problem either.  Well, it went on all last evening and quite likely the whole night.  I could make it stop by turning on taps and flushing loos, but then it started again.

Graham is remarkably agile.  He’s some years older than I am, not sure how many but I suppose he’s in his late 60s, and he shinned up there nimbly.  I left him to get on with it while I did some work and a few minutes later he came downstairs and went outside.  When I’d finished and was ready to go, he airily said it was not problem, he’d just tightened a screw a couple of turns.  But it wasn’t the tightening of the screws, it was knowing they should be tightened.