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We came to Norfolk to stay for a few days at a very nice hotel in a few acres of wood and grassland. A little more up-market than our usual accommodations but 90th birthday celebrations don't come around that often. Norfolk is in the heart of Brexit country. The hotel restaurant is full of senior citizens, some of whom look typical Gammons, a remarkably apt, if somewhat derogatory description. Red-faced and angry looking. Probably anti-vax too. Entitled, for sure. I came down with a cold but tested negative for Covid so Bev and I went for a walk yesterday. Very pleasant but a little bit more than I was up to considering my cold and my general fitness. Through woodland and fields to the coast, then along the coast for a while before completing the loop home; an 11 and a half km circuit. I was dragging my feet by the end. Today my Covid test was positive. Damn ! This will complicate matters somewhat. We're leaving the hotel tomorrow...

We've been in the UK for ten days now, having escaped Calgary ahead of the heat warnings: 30C. But there, in Calgary, we have a cool basement to retreat to. And we then arrived in Britain in time for a more serious heat event: it's 38C outside now, all-time records falling left, right and centre. And no basement handy. The guest suite adjacent to Mum's flat has room to swing a small cat but no drafts all. The bed sheet I sleep on (or try to) is streaked with salt marks. Like the outline of a corpse on the floor of a crime show. I'm currently taking advantage of the air-conditioning in the nearby Costa Coffee. The walk down here was reminiscent on an afternoon wander through a bazaar in Delhi. Except that Delhi is even hotter now than it was the last time I visited five years ago. The planet really is  burning up. Today is my brother Chris' birthday so we are going out for pizza. Yes. It is hopefully not as crazy as it sounds; there is a nice micro-brewery pub (Salt,...

Arrived at Heathrow a couple of days ago. Ferried home by Chris who managed to pack the three of us with the two bikes, one large suitcase, a large duffel bag, and two marginal carryons into his small, new hybrid.  But it's very hot here and the guest suite at Mum's flat is more than toasty. Sleeping, or attempting to, without covers or clothes on the clammy sheets. I don't know how Mum manages.  Not having seen her since before COVID started, the ageing is noticeable. And last night, she had a fall in the flat before going to bed. I thought she was just up late today after a typically poor night's sleep but she was in pain from the fall. We got a taxi to Lewisham Hospital and began the waiting game. Waiting to be triaged, waiting on Urgent Care, waiting for a cat scan, waiting for results. And now, after 12 hours, waiting for transport home. Which could be 10 minutes or three hours, so I was told. A couple of hours ago.  The wait time increased to 4 hours a...