S3035

I am a 65 year-old male retired banker (born 1947), who ultimately worked in the business banking sector, looking after small businesses, after a career in branch banking. I took early retirement at the age of 50 and haven’t regretted it for a moment. I completed a part-time degree course in Landscape Studies at Sussex University in 2006, obtaining my BA. I live at Southwick in West Sussex, and I am married with two grown up daughters, and three grandchildren.

SATURDAY 2ND JUNE

8.45am Awoke. To bathroom & toilet. Washed and shaved. Adjourned to my dressing room and dressed in old clothes as I intended to paint garage door.
9.10am To kitchen to prepare breakfast of slice of toast and marmalade and a glass of orange juice.
9.15am To conservatory to eat breakfast and read morning papers (Daily Mirror & Brighton Argus. I will save Daily Telegraph to read later). Listened to Radio 2 at the same time (Sounds of the Sixties and Graham Norton). Wife left to help with lunch club at her church.
10.40am Returned to kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee and then moved to my study. Turned computer on. Checked my e-mails; did my daily TV questionnaire (regarding which programmes I had watched, and my views on them); read football blogs regarding my local club. Drank my coffee and had a couple of biscuits while doing this.
11.10am Finished reading blogs and coffee. Took empty cup to kitchen. Fed tortoise with some lettuce and the fish in our pond and also checked bird feeders were topped up. Put on overalls and started work on garage door – rubbing down prior to painting. Painted garage door, and then moved on to back garden gate, rubbing down and removing loose paint.
12.50pm Returned to kitchen to prepare dinner of lamb risotto (this was a meal from the freezer. (When making these fresh there is usually sufficient for a third meal which I freeze for occasions such as this). My wife was having her meal at the lunch club. Washed meal down with a glass of Innis & Gunn blond beer. Ate the meal at my computer while reading further football blogs.
1.15pm Had strawberries, meringue and ice cream for dessert, which my wife had prepared earlier. It started to rain while I was eating.
1.30pm Made a small cup of coffee, accompanied by a couple of After Eight chocolates, and a small glass of liqueur.
2.00pm Stopped raining, and my wife returned. Was therefore able to return to working outside. Undercoated back gate.
3.00pm Tidied up my painting equipment and came back inside. Went into study and played games on the computer.
4.12pm Finished playing, and moved to conservatory to read the Daily telegraph.
5.15pm Moved to the sitting room to watch England Football International, while continuing to read paper.
6.00pm Half time. Went into garden to water pot plants using water from butts.
6.20pm Returned to sitting room to watch second half of football, and continued reading paper.
7.10pm Football and papers finished, so turned TV onto National Geographic Wild channel to watch the Giant Crystal Cave. Did puzzles from newspaper while watching.
9.00pm At end of programme went to kitchen and made myself some cheese and biscuits, which were accompanied by a glass of Dubonet & lemonade, with a dash of rum. Paused TV while making this. Returned to sitting room and continued to watch NG Wild on Natural Disasters.
10.00pm Turned TV off, but continued to do puzzles.
10.20pm Moved to study to read latest football blogs, before playing more computer games. There was torrential rain outside, with thunder and lightning.
12.23am Went upstairs to bed.

SUNDAY 3RD JUNE

8.15am Awoke alone as wife had already gone to church to prepare early morning communion. To bathroom for shower and shave.
8.45am To dressing room. Put on jeans rather than shorts as weather turned colder, and still raining.
8.50am To kitchen to prepare breakfast of toast marmalade and orange juice. Fed tortoise in garden.
8.55am Sat in conservatory to eat breakfast, and read papers (Sunday Express and Sunday Telegraph) while listening to Radio 2. Wife returned about 9.20am, briefly, before going out again at 10.00am for normal communion.
10.40am Made myself a coffee.
11.00am Went upstairs to my dressing room to pack my bag for our few days away on our narrow boat.
11.20am Watered all our indoor plants using rainwater from butts (which were overflowing again, following last night’s downpour).
11.45am To study, turned on computer to check e-mails, do TV questionnaire and read football blogs, before playing computer games again.
12.45pm Wife returned from church and we then had our dinner in the dining room (beef casserole from slow cooker which my wife had put on before going out, followed by strawberries meringue and cream, accompanied by a small bottle of French beer and followed by coffee and chocolates). Helped wife wash up afterwards, and then packed car up with bedding, food etc. for our trip to the boat.
1.40pm Left home to drive to boat. Took a detour to our daughter’s hose to put her papers and post through her inner door, as she and her family were away camping for the weekend. Then made our way along A27, A23, M23, M25 & M40.
3.30pm Stropped at Oxford Services for toilet break, and had a drink of hot chocolate and a cake. Wife had a cup of tea and an iced bun.
4.00pm Set off again along M40, A43 & A5 to boat.
4.45pm Arrived at boat, which I unlocked, and turned on water, gas and electricity, before unloading car. Raised TV aerial and tuned in TV.
5.20pm Turned on TV and watched the end of the Jubilee Regatta on Sky News Channel, as this gave the best reception with the boats passing the Queen. Although I was not that interested in the event, which I thought was a bit over the top, nevertheless, it still brought a lump to the throat, especially when the drenched choir were belting out ‘Land of Hope & Glory’, and ‘Rule Britannia’. I was also impressed by the stamina of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen, especially in view of their age.
6.20pm Made tea of toast and marmalade, coffee and chocolate biscuit while continuing to watch regatta, followed by highlights on Sky News Channel. It was raining hard outside, so we did not want to go out.
7.00pm Started doing puzzles while continuing to watch regatta highlights on TV.
7.10pm Changed channels to ITV for news. Watched highlights again! As well as rest of day’s news.
7.30pm Turned to Channel 5 to watch ‘Once Upon A Time’, while still puzzling.
8.30pm Watched second half of Yesterday Channel programme on ‘Coronation Day Memories’.
9.00pm Turned to ITV again to watch ‘Vera’. Stopped puzzling to concentrate on programme.
11.00pm Turned TV off, and helped wife make bed up. Washed in bathroom, before going to bed. Finished puzzle, before settling down to sleep at 11.25pm

MONDAY 4TH JUNE

8.30am Woke up, and went to bathroom to wash, shave and dress.
8.45am To kitchen area to make breakfast of toast, marmalade and orange juice, which I sat in the dining area to eat.
9.30am After breakfast did some more puzzling, before assisting wife with washing up and then did some more puzzles.
10.30am Prepared to go out. As not very warm, put on jumper. There were many boats passing by on the canal, many sporting red, white and blue bunting, and union flags.
11.05am Arrived at Canons Ashby (National Trust property) after short drive. Had coffee and scone in tea shop before taking ‘taster’ tour of house at 11.30am. Very interesting, as we have not been here before.
12.10pm Finished tour and strolled around some of the grounds. Returned to tea shop, but as there was a long queue we went to the church to view their flower festival display, which included a floral crown outside, presumably for the jubilee.
1.00pm Back to the teashop for lunch of sausage & onion baguette and bottle of Frog Island Beer, followed by a small slice of carrot cake.
1.40pm Returned to house for more comprehensive, unguided, tour which enabled us to see a lot more than the ‘taster’ earlier.
2.45pm When tour of house finished, we strolled around gardens more extensively, before returning to car at 3.10pm for the drive home.
3.40pm Arrived back at boat. Sat and read guide book from Canons Ashby from cover to cover.
6.10pm Wife served up dinner of spaghetti Bolognese, followed by strawberries, meringue and cream again, all washed down with a glass of cider.
6.45pm Finished dinner, and did some more puzzles.
7.15pm Helped wife wash up.
7.30pm Turned TV on to watch Jubilee Concert, while doing puzzles. I must be getting old! Not only had I never heard of most of the opening acts, neither did their music appeal. I am sure the Queen felt the same, although she was not there to hear it. It did improve as it went along however, although was I the only one to be embarrassed by the American performers wishing the Queen a happy birthday. Do they not understand the meaning of the Jubilee? Why were they there? It should have been confined to Commonwealth performers.
At the end I was impressed by Prince Charles speech, and thought he was funnier than most of the comedians, and hit the right note in what he said, and made me proud to be British, and thought how well we tend to organise these events. Perhaps he will make a decent King after all.
10.50pm Watched news, before going to bathroom to wash and undress, and then go to bed at 11.10pm

TUESDAY 5TH JUNE

8.50am Woke up. Went to bathroom to wash, shave and dress.
9.15am Put TV on for jubilee Thanksgiving Service. Sky News had best reception as both BBC & ITV digital pictures kept breaking up. One of the Sky News presenters summed up my feelings by saying we Brits are shy of getting involved with these events until they actually happen, and then we get drawn in.
9.30am Wife cooked breakfast of bacon, egg and fried bread with a cup of coffee.
10.10am Washed up, and then continued to watch Service while doing puzzles.
11.45am Started loading car up to return home. Closed boat up after turning off all services.
12.00noon Left boat for journey home along A5 and A43. Stopped for fuel 12.25pm.
12.50pm Stopped for lunch at Fox & Hounds PH at Ardley. Had chicken escalope with chips and salad, accompanied by a pint of Spitfire Bitter. Had a coffee after.
1.30pm Left pub and travelled south along B4030 to enable us to see some different scenery, rather than stick to the Motorway. Joined A34 then turned off through Islip to the A40/M40. Turned off near end of M40 and travelled through Slough, Windsor Ascot, Guildford, Loxwood, Adversane, Ashington, and Wiston. There was still a fair amount of bunting in the various villages along the route.
4.40pm Arrived home. Unpacked car. Checked out garden – no damage from rain storms while we were away.
5.15pm Caught up with e-mails on computer, and made tea of bread crust with peanut butter and strawberry jam, and apple juice, followed by a toffee yoghurt.
5.45pm Turned on TV in sitting room for Queens Speech, while catching up with papers, then watched ITV news.
7.00pm Watched recording of ‘Eggheads’ as a friend of ours was on it. We don’t usually watch this programme, but made a special effort on this occasion.
7.30pm Watched recording of yesterday’s ‘Springwatch’ while still reading papers.
8.30pm To dining room to watch TV in there while wife caught up with her recorded programmes in sitting room.
9.00pm Watched ‘Silk’ on BBC1.
10.00pm Returned to sitting room to watch recording of today’s’ ‘Springwatch’, and then ‘Search For Bigfoot’.
11.50pm To study. Played games on computer before going upstairs to bed at 1.00am.


Additional observations

As I was away for most of the weekend, I am not sure what local events were organised, although I know my wife’s church was having a street party on the Monday afternoon. I do not know if it went ahead outside, or whether the weather forced it into the church hall.

My wife was the only person I have seen over the weekend, and apart from some general comments to each other regarding the event, we did not discuss it in any depth.