Sat 1: I have never previously tried to get ten days' blogposts prepared in advance whilst also writing posts for current publication. Wish me luck finishing the last few by Thursday. Sun 2: My favourite London meteorological data resource, NW3 Weather, has finally revamped to a modern mobile-friendly template, maybe 10 years later than it should have done. Naturally I hate the new format because nothing fits on a laptop screen any more, so I'm delighted the old version remains if you know where to look. Mon 3: I've been playing Threes on my phone for 12 years, that's over 220,000 games, and today I finally got my first 3072 tile. My high score more than doubled to 185,148 as a result. Just one more tile to get (maybe never). Tue 4: Nipped into Stanfords to buy a road map of the Basque Country (Michelin 144). It cost just £6.99 (and will prove incredibly useful because a satnav can't solve everything).
Wed 5: A squirrel turned up on my balcony attracted by a tub of water in a drought. We engaged in a lengthy staring match, then he came right up to the French windows and I tempted him away with an acorn (because I keep a stash too). Much nibbling ensued. Thu 6: I realised last week that my EHIC health insurance card had expired so sent off for a new GHIC, the post-Brexit equivalent, not thinking it'd arrive in time. It arrived the day before the holiday, hell yes.
holiday unblogged Fri 7: When we boarded the plane at Gatwick an important man was sitting in my seat so the stewardess relocated the three of us across the aisle. I may never sit in seat 1A again. Sat 8: The house where we're staying is firmly shuttered to keep out the heat, thus always dark inside. It's not usually 37°C here but apparently full-on shuttering is normal midsummer behaviour. Sun 9: I note that tattoos aren't generally a thing in the Basque Country, because if they were in this weather I'd have had an eyeful by now. Mon 10: Other cities' transport networks are often baffling and allow you to make a complete mess of things. I thought I'd done really well at the Txik Txak terminal in Biarritz, successfully buying a group ticket just before the bus departed. However when I showed it to the driver he gestured me off the bus with a Gallic shrug, this because I'd merely shown him my receipt and the ticket was still in the tray. Thankfully he waited while I ran back to collect it.
Tue 11: Portugalete metro station in Bilbao is the furthest west I've been this year. I thought it was a lot further west, but on checking it's merely due south of Lyme Regis. Wed 12: I was expecting total eclipse day to be a manic panic checking weather forecasts, traffic news and contour maps. Instead the forecast was so perfect that I relaxed all afternoon watching Netflix with the shutters down, then sauntered over to a bar safe in the knowledge that a full solar bite would be unobscured from the precise spot I'd chosen to holiday in. Still can't believe my luck. Thu 13: Things we saw on TV: several gossipy studio-based shows with half a dozen manicured hosts, very very long ad breaks, Basque TV channels promoting local culture (watch live here), a 2 hour-edition of First Dates (Spanish version), various potboiler dramas, Doc Martin dubbed. Fri 14: Since 2000 all Spanish numberplates have comprised four digits followed by three consonants, e.g. 9183 LZG. Registrations have been issued sequentially, first 9999 plates ending BBB, then BBC, then BBD, etc. We're currently up to the N's. The earliest number plate I saw was 3123 BDZ on a motorbike and the latest was 2844 NRW on a new white van. Sat 15: We nearly went to Biarritz today but thankfully checked for local events and discovered it was the day of the big Assumption fireworks so traffic would have been monstrous from mid-afternoon and much of the beachfront would have been sealed off. Monday was much quieter (and much better weather).
Sun 16: As soon as I got home from the airport I made myself beans on toast and had a proper cup of tea. I do miss the cheesy ham pintxos though. Mon 17: Having successfully taken my laptop to Spain and back, today it awoke with a blue screen of death I'd never seen before, demanding a 32-character BitLocker code. Eek. I didn't have a 32-character code, nor did any of my verification attempts uncover one. Eventually I solved the problem by clicking on 'Skip this drive'... and haven't dared turn off my laptop since. Tue 18: Just before 11pm my niece gave birth to her first child, instantly making my brother a grandfather. I merely became a great uncle which doesn't feel anywhere near as scarily generational. Wed 19: The baby's name was revealed, and as expected yes it has been used for a Disney character. Thu 20: I don't think I've ever seen grass in London looking so dry. This is Wanstead Green looking more like a threadbare carpet of straw.
Fri 21: I loved re-watching the Housemartins documentary London 0 Hull 4, as seen on BBC2's Paul Heaton Night, because the first time I saw it in 1987 I was living half a mile round the corner from 70 Grafton Street where the band formed. Sat 22: The spout of my kettle has furred up so I decided to give the gauze a scrub. I did this very gently but still managed to break the gauze, hence the kettle now pours much more smoothly but also lets chunks of limescale through, dammit. Sun 23: The westbound waiting room at New Malden station now has a sign on the door saying 'Calming space' alongside an autism infinity symbol. SWR's Calming Spaces "are waiting rooms which incorporate calming features to create a more inclusive space for customers who are neurodiverse or may have non-visible disabilities." It's a lovely idea, should you be planning on travelling to Surbiton rather than Waterloo, but only brief respite before the utter hubbub of a train carriage. Mon 24: Today is 40 days after St Swithin's Day, which was dry. I've done my usual check since and can confirm that 33 of the subsequent days were dry, which is the saint's best prediction since 1989 and 1990 (which were also both 33☀️ 7🌧️). It would have been 35 if only I hadn't gone to Norfolk and Romford and been hit by rogue showers.
Tue 25: The long-standing motor vehicle service centre at 169-173 Bow Road has closed and is up for sale. This is because ATS Euromaster Ltd is winding down its UK operations. A sign attached to the gate says "Closed Until Tomorrow", and somebody really should cross out the last two words. The site has a guide price of £1,750,000 and I expect it to be sold for housing. You could easily cram several dozen flats onto this brownfield quarter-acre, and in five years' time I bet somebody has. Wed 26: I did not open the bottle of champagne given to me when I moved into my flat 25 years ago, a possible option having evaporated, so the wait for a suitable moment continues. Thu 27: You may remember that last year, rather perversely, I set foot in every London borough at least 40 times. This year I've reached the same total but in August, so who knows how high I can get it by New Year's Eve. Fri 28: Today my Dad and I got to meet (and hold) the newest member of our family. He's so small, also his nails are surprisingly long, also he wriggles a lot, also I'd like to think that was a smile, also thanks for filling your nappy five minutes before we arrived, also by the time he's my age there still won't have been a total solar eclipse in the UK. Sat 29: Christmas puddings, festive bakewells and panettone are back on the shelves in Tesco, and obviously I bought six mince pies to celebrate.
Sun 30: Radio 4 Extra repeated an episode of The Grumbleweeds from 1986 (blimey, as late as that?), and I can't believe we found it funny and listened every week. Mon 31: On Instagram I watched reels of people having a great bank holiday abroad, at festivals, up mountains, at restaurants, on rivers, at airports, at weddings etc and all I did was walk across Selsdon Woods and Southwark Bridge. Must try harder.
