We popped out to a garden centre on Monday morning. Tony came round in the afternoon for a rehearsal then we popped over to no 81 to say goodbye to Warren and Mary Ellen. The kids were in a lively mood. Did the Castle Tap open mic in the evening. Played Tulsa Time, Black Magic Woman and Bird On A Wire. It was a good night, its getting better. M went to the BRO on Tuesday morning and I did my Southcote lock walk. Saw quite a few birds including possibly a chiffchaff, gadwall and what I thought was a widgeon but now I'm not so sure. James and the kids came round for tea. Amy is in Glasgow for work until Friday. The certificate of lawfulness for the shed mentioned completing a building regulations application so queried it and was told to contact the Building Control department. Did 32 mile ride from Newbury on Wednesday with Kelvin and Stuart. This included a very steep climb up Walbury Hill, the highest point in these parts at 297 ft but you need to walk to get to the top, we were probably at about 270.

Tony came round for a quick rehearsal on Monday afternoon so we could run through the Marianne Faithful numbers for the Lyndhurst open mic in the evening. Did Broken English, As Tears Go By, The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan and Working Class Hero. Went well. I played Tony's acoustic. We helped Amanda pack up as she was on her own. Did my Playhatch ride on Tuesday morning and stopped off at Waitrose in Caversham to purchase a few food items. Warren, Mary Ellen, Amy and the kids were coming for dinner. They arrived on Saturday morning and James was away working in Rennes. Did lasagne, focaccia and a jam sponge. On Wednesday we took Warren and Mary Ellen to Silchester and had lunch at the Calleva Arms. Went swimming on Thursday morning. After I popped over to RSAC to get a new key as they have changed the locks. Its now a front door key instead of a back. Spent the afternoon gardening as it was such nice weather. This included the first lawn mowing of the year. Got our certificate of lawfulness for the shed on Friday morning. Drove over to Brian and Karen's in Henfield near Brighton in the afternoon. Brian cooked a fine chilli. On Saturday we went into Brighton and walked by the sea front and along the pier. Then had a late lunch in the Regency Restaurant near the i360. In the evening we went to see comedy in the village hall. The MC was Stetpen Grant and the other acts were Andrew Maxwell, Tal Davies and Romesh Ranganathan. All very funny except Tal who was just funny. Had a nice lunch at a pub called The Fountain at Ashurst then drove back. Part of the M25 was closed so we came via Guildford. Meanwhile Amy did the Reading half marathon in 2hrs 35.