Tuesday December 20th 2022

10:00 Lois and I are staying with one of our old friends, at her house in Kennington, Oxford, where she lives with her son Daniel, a university librarian.

We spend the morning doing a little walk around the neighbourhood. When walking through Kennington I always think of my mother who worked in the local pharmacy during World War II. The pharmacist was often absent - I'm not clear exactly why, but it meant that my mother carried an enormous responsibility in making up the prescriptions for the local sick people through the long war years.

flashback to 1941. My mother, aged 21, although

more or less unqualified, had to used to man the village pharmacy 

mostly entirely on her own during the war years

12:00 Lois and I receive another amusing Venn diagram from Steve, our American brother-in-law, from the series of diagrams he regularly monitors on our behalf.

We can see why you'd be frazzled if trapped at home by rail strikes. People can only take so much jollity and family chat with the parents, can't they. The novelty soon begins to wear a bit thin. Tomorrow Lois and I are going to our daughter Alison's house in Hampshire for a week, so we'll try our best "to not overstay our welcome" [creative split infinitive]. My goodness!!!!!

13:00 We have lunch, and I make the mistake of drinking a glass of a sweet-tasting wine that has been in the house for several years - nobody has dared to drink it so far. 

Lois and Jen at the lunch table today

I open the wine that has been in the house for a few years

- nobody has so far plucked up courage to drink it

Whatever's in it, it does make me incredibly drowsy, and I just have to have a nap. Oh dear!!!!

17:00 Time for tea and a gluten-free brownie.

18:00