… calamity, today was a much calmer day. And I couldn’t have wished for anything better than that.

Even though there was no alarm for this morning I was wide awake at 06:15. But if anyone thinks that I am going to haul myself out of bed at such a silly time as this when I’m planning on having a lie in is totally mistaken.

Even 09:00 is an early time, but I couldn’t go back to sleep and so I arose from my stinking pit.

Not the first time that I had arisen, I hasten to add. Last night, as soon as I had gone to bed I was up and hopping about with one of the worst attacks of cramp that I’ve ever had for the last few weeks, so what is the point of this medication that I’m supposed to be taking? Sounds as if I’m taking it for nothing.

Once I’d gathered my wits and organised myself I went off down to Carrefour for my shopping, having found a nice gap in the rainstorm that had been pelting down.

Regular readers of this rubbish will recall that we’ve been following the road repairs down at the junction of the Naamsestraat and the Naamsevest.

These now seem to be complete and the workers have moved away. And to be honest, I can’t see what all of the fuss was about because there doesn’t seem to me to be any improvement.

Down at Carrefour I did some of the shopping. Not everything – in fact I didn’t buy anything for my evening meal because I’m out for an evening meal tonight and I only want to bring back what I need immediately.

It’s a long way back up that hill with a heavy load when I’m not feeling so good.

Meanwhile, back at the road junction with the Naamsevest and the Naamsestraat, my theory that “these now seem to be complete and the workers have moved away” seems to be confounded.

While I was in the Carrefour a concrete cutter had arrived and was busy cutting a hole in the nice, new road surface. And it can’t be more than 4 weeks old. It totally amazed me, although I have seen this kind of thing so many times before.

Back up here I put the cold food in the fridge, made myself a coffee and had breakfast with the last of the breakfast fruit bread that I had brought with me.

And then I turned my attention to bringing up to date the journal entry from yesterday and that took much longer than I anticipated, with lunchtime included of course.

And after a brief … errr … repose, I did some work on choosing the music for a forthcoming radio programme. There’s plenty of stuff on the dictaphone but that’s a job for tomorrow afternoon at the hospital.

That took me up to the time to go out to meet Alison.

Down in the town I went by the Herbert Hooverplein to see what was happening down there. The fountain was in full swing down there too and a girl was busily filming it.

Being in a rush, I didn’t have the time to wait to take a photo of it in all of its magnificence so you’ll have to make do with this photograph for now.

Instead I pushed on along the square towards where Alison and I intended to meet.

In the Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein they had set out some kind of sports ground.

There were several beach volleyball courts but I didn’t have the time to photograph them because Alison was already there.

We went off to Greenway for a nice vegan burger and ginger drink, and then off to see her new house.

And it really is beautiful. She’s done really well to find such a nice place at such short notice.

We had a coffee and a really good chat, and I told her lots of stories of the kind that I don’t tell to too many people, and then she drove me back here.

Tomorrow I have two hospital appointments so I’m now off to bed. It will be a long day tomorrow, and then on Friday I have another hospital appointment.

It seems to be all go for me right now with the hospital. But I hope that they are going to cut down my meds.

I’ve been in such a bad state right now and I’m not getting any better. I’m sure that these new meds are contributing to it.