First let's start with the "no": I didn't go to a car rally today. It would have been fun to see a lot of funny little cars in one place, and it might have been informative, but my only geeky car friend is away caravanning for the weekend and it wasn't something I felt I would enjoy on my own. It occurred to me that this is one of those rare moments I need a boyfriend, because he would be legally obliged to go. Oh well.

So let's see what I did do: I went to King's Lynn for a little potter, although it was busy and I realised I didn't want much so it was the shortest of visits. I made the mistake of putting Rufus Wainwright's Want One CD in the car, and as beautiful as it is it's also very sad, so by the time I got back home I wanted to go to bed and cry.

Instead I went to the Post Office where we all gasped as a mad couple wanting to send a pair of car tyres balanced them on the tiniest scales. My small parcel and car tax seemed slightly dull after that.

Then I had a gentleman caller. I actually wasn't expecting him and wouldn't have minded if he hadn't, but he was fun. He was born and raised in The Fens but now lives in North London and has completely morphed into a Londoner. There's something about Londoners that always makes me feel ridiculously rural, like I've got straw in my hair and dirt on my face. Apart from that he was nice, and apparently single, so I hope he comes back. Pity the car alarm went off at a rather unfortunate moment.... must get that fixed!

This evening I've been watching lots and lots of 30 Rock, which has been fun but now I need to order another boxset to see me through the summer. Oh, and I foolishly bought a bottle of premixed mojito from Sainsburys which turned out to be vile, so my plan to get quietly drunk and fall asleep on the sofa has rather fallen apart.

This weekend is going to be one of those odd ones that's characterised by the things I'm not doing rather than the things I am doing.

Tonight I should have been going to see Pet Shop Boys at the 02 in London. But it's also my niece's birthday today and if I'd have headed to London in time for the gig I would have been able to see her. She probably wouldn't have minded, but we don't have that much family left so it just felt like the best thing to do, especially as I'm her Godfather.

It was made easier by the fact that I don't actually like the 02, although I'm pleased someone has finally found a use for the Dome. It's too big, and in the middle of nowhere and therefore impossible to get back from. Besides, I'll be seeing Pet Shops Boys at Latitude next month, and also in December, a week before my birthday. So I sold the ticket on eBay and got back what I paid for it, so all's well etc.

It was one of my early finish Fridays so I was over at my sister's by the time the kids came home from school. My niece seemed to like her presents: wobbly mirrors from IKEA, earrings and a sewing machine (all bought as a joint gift between me and Mum). There was cake and party food, Lego, hula-hooping and running round the garden with the dog. It was fun, just the ideal way to spend a sunny afternoon!

I had a slight panicky moment earlier when the laptop didn't work properly - it booted up really slowly, then wouldn't do anything, just did that annoying swirly blue circle thing. I ended up getting it into safe mode, whilst contemplating what I'd do if it needed to go away for repair. With so much of my life happening online I simple couldn't manage without a computer, so I very nearly raced to PC World to buy a 'spare' laptop 'just in case'. Thankfully it fixed itself, so computer madness was averted!

My bad mood turned a corner today, instead of sulking I spent the day humorously swearing. I wasn't trying to be funny, I was quite serious that people should, "f*ck right off", but apparently that just makes my colleagues laugh so they gave my mood an acronym: FRO. If only they would...

This evening I've felt more productive and have had a busy evening at home catching up with stuff I should have done days okay. I feel tidier and better for it. Hurrah for me!

Before I go, I have questions:

Why would someone I used to work with, who always ignore me in the street, want to add me as a friend on Facebook?

Why would a man who cancelled on Tuesday because he claimed he wasn't well, text me this afternoon and tell me about the fun he'd just had cottaging? If he thinks he's getting another chance he's much mistaken!

Okay, time for bed!

I'm trying to sort out some kind of break over the summer. It won't be a holiday because I don't really do that - I'm not really a sunbathing on the beach kind of man. So I usually find something cultural to do and attached a few days to it - hey presto, city break!

But I have a dreadful habit of trying to pack too much in. For example, I want to go to Bristol to see the new Bansky exhibition. It's a bit far to do as a day trip (four hours each way, which actually sounds do-able, but stupid). So I thought I'd do a few other things as well and make a trip of it. Before I knew it I had a plan that took in South Wales, Bristol, Torquay and Brighton. I think I'd have spent more time in the car than out of it!

So back to the drawing board, and I've now scaled down my plans considerably. But it's only a short break, I still need a longer break. In my head the ideal scenario would be Edinburgh, preferably tied in with a Rufus Wainwright concert, but he's too busy writing opera to sing so that's not likely! Or a sleeper train to Cornwall. Or a day trip to Paris. The possibilities are endless. I'm just too crap to do anything with them! Now I know why people just book a week in the sun - it's easier!

As a gay man I'm legally obliged to like musical theatre. And I take that obligation seriously! Of course as a gay man I'm also a little snobby and pretentious, which I guess is why so many gay men like opera: they're musicals for snobs. But secretly, actually not that secretly, I really love some of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's stuff. Yes I know he looks like a troll but my God that man can write a tune!

I've seen Joseph & his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat five or six times so it's clearly a firm favourite but last night I got to see my second favourite: Evita.

I never saw it when it first opened in the 1980s, and it can't have toured since then or else I'd have seen it. So I didn't actually see it until they made it into a film. I love the film! And not just because Madonna is in it. I'm not one of those sad gays who thinks everything she touches is fabulous! She's a pretty poor actress, only really impressing when she plays characters who are essentially her: Desperately Seeking Susan, A League of their Own, and Evita. The film is great: it looks stunning and the music sounds great, what more could you want? I saw it with Robert in Lowestoft, many many years ago, and I remember being really upset by it, to which Robert snapped, "what are you crying for? She was evil" (or something similar, it was a long time ago).

I finally saw it on stage two or three years ago, when it was revived in London, a supposedly 'authentic' version with an Argentinian actress playing Eva Peron. It was a bit disappointing to be honest, although I think that was mostly because she wasn't Madonna.

Anyway, finally it's touring, with one of the men who wanted to be Joseph on Any Dream will Do as Che. Clearly I had to go, and I was so excited I was whistling Don't Cry for me Argentina all day in preparation.

So how was it? Well, the Joseph man may have had Che's hair but his singing was too clearly pronounced for the part. He was okay, but Antonio Banderas was better. The woman playing Eva Peron was good but really the best bit was the production. There was a large cast which is what you need for the religious sounding songs and the crowd scenes, and a clever set that managed to suggest grand palaces and churches whilst being deceptively simple.

But it's the songs. They're bloody good songs! I know Don't Cry for me Argentina has been done to death, but in context it's still incredibly moving! The songs are full of clever lyrics and make good use of the show's South American setting. They're funny, bitchy, political, and also really sad. I didn't cry this time, which was something of a miracle.

So another excellent Andrew Lloyd-Webber evening. I think it's time someone revived Jesus Christ Superstar so I can fall in love with that too.

Yesterday turned out to be the sociable kind of day I needed, just not where, and with the people, I'd originally intended!

In the morning I took Mum to a garden centre, because she needed a pot for a plant and I wanted to buy some black elder. She got the pot, although later decided she might not use it, but I thought the black elder was overpriced and bought a rose instead. As we left Jan & Barry arrived so I stopped for a quick conversation about allotments and agreed to pop round later that afternoon to give car advice. Yes I know how unlikely that sounds!

So I popped round at 4pm promising myself I'd stay an hour as there was ironing to be done. I stumbled home at 8.30pm, and managed two shirts and a pair of trousers before collapsing in bed! In the hours in between there was indeed car advice given, but there was also wine, Pimms, olives, homemade bread, spectacular homemade Gazpacho, plum tart, sunshine, good music and gossip. It was just the kind of lovely, spontaneous summer activity I ought to do more of but never do. Lovely to see you both! xxx

Yesterday morning Trish and I went to the Red Mount in King's Lynn, a 15th Century chapel in the middle of The Walks, which is finally open to the public after years of neglect.

It's a curious building, octagonal with an entrance in the side of the mound it stands on and another above it, which may be why there have always been rumours that there is a tunnel leading from it to somewhere else I can't remember. If there is a tunnel they're keeping it secret!

Instead what you get is three smallish rooms one above the other, lot of stairs and winding corridors and a room on the top with a fancy ceiling and some stained glass. It's so small it's hard to imagine why they bothered to build it and how it had much use, but apparently pilgrims on the way to Walsingham stopped there and it made more money than all the other churches in the area put together. Don't get me started on religion and money.

It was nice to be able to see it although I imagine it will have only very limited appeal as a tourist attraction, but I felt better for going, and the park looks lovely!

Then it was time for lunch, in a little Italian restaurant called Antonio's, which I haven't been into since it was taken over by someone else. I had nice pasta and an even better Italian trifle for pudding, and lots of gossip to go with it, which was fun. After that we wandered round town but failed to buy anything, then spontaneously headed off in search of the marshes.

We'd tried to find the marshes before, one evening last summer, but failed and gave up. This year, armed with GPS on Trish's iphone (it's just like a computer you know, or at least will be when the new operating systems comes out) we finally found them!

It's all very well hidden: you drive through the docks - exciting in itself! - then keep going until you see a sign saying private property. At this point it helps if you're with someone who will encourage you to ignore this sign because you drive down an increasingly narrow lane until you get to a parking spot and a nature reserve.

It's beautifully remote - the river Great Ouse on one side, salt marsh on the other, huge sky above, and all less than five minutes from the centre of town. I find it amazing to think that there are still places like this left to discover in an area I've lived in all my life. We sat and enjoyed the silence, took way too many pictures, then headed back just as another car came down the track which would have disturbed the peace. Excitingly you can do the same thing on the other bank!

We headed back to Trish's and sat in the garden eating cake, then went inside where she suggested, "Let's make pom-pom pets! It'll only take ten minutes!" Ninety minutes later, including a trip out to buy proper glue, we had a monkey and a lion, which we were both so proud of we gave them names. Janet arrived just in time to see us indulging in post-craft-madness cake, which was perfect timing. There was more gossip and chips, the ideal end to a really relaxing day. Lovely to see you both! xxx

There are some pictures here but be warned, I did get carried away with ones of the sky.