under another sun

Lorraine and I were up early and off with Beth and Enzo to the Aquarium in Brighton. A gorgeous sunny day. And we parked on Marine Drive. My back looser and I'd had a decent night's sleep. Of course, I love aquariums at the best of times, and to be mooching about watching Enzo looking at the creatures for the first time with Beth and Lorraine was lovely.  And for a while a feeling of great happiness and contentment stole over me, and I felt there was nothing I'd rather be doing in the world.  Even the gift shop was fun. I wish I'd been able to photograph one of the young women carrying a dozen large furry octopuses. Then to the Marina. As other restaurants were rather busy, we settled on a cheeky Nando's, which I quite enjoyed. We also had the car washed while we did so. Buy the time we got home I felt pleased having done quite a bit of walking not to be in pain. Now I just need to be rid of the persistent cough.  Spoke to Mum this afternoon, pleased that her car go...

Lorraine doing Story Time in the library first thing. Later I joined her at Seaford Station, still hobbling and loping due to the back, which is not clearing up as fast as usual. We trundled off to Lewes to meet Dawn and Paul at Cafe Vegu. When we arrived there was a large queue outside, so we sauntered back towards the station and into Haru Izakaya for some Japanese style food. The service was non-Japanese, being abrupt and a tad rude, but the food was not bad.  A 'bento box' more like a balti of  rice and katsu chicken, endame beans and a spot of kimchi etc. Tasty enough for sure. I had it with green tea, which I enjoyed. Lovely to see Dawn again. She is going to become a grandmother this year, which is exciting. And a chat to Paul who is always interesting. He advised me to use the tens machine for my back, which I did later and it helped. In the evening off to the Boot, and had a few beers. Also good for my back, as it relaxes all the muscles in spasm. Good to see Steve, w...

Happy new year! Reasonably bright and breezy for a New Year's Day and I made no resolutions. As Beth and James are under the weather, Beth brought around Enzo who stayed with us, shedding his sunshine till mid afternoon. The wee bairn is not a fan of loud noises, and eyed me with suspicion when I had several coughing fits, a souvenir from the pesky pre Christmas cold.  Lorraine took Enzo home this afternoon, then she took Pat who was in his wheelchair and Maureen down to the common room where there was a little New Year's Day gathering. For me, my back is still in spasm, a mollusc day on the gold sofa, glancing at my book about figure drawing, and cooking tonight while listening to the old BBC radio version of I Claudius.  A text from Toby to say they had arrived at Deviation Road, a bracing -15 degrees. Spoke to Mum, whose car has a flat battery and she needs to take it for its MOT tomorrow. Below Lorraine and I watched Stranger Things again. The first of final season. I am...

Still loping about with a bad back. Lorraine busy doing Rhyme Time, and taking Maureen to Eastbourne to do some shopping. Otherwise a peaceful day, and one refreshingly free of big doomy thoughts about my failure to achieve much, which so often plague me at this time of year. Instead I felt light and cautiously optimistic. I spoke to Mum, who had been out with Mark in Hampstead.  In the evening, Lorraine and I toddled off to Need, a wee restaurant opposite Morrisons. Here we met Yvonne, Brian, Adele, Patrick, Guy and Barbara. We were last minute replacements for Rick and Gabby who had to drop out due to a bereavement. We hadn't been invited as we were bogged down with illness when Yvonne booked. But great to find ourselves seeing in the new year with cheery friends. Home walking along frosty pavements. A short spell on the gold sofa before sleep. Below Patrick, Adele, Guy, Lorraine, Brian, Barbara, and at the other end of the table me and Yvonne. I'm wearing a new jumper Lorra...

I bent over this morning and pulled something in my back. I often do something like this at this time of year.  Mum's birthday today, I called this morning to wish her well. Her eye was looking a little better today. But the bruising is coming out under her eye still. She is hoping that the injury won't affect her expression,  as it damaged the muscle over her eye. These things take quite a time to recover. She was going to dinner at Wynford's house tonight.  Lorraine and I started making spidergrams of things today. First we started with the house, and what needs doing and so on. We are going to do a holiday and cheeky break one, as well as other aspects of our lives. A start of year appraisal. I feel we have been dealing with assorted crises lately, and it seems a good idea take a broader view, and regain a bit of control. Beth came by with Enzo this morning. Beth feeling okay and Enzo doing better after being a bit under the weather yesterday.  I went off to meet ...

Slept better last night. And after a late and leisurely breakfast, Lorraine popped around to see Pat and Maureen and I had the luxury of a long walk, my first for some time. Really enjoyed it, while listening to a BBC radio dramatisation of I Claudius from some time ago, which I had downloaded it from Audible. Really well done. Home and Lorraine in not long after. We lapped up a lazy afternoon, which felt great. Having watched White Christmas over Christmas, which I had really enjoyed, I wanted to watch High Society . Lorraine astonished that I should choose a musical. It had Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra in it. A strange story, which the actors brought charm to, but in different hands it could have seemed very bleak and weird. Louis Armstrong prominent in the film too, opening and closing it like a narrator. From today's perspective, I felt he was patronised. Despite this, I enjoyed it though, and the songs were great. In the evening I made a traditional turkey curr...

All up fairly early. Lorraine went around to have brunch with Kate and Andrew and other pals. Mum and I had a slow breakfast with lots of chatting, and then she packed. Back to Edgware today, the journey very busy again, the fastest route today was to go north viaTunbridge Wells and join the M25 eastwards, squeaking through the Dartford tunnel again. Never been through there, and now twice in one week. Safely indoors with cups of tea and figgy rolls, and Lorraine had a doze and we made off south again. Sheer weight of traffic meant it was slow, but we returned the normal way via Heathrow. Did a few quick jobs around the house liking turning the wifi back on, and unplugging timers that Ben had set up timers for lights that would come on and off in the house.  The Tobster called while we were crawling on the jolly M25, and they are enjoying San Miguel in Mexico, shortly to return.  Home and Lorraine and I watched a video Beth sent of Enzo eating his first food: carrot. Spooning ...

Breakfast with Mum. A call from Maureen needing Lorraine to zoom around to help. Then she drove off to Squirrel's End to pick up Enzo, as it seems Beth and James have succumbed to the humbuggery of an obnoxious cold. Lorraine and I still getting over the one we had before Christmas. So today's special guest was Enzo, who we had with us all day.  Anton and Anne came this afternoon which was fun. Mum and Anne enjoyed meeting again, and has always liked Anton. Lorraine meanwhile had made an exemplary turkey and leek pie. They brought some excellent presents too, drawing charcoal and paper for me, and a book about growing your own vegetables for Lorraine, plus a lovely bottle of wine.  Anton also gave us a card which he had hand made, which was very free and lovely. He's really doing well with his watercolours.  

A more pedestrian pace today, which was very welcome. Enjoyed lurking about at home. Lorraine having a bit of a rest day. Mum and I went out for a walk, sauntering down to the sea, which was calm and grey with quite a few Boxing Day walkers mooching along with their dogs or families or both. Lorraine and I had invited Joy and Jim from next door for a late afternoon chat. They are excellent company and we had a festive glass of wine with them. We are very lucking in our neighbours, and we like them lots. Mum enjoyed meeting them too.  A quiet evening. We watched a disappointing Poirot movie starring Kenneth Branagh, A Haunting in Venice , which was pretty poor. Mum enjoyed seeing 1970s top of the pops Christmas hits however. Even Mull of Kintyre is decent if you hear it once a decade.

A major feat of organisation and logistics also known as Christmas Day. Lorraine up before me, to put on a Christmas ham, once Mum was up, we got down to a fast smoked salmon breakfast. Soon Beth and James and Enzo arrived. Much swapping of gifts. I got excellent jumpers, art supplies, a book on life drawing, plus a useful box of Long Man beers. Lorraine liked the earrings I got for her. We all had pressies to open.   Then the ham was done, and the turkey put on. A good deal of cooking, and running about, then Lorraine and James left and returned with Pat and Maureen. Uncle Steve was there too. Another bout of present opening.  Pat being here was excellent, getting him here involved Lorraine doing lots of planning, using an E Tack turner, used to swivel him from one chair to another. And I was especially pleased to have Mum with us too, and having Enzo was a bit of a game changer. I'd never been around a baby at Christmas, and Enzo was like the Phial of Galadriel, shedding lig...

Breakfast with Mum, filled her up with seeds and live yoghurts, toast etc. Not long after, Beth and Enzo in matching pyjamas came by, and Mum met Enzo for the first time and was as enamoured by the little lad as everyone else.  I peeled many root vegetables. Later Lorraine and I zoomed around Morrisons and then took Mum to see Pat and Maureen. A nippily gorgeous day with the sun on the sea. Maureen pleased to see Mum. We made plans about tomorrow's festivities. Mum and I went out by the sea for a bit for five minutes or so, but it was parky a piercing north east wind.   Early evening and we took Mum to the Old Boot Inn, where we met up with Delores. The pub was rammed, and flukily we managed to get a table. Mum liked the busy festive throng. Melissa was on a nearby table and we chatted to her and Chris her husband as they were leaving. I assured Melissa that I would eagerly return to her drawing class next term. Chris, one of the rebooters, turned up too with his son Keiran, w...

Off to Edgware today. Did a few bits first, then made off around noon, just as the population of Southern England climbed into their vehicles. A longish journey up, having to go eastwards round the hateful M25 and under the Dartford Tunnel, which I don't remember ever going under. Quite a narrow tunnel and best seen crawling through in a traffic jam, giving you plenty of time to be mindful of the millions of tonnes of water pressing overhead.  Mum discovered in good spirits. We had a lengthy pause to let Lorraine have a decent break while we ate ginger nuts and drank tea. Wynford happened to pop in which was nice. Luckily I already had a card for him. I popped one into Ben's letter box, and Maheena's too. Mum has so many good neighbours. The journey back easier, despite the motorway from the M25 to Brighton being closed due to a fire on the road. Lorraine did brilliantly, and drove excellently there and back. We listened to Classic FM which was playing arrangements of Chris...

Lorraine and I had bumped our trip to Edgware till tomorrow, as I wanted Lorraine to have another day of recovery before the driving marathon. She is improving, but is a couple of days behind me, and I'm still a tad wan. Beth and Enzo popped around, for a session of the adoration of Enzo. Spoke to Toby briefly, as he had read about Mum falling over in the rain. I felt a bit bad that I hadn't let him know. He was on a tour somewhere in Mexico City I think. All well though. I had to send my apologies to Robin too, as I was invited around with others tomorrow evening, but we will be picking up Mum instead. Making it the last of our pre-xmas cheery get togethers to be missed. Bah humbug. First walk for several days today, slipped down by the sea and walked along looking at the purple sea and orange sky, and thinking how this is a weird and wonderful planet. A nice note from Kay Syrad about being mentioned on Planet Poetry. A bit of stranger things on TV and Brooklyn 99 before bed. ...

Spoke to Mum this morning, sporting a rather nasty bump on the head with stitches on it. She got a taxi home from the hospital last night but seemed in good spirits, and mainly concerned with how ugly the bump was. She was telling us about how kind the people in the shop she'd fallen outside of were. Her scan, when she was able to get one, showed there was no fracturing, which was what she thought.  Otherwise Lorraine and I both have a bad cold. Had to cancel going out to the Boot with our local pals. Gah.  

A cold now in full flow, and Lorraine beginning to feel a bit wussy too.  I lay in bed till late, confident that at least it could be a quiet day, but then I had to work on the podcast for a couple of hours. We got it out on time and Niall Campbell was a wonderful guest. I don't think I was on top form for this recording, but it is what it is, as penetrating philosophers of our time say. Just as I was writing the episode description, I got a call from Wynford who said Mum had fallen over in Edgware, while walking off to have a Christmas Dinner at the Church social club. He wasn't sure where she had been taken to. While I was hanging on the phone to Barnet Hospital A&E, Mum and a nurse called from Edgware walk in centre. Mum sounded okay. She'd slipped over in the heavy rain outside the music shop. Someone in the shop knew Wynford and called him, and he very kindly called me immediately.  The nurse explained that she had stitches, and would also need a scan just to ensur...

Beth off early for a procedure in hospital to do with her bile duct. This meant that we had Enzo for the day and night, as Beth needed time to recover. Enzo behaved in an exemplary way all day. We pushed him off to see Pat and Maureen. I managed a spot of shopping too in Seaford, while Lorraine and Enzo went to the Post Office. Spoke to Anton, who is with Camino. Spoke to Mum to suggest we pick her up next Monday. All good. Feeling coldy this evening, which made me cringe as Charlotte was particularly keen not to be exposed to bugs.  Beth's procedure went well, and James looking after her. Sweet how they both so missed Enzo, even after a few hours. Below Enzo and I looked lots at the tree today, which he loves. A bit of a serious face here.

Up and a few tweaks to the podcast before sending what I had to Robin. Then off to Brighton by train, and went to see Stacy. Stacy under pressure as everyone wants a haircut in time for Christmas. He had also shaved the wizard's hair and beared, I last saw him sporting. He did his usual perfectionists job on me. Then a spot of shopping in Brighton, and spoke to Mum. Home again, and Lorraine out as the OT was visiting Pat.  In my travels today, a note from the editor of Black Nore, accepting one of my lighter poems, called Viagra from Vancouver . It's a true story about getting a spam email from someone called Gwen, my grandmother's name, about buying Viagra from a pharmacy in Vancouver.  Gwen, something of a practical joker, had visited her sister in Vancouver.  I made off to Lewes, the Brewers pub for what I think of as the Poets' Xmas Party. Charlotte, SJB, Robin and Stephen. As I arrived, I bumped into Phil, Innis's mate, last seen at Innis's birthday party i...

Breakfast with Lorraine, then hopped on a train. Lots of blokes in smart casual garms on the train.  Turns out they were all off to the races at Plumpton. At one point there was a call for any medical personnel to report to one of the carriages, but nobody was helped off at subsequent stations, so I think it may have been some kind of a prank. Meanwhile Beth and Enzo, released from hospital, and fortunately the wee lad is far better today, after his adventures last night. Everyone relieved of course.  I continued to Hampstead where I met Mum at the tube station, and we repaired to the The White Bear. A nice drink with Mum, and some food. We discussed her coming down to stay with us for Christmas, while eating unusually tasty cheeseburgers. Very happy that she will not be alone this Christmas. Of course she is sad about Felix dying. She was telling me how kind Wynford had been, and he was even praying as poor Felix was put down.   We sat near the fire, and Mum drank red wi...

A relaxed Sunday. I did some early recording with Robin, and some editing later. Then Lorraine and I did some work in the garden. Our gardener Gerard bad been recently, and so surging outside was not accompanied by the usual feeling of being overwhelmed by all the things to be done. Lorraine was in her happy place. I joined in by clearing stuff out of the greenhouse, hacking through the ropey tomato and cucumber vines and emptied all the tomato pots into the compost, and encountered invertebrates such as an overly large spider and leopard slugs. Also the last handfuls of tomatoes. Not bad given that it is almost Christmas. I went for a walk in the afternoon. Leaving Lorraine happily doing things. Just as I was returning, Lorraine called to say she was zooming around to Beth and James's place, as Enzo was unwell. Poor baby was vomiting and going floppy, which was very worrying. Beth and Enzo were blue lighted to the Royal Sussex at Brighton, and stayed overnight. It seemed to be eit...