Pat and Maureen get the keys

Up early and finally finished reading Bluff by Danez Smith. A brilliant book. I also had to think about tonight. This complicated by the fact Palo contacted me this morning to say that she still had Covid.

Tidied the place up a bit, and Lorraine arrived with Pat and Maureen. Very happy to have my wife back home with me. Shortly afterwards we drove off to the new flat in Stratheden Court, and met the owner and took the keys. This was a big moment, but naturally I had left my camera at home.  

Beautiful view of the sea across the way of course. Pat and Maureen walking about it trying to take it all in. Maureen scowling at a large streak of seagull guano on the big window.

I crept off to the Seaford Art Club's seventieth year exhibition at six, parked my imposter syndrome and went in and met Eileen and Jeremy and then lurked around the paintings, of which there were around 150, and chose three as prize winners. 

I was introduced by Eileen, and gave a speech about wardrobes into Narnia, and how pictures are portals into different ways of seeing, and the importance of collaboration and gathering together as an affirmation of the importance of art. Read two of my poems, X-Ray Style, and Chrononaut, and read out my choice of prize winners. Third prize to a lovely pointillist picture of Newhaven Harbour, the artist Colin Murray. I discovered having announced it that he had died a while ago. The second choice was one of Jeremy's (a previous chairperson) pictures. Lovely bright almost fauvist colours and a weird composition, and finally a picture called Photograph by Janet Caulfield, which had a strange psychological intensity and was realer than anything else (in my opinion obviously). Sadly she wasn't there either. Slipped away, having been given a bottle of wine, having galled most of the artists there by not giving their piece a prize.

Home, and nobody wanted dinner as they had eaten en route, so I nipped to Trawlers and scarfed some fish and chips at home. Lovely. Pat and Maureen staying with us for a few days before they settle in to their new place.  

Below Maureen looking out of her new window, and yet another photo of me looking like some kind of Frankenstein's monster. This time talking at the Art Show.