under another sun

A potentially difficult and upsetting day for Anton and Anna, as Anna moved out of their home today, to a lovely place about two minutes away. Any concerns about the children, my Godchildren, were allayed by the enormous care Anna and Anton took to ensure that the children would only have happy memories of the day. Indeed they were excited by the move, and seemed entirely okay with what was happening. Anton and Anna are sharing custody equally. Anton helping to set things up in the new home, and having a family meal in the evening and generally did everything right. For my part I helped do lots of heavy lifting, and be driven about in a van (with Klaudia and Oskar taking it in turns to squish between me and Anton) collecting a large wardrobe Anna had bought from the street in Hove, and driving up and down the short distance with several transit van loads of stuff and loading and unloading up and down flights of stairs. Really hot day and all this very sweaty and tiring work, espe...

L and I surged off into town to do some chores, and gasp down some sea air. The presence of the sun makes you think that Spring and good weather might one day be possible. We stopped off for a pot of tea in a cafe and saw Anton, Anna and Oskar through the window who then came in to join us. Oskar spent some time clambering on me and expertly deploying gingerbread man crumbs. But we had an enjoyable discussion about whether I could actually bite his arm off and how long this might take, and how many seagulls on strings would a person need to lift you into the air, and if the third iced button on the gingerbread man was actually his willy. He also has a crush on a girl called Summer. Then, farewells said, surging off into a few shops but found nothing I wanted and Lorraine started looking bleak and hungry, so we went home for restorative leek and chicken soup. A TV-off evening, with  Betty, who arrived this afternoon, and Lorraine working on a large jigsaw with hundreds of beetles ...

Woke up annoyingly early, and started some writing just after seven. As yesterday, off to Arkwrights and was just enjoying the sight of an enthusiast leaning out from the kerb to photograph vintage buses coming down the street where I was accosted by a rude man wanting directions, and when I was formulating the answer, he barked ‘don’t you know?’. It is good, occasionally, to take an instant dislike to people as it saves time. Walked Mum up to Janet's and hung about chatting with folks at Diva II for some time. I walked with Ken down to Seven Dials, who gave me the benefit of some lively opinions about politics. Home feeling rather wan, my throat is closed up and sore. Spent the afternoon lounging about feeling rather ill while poor Lorraine slaved on her application form for a headteacher role in a local school. Then we drove up to collect Mum and bring her home for cups of tea and tomato soup before walking her off to the station. Lorraine and I then went to the Cricketers ...

Fish out of water Called up by Nicola and there could well be some work for my pals in Tavistock Square next week, which is a boon. Otherwise found it hard to find much motivation towards much else today. Had a nice chat with Mum on the phone, and went to the gym and home via Sainsburys. Not long after Lorraine got home, Anton and Anna called around and we popped up to the Signalman for a swift beer before descending on our usual curry house. Anton bringing the pristine LP of Chris Squire's Fish out of Water which he ordered on his iPad from ebay for me. Importantly had a copy of the poster which I had on my bedroom wall as a kid. It is a lovely thing of a catch of fish dangling from a rope among irises, which looks like stained glass. Chris Squire was a major boyhood hero of mine.

Sunshine day Up early this morning and straight off to the gym, where I did some more rowing, which I am getting to like almost as much as the cross trainer. For some reason as I exercised I got in an increasingly bad mood. I am not sure why. Luckily this dissipated and I went on to have a lovely day. First off home to collect Lorraine and we went down to the the seafront and walked about in the sun, and met Rosie for a long amble by the sea. Eventually we met Rosie's sister Emily and her partner Tim, and their two wee twin babies Lyra and Phoebe. I liked the whole family sat outside having a cup of tea. Then off to Anton and Anna's for Sunday lunch. Really mellow afternoon chatting, eating delicious food, and listening to music, including psychobilly. Anton using his iPad to bid on an LP I wanted to have because of its fabulous poster. Lorraine really enjoying simply having a drink without feeling like she had to go home and do more work. Anton phoning me on the way home to sa...

iPad envy Still feeling rather rough. Not the ideal prelude for tomorrow, so mainly I sat about rehearsing with the recording or simply sleeping. In the evening, Lorraine and I babysat for Klaudia and Oskar. Oskar sitting with Lorraine and Klaudia showing me Anton's iPad. I love the iPad. We played lots of games on it including chess, a Hello Kitty Game, a Where's Wally game and a few others. Klaudia gradually got so tired she agreed to go to bed without a moment's negotiation. Anton and Anna home late with top hats somewhat askew having dropped into The Eddy on the way home from their school fundraising event. Thence we drove home and went happily to bed...

A long return Up and feeling fairly fresh. Went downstairs to watch some of the original Scooby doo from 1969 with Oskar and Anton and later Klaudia, the story exactly the same in each episode, but none the worse for that. Once everyone was up, we sloped back down to The Coast for a huge breakfast. Sat drinking coffee afterwards and David showed Lorraine and I photos of his recent art exhibition. Lorretta and her baby daughter and partner arrived for breakfast too. Not seen Loretta since Anton’s wedding getting on for nine years ago. Then after many fond farewells, Anna, Anton, the bairns Lorraine and I got the Red Jet back to Southampton. Easy ride on sea flat as a millpond. Slinking in past a grey stealth warship and a huge castle like liner. Got to Southampton railway station, but then things became somewhat difficult and it took us well over four hours to get to Brighton, some 80 miles away. Trains cancelled, line works and bus replacements turned it all into a bit of a nightmare. ...

Folly by water Quite refreshed this morning. To The Coast for 11, after a leisurely breakfast with everyone. Suddenly found myself buying lots of new clothes in a sudden spending spree, but actually getting real bargains and enjoying the experience as I have been feeling a bit raggedy. Met up with Anna's clan and we all went to the harbour, in an event organised by Luke we all climbed aboard two boats, drank sparkling wine and were gently puttered down the Medina side by side until we reached a restaurant and pub called The Folly. Had a pleasant lunch there, before taking the return trip. Just really great fun to be scooting about on the water with everyone. One of the boatmen let Oskar drive for a while, which was splendid for him. Back to Cowes, then even more shopping for me, and I bought Lorraine a handbag and wallet and we gossiped with the owner of the shop lengthily. She was from London and was really enjoying life on the Isle of Wight. After a judicious snooze, all back to ...

Red Jet over dark water After rushing away from work – a day I found quite demanding – tubed down to Waterloo, from where I caught a fast train to Southampton where I met Lorraine. Finished reading Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller while I was at it. Interesting play. We got the Red Jet catamaran over to Cowes in the Isle of Wight. Felt great to be speeding across the Solent sipping a bottle cold of Amstel beer and looking out at the lights of the coast. At the Cowes harbour we were met by Anton. And we walked straight to The Coast bar, a rather splendid restaurant and bar owned by Anna’s brother Luke and his partner Lewis. We arrived and strode through the bar upstairs to Luke's apartment where there was a lovely supper waiting with sliced pork and cheeses. After this was consumed and general greetings made, we all went for some drinks in their bar afterwards. It was a gathering of Anna's family, so as well as Luke and Lewis, there was Anton and the children, Anna’s sister...

A shot in the dark Another large breakfast, and then a walk to the sea for mum and I, giving us time to chat. Lorraine drove Pat, Maureen and Betty to the sea and we met them there. The sea slightly rough and lovely, and Beth and Pat bought a selection of seafood and tucked in. Then Mum and I wandered back home, and the others drove. Later we dropped Mum and Mas back at the station and, despite tube strikes, they made it home in one piece. Something of a slow afternoon, feeling rather liverish. However after sleeping managed to rally enough to go out again. Off to Dawn's flat which was full of people, including half a dozen women of about 21 who were all insisting on games. The first of which was sliding a chocolate coin down from your forehead into your mouth without using your hands. Both Dawn and Lorraine rather accomplished at this. Then a game of Charades, which I'd never played before. Felt, in a grumpy-old-mannish way that I had strayed into an ice breaking game in some ...

Candles at Christmas Up and at 'em today. Lots of things to be done before Christmas, Lorraine and I got an early start doing some local shopping for bread and general Christmas goodies. Big breakfast and then Lorraine and I drove to the station to successfully scoop up Mum and Mase from the station. A very smooth journey apparently. Got everyone settled in, and then off to St Nicholas Church for their Crib Service, which is nothing at all to do with gansta rap, but in fact all about the Nativity. Mum and I walked there, and Lorraine drove Mas, Pat and Maureen. There met Anton, Anna Brian and the children. Oskar sitting on my lap for much of the service, and Klaudia on Brian's. Better service than last year, with a pantomime element added with a big wrapped present on the altar and Father Robert and others trying to steal it. Oskar bellowing behind you! with the best of them. Then the children collected their little candles (Oskar going up this time unaided as he is now five) ...

Mad Friday... As it was dubbed in the press and on the radio. For this is THE day of office parties and field hospitals were set up in major cities to cope with the hoards of drunkards spilling out onto the streets. It seemed rude not to join in. Up to London again. Working with Keith this morning, which is always good fun, squeezing blood out of a stone concepting about eye diseases, interspresed with foaming at the mouth raving about politics. Worked for two hours drawing blanks and then right at the end, an idea that may have legs. Off at lunchtime with First Matie, Keith and a designer called Hamish for a beer. Soon joined by Karam and The French Bloke. Ended up spending the afternoon having a hugely enjoyable drink in a London Boozer with the FB of whom I am very fond. This followed by a long train journey in which I slept a good deal and arrived reasonably refreshed at Brighton. Out with Anton and Anna to a nearby boozer called the World's End where there are, according to fo...

Anna's birthday Up and about today. Gary called around in a van and I helped him load it up with table and chairs etc for the Twitten. This done, I went out in Brighton to buy a present for Anna that Lorraine and I had spied through a shop window the night before as today is by coincidence three friend's birthdays: Anna, the French Bloke and Reuben. Shopping and walking home in steady rain. And in the evening was kitchen porter to Lorraine's Masterchef as she cooked up a lamb biryani with lots of ingredients. Anna and Anton brought Klaudia and Oskar who zipped about while the adults sipped sparkling wine. Anna looking very glamourous for her fortieth birthday, and is in a really positive frame of mind, looking great, and her coaching business is really taking off. Showed Anton the vintage 1944 copy of Guernsey newspaper The Star. Betty arrived home too during the evening, and seemed on good form. A cheerful night, which ended with sleeping children being ferried out into a ...

Guy Fawkes Night Up just after 5am delighted the cats with an early breakfast. Lorraine had to go to a conference about leadership today, so I contented myself with trying to catch up with everything I've let slip over the last week or so, with only a small degree of success. Beth up and out without eating off to see Mark and other pals. Tired and an upset stomach, but I went to the gym thinking this would make me feel better. Working up in London has made me fatter within a week and a half. Went to Anna and Anton's. Watched Anna on TV in a programme about mackerel, filmed catching them and then making them into sushi, and giving a rather assured interview about her opinions about mackerel. Then the family and I drove off in Anton's swanky new BMW to Martin and Sam's place in Hove. Lorraine arrived shortly afterwards. Martin and Sam have a nice house, and there was lots of nice food and hot punch available. Klaudia was the only girl and there were six or eight boys run...

Up a ladder Up early and off to the Twitten as Alf the plumber came to check my gas. This the final check I needed before I can begin to rent. All fine until the very last thing he checked, which needs an electrician to make sure the gas is properly earthed through the electricity box. Gah. However I had a very productive morning dabbing paint on here and there, gardening and generally tidying. Also took some photos of the place to put on Gumtree, which is a site for advertising houses to rent among other things. Got talking to Merlin, one of my neighbours in the Twitten. He was cutting his hedge, which drifted small bits of debris onto the widow frame I was painting. But he kindly lent me a large ladder which I precariously ventured up a few times to peer at windows and so on. Good view of the Twitten under a wonderful blue sky. Merlin rather likeable and works charitably supplying bicycles to Africa. Home in the afternoon, Lorraine working from the home office. I did a few bits and ...

Foggy Working hard this morning on various ailment copy. The man cold has now settled onto my chest and I am intermittently feverish. Once this was done I went off into Brighton to buy a few pressies for Anton, as it was his brithday. Also to sort out my Blackberry, which is not only frozen, but now officially dead. After some to-ing and fro-ing they have agreed to courier the part of the phone that does not work any more tomorrow. Every piece of technology I own is failing piece by piece. Went into a record shop and sore a vinyl single called Virgo Four Perfection, which seemed an ideal purchase for Anton. However when I got it home, the title had changed to Virgo Four Resurrection, which isn't the same thing at all. I also went into a charity shop and got some more vinyl for him. It staffed by a pair of least convincing angular male to female transgender ladies I have ever seen, both rather tightly lipped and unsmiling until you start to chat. A nice afternoon, though so...

The packing starts Lorraine asked if it were too early for a cup of tea this morning, to which the default answer is no, for there are few times when tea is not right and proper. It was 6:30am, however, and Lorraine fell quickly back to sleep, and so after lying wide awake for a while I got up and did various faffings on my computer. Once Lorraine was awaken she helped me to pack boxes with CDs and precious things. Thence to the gym. L has cunningly Grouponed some cut price tickets and did the hulk legs machine next to me for a while, and then some lady stretching. Her plan is to go every other day for a while, which is a good thing. Home again and Lorraine making pear tarte tatin and a species of banana ginger crumble which we took up to Anton and Anna's house. Anton had been slow barbecuing a chicken over fruit woods, which was rather delicious (as was the tarte tatin). Sat out in the sun chatting happily for several hours, and sipping an arcane collection of eastern European l...

Paddle Round the Pier Slept the sleep of the just. Woke up to a cheery message from Matt who must have been up half the night buzzing. Lay in bed with Lorraine feeling very happy and relieved that the recording of the CD seems to have gone well. Later Matt forwarded me an email from Simon "Sounds great! Hi Matt I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's session, and checking the recordings back whilst backing up data today wanted to let you know that it all sounds very good indeed." Beautifully sunny day, and after Lorraine and I had breakfasted (and I had re-hydrated) we sauntered down to the Hove Lawns by the sea, for the " Paddle Round the Pier " event. This is an event where people paddle around the remains of the old pier. As is usual in Brighton, this has grown rapidly into a massive event, and there were hundreds of tents, funfair rides and, from Beth and Mark, performances for Goldman's stage school (poignant because this is their last week of attendance). We ...

Swings and roundabouts Finally the summer returned with a beautiful hot day. I woke up conscious next week is a big one for me. Once up though, my desktop computer did not start this morning with what appears to be a terminally doomed hard disk. Immensely depressed by this. Thank God though that I recently did a massive back up. However will have lost everything I have been working on for the last couple of weeks, and God knows how long this is going to take to sort out. Off to Lorraine's to, as Lorraine put it grimly, fill some ant holes. I briefly envisaged thousands of microscopic operation but I soon found myself up a ladder plugging two tiny holes from which ants are entering Lorraine's house. Lorraine not too happy with these ants and inflicting death on them at every opportunity. Anna and Anton and the bairns came by and we went to Preston Park, looked in the pond for newts and fish, had ice lollys and sat chatting in the packed playground. I was called upon to push both...

Ah Um Edgy today: I blame the stars. Best to be busy, so I got busy invoicing, buying stamps and envelopes, going to the bank, posting a book to Amazon,talking to people about decking, following a business lead, arranging a London trip later this week and all the other chores that flesh is heir to. Also rewriting the words on a piece Matt and I are doing. In the evening up the hill to babysit for Anton and Anna as today was their eighth wedding anniversary. They sloped down to Chilli Pickle for a slap up feed and gin and tonics. While I had fun with Klaudia and Oskar reading stories, while Klaudia shone a red light on everyone to find out if we had blood. Found a particularly bad book called Puddle the Naughtiest Puppy which finally had the desired soporific effect. Stole downstairs and listened to Mingus Ah Um , and the track Goodbye Pork Pie Hat half a dozen times. Lovely piece. Also read some poems by Mario Petrucci, i Tulips which are humblingly good. Then a bit of TV. Anton and ...