A busy Friday night Up and off to the Twitten again today, where I met a man called Barry who looked at windows and walls and shot laser dots about the place and poked his head into the loft so that I could get my Energy Performance Certificate. I also rather liked Barry and it turned out he also had his own IT company and may need a writer to scribe some blogs for him, so doubly good. Back home and had breakfast with Betty, and later walked with her into town before I headed for the gym. I still don't have much energy or stamina but it is reassuring to be going there and doing something. Cath came around to use a computer as her broadband had failed and she needed to complete some job applications. I left her to it working on the gold sofa for an hour and clambered up into the mezzanine area to press on with world dimination. In the evening, after a judicious nap, off to The Basketmakers to meet Matt and Betty and Mark. Mark enjoying his course too, which includes the theoretica...
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First night
Lorraine and I drove the props and costumes to the Marlborough, while the others taxied over. Once in I left Beth, Mark and Callum to cover boxes in foil, organise the lights and get themselves ready. Lorraine and I off to collect Mum and Mas from the train station, and taken home, before I left again for the theatre. The afternoon spent on rehearsals. A dire dress rehearsal ramped up the tension even more, with me rather tetchy. Not my finest hour.
Ate some surprisingly great chicken burgers and then it was time to roll. Our sound and lighting person Becky arrived with an hour or so to spare. I sat nervously downstairs with Mum and Mase, Paul arrived with a lady friend Channa and then between about 7:15 and 7:45 not one person arrived. Then, thank goodness, several groups of people turned up at the last moment and suddenly there was an audience. I lurched upstairs with Tarik, and introduced Pack of Three show and off they went. First was Wrong , which had been perf...
My life is a soap
I decided today, that living at the Old Church Hall is currently like inhabiting a soap opera. There is the daily sporting of alien costumes and piratical roaring of the rehearsals. Regular visitors turn up to add colour to the story, such as Cath today returning an umbrella she borrowed yesterday and for a fast wee, and there are comedy moments with random pieces of machinery or IT malfunctioning every day, and cats gambolling about and having hissy fits.
Lorraine and I popped up to the Twitten and saw Dawn hard at it. She has also liaised with the builder, and work will start shortly on the garden and kitchen. It is all costing a small fortune.
Then off to the Marlborough Theatre with Beth, Mark and Callum to meet Tarik to discuss staging the show on Friday and Saturday. Very haphazard organisation, and the venue has added nothing to our marketing other than distributing the flyers I provided. Luckily Beth has been an absolute star in this respect, and we...
Yaar!
Toby's last morning in Brighton. A large breakfast to send him on his way. Toby, Lorraine and I went for a walkabout through Brighton before seeing him off at the station. It had been great to see him, and I was pleased at least we found some time to talk here and there. Sad as ever to see my brother leaving, and wished we could live in the same town. But at least I get to travel to Toronto to see him and Romy, which is a bonus.
Home to a phone call from Mum wondering what day Toby was returning, and the manly business of screwing newly-waxed bookcases to the walls with L-shaped brackets to prevent one of those ghastly book crushing accidents you are always reading about. Then emptying boxes of books and placing them on the shelves: naturally my books filled these up in a trice and there are still several unopened boxes. Sam here too, helping Lorraine sort out an old computer. I gave him a thick philosophy encyclopedia, as he will probably get way more use from it, goi...
Fish business and rehearsals
Calliope tearing around the room like a mad thing in the night with her claws out.
In the morning at last being able to get down to moving boxes around like fury. Lorraine and I dervishing about in the morning, as Betty and Mark sat quietly on the gold sofa. Then off to the Twitten to rescue the fishes. Lengthy business of draining the tank and bagging up all of the fish, pausing only to cope with a leaking bag, emptying gravel and stones into buckets. Then to transport cabinet and tank and fishes to the Old Church Hall. Everyone arrived safely, and we set up the tank and the fish all alive and accounted for a few hours later when released back into the water.
Callum arrived and Beth Mark and Callum began a very noisy rehearsal upstairs. So Lorraine drove us up to the fish shop where I bought some new plants, and the tank looks well in its new environment. Fatty Basil one of the tabby cats, is a great fish fancier and is well pleased.
Home and...
A bit of a shocker
Calliope given the run of the house today, provoking growling and hissing from Basil, and staring matches with Brian. Despite this, they all rubbed along surprisingly well and were all seen in the same room from time to time without fighting. This is a great result as I had been dreading this part. Calliope not intimidated, which is makes me happy.
Arduous unpacking of boxes, and Lorraine and I both felt very tired. Then as Lorraine was cooking a lovely Sunday lunch, the fuses tripped and precipitated hours of fiddling with electrics. This also meant that after futile attempts to light the oven, it had to be carried into our neighbours who kindly finished it off for us. Beth and Mark had Sunday roast with us, when it was eventually ready. But I felt so tired I could barely speak to them. Lorraine frustrated by not being able to get things straight, but spoke to her dad Pat about it who has been a Sparky. But there seemed little logic to how the electricity is...
Citizen Calliope Lorraine and I packing like mad all day, after I had got up early and written some copy about strokes. Lorraine also trying to sort out the rent on Beth's college digs, while I fielded a few work things. And at the end of the day we had ferried some of the precious things, like computers, guitar and some paintings over to the Old Church Hall. Most precious of these of course was Calliope. She was busily involved in all the business of the day, until the moment when she found herself being stuffed into the cat carrier, holding onto the side with her claws, and she realised that she was the business of the day. I felt like a criminal abducting the Princess of the Twitten and smuggling her past Brian and Basil her new brother and sister into the Old Church Hall, where she will be just one among three: Citizen Calliope. Once she had arrived, she was instantly inquisitive and set about exploring. When we left her in the bedroom, she retreated to a hidey-hole under the ...
Read-throughs Slept like a large log after last night's wild dancing. After returning to the Twitten and attending to a few chores and matters, I listened again to the CD recordings, and marvelled at what Matt and I have achieved. Very exciting. I returned to L's house where I met Betty, Mark, and Callum to discuss the new plays, and brief Becky who is going to be our production elf. Had a first run through of Betty the Spacegirl , which will be excellent I think. Mark's play Pirates Anonymous coming on very well too. Mark is I think going to do extremely well when he slopes off to do a degree in comedy writing next term. Nice to see Callum, who I've not seen since Wrong in March. I am looking forward to our 'Pack of 3' night greatly. Then Lorraine came back armed with loads of shopping. And after the others had left, and Betty had left for work in Eastbourne we ate lovely roast supper and sat watching the Swedish Wallander, before I returned home to ready mys...
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 ...
Karma and cat conmingling Another excellent start with poems, after walking home from Lorraine's place. I am devoting the first hour of every day to poetry and this morning I wrote one from scratch, and converted a never satisfactorily completed old one into a second poem. I have never had such a purple patch, and I am rapidly assembling a new body of work in what is a different, freer style for me. Felt as if I had done a day's work by 10.00am. However pushed on with Betty the Spacegirl and I am about two thirds of the way through it now. Spoke to Juley at The Sussex Beacon, who I'm going to meet on Monday and visit The Beacon for the first time in ages. In return for our donation they are happy to help publicise the CD and launch event (as it will result in increased money for them) so it is a win-win, and brings good karma. Also spoke to the vet about cat politics, and the conmingling of Calliope with Basil and Brian. Off to the Marlborough to try to finalise the days f...
Mr Blue Sky goes AWOL Hugely needed rain for most of the day today, after yesterday's blaze. Off to Nia cafe for breakfast with Lorraine and First Matie . Unfortunately Nia had reverted to its usual shambles and breakfast took ages. However if you are with First Matie and Lorraine a slow breakfast is no bad thing. Dodging through the rain in the Laines popping into a graduate show of photography, one shot of the inside of a doll's house with the disproportionately large cobweb in it was very fairy tale and lovely. Then off with Kate to buy a fetching silk dress, and a listen to some banjo-plucking buskers sing Mr Blue Sky in the rain. One had a bass banjo, which is something you don't see every day. Either way Mr Blue Sky was going through my head all day, even after Lorraine was playing a folky album by The Unthanks . Fond farewells to First Matie at the station, before going home for an enjoyably leisurely rainy Sunday afternoon. Lorraine reading books about leaders...
Cider in the country Up early this morning and wrote a new poem in about two minutes, and it is good. Experience tells you of course, that you have to let these things settle for a while. But I have never written a poem so fast. It is called Predator and left me feeling on a bit of a high during the day. In the late afternoon off to Beth's pal Kayleigh's 21st birthday party, swerving by Mark's place to collect him and Richard and Glenda. Off into the countryside, driving along narrow roads with dozens of rabbits in the verges. Pleasant garden party with a barbecue, lots of nice people with singing interludes from Mark, who wrote a song for Kayleigh with a hangover this very morning, and other performances from Betty, Amy, Jo and others. All rather good fun. I mainly drank cider with Richard and Glenda and other guests, and waxed exceedingly loquatious until shepherded into the car by Lorraine. Richard and Glenda singing Strangers in the Night in the back as the entirely s...
Mindmap with cats In need of several teas this morning. Up at Lorraine's place and then we both wandered back to mine. Began a huge mindmap of all the million things I need to do before L and I can move together. This involves things like redoing decking, and talking to banks, and learning how to rent places and a dozen other things way beyond the outer limits of my comfort zone. Worst of all is Calliope, who sat with us batting my pen. I don't know how she is going to rub along with Basil and Brian. Vets have to be consulted, and plug in pheromone things bought to soothe the transition. Maybe I need a human version of that too. Popped up to see Janet again, and hand her a belated birthday card. Lots of people streaming through her show, though few bigger ticket items were bought. In the evening back to Lorraine's, where she cooked up an incredibly nice meal and we had Dawn around. Sam was also there, so the four of us had dinner, Sam on good form especially about politics....
A spot of hanging Business and admin to do this morning, amazing how things mount up after I've been in monomaniac mode. In the afternoon off to Janet's house to help with a bit of hanging, and general milling about before her Open House exhibition 'Diva' kicks off tomorrow. Good chat with Ken's son in law Huss who is exhibiting some rather fine mosaic, fused glass and light combinations. Hung up one or two of Mum's paintings too. Off then to meet Betty and Mark to discuss our latest Marlborough Theatre wheezes on 17th and 19th June. We are going to do Wrong again, plus Betty the Spacegirl , which I am now starting, plus a promising idea Mark is putting together about a Pirate. Should be lots of fun. Naturally had this meeting in the Basketmakers, where by law most artistic conversations must be conducted. Beth also twitching slightly over her audition tomorrow for the Drama Centre, a prestigious thesp school in London. Lorraine off to the funeral of her friend ...
Satnav Saturday Lorraine up early this morning to drive Betty and Mark off to catch their coach taking them to the Royal Albert Hall where they were performing an excerpt from Chess . Lorraine returned bearing teas and coaxed your favourite blogger from bed in time to drive up to London, partially guided by the new satnav I bought Lorraine. This all well and good, but took us twice from the main motorway up sliproads only to return us the motorway we'd been just left a few minutes earlier. Lorraine already quite clear that the satnav she calls Gabby Gita is not the boss of her. Arrived at Mum and Mason's, and before long we piled into their car and heading off to St Albans where we met Tanya and Robert in their usual Thai restaurant. Nice meal and then walking back through the street market and Mase and Lorraine scoring large bags of vegetables. I like St Albans and its Roman roots. Kidnapped mum and drove her and a good deal of her artwork back to Brighton, her struggling subd...
Cake in the bluebell woods Ridiculously hot and sunny again today. Betty the birthday elf sitting at the end of the bed having brought cups of tea and presents and cards for Lorraine. I got Lorraine a satnav robot thing for her car and some vultures for Long Tall Sally where tall is beautiful. Betty also made breakfast, and then I hared back home to feed Calliope. On my return Lorraine and Beth had packed a picnic and we drove off in a convoy with Anna and Anton and the bairns out to the magical bluebell woods. We followed a very narrow path deep into the wood and found a place to sit and eat. The sun dappled through the leaves, and all around was the mystical haze of violet blue bluebells with nobody to be seen. Anna and Anton had brought a big cake with them for Lorraine, and Lorraine had brought a cake for Oskar, whose birthday it was yesterday. The children and had been taken to Legoland the day before for Oskar's birthday so were armed with swords. Eating was followed by a goo...
Basking Beat the moths from the PK shorts today and sported them in the sun. Brighton milling with people, the beach crowded. Hundreds sitting in the parks, outside pubs and cafes with cold beers and coffees, buskers here and there and everywhere the pasty English blossoming into summer clothes. Spotted the first sunburnt noses of the year. I went to the gym at lunchtime, and pressed on with the story. Talked to mum who is doing some cover art for me, and had a quick chat with First Matie, who I've not seen for ages. Listening to Richard Gibson's sonnets demo CD. Absolutely gorgeous. Met Matt outside the Brighton Tavern basking in the sun and having a glass of lager, a rare thing for a Yorkshireman. Dehydrated, I had two nice pints of water, and had a chat with a guy called Chris, who is a musician and journalism student. Then to the Basketmakers where Lorraine and Betty arrived, soon followed by Cath. Enjoyable brace of beers then to Riddle & Finns where Mark was working....
Bean-based comfort Slightly less exhausted this morning. Walked home from Lorraine's house, stopping at Sainsbury's to get some meat and fresh herbs for my bean jar. Then got on with some French work in the morning, which took about twice as long as it ought. House cold, but the cooker busy with bean jar all day took the edge off. Lorraine has lent me one of those small convection heaters that warms your ankles at the desk so all is well. Used facebook to propogate the PK bean jar. And my bean jar did not disappoint when ready. It does fill the house with a lovely smell when it cooks. Chased payments, with my old agency the worst offender as usual. I may be working in the same building next week for a different agency, however, so I can lean on them in person. Worked on poetry, as Skelton seemed like too much of a rockface today. It is frustrating because the new version is so much better, but I can't seem to get a proper run at it. In the afternoon to meet Betty and Mark f...
Wrong goes very right The big play day today. Rushed about doing a few jobs before going to meet Beth, Mark and Callum at Lorraine's house. Beth and I taxied to The Marlborough with props and we met Amy there. Much of the day spent setting things up, running the play, making phone calls, while Amy fiddled with sound systems and the lights. Nice to see the actors with costumes, make up, fake blood and wounds etc. plus slices of turkey and cranberry to eat off the corpse. I was also liaising with Tarik, who runs the Theatre with David. Everyone behaving professionally and well all day. Much relieved to see Beth and Mark run through Wrong unscathed in rehearsal -- it was great to see all three just go for it in a very uninhibited way. Broke for a late pizza in a local restaurant at 3:30 as everyone was suddenly starving. Lorraine and Glenda, Mark's Mum, arrived early bringing calm and organisation. I repaired down to the bar for a steadying few drinks. Learned about people droppin...
Wrongful intent Off to Lorraine's house this afternoon to see the Beth, Mark and Callum put the show on for my my 'writer's review'. I am delighted with what they have done with the material. The first half which combines my zombie piece A bite to eat , with another fragment of mine Mistake , a piece by Mark Amdram Timmy , and Job Application by Tim Gallagher flow together surprisingly well. Lots of interesting gear changes but all part of an organic whole. I can take almost no credit for this, but they have made it work. Wrong itself is beginning to flow too, although they still need to run their lines more for last ten minutes of it. Beth particularly funny in it. Made me feel very happy as at last this piece might get the decent airing it deserves, and also see Beth with the opportunity to show what she can do with some comedy. Callum McIntyre is clearly an excellent actor, and Mark his usual ebullient self, breathing real oomph into everything he touches, and C...