under another sun

Bloody Calliope woke me repeatedly in the night from 3:30 by walking on me and so on. Infuriating. She seems particularly clinging at the moment, taking up residence on my desk all day while I was working. A day of slog. All day on my French agency work today... Quite a tricky cat-health brief in the end and ended up doing it from 8 in the morning till 7 at night, with a break for The Daily Politics and a quorn sausage sandwich at lunch, and another for a brisk 45 minute walk up to Hollingbury Hill, and a perspective enhancing view from the top. The odd chat with Beth. Received a rejection from Black Static magazine, a quality horror mag, who were very encouraging in their response asking me to send more stuff in, so pleased with that. Onwards! Lorraine stopped off to have dinner with Dawn tonight. Beth teaching this afternoon, and then lying low again tonight. I watched episodes of the wonderful BoJack Horseman, a dark masterpiece. Lorraine home, and she popped into Beth's r...

Walked over to Evolution arts today, and enjoyed working on my stained glass. Receiving lots of encouragement from Ben Conti the teacher and the others who are liking my design and colour choices. I've been using different thicknesses of lead too. Ben teaching me lots and being very supportive. Finding I enjoy using pliers to nibble bits of glass to shape, and using the glass grinder to reduce the size of a piece by a smidge. Had a coffee with Chris, the retired teacher, afterwards. A thoughtful, interesting man, who has also written short stories and done travel writing for magazines. He travels lots now, and went to Brazil towards the end of last year and said it was quite dangerous, due to economic reasons, and he told me about seeing a man waving a gun around in the street near the coach station. He said he was interested in how geographical and historical factors influence national character, and we had a conversation about whether national character exists or not. Bright ...

Somehow twisted my neck which set off referred pain into my head. Got up in the middle of the night and microwaved the bean filled bag that Maureen gave me, to drape like a heavy slug over my neck. I spent much of the day be-slugged while I worked on Sin Cycle . Now I have Sarah's comments too, I am now making my final tweaks. Weirdly, there are several parallels with Songs of Innocence and Experience  which I haven't read for years, although one of my poems is a reworking of an old poem of mine inspired by  The Sick Rose , a picture of the Blake's engraving which I posted yesterday. Otherwise a quiet day, and Lorraine working late. Maureen phoned me up to talk about curtains. She said I wouldn't understand it but she told me anyway. Glenice phoned to thank Lorraine for birthday flowers. Meanwhile I did my 10k paces in three walks. Not snowing in Brighton as it was in much of the country, but there were occasional odd sleety or snowflake in the air but nothing with an...

A few emails this morning then to Hove by bus. Feeling a mite less sore throaty and foggy headed, and relieved to receive confirmation on the bus that some of the doubloons owed me will tumble into the PK Ltd coffers tomorrow. In Hove I bought a box of cheap co-op crackers, and headed to The Bottom's Rest for the long-planned freelancer's beano.  An excitable Rosie giving me a big hug at the door. It was just 12:30 so the pub was empty, except for us. It filled up a small amount later.  We had planned the beano as a kind of works outing for freelancers, and it was a great success and I think we will do it again next year too. Sadly both Tanya and Innis were down with lurgies, so I was forced to soldier on with the beano surrounded with five amusing and interesting ladies (soon in paper hats and reading terrible jokes). They were Catherine, Rosie her lovely sister Emily plus their pal old friend The Original Rachel, and another friend called Julia. Catherine enjoyed meeting...