under another sun

Lorraine and I happily pottering about in the garden. Rain dotting off and on Bank Holiday weekend style.  I had a gossip with Clem next door. We drove off to the recycling centre to drop off some sacks of garden waste and stack a broken microwave in the microwave area.  Calliope is barely eating and sleeping lots, despite initially responding well to her medication. I fear she is nearing the end of her story, which is very sad. I spoke to Mum who was bored, and whose tooth had broken again, but was patched up. She is looking forward to the Tobster coming over.  Rosie and Innis are both down with Covid. It is rife at the moment. Herd immunity time it seems. Both Lorraine and I are beginning to regain taste and smell now. Which is good as it was just in time for our delayed family meal to celebrate Loraine's birthday. Sam Lorraine and I met James and Beth in Hotel du Vin where we had some cocktails. Lorraine drank two passion fruit martinis. I had a fancy gin and tonic cal...

A better night's sleep with less coughing. Woke up with a rough draft of a poem in my head. Noticed Lorraine was looking pale this morning, and used the blood oximeter on her, as this worried me as they seemed a bit low. However, her readings were fine afterwards. Otherwise a day much like the previous one, just lurking around not well enough to do much. Texts with Keith, and Mum, and Toby and Anton. Got down the first draft of the poem. Lorraine knitting an entire tentacle of the octopus she is making, and feeling very pleased with the bobble-suckers. By far the best achievement of the day. We zombie watched stuff on TV: Extraordinary Portraits, a lovely programme about matching a person and an artist to do a portrait, Masterchef, about people cooking deconstructed crumbles and the like, and Simon Wilson , a You Tube star from Wrexham, who films himself endlessly travelling around the world getting into all kinds of scrapes. It may just be the covid, but I find it very compelling.

After a feverish night, I finally tested positive for covid this morning. Pleased to actually have the confirmation that I wasn't imagining it. Lorraine a bit brighter today, and actually popped out to the garden for a while talking to the neighbour over the hedge. I attempted to do some stuff on my laptop, but the grey matter not working with any alacrity. Jade back to Scotland early this morning. FaceTime with Mum this morning, who is now able to smile again after her front tooth was mended. I  emailed Robin, and put a post about Lorraine and I having covid on Facebook. Toby and Anton both called too.  Read a couple of short horror stories by Ramsey Campbell and watched a bit of TV. Lorraine and I looking after one another today, and Sam helpfully scoring us paracetamol and sparkling water for me. Below: the obligatory lateral flow shot. 

Ill and spent the day in bed with Lorraine. However it was a nice day, and we had the Juliette windows open to let in fresh air. A poor night, exhausting problem-solving dreams and waking up continually with painful coughing, headache, sore throat and sinuses, and generally feeling exhausted. Negative test, but nurse Lorraine assures me I have covid. I was convinced I wouldn't get it, but hey ho. Spent the day in bed, and slept heavily this afternoon. I was looked after by everyone else. And Lorraine and I were brought up some vegan food in the evening that Jade had delivered.  Lorraine feels a little better, however, which is excellent. But the timing of this covid is horrible for her birthday on Friday. I feel really disappointed about that. Texting with Toby today. Sent him these photos which I snapped in bed. The cats delighted with us being so sedentary today.

So Lorraine got up early this morning and brought up a cup of tea, an effort that made her feel quite shattered. She took a lateral flow test and this was positive, and spent the rest of the day, quite sensibly in bed. She has a cough, and has had a slight temperature. The main symptom is tiredness though, but I did all I could to make her feel okay.  I walked off to Patcham and picked up Calliope's thyroid medicine. It is in liquid form and involves us squirting a small amount down her throat with a little syringe. She seemed very calm about it, and remained very calm and happy all day, as if the medicine had taken an immediate beneficial effect. The rest of the day in Florence Nightingale mode, looking after my lovely wifey going up and down stairs like an ant carrying foods and drinks and making sure she was okay and feeling her forehead and so on. We have a blood oximeter, which I bought a while ago and her oxygen levels are good. I worry about this a bit as she has been prone ...

Message from Ken on the Woods family WhatsApp that Pat has covid this morning. Meanwhile Sam took a test this evening which showed the two lines of a positive result very rapidly. Lorraine and I both tested negative. But I'm feeling fairly calm about become positive if that happens. Sam had a very scratchy throat and was tired. Pat had a brief temperature which apparently reduced quickly. Lorraine talking to Maureen and it sounds like everyone is taking it in their stride. Luckily, everyone fully vaccinated.   Started a short freelance job today, but given a surfeit of irrelevant information, and no brief. Spent most of the day feeling confused about what was wanted of me. Chris, the art director I had been teamed up with, was very busy so I had little time with him. Although at the end of the day we had a brief chat about Gladstone Park which we found we both played in as kids.  Went for a walk in heavy cold rain at lunchtime, came home and had to change my sodden trousers. C...

Heard from Carl this morning that Jayne was in hospital with Covid. I spoke to him during the day, and it seems she had another infection. It wasn't anything to do with lungs, so that's good I guess. He has covid too, but fairly mildly having been vaccinated.  Leaving the cats in the capable hands of Sam and Jade, Lorraine and I made off to see Sue and John. Into the car first thing, and drove off. A free and easy drive, which we both enjoyed, stopping for tea and sandwiches at a service station. Saw dozens of red kites from the M6, I'd never seen so many of them. Lovely impressive raptors.  The feeling of escaping from Brighton was excellent, as I have been feeling a bit hemmed in and fed up lately. Arrived at Sue and John's while it was still light. A nice cuppa and some Christmas cake. Whiskey the dog, sporting her Irish tricolour collar, springing about enthusiastically as Sue told us Whiskey now has an Irish passport. Lorraine and Sue went off to get eggs from a fa...

No fever in the night, and a bit brighter today. Under the cosh, however, working at my desk on the pressurised freelance job from 7:15. It was to get stuff ready for a presentation at nine, but this was bumped till the afternoon, which gave Keith and I  chance to pull everything together again after a lengthy chat with the creative director. A long presentation this afternoon, which went well enough for us. This done, we could finish at fourish.   As soon as I finished, I was phoned by the complaints team at then Bank, to whom I had to explain all the issues yet again. However he has promised to erase all bank fees, repay the cheque that was paid from the account, get to the root of the problem and pay me £500 for my trouble.  Good news arrived today too, with an acceptance of a poem in a magazine called 14 for poems of 14 lines. It is a new one called Black Kawasaki KH250  in a new style for me. I had to consult with Anton to get the bike name right. Lorraine worki...

Another great couple of hours working on poetry first thing. Poetry of some sort is flowing out of me at the moment. It may all be rubbish of course, but you never know. Lorraine working at home this morning till eleven thirty. After about ten I worked on my accounts, and by the end of the day I had got everything ready to send off to the accountant. Otherwise the podcast domain name still not mapping. New bank account still not showing up, although I have now received a bank card. The quality of the time is that if something simple can move at snails pace it will.   Betty called me sat in her car waiting to pick  up Tilly from school but had been ambushed by a heavy nosebleed, which was a bit alarming. All well in the end. Clem next door called me at lunchtime and came around and began fixing up the decking. This as great but it necessitated me having to shovel things in the garden, and move and carry stuff, and make tea and so on rather than carrying on with work.  Jade...

Working on poems first thing, and one of them beginning to sing a little. Then a story rejection. Boo! Then into a morning spent with a virtual Keith working on the octopus job. This done by lunchtime, I then wasted hours chasing the disorganised agency I did some work with the other week to find out who to send my invoice to - a process which has taken four days and nine emails, during which I learned I should have been sent a timesheet but wasn't etc.  The process finally clarified, I agreed to work with them again, being booked all next week.  Off then to the Brighton Centre for my 3:50 appointment to get my jab. I would have given it in a heartbeat to Lorraine, of course. Earlier, I posted a picture of Jabba the Hutt on my facebook, and only Beth got it.  The whole business felt a bit like voting: important but with no fanfares or trumpets. Luckily I did not collapse in twitching anaphylactic shock. I felt my privilege thinking of folks in greater need all around the ...

Slightly nauseous, sore throaty and off colour today, sparking the predictable hypochondria. Lorraine took my temperature which was fine, and eventually even I had to conclude that I was okay.  Spent the day clearing out my study, arranging and archiving books. Things looking considerably tidier. When the mood takes me for a root and branch tidy, it has to be obeyed as it rarely happens.  Lorraine went off to see her pal Carolyn today, for a bit of a walk and a chat, but spent most of the day listening to poor Lorraine taking and making calls all day about the school opening again on Monday. Assorted unions, local authorities, scientists and so on are advising against the reopening schools. The Government think resolutely otherwise (except for the last minute U-turns on the policy in London). There is now a vaccine, swathes of the most vulnerable of children's family members are about to be protected (and hopefully teachers too) so why make this the last hill the Government st...

I have given myself permission to be on holiday now, so of course I woke with some urgent ideas waiting to be written down. I got up and did so for an hour and then took Lorraine some tea, and simply went back to sleep for a bit. Later, Lorraine and I made off to see Dawn for a stroll along the seafront at Hove. Saw betty briefly beforehand to drop off a couple of things. Then we met Dawn, just as a truly dark cloud was gathering.  The light was beautiful, however, so I snapped a couple of shots with my phone beforehand. Moments after we met Dawn, rain started so we walked a bit then took shelter for a bit on the seafront. When it abated we walked again, and the sun began to shine as we had a coffee from a stall near Rockwater.  Dawn a bit upset as an aunt is very ill and her cousin phoned her in a bit of distress just before we arrived. Still once we had talked this out, it was very good to see her, and rain dodge.  As soon as it was clear from news outlets this morning ...

Lorraine getting calls about school, and the pressure for her is on. All I can do is be as supportive as possible. One way today was by proposing a walk at the top of Stanmer woods, which was particularly nice, as there is already (in this mad year) a touch of autumn about the leaves.  We sat in a field looking at the rolling Downs, and the blue sea on the horizon and at times could barely see a soul, and although we drove up to the woods, this is still walking distance from our front door. Living near the edge of town is something I am beginning to treasure. Later in the afternoon, Lorraine did some school work, and I did bits of my stuff, in preparation for meeting Robin (virtually) tomorrow. On my prompting too, Lorraine cooked an Anton's pears, apple and blackberry crumble, which was utterly fine. We also ate a Kenny farm large tomato for breakfast, and some Kenny farm mini potatoes for dinner. These were particularly tasty. We will be continuing our potato experiment next ...

A terrible night's sleep again, a chain of nightmares about getting lost in dark versions of London, that led me to start awake feeling horrible.  Felt a little sluggish today as a result. An absolute scorcher of a day, however. I took a couple of walks to get up to 10k. The Golf Course now recaptured by golfers, which in a way is better as there are fewer of them, and if you stick to the paths you can still thread around the place. Lorraine off to work again, in fresh clothes and a positive attitude. Heard from Val today, and all mes amis in Paris have been okay. She wrote 'I must say your Prime Minister remains a mystery to me.... the way the UK has managed the crisis is clearly not at the level of this country.' (She meant France.)  Her sister was running a C-19 ward in Quebec, but came through it without getting the disease. There was also a smidge of work from them too, which I did this afternoon. I wrote to Ben with an idea for a stained glass window. Had a Face...

A poor night's sleep. Lorraine sleepless and the alarm went off at six, getting back into the old routine  at school, with year 6 now attending, as well as the children of key workers. It went well apparently, but Lorraine was tired when she got home, showering and putting all her school clothes to be washed at 60C. I am very proud of my wife, it has been a gruelling time with lots of responsibilities, and she has done very well. I spoke to Pat today for almost an hour. He was telling me about his brush with COVID-19 and being in hospital for a week. Luckily he didn't have to be intubated, but he was on the maximum dose of 10L of oxygen for a while. This was March, and he is still recovering slowly now. It was a bit of a brush with death, and he told me he had a conversation with one of the doctors who told him he was not out of the woods. Pat said, 'are we talking Wimbledon Common or the Amazon?' It was an ordeal, but he is resilient and now very pleased to be stea...

Raging is doing me no good. The lockdown is too soon. Cases and the so called R number are beginning to climb again in Brighton and Sussex. Painful gains are being thrown away. Not sacking Cummings loses any shred of moral authority the Government may have had. Instructing the people to do one thing, when even the people setting those rules flout them endangers the population.  I fear for my countrymen, not to mention the people I love and care about. My own wife, for example compelled prematurely to welcome back children. Turns out that the little girl Beth looks after just went down with C-19 symptoms. Luckily Beth had not seen her for two weeks beforehand. We dodged a bullet. As for Trump and the US.... And breathe.... At least I can breathe unlike poor George Floyd who was murdered in cold blood by a policeman still kneeling on his neck minutes after he had died. At least Johnson, and the cohort of amoral Lilliputians he surrounds himself with, still have some way to go before...