under another sun

A much better night's sleep, and a welcome change of pace with two fun briefs to work on from mes amis in Paris. A quick chat with Val by phone. It was oddly nice to hear her -- something normalising about working with her again, after a bit of a break. One of briefs even required me to be funny, a bit of a first for me in animal health. This took up much of the day, interspersed with two short walks around Blaker's Park to think. Both times raindrops fell on me, although not enough to qualify as rain. After the wettest winter we are now by June 3rd, on the cusp of a drought. Although Lorraine said there were puddles in Bolney. Spoke to Mum who was setting up a FaceTime call with her old pal Mark Lewis. Finished Carrying the Fire . Fascinating book, and it makes me want to watch the Documentary Film Apollo 11, which was released last year and Toby said was amazing. I have some trailers on YouTube, it looks wonderful. The world you glimpse in the book, from an astronaut'...

Finishing off the bits and bobs of work I was doing with Steve, who I still call Slug from time to time, as this was his very old nickname. Also talking to him at one point about his decade's long secret project The New Cow  featuring a back catalogue of dark ambient, synthesiser albums with titles like The Sea of Knobs , and Gothic Grotesque . The music is perfectly purgatorial. I have downloaded one and am toying with the possibility of using it for one of my horror story recordings. Otherwise a toddle along around Blaker's Park is all I managed. Finished work at 5:30, and thereupon sat in the garden with Lorraine, who was listening to an audiobook, and I listened to a bit more of Michael Collins  Carrying the Fire , sipping a cold beer and browsing on peanuts. Then a curry delivered by The Shahi Tandoori. Delicious. I have put on weight this week though. That tide must turn, if I don't throw away my good work from the last year.

Insubstantial bits and pieces of work coming my way, and spent much of the day waiting for work to arrive, and when it did it was in paltry amounts -- so what I can bill for today is minimal.  I wandered out for a couple of walks in Blakers Park. The government is a shambles at the moment. Even the right wing press are calling for the dead of Dominic Cummings. But it stays resolutely on his shoulders for without him, Johnson is an empty sock puppet. Expecting this shower to lead us out of the coronavirus crisis with any efficiency is like asking a dog to sing Wagner. In better news, they are clear in Guernsey now. In the afternoon I risked a longer walk, listening to Carrying the Fire , which has patches of being really fascinating. He is prepared to be vulnerable too, talking about how claustrophobic and freaked out space suits made him feel to begin with, but he couldn't talk to anyone about it for fear of being booted off the team.  Spoke to Mum today too. Salty i...

Working in concentrated burst on the Coronavirus stuff from early till just gone 5, whereupon I slunk out into the back garden where Lorraine was happily doing a cross stitch embroidery and listening to an audiobook. She and Beth had a distanced chat with Innis and Rosie, and had driven past a place in Hove where Betty is hoping to move in with two pals in the Summer. She is excited at the prospect, but trying hard not to get too excited until it's in the bag. I took a couple of strolls around Blaker's Park just to have a bit of exercise in short breaks during the day. A few messages with the Tobster, having a coffee outside his cafe in Toronto. Listening to Carrying the Fire . Lorraine and I watched the last few Episodes of Afterlife. This Ricky Gervais series is almost unbearably sad, but quite funny in places too. Lorraine and I watched it together, L crying lots, but liking it. Here is a picture of our trug. The salad greens on the right are all we have eaten so far. Th...

A leisurely start to the day, then I uploaded the final episode of Magnificent Grace to SYTV. A lovely note from Ben in the evening -- he had listened to the whole thing. Now I have to maintain energy in the project and do more promotion. A walk this afternoon to the usual place, have paused  The Silmarillion  and am listening to Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins the astronaut, which is fascinating. Blustery while I was walking, and this walk ended in rain. Lorraine and I took another walk around Blaker's Park an hour later when the sun came out again. Spoke to Mum today, very worried as Salty their beefy white cat has disappeared. The evening spent playing cards and trivial pursuit with Beth and Lorraine.