under another sun

Up to Camden today to attend Andros's funeral at the All Saints Greek Orthodox cathedral on Pratt Street. The place was absolutely packed. A long ceremony, sung in Greek and bits of English, and then speeches. Sophie gave a short speech with enormous dignity. Christof also gave an excellent speech. There were other speeches too from former friends in the movie business, including the director Alan Parker who had known Andros since they were 11 and starting school together. He said that he had recently gone back to their school to give a speech, and he had invited Andros too. He had been given a page from a detention record that showed repeated entries for Parker and Epaminondas due to 'excessive laughter'. At the end of the service we all passed the coffin and I had the opportunity to hug and kiss Sophie and Christof and Electra. I found I had few words for them, but told Sophie I would be in touch next week to see her, once everything was over. Home, feeling rather s...

A beautiful day of warm sun. Up early as Lorraine had a hot stone massage with Jewel, like I had the other day. I decided to go to the gym, after tidying up the place a bit (we had a house viewing) and taking Betty a cup of tea. Feeling slightly tetchy in the gym, and only did the bare minimum, but better than nothing. Felt much better for a hot shower, and mooched off to find a very relaxed Lorraine and we went for a cup of tea in the Marwood, then went to sit by the sea in the warm sun. I then bought three quality shirts at bargain prices, then we drifted happily through the old lanes looking at wedding bands. Bused back home and went up the hill to sit in the sun garden of The Signalman, where we met Matt and Isy who, much to my pleasure, were in Brighton looking at houses as they are considering a move here. My liver and kidneys giving little squirms of apprehension, for Matt is always the centre of a good deal of enthusiastic and liquid socialising. Andros and Sophie had unexp...

A beautiful sunny day. On with the suit and black tie and up to London to the funeral of Chris Toumazis, Sophie's father. Hideous journey. I had given myself an extra hour to get there just in case, but thanks to two train cancellations and a hefty delay on the third train I still contrived to be late. Got really stressed by this. Eventually leaped out of a taxi outside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St Michael buildings five minutes late, and a random man asked me if I wanted the church and pointed to an open door. I burst through this only to discover I was by the side of the the altar and looking at the scene of a crowded church, clouds of incense, and the singing of priests presided over by Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateria and Great Britain, who knew Sophie's dad well.  Slunk self-consciously to the back feeling like an idiot. A Greek Orthodox service, with some beautiful singing from one of the priests, and presided over by the Archbishop. Almost all of it in Gre...

Curiously got out of the right side of the bed this morning, and have officially have had a word with myself about being a walking one-man gloomfest. So, cheerily, off to the Twitten where the new plumber, much to my stunned surprise, was actually early and Gary had let him in. After conversations about showers, returned home for a bit, spoke to Anton, before hoofing off to the quack to restock with antibiotics. A long wait due to a computer problem, but listening to Seasons in the Sun , a history book subtitled T he Battle for Britain 1974-79 by Dominic Sandbrook. Particularly enjoyable for me as I was a teenager at this time and it mixes in lots of cultural and social stuff to give the political struggle context. An absorbing, if right-leaning, interpretation of the times. Out again this afternoon to meet Sophie, as she was somewhat delayed I found myself in Starbucks again drinking a cup of earl grey tea, where I wrote some new words for a song which I will send to Matt about au...

Misty and mysterious Up to London today to meet Sophie in Highgate. We sloped off to the park just behind her house and ate a light lunch of tooth squeaking haloumi cheese and couscous and drank several coffees and cranberry juices. We were having a business brainstorm, as well as the usual gossip that results from knowing someone for 30 years. Despite that, I had not realised that Sophie's PR business has such amazing clients. Then back to Sophie's place where she caught up on some work and I talked with Andros and Christof and Electra for an hour or so. Andros had just seen My afternoons with Marguerite, and liked it too. Andros is an authority on film as he worked with Stanley Kubrick. Christof also on good form and looking oddly stylish. Electra recovering from hockey this afternoon, and readying herself for Sophie and Andros going to her parent's evening. She told me she is studying Mandarin at school. Then jumped on a slightly more random bus than I'd intended. It...

Sophie's party Drove north with Lorraine through a hot central London to attend Sophie's party, while forcing her to listen to Chris Squire's mighty Fish out of Water as well as Amadou and Mariam's classic Dimanche à Bamako . Lorraine less keen on the 1970s prog for some reason. We arrived at least two hours before the party started. As I had independently decided it started at 3 o'clock, rather than the actual start time of 8pm. Sophie and Andros kind enough to take this in their stride. But it gave me a chance to talk to Sophie's parents who also arrived early, and who I had not seen for about 25 years. Sophie's father almost completely unchanged. A splendid party and a few people I'd not seen for the same amount of time. Good to see Christof and Electra, Christof funny as ever, and Electra at 12 turning, seemingly overnight, into a young woman. Lots of lovely food too. Christof trying to make me do "the bear", which is some sort of impressi...

Food for friends Spent much of the day at Lorraine's house, helping her sort out the sheep from the goats when it came to packing up for her move. Looking at hideous under stairs areas, and her ex-husband's old study and so on. A world of stress for Lorraine who had to interrogate every object as to its future usefulness. The Greeks in the evening. We met Sophie, Andros, Christof and Electra at Food for Friends, my favourite vegetarian restaurant. I had a great time catching up with Sophie and her lovely family. Christof still lively and chatty as ever, and Electra now suddenly quite grown up. I love talking to her kids, and Andros is a really good guy. And I always come away from seeing Sophie, having now known her for 30 years, feeling that she's almost like a sister. Below some table photography. Christof, Andros and me, Lorraine Sophie and Electra.