under another sun

Another foggy damp day. Lorraine up and more independent now that her arm is no longer in the heavy cast. I had no urgent tasks and I had the luxury of doing some thinking, and catching up with a few blog posts, and fiddling about with some writing. An old pal Chris Amies got in touch via Instagram to say he had read and liked The Inheritor in Supernatural Tales. Out with the so called Beer Monsters this evening, in our usual Evening Star haunt. Nick was there when I arrived, he is a mine of information about beer and brewing. We were soon joined by Steve and Richard, then two musician pals of Steve's discussing an upcoming Sumerian Kyngs gig. Later we were joined by Claudius, and who had with him a young rapper called Harrison who goes by the name of Aitch  who I asked to find himself on Spotify for me as he was leaving. He was a nice guy and very talented. Later we were joined by Monty Oxymoron  currently keyboard player with The Damned. When I grow up I want to be a wiki...

A day of doing housework Lorraine and I hoovered and cleaned bathrooms, on the hottest late August Bank holiday weekend ever. We also made more plum jam, bending over the bubbling pot. A salad lunch outside for lunch, where I discovered that Matthew Rees had accepted my horror story What You Look For , which I was chuffed about. He said this would go live on the site quickly.  This means that I now have three horror stories pending publication. Am feeling quietly pleased with myself. Really nice note from Matthew, he seems a really nice guy as well as being an excellent writer. In the late afternoon we sauntered down through Preston Park. Bumped into Reuben playing football with his youngest boy like the excellent dad he is. Then we walked up to my old neck of the woods by the station, fording the human river beginning to turn back from the sea to the station.  To an evening with Claudius, who had a few friends and a barbecue in his back yard. Among them was Steve, who it ...

Shopping today with Lorraine. I bought some gym shoes that didn't bite my ankles, and some teeshirts. Into Specsavers to pick up Lorraine's new specs, chosen by a computer to suit her face shape. We also went into Marks and Sparks for about an hour, trying on things like teeshirt bras. We chatted to the woman at the till about lightning, and I showed her my lightning app. Lorraine out with Dawn going up to Bermondsey to see Sarah and JD's new home. I went to the gym, walking through the park where there were dozens of police gathered to monitor a pro cannabis 'protestival'. There was a bit of music, and several stalls selling cannabis oil and so on. Later I read, several people had their weed confiscated, and there were two arrests. It all seemed a bit heavy handed to me. and texted Anton who invited me to go around to his house and we sat about in his garden shooting the breeze as he barbecued some bratwurst, which we had with sauerkraut and mustard. Then out...

Up fairly early for a Sunday. Feeling pretty sprightly and the foot much better. Lorraine working all day. Beth and I went to The Boots for an all-afternoon rehearsal with Matt and Kitty. A good day's work. The whole thing is getting very close now, only a month to go and still quite a bit of work needed to get up to scratch. Working with lovely people helps. Kitty and Matt really good folks, and we had quite a few laughs. Beth and Kitty a dynamic duo. Matt has the biggest challenge in learning lots of lines and finding his way into the play. Work interspersed with sitting in the garden of the Boots, which was very quiet, drinking soda water. Rounded it off with a cheeky beer with Beth and Matt. Asking Matt about his faith, as he is a keen church goer. Betty off to John's tonight. Bumped into Claudius too, who had popped in to say hello to someone there. Home and Lorraine still working on school reports and so on. Briefly spoke to Mum to organise a nip up to London tomorrow. ...

Up and at 'em fairly early, Lorraine and Beth both in Leeds with Sam and Jade this morning. Hus called around this morning and spent the day replastering the spare bedroom wall. I like Hus and nice to chat, and he did a good job in a considerate way. We'll go for a beer in the new year. As the day wore on I began to snuffle heralding the arrival of yet another cold. Since I had my flu jab I have had colds and bugs in abundance. In the evening went off to Brighton Station, where I went to the station bar, ordered a pint of Harvey's and waited for Lorraine's train to arrive. Very pleased to see her smiley face too. After buying a bite to eat outside the station, we went up to Richard and Maria Grazia's house. A few chums there, including Steve and Claudius. Richard and Steve played a musical piece based on the G scale of G Ab B C D Eb F, which was rather peaceful and oriental sounding, which Richard said there is an Indian raag with this scale in. I report this co...

Racing the deadline for getting the poems ready for The Nightwork, which meant I spent all morning muttering through them while Lorraine was working at the next desk. Finally, after some big (in terms of the manuscript) decisions, sent them off to Robin. Felt good to have got it done and sent off. I hope Robin likes it.  Both exciting and nerve wracking by turns. Confirmation of more freelancing in London next week, which is good. The Kenny coffers in increasingly good shape. This is directly to do with me buying a new green wallet of course. Otherwise, focused today. Apart from going to the gym, which was a great mind-cleanser and enabled me to be decisive and non stressed when I got home again. A five o'clock snooze that set me up admirably for the weekend. Lorraine and I zipped off in taxi to The Blue Man this evening to see the Shakespeare Heptet. We had been given the wrong time,  early of course, so we popped next door to the noisy rock venue the Hope where we met An...

Final morning in Guernsey. After breakfast we went to Brouards to buy some flowers to put on my Grandparents' grave. This done, and a certain amount of looking at other graves and thinking of the people Mum and I knew in them, we went down to St Martin's church to say hello to La Gran'mère and pop into the Church for a brief mooch about. From there we walked to Icart Point, and sat on the bench and looked at the cloud patches on the turquoise water and felt rather sad to be leaving all this beauty. Collected by a cab from La Barbarie and off to the airport. Little to report here, a pleasant enough flight with clear views from my window over Alderney and the French coast. We flew over Brighton too. Fond farewells with Mum at Gatwick train station. Lorraine and I speeding home with a cheery taxi driver from the station. Beth and John at home, but I had to go upstairs and start work taking a brief on the freelance work I am going to be doing over the next few weeks. Th...

A pleasant day of diverse activities. Did not spring from bed this morning. Eventually got up and walked to the nearby Japanese shop to buy fixin's for the easy Japanese meal we had selected to cook from Everyday Harumi , by Harumi Kurihara. We bought essentials like Japanese soy, Mirin sauce, konubu seaweed, katsuobushi (flaked of bonito fish)  and some cooking sake from our new friend in the Japanese store. Home and making our basic Ichiban dashi stock, from the konubu  seaweed and the flaked fish filled the room with an unmistakable Japanese aroma, we cooked Japanese rice in this stock (with added soy and Mirin) and followed the recipe and cooked a simple pork and carrot dish to go with it. Lorraine hammering the pork with a rolling pin to tenderise it. Good wholesome grub it was too. Quite enjoyed the seaweed part of the process, which made the seaweed grow mysteriously in the pot. When not doing this Lorraine and I were tidying up and interrogating furniture, in our ...

Slightly unfocused this morning, and spent some time working on the wrong file. However, eventually made some progress on the book during the day. Lorraine working at home this morning too before heading off to a meeting. I made off to the gym, then to Starbucks where I worked for another couple of hours, despite the attentions of an infernal hell-child banging the back of my chair. Also wrote to Helen in Germany. She and her daughter Katy have translated my Heidegger poem, to be exhibited at the Heidegger Archive to help celebrate the 125th anniversary of the great man's birth. Amazingly kind. Another gorgeous day however. Home for a light salad supper, before Lorraine and I went off to The Eddy, which has now reverting to an earlier name of The Edinburgh (it will always be the Eddy to me), to watch the latest incarnation of The Shakespeare Trio: The Shakespeare Heptet. This evening's configuration included Richard of course, plus Steve Cartwright plucking a banjo, Claudiu...

An excellent two days on the book.  I have been writing about aliens in advertising, which has compelled me to watch the ancient Cadbury's Smash commercial, with its ridiculous chortling martians mocking humankind for mashing up potatoes as opposed to reconstituting a nasty starchy gloop. Off to have a hair cut, as the sheep head thing was happening again. A beautiful day it was too, despite the heat nicely fermenting the piles of rubbish on the streets. After my crop, off to the gym where I bumped into Claudius, where we discussed medical matters and the Shakespeare Heptet before a very satisfying session. Nice to saunter home in the sun. Otherwise, property various toings and froings over my house in the Twitten which I am preparing to get valued as well as Lorraine weasel wrestling her estate agents. Stressful. Eventually discovered that I am not needed at Tavistock Square tomorrow, which gives me another day to get on with the book, good news as I am in the zone.

Busy day in which I felt tetchy for most of the day. Worked really well on the business book this morning, however, then painted part of the downstairs, went shopping and attended to a string of chores. Rather sluggish and tired this afternoon but I simply manned up. In the evening off to Hove for a poetry reading. This time went alone and didn't particularly enjoy myself, nor the poetry on offer. One of those rare days when I simply wasn't in the mood. After an hour or so of this, and having read a solitary poem myself, I slipped away to sample some music instead. Walking along Western Road with the sea mist rolling in, I bumped into Dipak, hot foot from playing with Richard as the Shakespeare Trio for two or three numbers. He has got a six day a week job, and so has not played with Richard for six months and had enjoyed himself. A chat with him in the street for a while, before I headed off to the Three Jolly Butchers where Richard had morphed into The Shakespeare Heptet,...

Another dreadful night's sleep, strange devil trains dragging along the viaduct in the small hours, cleaning the lines and shining bright lights through the Velux windows. Lorraine up early so I was too being cat-plagued and keen to make progress. Calliope especially sees it as her mission to wake me still. I got to Sainsburys at opening time to buy some muesli for me and prawns for Calliope, and started work at 8:30. Got cracking on the business book again, which I enjoyed. This stage is all about metaphor and the darker arts of advertising. Found that my hardback copy of Aristotle's Poetics seems to have vanished, but downloaded one for my kindle (albeit an old translation). At noon I was called by the Tavistock posse and asked to work in the afternoon on some copy for them, however, which added some cash to the day's equation which is always welcome. Claudius came around for a business discussion, related to The Shakespeare 'Heptet' as they are now known. ...

Broke off from working to watch the Chancellor's Budget speech and the leader of the Opposition's reply. The paucity of the public purse matched only by the intellectual bankruptcy of politicians. No ideas from anywhere a general nothing to be done but grin and bare it from Osborne, and childish finger pointing from Miliband. Off early evening to sit with Klaudia and Oskar while Anton and Anna went to parents evening. Nice time with the Godbairns, who always seem to want to climb over me, despite them being quite large now. Klaudia has a new method of tormenting Oskar, which is to try to pin him down and kiss him. Also we had a good deal of fun talking to Siri on my iPhone, Klaudia getting it to say 'lollipops', which it replayed as 'lolliparps', to general amusement. Then I met Claudius and walked with him to the Old Market in Hove, to a very well run (by Roy Hutchins) poetry evening called iOpen . Really enjoyed the evening, and there was some interesting ...

Couldn't help noticing Mercury has just stopped going retrograde and is now progressing. Pure coincidence, of course, that I received the months overdue letter from the tax office notifying me of a repayment. A cheeky grand and very welcome - and not just because I won't have to keep asking my accountant to chase the effing thing every two weeks. I slunk back to the gym, and managed half an hour's creaky trundling on the cross trainer. While I have a long way to go to get back to anything like fit, it made me cheerful (and tired). Met Claudius in the changing room and had a chat with him about poetry to the bemusement of the narcissists and sweaty jocks about us. Talked to Janet, and will visit Ken tomorrow as he is bored before his op on Thursday. The excerpt of the business book I have sent to several friends already has had some very useful and thought provoking feedback. In this hiatus, reworking and expanding Defenders of Guernsey   and removing one or two glar...

Got started on doing my accounts which I aim to complete by the end of the week, plus some landlordy stuff. Later I also some work on poetry after a sudden rush of excitement about a theme I can group some around for a pamphlet competition I have my eye on. After eight hours of work, I simply had a read of Midnight's Children , which is unexpectedly good fun, plagued by Calliope who having been deprived of my company for many weeks, sits on me at every opportunity. In the evening off to meet Glen, Richard Gibson, and Claudius in the Evening Star, which I'd not done for some time. Claudius had sent me some links to readings of poems by Kamau Brathwaite. This reading by Brathwaite of Kumina from his collection Born to Slow Horses particularly fine. Nice to chat about Caribbean poetry with Claudius, who is full of enthusiasm for it. A good evening and met more interesting friends of Glen's. It is so refreshing to have a beer with people who get passionate about, for examp...

Back up to the splendors of North Acton. A beautiful day, though naturally I didn't see too much of it other than through train windows. A curiously tranquil day where I simply went to work, worked and came home again without incident. I even managed to arrive home at a reasonable time. Stole away for ten minutes at lunchtime and discovered near the railway banks of blackberry bushes. I ate two or three sweet berries, a fleeting moment of freedom. I finished The Count of Monte Cristo at last too on the journey home. Completing a 49 hour audiobook feels an achievement. A jolly fine yarn. Home and Lorraine and I getting ready to stay away tomorrow night. Lorraine is off on a work conference, and I am going to stay with Mum and Mas. Sam around this evening too before returning to Leeds. It had been good to see him over the last few days. Was called by Claudius this evening,in his capacity of The Shakespeare Trio manager. He invited me to perform at somewhere called the Blue Not...