under another sun

Up slightly later, and Beth drove Lorraine was off to the fracture clinic. Turns out the doctor she saw there was a parent of a child at school. Good news, however, the break was very clean and Lorraine now has a wrist support rather than a sling, and has been told she can do light things, such as a bit of typing, with the hand. Getting the cast off was good, and prevents L having to probe with pokey things under the plaster when she felt an itch. Meanwhile at least another hour spent in a futile search for my Harry Potterish lost spectacles. I have now spent four or five entire hours ransacking the house from room to room in search of the bastard things, which I still believe must be in the house. Made a bean jar today, but somehow it wasn't right. Slightly too much carrot, and an hour undercooked in its slow cooking process, nor did I add real chicken stock. Worst of all, as I had no fresh parsley, I experimented with coriander. It transpires that coriander in a bean jar is a...

Spent the day slogging in a stressed way, and fairly unprofitably with a sore throat and feeling hot by the end of the day. An early night after paracetamols and The Great British Bake Off. Up to bed and Lorraine read us a bit of Dracula before we slept.

Back to my desk today, still recovering from the weekend's wussiness. Bits and pieces of a day, no feedback from my French amis  but some emails about The Great Chad Adventure. And a spot of  niceness from Robin on her site here. A chat with Anton, then Spoke to Mum who had concerning news about her oldest friend Diane, who is very ill in hospital. Mum had gone out with her for a meal only a couple of weeks ago, so this is all rather upsetting. Meanwhile Lorraine's pal Jo, whose house we stayed in at Hayward's Heath before we moved to our current place is also very ill and now taking family visits only. Otherwise a quiet day, with Lorraine home late and Beth recovering from the weekend's work then out with her pals. When Lorraine came home, we watched Rick Stein eating his way through Greece in a way that made Lorraine and I long to be there again. An amazing-looking moussaka, cooked by Patrick Leigh Fermor's former housekeeper, had us both slavering. But we had...

Up somewhat blearily. Lorraine up early and bringing tea and porridge back to the bedroom. A day of doing bits and pieces for me, including a spot of cow work for my French clients, and quoting on another job to do with the Plight of Balkan Dogs. To the gym too, to do half an hour on the cross trainer, a.k.a. the hulk legs machine, as I have noticed what with me tearing my thigh muscle and other afflictions my legs seem far more sparrowy than normal. Then Sainsburys to buy vegetables to complement the excellent tomato harvest from our back garden, plus a decent portion of green beans I wrested from the craven gastropods outside. Their name gives it away. They are walking stomachs and I bite my thumb at them. I cooked a rather nice vegetable and fish and rice meal tonight. Healthy stuff after the beery chip-based excesses of the weekend. Calliope punishing my absence by pointlessly hiding in the dungeon when I was doing laundry down there, plaguing me at my desk and finding things...

A heroic breakfast in our pleasant appartments, then after birthdaycard and present opening for Sam (plus a couple of late ones for Jade) whose birthday it was, and phoning Pat whose birthday it also is much showering (the water is all connected so washing a few plates or pulling a toilet chain resulted in ghastly yelpings from whoever was showering). Then we surged out into what was a surprisingly gorgeous day. Big heavy rainclouds that somehow missed us apart from the lightest sprinkle at first. There is a big beach below the West Cliff and we headed down to this after looking across at the ruined Abby. Wrong side of the Pennines, but like a Lowry picture nevertheless, due in part to the large number of dogs about. What was different was the utterly gorgeous light there. This really is a picturesque place. After this we all wandered onto the pier, where Lorraine and I walked to the end, over quite widely spaced boards with the sea below at one point that had Lorraine slightly unner...

An English Monday morning in August. Torrential rain. Woke up tired as I'd slept poorly. Began filling in three forms to do with an application Telltale are making for an award. My deep love of forms coming to the fore as usual. Despite the rain, compelled to get out, had to renew a prescription at my doctor's, then went to Lewes via the nearby Brighton station for a nice chat with Robin and Nick, and to collect a few pamphlets. They'd been to Croatia for their hols, and were getting ready to move to Eastbourne next month. Shuddered in sympathy as I heard some of the house move stuff. Home via London Road, and up the Hill from there, the sky really quite extraordinary, as the not particularly good snap below, and the one from my study a few minutes later show. I hope Toby's plane journey was not too fairgroundish. A nap on the sofa, as I am still feeling a bit drained by my chest infection. Then spoke to Mum on Facetime who was a bit sad to have said goodbye to To...