under another sun

A blissful morning, without labouring or drilling etc. overhead. Got to grips with some good work, and feel at the end of the week, that I have evolved a progress plan, have identified several weaknesses in what I've been doing, and know what my next steps are. I feel as if I have turned a corner somehow. Because not having to be at the house, I set off for a walk. But I got no further than about three yards, when I started to chat to Clem, and soon found myself up on the roof looking at tiles, and firewalls, and discussing what to do about the fact that the cheeky bastard who had fixed our TV a couple of years ago, had done so by simply legging across the roofs and sticking it onto Clem's chimney. Also looked at lead flashing etc which has split on our roof and may cause damp in our bedroom. Seems I am destined for domestic doings. Clem however, is expert in all these kind of things, which is good. After this done, I resumed my walk, and walked for a couple of hours or mor...

The weather muggy and turbulent, ending in an apocalyptic thunderstorm. Writing my proposal for the children's book, plus working on a few poems and doing some Edinburgh stuff. In the evening off to The Evening Star, where I met Glen and Eleni, Steve, Richard and Maria Grazia, and Adam Bushell, who I'd not seen for about five years, then saw twice in a week. Also chatting to a Yorkshireman on his own on our table called Mike, who had invented little cards to place over his drink which said Back in a few minutes, to prevent his drink being removed. A really cheerful evening all round. Steve looking incredibly smart just having got off the train from London where he is doing a new job. It made me want to obey him. Then walked home, managing to get home while the rain was spotting. There followed a thunderstorm the like of which I had not seen in the UK. The sky flashing wildly. Below Mike, and his beer card, and the radiant Glen and Eleni.

Doing lots of mind-maps at the moment, trying to use this natural lull to at least be clear about my objectives. At lunchtime, I zoomed down to the Bath Arms to answer the papal summons. There are few people better to chat with over a plate of pub grub and a pint than Catherine, and we had a great chat over lunch. Then up to St Luke's with Lorraine in a taxi, where Glen and Eleni, and Kostas on guitar were playing a concert of Greek and French music. Bumped into a few folks I'd not seen in a while, including the composer Barry Mills, and Adam Bushell, who, like Glen, played on This Concert Will Fall In Love With You and other adventures, Richard Gibson there too. Glen and Eleni played with Kostas Kationis on guitar, who Eleni told me is extremely respected around Kavala as a choral conductor and arranger. In a selection of Greek songs from the 20th century, in the first half, then a selection of French songs, including of songs by Edith Piaf with lovely fluency too. Afte...

Oddly fragile and demotivated this morning. I blame Anton. I made myself a cup of tea and poured myself a glass of water in the kitchen this morning. As they were side by side, I added milk to the water, which I took as a bad sign. I'm not sure of what it was, exactly. I worked a little on the play, and was phoned by the agency to give a short amount of time to considering an client idea that even the dogs in the street could see was a wrong 'un. Meanwhile various friends have been doing highly interesting things. Richard Gibson is out in Kavala with Glen and Eleni in yet another manifestation of the Shakespeare Heptet. I saw this link to a local TV appearance . I love the bit where Richard starts talking and overdubbed Greek emerges.  Meanwhile Jane's been at her Royal impersonations again as you can see here . I read an excellent essay by David Foster Wallace here , a humorous account of a seven day Caribbean cruise, which I heard being discussed on R4's A Good...

Lorraine up early and made porridge and tea for us, which I ate in bed. Then I found Giannis in the kitchen, and made toast and scrambled eggs, taking the opportunity to have a Hobbit's second breakfast with him. I made myself a tea and after the water had quickly reboiled I found that I was pouring a dilute instant coffee over my teabag, which was a bit of a surprise, but we laughed about it. Glen came around again, and another quick chat with him before he and Giannis set off into Brighton. Glen incredibly busy trying to get a whole slew of stuff sorted over here. To work, and after a few hours, I decided I needed to stop going around in circles and cut myself a bit of slack. At lunchtime I broke off to see Eleni and Glen perform a lunchtime concert in the Unitarian Church. Said hello to Giannis again and Sakis and Rita, Eleni's mum and dad. Glen and Eleni did a lovely job,  Eleni truly is a fantastic singer. I wrote about their performance here . Home again to round ...

Lorraine and I had another restful start to the day. I lay in bed and wrote another post about Chad and read the paper, and my lovely wife brought up some breakfast. Eventually I got up in stages, ironing my shirts while Lorraine who had been momentarily gung-ho about getting up lay in bed playing computer games. Once up we conducted a major tidying up session. Later, Beth's pals from uni Eliza and Emily arrived, to the accompaniment of much excited squeaking from Beth. Then we all got ready and John, Lorraine and I walked down to the Hare and Hounds, and the immaculate girls cabbed it. A nice night with lots of Beth's besties there such as Laura and Sarah and Matt and Amy and many more. Mexican food there, including burritos with rice inside, which I found a bit odd but everyone else said was normal. At one point all John's housemates arrived en masse, and I had a brief vision of him as the leader of a cult. Interesting chat with Matt who grew up in a haunted house, and ...

Monday morning and Glen off to do some teaching in a nearby costal town. We drove along with him and Eleni, plus Eleni's young nephew and niece. Glen dropped off, we proceeded to a good beach, where we occupied some beach beds and swam. I played with the kids for some time, the boy clambering on me and kicking out loads, which was fun of a slightly exhausting kind. Then back into the car, to collect Glen and head off for a leisurely spot of lunch, and a splash of ouzo. We then went for dessert and coffee with Eleni's sister Anna, and Rita her mother before they drove us back to Kavala, in time to catch the ferry at 4:30. Fond farewells with Glen and Eleni in the harbour. It had been great to hang out with Glen, bouncing a few ideas about music around too, as well as just getting to know him better. Eleni is an impressive person, with a keen intelligence and a heartbreakingly beautiful voice. I jokingly called her The Soul of Greece, but she is extraordinary. Great to see Gl...

Sunday morning and up early and off to the local Greek Orthodox church. A devout earthiness. People, from the elderly to little babies, kissing the icons fervently. The church potent with incense and rather warm. Glen had been there several times and says that he can take it for half an hour or so. Eleni's father there again with grandchildren, who he lifted up to kiss the icons on the way in. I liked looking at the amazing pictures upon the walls, as well as hearing the singing of the ministers in the orthodox ceremony.  Rather arrested by the paintings of six winged seraphim. Then home to a large breakfast of scrambled eggs made with green peppers and tomatoes from Eleni's father's garden. I stood on the balcony taking in their magnificent view and noticed Giannis outside waiting for us down on the street.  Glen drove us all to Phillipi , not far from Kavala but out onto the vast flat alluvial plain. Lorraine and I, like mad dogs and English, then walked around the larg...

Texted Glen a couple of times and arranged to go off to see him and Eleni in Kavala. Kavala is on the mainland, and we taxied from Skala Potamia to the sheltered west coast of Thassos and another port called Skala Prinos. Our taxi driver a cheery man called Christos who spoke good English. We had a light lunch in Skala Prinos, waiting for the ferry. Lots of tourists from Romania and Bulgaria on Thassos, and one Bulgarian behaving abominably in the harbour taverna, in an a harassing and sexist manner to the waitress. The ferry to Kavala, which took an hour and a quarter, one of those archetypical Greek experiences, looking back at the broad wake left by the ferry leading back to the diminishing island. These kind of trips always fill me with a tranquil happiness. Kavala is a gorgeous hillside city. Glen and Eleni met us from the boat and drove us home to their apartment with a beautiful view south down the town, and harbour and across the water to the mountainous Thassos, where we w...