under another sun

Breakfast with Lorraine, then Simon arrived to finish off the Summer House and I mooched off to meet Anton for a quick coffee in Seaford, his starting point for a longish walk to test how his knee is doing. He gave me a present for baby Enzo, which was sweet of him. A little black baby grow with The Clash logo in pink.  Anton made off for his long walk, and I got a text from him later after walking for hours, that he thinks he'll go ahead with the op. Home and Rick and his son Luke came around to look at our exterior wall which is letting in some damp. They seemed to know what they were talking about. We also zoomed over to Gallery Uno, to see Adele, and see Patrick who was playing old Irish songs in the gallery. Hung out with them for a bit.  Lorraine who had been cooking a vast veggie chilli for much of the day, which I had helped with, and we drove off in the afternoon to a farmer's field near Plumpton with enough chilli for 12 on board. Here Rosie and Innis and family and ...

Up early today, and working on the job sent through by pals in Hampton, did this pausing only to phone and email my accountant. Suddenly realised it was 12:40 and that I had to be in Hove in twenty minutes for the Freelancer's Beano. Grabbed a cab and had a nice afternoon with Beth, Emily, Tim, Innis, Rosie, Tanya, Catherine and Julia in The Better Half . A few drinks and some fairly decent grub. All kinds of chat on everything from intersectionality to whale milk. Beth on funny form. A very hospitable barman/waiter who sat down at our table to take orders and chatted lots, with little freelance business being discussed, as it should be in a Beano. Beth and I went with Innis and Rosie back to their home, and Lorraine came from school, where there were Nativities today, and drove me home, which was great as the rain had started.

Up feeling slightly fragile after a lively night yesterday. Off on the bus to Hove to see Rosie my near astrological twin, plus one day and a truckload of years, whose birthday is today. Innis, Eve, Emily and Tim, Phoebe and Lyra and Sue, Rosie's mum and Pippi the dog. Rosie and Innis house sitting for a friend and taking care of a chirpy little budgie that had a fly around at one point outside of his cage. There was also a bubble tank with a solitary red Betta Splendens in it. We had breakfast of pancakes and croissants and fruit and lots of coffee, and even a few sips of bubbly. All very pleasant. Made Lorraine and I both wonder why we don't meet people more for brunches. It is very civilised. Home again by bus, and a degree of snoozing and generally regrouping before we made off to the Preston Park Tavern, to meet Anne and Anton and Klaudia and Oskar. A nice roast there and a splash of wine and a Guinness or two. Lots of nice cards and presents for me, three books a...

A cup of tea in bed and some birthday cards and pressies. I got a signed hardback copy of The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre, and a shirt, from Anton and the Bairns and another book Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss from Dawn. Lorraine said that what she'd got was too complicated for first thing. Getting ready for my glass class, and Maureen phoned me, the first of many messages from all kinds of people during the day.  All very friendly at the class, and Yvonne even gave me a card.  I really enjoyed the class, and am at last beginning to speed up a bit. Afterwards I was bought a blueberry muffin by Adele, and a coffee by Chris, and hung out with them and Mick and Yvonne in the cafe. Then we all went our separate ways, and it hit me then that I had no obligations, so took a walk along the seafront. The tide was up and the sea was rough. The rough sea always makes me cheerful. Caught a bus to the bottom of Preston Park and I went to the cafe there for a falafel panini read ...

Lorraine and I off on a foray to five ways, nearby where we went to a shop and bought a small iron stag's head, which is our new hat stag, and some vegetables. We decided every home needs a hat stag.  Also sorting out the fire alarms for the house too. I did some admin and writing this afternoon.  Toby arrived this evening, and soon was jumping on the bus with Lorraine and I to Hove, and Rosie's new place, while Beth off to a funk and soul night with her pal Amy. A nice party to end the year. Rosie's mum Susan was there, but soon left. Then Emily, Rosie's sister and Tim arrived. Anton was there already, as was Rosie's nice pal from London Alice. Lots of chilli to eat, and cocktails mixed with varying degrees of expertise. Alice initiated a game at one point, where she sat around with string and cut them into varying lengths then hid them around the room, having banished all of us from it. Then we all looked for the string and then compared the length of the s...

My birthday started rather hungover. My lovely wife however brought me tea and presents in bed. Including two cardigans. I love cardigans and wore one obsessively in my twenties. Naturally the trendy irony of sporting a cardie in your twenties has eroded with the years. Lorraine yelped with laughter and said Hello Granddad to me when I wore one. However they look very smart and are currently quite trendy, like the big bushy beards sported by hipsters everywhere. Everyone's a Granddad now. Lorraine also got me the new Murukami novel, which is splendid, and a poster of Tales from Topographic Oceans by Roger Dean, which will have pride of place in my new study when I am in there. Beth got me a large cup, a special request, and a pair of Chelsea socks. Then more interminable house stuff, reading the survey of the new house, which seems pretty sound. Off out and collected by Dawn and driven off to Stanmer House where we met Rosie, Emily and Tim, and Emily and Tim's twin three y...