under another sun

FaceTime with Toby this evening, who was striding about in sunny Chicago and telling me how everyone was after Ethan's untimely death. A tremendously sad business, as Ethan had touched the lives of an amazing number of people in the school he taught in, and in his community. He was very well known and will be missed. It seems, however, that he died peacefully in his sleep, which of all the ways to go, is probably the best. Also spoke to Mum who said Betty in Guernsey was now being looked after full time in a hospice. It was good she got to spend some time with her when we were last over.  Mum sad about this, having had a string of unpleasant news this year. In lesser news, my ankle became excruciatingly painful to step on, and throbbed painfully. Not the weekend I had planned and as a consequence spent much of the day in bed, unable to help Lorraine  do things to prepare the house for sale, and then making a delicious chicken, olives and lemon tagine supper and a  tar...

Horrible news tonight from Toby. Joan and Dick's son Ethan has died. Toby, clearly shocked and pacing about at home in Toronto, told me that Romy was flying back home from Chicago and they are going up to Deviation Road tomorrow. I feel deeply sad that so many people I love, Toby, Romy, Joan and Dick will be so distraught and are so far away. My heart goes out to them. This makes the rest of the day's news seem inconsequential. A note from Rhona with an excellent endorsement from her to put on The Nightwork cover, for which I was very grateful.  An offer of work from my old chums at Tavistock Square this morning had to be turned down, but towards the afternoon I was told unexpectedly that I wouldn't be needed till next week so was released back into the wild, with only a few hours of work to do tomorrow. But on balance this has worked out very well, as after as sustained period of slogging on freelance,  on my poetry collection, the big business book, I am feeling a bit...

A quiet day with Lorraine and red phantom tetras Up to do some more referencing work on the horrible cardiac arrest material my client gave me on Friday afternoon. Finished what I could and sent it back. Calliope sleeping on my desk as I worked. After, Lorraine drove me off to my favourite shop: the tropical fish shop. Here I bought I bought some red phantom tetras and two more red platies. My tank and its inmates are all thriving, despite one of the little fish wedging itself in a fold in the plastic bag. After this vital fish business, a walk by the sea with Lorraine, and we sat for an hour of sunny fresh air, discussing how empowered and positive she feels about about her moving house, which was great to hear. A quiet night in channel surfing between a programme about cats, and another about WW2 Atlantic convoys. And so to bed. Not before reading a note from Joan. There has been more gaming at Deviation. Below cat and mouse, The Starfarers of Catan about their business: Toby Romy a...

Listening to the wind, looking at the stars Dawn and looking at the window frame at the foot of the bed change colour from pink through yellow to white as the sun rose. I got up early and spent some time talking to Dick and Joan over toast and coffee. Lorraine's house deals moving swiftly, and it seems she has found a buyer for her house, and the offer on her new house has also been accepted. Still very stressful doing all this remotely. Out in the clinic Joan and Dick are keeping a rescued cat and its kittens. These animals are all in bad shape, and Dick, a retired vet, is treating them. He took Lorraine and I there to help. Lorraine holding the kittens, and Dick dropping pills into their mouths and rubbing their throats gently with his big hands. I stood by a door, and made sure that no kitten got treated twice. A quick go in the hammock, looking up into the tree, with Baxter the cat on my chest, and Nico the dog sitting below. Then a walk through the fields and into the forest b...

Into the wild boonies Set off for Deviation Road this morning with Lorraine and Toby. Much discussing of a house offer Lorraine has received. Amazing how you can negotiate a house sale from across the world these days. Toby driving us out of the suburbs of Toronto, one called the Vales of Castlemore , a vast, soulless housing development with no discernible infrastructure to serve it other than roads. Lovely to escape into the gentle rolling hills and the vast landscapes of South Ontario. After stopping for some excellent Italian pastries, we stopped for lunch at Susan's cafe in the tiny town of Markdale . We have been here before and Joan is well known there.A bit like going back in time, and here I consumed two excellent pies. A chicken pie and a blueberry pie. Susan came to speak to us, and we admired her prizewinning hooking picture on the wall. Fell into conversations with two old timers there. Ingrid who was originally German and had been in Ontario for a little short of fift...