under another sun

A late yippee! My day ended on a happy note with an email from Catriona in Guernsey saying the Commissioners had liked my idea for the anthology of Guernsey literature. Will have a detailed chat about next steps this weekend, and Catriona has asked if I'd like to meet the commissioners to talk it through next month. So - in short - yippee! There's lots of things to still be sorted, but it all feels good. Otherwise a quietly productive day. Up early writing to Richard in Guernsey, then bashing on through Skelton Yawngrave, with a bit of Alsace tourism copy thrown into the mix. After working for about seven hours took myself off for an hour's walk in the sun. Headed down to the sea, which was made greenish by the wind. At one point a man approached me, explaining that he had to touch a pole before talking to me. He then asked for "bus fare", but when I did not simply hand cash to him, he retreated to the pole explaining he had to touch it again. I couldn't work ...

A great day for working An email tonight from Catriona in Guernsey saying that the Arts Commission are meeting in Guernsey on Monday and will discuss my anthology idea. So if you read this and happen to remember, please beam positive vibes towards the Channel Islands for me. Otherwise I worked till 10pm on Skelton Yawngrave, pausing only to go the gym (slightly more energetic than last week on the hulk legs machine) eat, snooze for half an hour, go food shopping, play with Calliope, and make some work calls. A perfect working day in fact. Spoke to Sophie who told me Andros had a minor stroke the other week, but seems to be okay now and her mother is confined to bed with a crumbled vertebra. The children are good, and we are all planning to get together soon. Sophie managing to sound buoyant, however, and says a recent Buddhist retreat has helped. Chat to Lorraine planning which gigs we are going to see this week on The Great Escape . This is a festival of lesser known bands in venues i...

Pens & Lens & Fotherington Thomas Up early after a dreadful night's sleep full of nightmares. Had a full English breakfast and decided to take myself for a long walk. Started at Icart Point and walked to Fermain Bay along the cliff path. Felt nauseous and weak today for some reason, but decided today was not the day for to be ill in. Another beautiful blue-hot day with a cooling breeze. The cliffs jostling with flowers like in mum's paintings, and the sea was diamonding with the sunlight. Stopped off at Jerbourg for a cup of tea, and narrowly missed encountering a member of the family who I have fallen out with, and last seen at my Grandfather's funeral. She saw me before I saw her, and I only recognised her by the look of her broomstick. Shaken, I phoned Mum and Mase, who expressed surprised that I'd bumped into so many people already. Early in the walk I found a magpie feather. One of the poems being used in Guernsey for this Pens & Lens poetry/film busi...

Easeful gardens Booked my ticket to fly over to Guernsey next week for two days. I am going to attend and read at the Pens & Lens event organised by the newly formed Guernsey Arts Commission. Very much looking forward to this. Got a package of material through in the invite, which all looked rather spiffy, and included one of my poems too which was pretty pleasing. In the afternoon, Lorraine collected me to drive off to the village of Southease near Lewes. This is the point where Matty Kate and I started our walk last weekend, and home to Matt's family. The village was having an open gardens weekend. So as well as the open gardens, tea and home made cakes were served overlooking the village green and the 1,000 year old round-towered church. We spent a happy afternoon lurking in these beautiful country gardens. One in particular called Corner Cottage was a wonderful maze of tiny paths, and leafy tunnels of burgeoning and dense growths of aromatic roses and many other plants inc...