under another sun

Three Peakes and a harbour A great night's sleep, and fantastic not to be seeing the world through a veil of exhaustion. Detailed conversation about Leicester Tigers rugby club, by two guests who had adopted Lorraine yesterday. I found myself fresh out of cheerful sports banter department before I'd even had a cup of tea. Lorraine and I took a transcendentally beautiful walk under a perfect blue sky to Icart and around and down to Saints Harbour. I rarely find myself there, so took a several photographs. A slow walk back up the hill, listening to the water running down the valley and the birdsong, before returning to the hotel for a fast sandwich before catching the bus into town. This afternoon The Poetry Café, crammed full of poets -- Caroline Carver (who I rather like as a person) plus bus prize winners, and some locals I recognised. Some good interesting poetry going on, and I read a couple of poems too. Just over halfway through Lorraine and I realised we were about to be...

A town full of poets Insomnia: woke at 1am and did not sleep again till 6am. While I at last snoozed, Lorraine stole away, had breakfast, and returned with with a bacon sarnie in a bag. Groggily up and hoofed onto the bus into town. Popped into the library with three copies of Defenders of Guernsey . The librarian Maggie recognised me, and was pleased to take the books. Then Richard and I gave our final reading from A Guernsey Double in the inflatable hub in the Market. Catriona was press-ganged into introducing us. I felt more pleased with my reading today, though we found it noisier than our previous sessions, but I think we were both more relaxed. Bloney motorbikes. A small but select audience, including the poet Caroline Carver and Marylin, aka Guernsey Girl, who I have met through blogging. Caroline was kind enough to buy our book. Lorraine, and I joined Richard and Caroline in Richard’s van and went up to Elizabeth College, which I had never been in before, where Caroline was...

Kick off Up early and a light breakfast before jumping on the bus to go into town. From there walked north along the shining Belle Greve Bay till I reached the BBC buildings. Riccardo outside and we marched in shoulder to shoulder. A lovely chat with Jenny as usual and we had a good 25 minutes on the JKT show with her. She is a lovely broadcaster, and we got in a great plug for Defenders of Guernsey too. Jenny has been consistently fabulous to Richard and myself. It's great to be with Richard too, we are developing into something of double act. Into town then, and Richard and I sloped off to the hub, which was on Market Terrace, and looked great. Lots of people to chat to, and I met Gabi who edits Island Ink, for the first time. Lorraine arrived as I was mid networking fury. She and I snuck away to Dixneuf for French bistro where I consumed the French speciality fish and chips. Kick off for Richard and I, reading from A Guernsey Double in the hub. A well attended reading, and we ...

Off to Guernsey Any day I fly to Guernsey is a good day. Our flight was at six so spent the day running about sorting the house out for Pat and Maureen's stay, and collecting together all the things I need to take, and packing books into cases and hoping that Lorraine would make it back from work in time. Also went to the gym. In the end, all well. And the journey to Gatwick fine. Was cringing about the heavy cases, stuffed with 160 copies of Defenders of Guernsey but in the event didn't have to pay extra for them. I like Auringy, and any plane that has a giant puffin on it gets my vote. However there was a chartered replacement from another airline today, and the pilot flew in eccentrically to the island and landed heavily. Rather pleased to be on dry land. Reading about the Literary Festival in the Guernsey Press while mid-air. Richard and I were mentioned as 'local scribes', still it was better than nothing, which is what we have previously received from the Press. ...

Nit picking Up early and straight to work on the story. Spent much of the day combing the text for nits and clumsiness. Another month on it would haven been nice, but the planets may never align for me in the same way again. There will never be a better time to launch a short children's story than at the Guernsey Literary Festival next week. And as my new philosophy means I take every opportunity that presents itself, I must go for it. I've looked at it so much in the last days that I can no longer see the textual wood for the trees. However: an amazing stroke of luck. Catherine Pope, who republishes Victorian novels, has offered to proof Defenders of Guernsey for me after I sent out a Facebook SOS. Walked across town to one digital printers and got the ball rolling with them. Also spoke to folks in Guernsey about my technical requirements for the Children's sessions. Meanwhile Richard, who is poleaxed by an evil back, has set up a BBC Guernsey appearance for us on JKT...

Spring Biffed straight into writing schemes today. Had a good think about the Guernsey Literary Festival in May, and what I can do about the Children's workshops I am doing. Decided that I need to write a short story based in Guernsey starring Skelton Yawngrave, which I can give to the kids. Will include in it La Biche , which is a ghostly nanny-goat which was supposed to live a couple of hundred yards down the road from my Grandparents. Began writing straight away, and spent two hours in the cafe plotting it in great detail. Also phoned Mum to get her to paint La Biche for the cover. After this goat-related business, and a lunchtime chat with Lorraine, and working in the cafe, I went for a walk by the seafront, feeling a swelling happiness and optimism. A beautiful day, and Spring has come at last. Hordes of people sitting on the pebble beach, young girls with blue legs in the breeze. People everywhere playing volleyball, strolling past strumming buskers and dozens of boys and yo...

Down time and two dates A slightly slow start to today, after last night's liveliness. Had to do some work for my French clients in the morning and then, after another futile attempt to get my old agency to pay me, applied myself to some loafing and idling. General cheeriness about how the play went last night. News about the literary festival in Guernsey. I shall be leading a session on writing for children in a large tent erected in the town square. There is a school party of 60 booked on it I am told that the children 'have complex needs both physical and mental'. Again I'll be out of my comfort zone but I am quite looking forward to this. I also have a secret weapon in my glamorous assistant Lorraine. Not at all worried by the fact it is happening on Friday 13th of May. No sir. Not me. Also Matt sent me the date of 2nd July which is our recording date for This concert will fall in love with you . We will be doing this in the evening. Matt has decided we record it in...

Restraint Amazing how many beer bottles seven music loving gents can gargle through of an evening. Staring at them reinforced the urgent request from the liver and kidney dept. to focus on tea and mineral water. Self-restraint is a beautiful thing. Actually I felt as if I were on holiday today. I finalised bookings for Guernsey Literary Festival, and otherwise left the outside world to its own devices, which were mainly of the steady rain turning to snow variety. Chatted to Anton as there is a tense meeting between Manchester United and Chelsea this weekend which we will watch together. And to Mum and Mas who tomorrow set off on the first leg of their journey to Costa Rica. There in the sunshine they are going to meet up Joan and Dick, and Toby and Romy. Have almost finished listening to the audiobook of the creepy Dark Matter by Michelle Paver, which is something of a tour de force as a good old-fashioned ghost story. I have been listening to it alone, which as the creepy stuff happ...

Badly drawn boy Steady rain, and a better day working on my projects and some stuff for my French clients. The Atlantis poems beginning to adhere to one another, and may in fact be one large poem. Also found a new tonal approach for the Echoes story which feels much better. Matt came by at teatime and we went to see if we could have a look at the Nightingale theatre, just around the corner from me, where we may possibly stage the as yet unwritten Doppelganger piece. But we couldn't get into the theatre as it turns out the pub below and the theatre have nothing to do with one another. Call from Catriona in Guernsey about next May's Guernsey Literary Festival. I am being flown over, which makes me feel big and clever, and will be doing Skeleton based work with children on the morning of Friday the 13th, which is rather good, and then two or three poetry readings with Richard. In other news Salty returned home at 4.00am after a couple of days away with a large hunger on him. Mum...

Betsy's got it covered One look at Calliope's reproachful face made me go shopping for prawns this morning. Spoilt weasel. Otherwise a busy day. Sent Matt an idea for the music piece, did some copy for the Guernsey literary festival to be held next year. I've suggested they call the festival Inspired by Guernsey , which they seem to have gone for. Also speaking to Betsy and to Richard, from whom I recieved a bag of Rwandan coffee in a complex joke that's best not gone into here for reasons of human decency. Richard also puffing having been running again. He is already a slim well-proportioned gentleman, and it's a good thing I've been going to the gym as we don't want to look like the Laurel and Hardy of Guernsey literature. Spent the rest of the day tweaking the book's innards, and fiddling with the last bastard poem which will not quite sit right. Still I have a few days before it goes to print, so why worry? My brain not functioning well. Below the ...