under another sun

Lorraine and I celebrating our eighth wedding anniversary today. A swap of cards this morning, and flowers. In the afternoon we bussed into town, and had a walk by the sea and then popped into the Royal Sovereign before a delicious Japanese meal at Bincho Yakatori. Busy place, and lovely food and excellent Japanese sake and beers. Only downside is they rush you through, which I found irritating, and we were only able to stay for an hour and a half. Nevertheless the food was great. Curiously despite things like sea bass tempura and grilled mackerel and melt in the mouth pork belly cubes, the one thing that brought the taste of Japan home most was the cabbage with black garlic sauce on it. Beautiful. We jumped on a bus and were happily home, having eaten really well. A happy day with Lorraine, ending as  all the best days do, on the gold sofa. Again, pretty useless on the photo front. Snapped this bottle of red rice beer that Lorraine ordered. A beautiful -- and it turned out quite p...

Up and went off to buy some breakfast stuff, and Lorraine, Beth John and myself lurked about this morning eating breakfast. Beth poorly with something, I am selfishly hoping not to catch in time for my pamphlet launch this week. Went for a walk and talk with Lorraine this afternoon, and peered at a promising house that is coming on the market next week, and discussed many things. Trying to lift our heads out of the House Move Hell and get some perspective, and think of others. Hoping that Toby and Romy are coping, having to sort out everything after Hiroko's funeral, which was attended by 600 people. Popped in to see Janet and Ken as we were passing too. Hus was there, hugely relieved that his daughter is back in Italy after being over here and going missing several times for days in a row into the wonders of Brighton. Apparently while missing, she was featured on local TV, facebook, radio and so on news - and apparently has no concept of the hell she put Hus and Janet and Ken ...

This morning it has become clear that the woman we are buying the house from has done nothing since she accepted our offer to move out. She is evading the issue as are her solicitors.  I spent the morning terrifying the estate agents, but it seems we have no option but to start looking afresh. Glancing at Facebook on my return from the gym I learned that my friend Sarah Sprinkles had died. She had been fighting cancer for several years now, but she was incredibly brave, humorous and inspiring to others during this period. I've never met anyone like her - and although I knew she was ill I hadn't realised how critical this had become.  Then shortly after this Toby contacted me with the sad news that Hiroko had died suddenly last night at home in Japan. I am upset about this, as Hiroko has been unfailingly kind to me, and she is such a characterful person, often crackling with humour. I have had many good times in her company, and one particular night singing and drinking...

Lorraine and I up fairly early and drove off to Kent today to see Pat and Maureen. Rainy day, with the spray from the road coating the windscreen all the time. We listened to the Kermode and Mayo 'wittertainment' podcast en route, thanks to a new plug in gadget Lorraine has got which turns the iPod into a radio signal the car radio can pick up. Off to have a nice Sunday lunch at a nearby pub called The Blacksmith's Arms with Pat and Maureen. A nice pub decorated with dried hops hung around like vines as is traditional in Kent. We all enjoyed a decent Sunday roast, homemade tomato soup, and a traditional bread and butter pudding for dessert. A really nice pint of Golden Sheep beer served there too. The waitress twice bringing a beer to the table and looking quizzically at me, Golden Sheep?  she'd say.  Yes that's me, I'd reply, fleecily. Maureen being funny as usual, talking about a Belgian brewery visit they made years ago, I've never seen so many chicken ...

Up in the dark at 5:30 in Makinohara. Having packed discovered that Toby and Romy were up, Hiroko had cooked us breakfast and made tea, Hitome had arrived thinking she was going to drive us to the station. Bade a sleepy but fond farewell to Hiroko, who had been wonderfully hospitable as usual and to Hitome, who Lorraine invited to stay with us in Brighton. And of course Toby who it is always hard to say goodbye to. We were driven to Kakegawa station by Eitero, who seems to have become as fond of us as we have of him. He returned last night laden with gifts for example. He is mad for cars and we saw him driving two of them. He has a curious hunched stance when driving, and frequently opts for the no hands steering wheel technique. This morning he showed us clips of Lorraine, Romy and Hiroko singing last night in the karaoke bar. Lorraine cringing at her rendition of a Mumford & Sons tune. Kakegawa statino smelled strangely of drains, but Romy helped us with the tickets, and Eita...

A terrible night, where I developed a very rapid pulse, sweating with a temperature and a stomach like fire. Woke Lorraine up after several hours of this feeling rather panicked. Poor girl. She smoothed me down and eventually I got some fitful sleep. I can only think something I ate had not agreed with me at all. Still shaky and weak in the morning, but as the day pressed on I began to feel much improved. A lake breakfast, and Hitomi brought little Hana around. Hana is very cute and two years old, and seemed a bit dubious about dogs. followed by an early lunch at an eel restaurant, where we had our own private room. Hitomi brought little Hana, and there were also an elderly couple who had babysat Romy when she was little, and their daughter who had spent time in Canada. We all sat down to a healthy eel based snack. A deliciously eel inflected miso, a hearty bowl of rice layered on top with strips of cooked eel fillets and some salty salad pickles. After this surprisingly filling ...

Hungover this morning and my lovely wife brought me a cup of tea and generally looked after me. Went off for a drive in Eitaro's great boat of a car to Shizuoka where we went to a mall, had a noodle soup lunch, which was rather restorative. Lorraine, Toby and my meal rather delayed as we did not press the little bell on the table to get service till Romy told us to. Generally mooched about in the mall, and Hiroko went off to have a massage, and Lorraine made friends with an elderly man and three elderly ladies. The man gave her a sweet for New Year, and told her where she could get some oishii  delicious coffee for free. Then a drive outside town to a pine lined wooden path, which has recently been designated a world heritage site. We all walked down this path and arrived at a pine grove Miho-no Matsubra pine forest by the seaside, which is associated with a legend of a Hagoromo. A fisherman finds a robe hanging on the branches of pine tree It belonged to a celestial lady, who ne...

Up slightly shambolically first thing and all crammed into Eitaro's elegant large car with Romy and Hiroko folded neatly into the back. Chasing the sunrise we made it just in time to the beach as it was growing light. A handful of driftwood bonfires on the shore and we stood near one waiting for the sun to rise. It seemed to be a little later than everyone had expected but when it rose it was redder than I have ever seen the sun, it was a beautiful moment. This witnessed the crowds melted away and we drove off with them, home for breakfast which included traditional rice cakes in a traditional soup. And a glass of good stiff sake. The TV in the corner of the room featured lots of people wearing comedy horse costumes as this is the year of the horse. Then most of us went back to bed. I found I fell asleep for a good couple of hours and having been a bit groggy first thing felt considerably better.  A slow kind of day, which was welcome, getting to know Romy-chan, Little Romy, th...

Amateur hour Awful news about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The TV full of film of the tsumami surging across fields and towns engulfing all before it. I am worried for Hiroko and Raine who live on the east coast of Japan in Makinohara in the Shizuoka area. It seems though that because it is a long way south, it would not have been hit as the fault ran parallel to the north eastern coastline, and the tusnami went straight inland or out to sea. So as far as I can tell Makinohara, where Hiroko lives, wasn't affected by the Tsunami. Romy has not been able to contact her mother and sister yet. Facebook coming into its own with an ex-colleage posting stranded in Narita airport, and uploading photos of people sleeping on the floor. Otherwise I was more animated today thanks to the sleeping pill last night. Managed to get into the final stages of my poem The Moth Display which I have been tinkering with for about four years. Also began writing a new play, an SF spoof, which is star...

A Chiswick Tanuki This week is becoming rather lively. Work a bit fraught for the first couple of hours and then settled down. Innocently about my business in the afternoon when Matty called. He'd been in the River Cafe strapping on an expensive nosebag. I met him from work. He is between jobs at the moment, and has a new one starting in the new year. And there was lots to tell each other. As Matt lives next to The Bull's Head we zoomed to Chiswick and had a meal in there. However I was scalded in the mouth by some mashed potatoes which had been microwaved to the temperature of molten lava. When I mentioned this to the Hungarian waitress who Matty had been flirting with, she began to argue fiercely that they did not microwave etc. until it made me briefly very cross indeed. She came back later with an apology and some free wine, so all was well. And Matty and I had a good time chatting. We are planning a tour of Lewes boozers in the not too distant future, as Matt has a wealth ...

Klaudia is three Work uneventful today. I went for a swim, the first of the year and now far enough into January for the new year's resolution people to have thinned out. I am fat at the moment, and it was good to start to do some exercise again especially as limping has precluded much walking lately. Swimming instantly made me feel a bit less antsy, and appreciative of life in general, and Sarah in Florida in particular. Her friendship is a surprising gift. There's nothing like churning up and down for 40 minutes to get things in their proper order. Left work slightly early as there was little to be done and, more importantly, it was Baby Klaudia's third birthday. She was still up late playing with her new doll's house, and also fairy princess Barbies with a horse and carriage when I arrived. Poor little mite has a scuffed nose where she fell over on the seafront at the weekend but otherwise seemed very cheerful. I'm amazed at how quickly those three years have gon...

Chilled over Siberia An epic journey. Up at 5:30am to shower and complete packing, followed by a hearty breakfast cooked by Hiroko. Then Toby, Romy and I were driven sleepily to Shizuoka shinkansen station by Hiroko. The moon was big and still full and Mount Fuji was clear and pink in the dawn. It was if Japan was making sure it would be remembered. I was sorry to say goodbye to Hiroko in Shizuoka. She has been wonderfully hospitable and I've got on with her extremely well. Despite the train being busy we managed to get seats next to each other, and bulleted into Tokyo, with Toby and me taking photos of Mt Fuji from the window. At Tokyo Romy guided us through the huge mazy station and put me on the airport train. Toby kindly hefting my case about as my back and leg were still somewhat rubbish. Fond farewells to Toby and Romy. Not sure which country we'll all meet up again in, but that all adds to the fun. Then an hour's ride to the airport. I had checked in online and my...

Sunrise in the land of the rising sun All of us up at 5:30 and soon drinking coffee and watching a national TV programme about the sun rising over Japan. After seven we piled into Hiroko's car with Haneko, the comedy-faced shitzu, and Miranda the spaniel, andset off for the nearby beach. Lots of people, some standing about a big impromptu-looking bonfire, others imbibing shots of sake against the bitter pre-dawn cold. Further along the beach were a group of drummers that I couldn`t see, but could certainly hear. There were about 15 surfers in the sea with small boards and wetsuits - even though the sea was quite calm. It was freezing enough with a coat on, in fact Hiroko retired back to the car to watch the dawn through the windscreen, God alone knows what it must have been like with hands and head in the sea. Toby Romy and I walked along a short pier out into the sea and waited for the sun. There was a low bank of cloud on the horizon and so a glimpse of the sun was slightly delay...

A day of wonders Woke in the middle of the night and wrote a poem, then up again at 6 to catch up on my diary, which is eventually making its way to this blog when I get the opportunity. Set off out into Kyoto with Toby and Romy early. Lovely sunny morning. The hotel is near a river and it looked at times like a woodblock print because of all the birds seeming like emblems of Japan. There were big black crows, snow white cranes standing next to dignified herons, black snakey necked cormorants. And scooting about on the water were the odd familiar mallard. Ghosting about above were hawks of some description which our taxi driver said had come to feed on rubbish. Kyoto is a lovely city. We threaded through backstreets which reminded me faintly of Paris until we found a coffee shop run by a very pleasant lady, and dominated by a big stuffed seabass . We returned to the hotel, met up with Hiroko and Jennifer and set off for the historic part of town. The loveliness of Kyoto had not prepa...

Kanpai Christmas Slept fairly heavily and well on my futon, getting up at around seven. Hiroko was up and Romy off walking one of the dogs. Sitting companionably around the kotatsu (which squeaks with hiding cats when you put your feet under it) we watched some TV. Some mentions of Melly Ch`istmas! here and there among TV articles about a local woman jazz singers dying of cancer, with the scowly host in tears in a box in the corner of the screen, and the dangers of wheels coming loose from trucks and hitting houses. Meanwhile Hiroko gave me tea until I could speak. Soon joined by Toby and Romy and Jennifer. And milling around with us and the five pets were a series of visitors. My favourite was an older lady in her 70s bursting with vigour and clutching big spilling bags of satsumas. Like a laughing whirlwind. Another, a nice youngish guy, appeared late at night when only me and Hiroko were about, and showed us some magic tricks. Between tricks he told Hiroko about how he had attemp...