under another sun

Lorraine taking it easy this Saturday trying to get over a nasty chest cough and cold, and I wanted to look after her by bringing teas and breakfasts in bed and so on. My throat, ears and sinuses flared up again with gusto too, and by the time the afternoon came, all I wanted to do is sleep. I tried to do some writing. Then when Lorraine got up we did a few household chores done together,  Lorraine and I simply rested and slept on the sofa through the afternoon. Today was the story of things not happening. We were due to pop down to The Basketmakers in the afternoon to say goodbye to Irish Tom, who is permanently returning to Ireland, but didn't. We were also supposed to see Jess and Andrew tonight, but as Andrew has to go in for a heart operation shortly, and doesn't need to risk getting a cold. While I was slumped on the sofa, Lorraine cooked lots of nice things she would have cooked this afternoon. We both hen mindlessly slumped in front of x factor, and then repaired to...

A blast of work first thing, and managed to finish the first draft of the play. A Glass of Nothing. Rather cheery about this and finishing with a day to spare was a good thing. There used to be something in manufacturing called just in time delivery, so that warehouses wouldn't be clogged up with stuff for weeks. Everything finished enough to show to the actors tomorrow for the read through. Sent it to Betty this evening who was babysitting. Mooched to the gym, and after sat in the cafe with the idea of sitting down to write some poetry, but when I was there it was too crowded and my seat was all wrong.  Did have a conversation with an older man who sits near the window and talks to most people that go in. He was wondering aloud what Rudyard Kipling had written, and I was able to enlighten him. He was writing a miniature version of If by hand. Home and a chat with Sonia about life, and then waited for Lorraine to reach home end of tetherish and needing alcohol. Luckily this la...

Lorraine off today for physiotherapy on her back, and then in the afternoon some pilates one-to-one session, from a teacher that Tasha had recommended to her. Lorraine says the pilates person said that her problems were all down to her feet, and that they needed regular massaging. By me. While Lorraine was out I hobbled down to the viaduct and picked up a nice piece of pale blue glass we had created by Stephanie the glassmaker.  It is a pale blue curved piece with bobbles and streaks and is rather beautiful and we have put it on the ledge of a high window on our staircase so the light can shine through in the afternoon. Hobbled back up the hill and sat in the garden, reading and writing a new poem, in a style which is a bit of a departure for me. Then had a long sleep on the sofa for I was feeling weirdly tired and my foot was a bit hurty. Off nevertheless into town to meet Matt in the Basketmakers, where I heroically shunned beer. Matt in pretty good form, mad for working on...

Off in the afternoon by bus into town. Sprang onto the bus, which proceeded ten metres along the road before breaking down. Eventually into town where I went with Lorraine into C&H fabrics for fabric, including the stuffing for a draft-excluding snake. Then into M&S and another shop with a ridiculous name and an incredibly bored looking man selling coffees to look at bras. Luckily after this kind of thing, there was the Basketmakers to look forward to where we met Matt and Irish Tom and Bryn for a cheeky few beers and a bite to eat. Betty also joined us after work, before shooting off to see Laura. Sitting at a nearby table was three of the barbers in the shop I go to, who greeted me cheerily. Rather good fun to be in The Baskets again, and to see Matt who had been working on an allotment all day. If it's not about allotments Matt's not interested. He was talking so much about the allotment that I found it hard to interject to tell him about my garden. We used to talk...

All action today. Getting broadband and the Royal Mail forwarding organised for our new house. The Royal Mail at least decided to charge me nothing for this as a gesture of goodwill -- having made a hash of the forwarding so far.  Also zoomed off to the bank to schedule the chaps payment to solicitor. I quite liked having hundreds of thousands in my account for a while. Also signing and returning accounts stuff to Andrew. In short, taking care of business. All this done, off to Brighton late this afternoon. I had arranged to meet Beth there for her birthday, from the train. Instead Lorraine drove us there, and came as a surprise. John with Betty too, and we all repaired to a French cafe to drink coffees and have cake (or in Lorraine and my case fig and chocolate bread and butter pudding which was fab). Betty happy to receive an iPad, which for all kinds of complex reasons we had stealthily collected from Pat and Maureen's place last weekend. Then the four of us to The Basketmak...

More slow and steady progress on the book, then a quick go in the gym. Didn't get so swimmy headed this time, and even had a conversation with a man in the changing room about locks. Lots of eastern Europeans at the gym in the last month or so. Had a new stair carpet laid, by two guys that came around when they were supposed to, charged a very reasonable price and did a good job. Weird when that happens. When the carpet people were here, I was listening to the World at One on Radio 4, and growing increasingly alarmed at the news about the Crimea. There is quite a strong chance of deadly trouble with Russia over this -- and I can't think when I have been more alarmed by the news. As I happened to be briefly on Facebook as I was listening I put something on there to this effect. Only one person commented, Robbie, who made light of it saying it was like Gibraltar. Facebook is not a medium for debate. Back to the Nightingale with Lorraine, who'd had a long week, in the even...

Up early and off to the quack first thing to have a conversation about my blood pressure. Turns out that the high readings I always have in the surgery are not the full story. Over my 24 hours it turned out the average was fine. We'll take that as good news, my nice doctor said. And so I did. Since it was early, I went for a walk down by the sea, which was in the teeth of a gale, which turned into a lashing rainstorm later. The skeletal remains of the West Pier were further damaged, which made the local TV news. Spoke to Carl, who was talking about the tender his business put into the local authority, which has had only partial success. Strange politics afoot in the local Government it seems. I hope to see Carl shortly. Otherwise a good day's work. In the evening, after I cooked supper for Lorraine and myself, I wandered up to The Foundry where I had a drink with Matt, and we were joined by others including Irish Tom, who is highly excited by the notion of a new cooker be...

A slow and cheery start to Saturday. Off to Maplins, which is catnip for Lorraine, to buy a box which allows videos to be turned into DVDs via a computer. Slighly unbelievably off to The Basketmakers again, where I introduced Lorraine to an old pal of mine Phil, had a really good chat. Lorraine left after a while to pick up a Video player for £1 from an ebayer in Brighton. (She has been busy looking at old videos and transferring them across formats. There are lots of videos of Beth dancing and performing as a child, which need to be transferred.) Phil meanwhile talked about his first stand up comedian performance recently, and had a really good time doing it. and has also taken up boxing, which he also enjoys, for some reason. He says when people hit you hard you see stars. All a bit tough and macho for me. As a hypochondriac having people punch you in the head until you see stars is something I would run a mile from. He also told me about having run the Vic Reeves and Bob Mortim...

Up fairly early for breakfast. I sloped off into happily to buy bread and eggs, and Lorraine starting breakfast when I got back. Everyday things like this make me feel very happy for some reason. I must be more of a creature of habit than I think. Betty off to work, slightly under a gloom cloud, and then back to London. Lorraine and I had a unruffled day. Walked into Brighton, bumping into Dipak in the street, and then popped in to see Matt and Irish Tom for a cup of tea and a chat. Bought some sausage rolls from the store below which we ate with Matt who seemed in good spirits having walked for hours this morning in the country, which peaked the Pollard toes Lorraine had treated a few weeks ago. Lorraine and I mooching happily in various shops for a few hours. We had been given quite a few vouchers for our wedding and one or two for Christmas. Could find nothing that demanded buying, other than a book of Japanese cookery that Romy had recommended to Lorraine. Home on the bus. I wa...

A seriously busy day, with Lorraine still having to finish a ghastly report at home. Both of us struggling with a cold which made everything a bit more difficult. I zoomed about shopping, buying the essential slip on shoes for Japan and a new fleece. I also visited Janet and Ken and took them their Christmas present. I was pleased to see Janet looking very perky considering it is just a week since she had her stents done. Nice chat with their friend Cesare also popped in while I was there. In the evening hung out with Anton and the bairns. Anton cooked some of his amazing pizzas. Reading a long story in four chapters that Klaudia's had written. Klaudia wanting me to read it but also having to absent herself while I did so. She has a gothic and writerly streak. After fond farewells there, off to The Basketmakers to hand Matt the keys to catsit, and have a cheeky pint of Seafarers with him and Irish Tom before rushing home to pack and faff till it was time for Lorraine and I to ...

Up early and doing the bloodclaat blood clots, luckily the agency happy with what I had done. Actually found time today to tinker with some poems. L working at home next to me, which is good for many reasons including the fact that Calliope likes to plague me when I am working, and when Lorraine's here the cat picks on her too. Wrote to the letting agents to accept the reduced terms I'd negotiated, despite this sticking in my craw. I have allowed myself to get stressed and irritated by all this. Seeing the back of it all will be a welcome treat. Lorraine on her bicycle this evening and then we sauntered off to meet Matt, who was sitting outside The Eagle with Irish Tom and Ken The Eagle's manager. Lots of chatting with Matt, and a nice evening. We went back to their house where Tom russled up some chicken wraps and bits of lovely food. Matt put on some Ravel and after telling Matt about the Punch and Judy in Swanage, he lent me a CD of the Punch and Judy Opera by ...

Up curiously early possessed by the idea that going to the gym at 8:30 was deeply sensible. En route met Reuben and Clare and the four boys at the bus stop as they were catching a coach to Gatwick. Had a long chat and joking about having been nominated by the City of Brighton to see them off. Instead of going to the gym, however, I came home and went back to bed having discovered the effort of standing up and talking more than enough. Two hours later L and I got up for a second time, and Lorraine cooked breakfast, which Toby slid down for. I had also to dispose of the body of a large dragonfly one of the cats had brought in. Then I went back to the gym, walking there with Toby who went off to lurk in the North Laine and find a place for coffee. I started gingerly, but soon felt quite good. Home again, and had a shower.  While getting ready to go out again, Sam sent me a touching note about L and my marriage. As I was finishing my reply, I happened to be sitting...

A spot of variety working with Sophie on some PR material for a Channel 4 series called Top Boy , which had in its first series music by Brian Eno, and when I watched some of it was struck right away by the beautiful camera work and freshness of the acting. I had a thick head this morning, and I spent all day feeling very hot up in the home office. I was overcomplicating things a little, I think, however it was interesting to be working on something entirely different. In the evening collected by Lorriane where we did some emergency shopping, and then went straight away off to The Basketmakers where we met Matt, Ruth, Anton and Irish Tom. Incredibly crowded with lots of non-regulars blocking the streets between The Basketmakers and The Eagle and having the bar staff muttering somewhat as they dropped glasses in the street and pulled pub stools out to sit on. Everyone a bit shattered at the end of this hot week, although it was suprisingly good fun to sluice down yet more cold beer....

A much-needed slow start to the day. Up gradually and stiff from carrying things yesterday. L and I drawn to the seaside as it was the hottest day of the year. The big Paddle Around the Pier event was on, and Beth was working in the VIP tent. After ambling through the crowds, passing the stalls and fairground bits, the ukelele stage, where various uke bands were playing, the dance teacher's stage, we sloped into the VIP tent, and sipped a cold drink looking out at the sunny activity and the sea beyond. I like being a VIP, and am resentful of being a NotIP. Smiley lady mayoress came in looking hot in all in her finery, who Beth said ended up doing some dancing in the adjacent area. After chatting with Beth, Lorraine and I went to sit on the pebbles of the beach by Hove, enjoyably chatting about weddings and life in general. People leaping into the water and children hobbling over the pebbles to screech at the waters edge. The water looked pretty cold, but the sea was crammed with ...

An excellent day's work, and relieved to be able to get back on with the book, and picking up fairly rapidly where I left off. Didn't leave the house until the evening. Spoke to mum and Mas returned from a trip across the channel which seemed mostly to involve high speed driving through the countryside with Tanya and Robert. Lorraine and I out on a school night to The Basketmakers to meet John and Matt to celebrate John's birthday. John, who is sixty today, completely transformed since we last saw him a few weeks ago. He looks ten years younger, sporting a cool shirt, having lost weight, grown a beard, had a cataract operation. John's official party is Friday, and we are going to that too, but tonight a quick drink in The Basketmakers Arms, where we sat with Irish Tom before pushing off to a little local Italian place called Si Signore. This was a bring your own, and I popped by to a local off licence. Here became embroiled in a conversation with the owner and a cheer...

Up fairly brightly this morning. Off on a series of missions after breakfast. But not before Matt had texted me to listen to a Radio 4 news show which featured a play about Gordon Brown, which Matt and I have been discussing writing an opera about. We went to check on a venue for our wedding party. We looked at the Greene Room, named after Graham Greene, upstairs in the Cricketers. Lorraine in work mode, and shaking hands with people. It seems an excellent venue though. Also walked about doing some shopping, Lorraine's phone contract was up and now she is the proud owner of an iPhone 4s like mine. Except hers is a black one. The pleasant lad who dealt with us is in the TAs and had lately returned from Afghanistan, not often that I find it hard to imagine what someone has been through as I talk to them. Went to give back a plastic pistol to Matt, who had used it to brandish during his stampede of a few weeks ago. Had a cup of tea at his place and were impressed with Irish Tom wh...

Gingerly up after showering I wandered into the balmy morning around to Arkwrights to buys some bread and eggs. Stepping out an hour or so later, after Quorn sausage sandwiches and much conversation Jane, Lorraine were greeted by the first drops of unrelenting rain. Showing people around Brighton in torrents a familiar scenario dating from when Romy and Toby came last year. We walked into town, popping into St Bartholomew's church to wonder at the Italianate design and the vast upside down ark space of the church. Jane really liked this. Then to the Museum to see the Biba exhibition, which had been on there for some time and I had skilfully avoided. Actually rather more interesting than I thought it was going to be, especially when viewed with the perspective of how much the clothes reminded me of the work of Dr Seuss. Particularly taken with a hat with holes instead of dots. The clothes displays catnip to Jane and Lorraine. Off then to Specsavers where Lorraine and I picked up...