under another sun

Working with Keith for about five hours finishing off a job today ahead of the deadline on Tuesday. I also broke off to have a chat with Sarah to prepare for her interview for Planet Poetry. Meanwhile Lorraine slipped out to meet Rosie for brunch, while Pippi was being groomed at somewhere called Woofmans. Noticing the emptiness of the house apart from the cats when Lorraine was gone.  Looking at people giving themselves black profiles on Social Media to indicate their grief. Interesting phenomenon who personally some people are taking the Queen's death. Sam texted to say that our friend that is the Camilla lookalike (Jane in Guernsey) may have lots of work soon. I hadn't thought of that. When Lorraine arrived home we did some packing away my books and so on in Sam's room. We just wanted to stay in this evening, and ate salad and bulgar wheat and quinoa with halloumi. All well in Deep Space Nine. On the BBC and other outlets filled with an awkward semi mourning Royal news. ...

Lots of work this morning, recording a double episode of SYTV.  Chats with Anton, and a good chat with Robin this afternoon on WhatsApp's version of YouTube. Looking at people while you talk to them is increasingly expected these days. Sent a couple of notifications about the job starting next week, which was reassuring. Otherwise life at Kenny Towers in its new normal. Lorraine still working with governors and parents on what the new opening of schools will look like. Meanwhile the government is suddenly saying that the June the first date for a return to school was advisory only. Looked over some communications before Lorraine sent them out. Up on Hollingbury Hill late this afternoon. Quite a few people enjoying the sun. A second spike, little threat to the teenage friend groups there. The Isle of Wight again clearly visible. Ploughing on with the Silmarillion. My bad ears have led to the necessity of me improvising balancing the earphones on their sides, rather than having the...

Another poor night's sleep, with the raging ear keeping me awake. Continued to rage today, despite drops, so I spent much of the day on the gold sofa, feeling wan. I started afresh on Jane's book Barking Mad! and read it cover to cover. A perfect escapist read for a gentleman with a sore ear. More about Barking Mad! here . Also read a couple of stories by Clark Ashton Smith , who I read when I was a teenager. He has a florid style full of purple prose, but he taught me many words when I was a kid, and I am still driven to the dictionary when I read him. His vocabulary is extraordinary. Otherwise rallied a little this afternoon and went for a walk with Lorraine around Blaker's Park. Lorraine understandably preoccupied by the decisions she has to take for her school. I am helping her as best I can, mainly by listening and talking things over. Lorraine cooked a marvellous curry tonight, which was a thing of beauty. Beth lying low today, and sending out for Taco Bell. Lorra...

A slowish Saturday, with Lorraine and I spending lots of time chatting this morning. Also chatting to Toby -- his school has just closed until after Easter. Lorraine up early to prepare some food for this evening. Much lurking around and I wrote to a few people including Gregory in New York, who is happy with Sin Cycle becoming a pamphlet. I also chased David at Supernatural Tales for the third time as I had subscribed to the magazine and had received nothing -- and this time received a pleasant note in response. When we were on holiday in Sicily Toby made me download an app for my phone called Radio Garden. Essentially it shows you a map of the world with lots of little red dots on it, if you move the little target over one of the dots it plays the radio station from that city. This morning I went to Chad, and Japan and a few other places before dropping in on BBC Guernsey. Suddenly out of my phone came Jane's voice in a trailer for Jenny’s programme, talking about Jane's ...

Up early and carrying out a box of tools to Max's car as I saw Lorraine off for the day. She will be able to drive herself to school in a few weeks. Max has been great. Off out for a walk a little before noon, wearing sunglasses as the sun was low and bright and I was walking due south to the sea. Listening to an improving self-help book on self esteem. Good to read these kinds of things from time to time, as they are full of common sense reminders. Reached the calm sea, and popped into the Sea Life centre again, and even had a cup of coffee while gazing at a big tank full of grey mullet, rays, dogfish, guilthead bream, and a large ballan wrasse. I figure if I go there a few times I shall have a brilliant idea. Then a brief crunch about on the pebbles under the pier, and I walked home to continue my work having completed my 10k paces. Discovered Music For Installations today on Spotify by Eno. Mostly a collection of generative music, it includes the music from the installation...

Bending the vast Kenny will to things, making lists, sending things off, and generally reminding people of my existence but nothing much happening. Looked at some website text for Lorraine's school, read some work by Jane in Guernsey on what I think is a potentially sellable new writing project she has started.  Went for a longish walk to get my ten thousand paces done for the day. Worked on a story I was brushing up, called Where the beauty is .  Thought about the waiting rooms project, and generally held my nerve and carried on. Up early and saw a partial eclipse of the moon, which I took the world's worst photographs of for posterity. Also some views of a frosty Preston Park

Up early and working hard on the French stuff straight away all morning. My pals there said they loved what I had done, which always makes you feel good and valued. A fast early sandwich and watched Lorraine (the morning TV show starring Lorraine Kelly) and today's episode featured royal lookalikes. Spotted Jane of course. There was an item at the end of the program where some designer had suggested what clothes the royals should be wearing. Jane was modelling clothes on TV, which is something new to add to her list of accomplishments. Had done and dusted by two o'clock. A chat with Sonia about something she'd read in the home country about worms that burrow in people's eyes having visited Africa, and then I walked over to Hove to see Janet and Ken. Scored some hazelnut brownies en route. Nice to chat with them.  Janet always so full of ideas. Ken looking well too. Back home and a quick discussion with Clem who is going to re-deck our back garden, with excellent sta...

All up early, to have breakfast with Beth and John before they left. The island still foggy, but luckily everyone got away okay. Sam and Jade left later on, and we had a chance to walk with them on the cliffs again, and have a bite to eat at lunch. Jade's Auntie Lynne kindly came to drive them off to the airport in the afternoon. I mooched off to do a spot of shopping in St Martin's, and said hello while I was there to La Gran'mère, It felt quiet with everyone having flown the coop, luckily we had plans, and were picked up by Richard at seven and taken back to have one of Jane's delicious suppers. As we drove through town, we saw the woman who is in the Guernsey film, being photographed between the Town Church and the pub opposite. Lots to discuss with Jane and Richard. Their travels, and not to mention the publications of Guernsey Legends , and Stone Witness since we last saw each other. Great to see them, and hear how Jane's book launch was going. I also lea...

L and I lurked in bed till midday, eating breakfast and drinking tea. Thin snow on the ground, but cold. We'd bumped driving off to see Mum this afternoon, because of it. I finished my review of Jane's book , and then, as the weather was looking okay, Lorraine and I made off for her to join a reassuringly middle-class gym between her work and home. They gave her a gym bag and we had a coffee. It's a pleasant place surrounded by trees. There is a restaurant and a pool and so on. And a bar too.  The weather minibeasting again from late afternoon with snow again. It is amazing how easily you can get used to snow. We got home before it began again. Home and cozy and watching Cylons. We are getting towards the end of the Battlestar Galactica series. It's great. Below, a underwhelming beast first thing.

Practical, tying up loose ends today before my big stint starts in Paddington. A bit of a heart sink committing myself to work there till the summer, but it will make the second half of the year  comfortable, and it is only four days a week so I am hoping this will take some of the relentlessness out of it. I am only tinkering with poems at the moment, and the agent's standard rejection I got for my children's novel today didn't leave me feeling particularly positive about my own writing. These moods pass. The key to being published these days is to be a celebrity first. I think the only celebrity avenue still open to me is crime. Enjoying dipping into Jane's Guernsey Legends book very much. Will start reading it tomorrow and will review it on my other site shortly. So sending the smidge of work for my French friends, then a bit of shopping, subscribing to poetry magazines, laundry, shopping and trying to look after Lorraine, who is having a very demanding week. To...

Lorraine still struggling with the school, which has no water and so can't have kids in. Luckily, the water went on tonight, after she had organised portaloos, and the water company had finally delivered bottled water. Feeling a bit fed up. The previous night was another coughing one. Did a bit of French work and fiddled with poems, but my brain is not working well. Enjoyed binge watching Precinct 99 which Anton alerted me too, undemanding cop fun in New York. Then contacted by Lynne in Paddington, who wants me to work there into the summer, starting... tomorrow. I declined to start tomorrow, but agreed to go up to the smoke Thursday. Brilliantly, they are okay with me doing four days a week. Received a copy of Jane's and Frances Lemmon's Guernsey Legends from Steve Foote at Blue Ormer to review. Lovely looking book, with gorgeous colour plates. Otherwise I saw a boot on the top of a fishy plinth.

Woke up sounding like Barry White till I lost most of my voice completely. Off to my Glass class, a gorgeous day. Enjoyable, although I felt a bit out of it. Ben being enormously supportive. After my glass course, I walked on to Salvage Cafe in Hove where I met Innis with his big camera for coffee and I bite. I had a hipster's snack of avocado on toast, and we enjoyably discussed various japes and wheezes. Then we went down to the seafront and went our separate ways. I enjoyed soaking up the sunlight. Then bussed home, spoke to mum. The gossip is that their next door neighbours with the concrete dogs plastic grass and phobias about anything living, are moving out, which is great news for Mum and Mason, as well as the neighbourhood. Contacted by my Parisienne pals with some animal health work for next week. Usual agency notice period of it being Friday 6pm and the work starting on Monday. But very happy to do it. Reminded by Lorraine when she got home at sevenish that I was also...

A night of weirdly terrible dreams. In the morning listened to Jane chatting on JKT's BBC Guernsey show reading poems and being interviewed about being a poet and a Camila lookalike. Some lovely stuff, and as a lover of puns, I particularly enjoyed her puntastic poem about a vegetarian Christmas. Hear Jane here, at 2 hours 52 minutes. Beginning to feel distinctly Christmassy now. The humongous food shop today in Sainsbury's, which luckily enough was remarkably uncrowded. This all went well, apart from the bit where I found myself struggling with a large Scottish salmon, which began to slip out of its long bag at me as I was handling it at the till. Drove home and unpacked the sacks of provender, the house now groaning with foods of all kinds and an embarrassment of boozes.  Off in the afternoon to drop in on Janet and Ken, to swap presents and invite them around to strap on a Christmas Day nosebag with us. Ken looking very well, and we had cups of dragonfly tea and bis...

Wan and baggy eyed this morning. Lorraine gave me a lift to the station again, a life saver, and then another journey (this time with a seat!) and another word with myself. Texts to Anton about a weekend walk, text to Beth telling her how good she was in this wee film about not using mirrors when you go shopping for clothes. It is a silly idea but Beth was splendid in it . (Daily Mail again. Seems we can't keep out of it in this house. And Jane in Guernsey of course). You can tell by how the director cut it that they liked her.   But before these a text to Lorraine thanking her for her kindness and organisation in the morning. Meanwhile in scenes that would be hilarious if it weren’t making the UK a laughing stock, the idiot Boris Johnson who led the leave campaign and was teed up to replace Cameron was stabbed in the back by the odious Michael Gove, who suddenly announced himself as a candidate and said Boris wasn’t up to the job.   Et Tu Gove was one headline I saw onli...

Oddly fragile and demotivated this morning. I blame Anton. I made myself a cup of tea and poured myself a glass of water in the kitchen this morning. As they were side by side, I added milk to the water, which I took as a bad sign. I'm not sure of what it was, exactly. I worked a little on the play, and was phoned by the agency to give a short amount of time to considering an client idea that even the dogs in the street could see was a wrong 'un. Meanwhile various friends have been doing highly interesting things. Richard Gibson is out in Kavala with Glen and Eleni in yet another manifestation of the Shakespeare Heptet. I saw this link to a local TV appearance . I love the bit where Richard starts talking and overdubbed Greek emerges.  Meanwhile Jane's been at her Royal impersonations again as you can see here . I read an excellent essay by David Foster Wallace here , a humorous account of a seven day Caribbean cruise, which I heard being discussed on R4's A Good...

Simply a desk day, starting early and going on late. The vast Kenny brain on good form this morning, however, and quickly sorted a thorny problem. I did however go for one walk to buy a small chocolate cake. Beth returned this morning from Barcelona having enjoyed her visit to stay with her bestie Olivia. Otherwise work all day till the evening. John around to see Betty and we celebrated his birthday tomorrow with sausages and mash, and the small chocolate cake with candles in it and a few pressies. Lorraine had a good day, however, as the school she is about to take over next month has an ofsted inspection. She spent some time with them today, but this means the school should be subject to an inspection again for a while, which means Lorraine can get going for a couple of years before another inspection. On a more exciting note I forgot to mention about Jane's latest Camila-alter ego shenanigans , this time for Costa Coffee. Here she is on the left. 

A lousy night's sleep and up at sixish, and off to Teddington. Here I met Matt and Brad, the Canadian filmmaker for a day of security training: effectively what do to in every conceivable worst case scenario you can imagine, delivered by a man who has spent much of his life working in hostile environments, bless his white rimmed eyes. He likes it, and what almost killed him was working as a civil servant for five years before he turned into an adventurer. Lots of common sense stuff such as if you are being robbed simply give them what they want, right up to the best position to take on the floor if someone throws a live grenade into a room. We had to fling ourselves down a couple of times. It was all a bit over the top, but I guess good to know. Sandwiched in with this, I had to break away at lunchtime with Matt, where I gave a creative presentation. Then back for more mayhem in the afternoon before I could train home. Lorraine picked me up from the station as she was returning f...

Faffing about this morning. Not being very productive this week. Off to see Janet and Ken this afternoon. They are Corbynistas, having both voted for Jeremy Corbyn in the election for Labour leadership, good to see how radical they still are. Before I left, Janet asked me to pick some of her abundant bean crop from a little elongated cone frame of beans in her little garden. Her beans were excellent and vibrant with beany goodness. Walked back home and through the park. A gorgeous day, though I am still underpowered after the virus I had last weekend. Lorraine and I on the verge of booking a trip to Guernsey in October after I return from the Great Chad Adventure. In the evening, I helped my lovely wife with hideous application form for some time, and received a chastening note from Jane in Guernsey about snails. And spoke to Mum about she and Mas coming over to Guernsey with us.

So spent the day applying ice and holding my stupid leg horizontally, which complains if jarred, straightened or moved abruptly. I did creep out into the garden but slipped a bit, and returned yelping.   Standing is however a little easier than it was. Sent some new words to Helen for our Centaur project. A bit later she sent me a photograph of a few of them already set to music -- as she said she could hear them straight away. I really like how she gets swept up in surges of creativity. Otherwise I worked on a poem, and worried about where my next piece of freelance work is going to come from, as it has been exceedingly quiet of late. Not that I could actually go anywhere at the moment, and even sitting down at my desk is a challenge. But I must count my blessings which are many and various. FaceTimed with mum, and got a nice note from Jane in Guernsey saying she is off to a wedding whose guests will be feature ex-wardens from Holloway prison. This is where my grandmother, G...

A pleasant but slightly limboish day expecting feedback from the French on the concepts I'd sent them but answer was there rien . I was phoned by another agency to check my availability, but when I said I was available the offer was quickly withdrawn. Agencies, eh? Instead I contented myself by going to the gym this morning. Once there I wore my new shorts that reach my knees and make me think of Stanley Matthews (The Wizard of the Dribble). These plus the new trainers and socks made me feel a little better about being there. Lorraine was working from home this afternoon, writing up a school visit she had done this morning, and pausing to be fed noodles and miso soup at lunchtime. In the afternoon I wrote a piece about Jane and lookalikes  and then Lorraine and I went for a stroll around the park as darkness began to drop.  We were tempted by the fish and chip shop but resisted and I cooked fish and rice and steamed vegetables in an outbreak of healthiness instead.