under another sun

Up and a full Guernsey breakfast. A quiet morning. Lorraine has been reading me the book she is reading, called Spoon-Fed - why almost everything we've been told about food is wrong by Tim Spector. It is full of the latest thinking about food, and challenges assumptions. One of the first things I have decided to do is remove artificial sweeteners which I take usually in coffee and Lorraine is going to give up low sugar orange squash. We are also going to look after our gut biomes and introduce more fermented stuff into our diets have meat less often, but of higher quality and ensure we are getting a wide variety of veggies. It's the start of a quiet revolution. A lovely interlude when Jane and Richard came to La Barbarie and we sat outside having coffee and chatting. Did my heart good to see them, both of whom were looking tanned and healthy, having slipped the leash at last and gone to Italy earlier. Richard said he felt being locked down on a little island made the trapped f...

Having already uploaded my Skelton video last night, I had a freer day. I wrote some overdue emails to Robin and Richard and Jane and a quick congratulations note to Charlotte whose new collection, The Girl Who Cried arrived yesterday. Had a quick whizz through and they are magnificent poems. Then went for a long walk. A brisk, cool wind, but the air is noticeably fresher than usual. Encountered very few people, although once I was walking inside the hill fort, a man started screaming in the distance. He had lost his dog, and was sprinting about frantically calling for it, and he shouted at me from some distance to see if I had seen his white beagle. He seemed utterly traumatised and was shouting at the top of his lungs. Later I saw him reunited with his dog, who was capering about leadless and completely unconcerned. Noticing flowers here and there today. Purple orchids mainly, which I discover are called early purple orchids. I called Mum when I got back, and had a leisurely af...

Up and breakfasting when Tom arrived. Then L off to work and I sat down and wrote for five hours, reaching my ambitious daily target for Nothing compares to you quite easily today. Then to the gym, Sainsburys and then back again to continue assessing the marketing project and how to repurpose it for Kindle. I made meatballs this evening, chatted to Tom who had gone to the gym, and then had our dinner outside when Lorraine got home, even playing a game of scrabble as the sun went down. I spoke to Sophie having been a poor friend to her in recent months. She was touchingly good about it though, and said she had loads of support from family and so on. I will properly chat to her next week. Turns out today is the day before the anniversary of Andros' death, although I had not consciously realised this. Notes with Richard and Jane, who sadly we will miss when we go to Guernsey as they will be in Belgium. The idea of going to Guernsey really exciting. We watched the second o...

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...

Up to strap on the nosebag this morning. Full Guernsey breakfasts all round, which was splendid. Then sitting about in the garden for a while. The day absolutely gorgeous. Hot and sunny. After a while I left Lorraine happily doing some embroidery and walked up the road and bought some flowers from Brouards and went to the graveyard. Noticed that Gwen and Dave's gravestone needs the lettering repainting. I also mooched about, and noticed the ranks of graves advancing. One recent addition was Peter Hamon, who was my grandfather's brother in law. I almost met my own demise there to, stepping off the sward into the path of a reversing stonemason's van. For some reason I thought this was quite funny. Then I paid my respects to the Gran'mere who wore a crown of flowers for the occasion. I walked past my old school and saw a young black boy in a push chair, and experienced an irrationally strong sense of identification with him. Back to the hotel, and joined Lorraine in th...

An absolutely beautiful day in Guernsey, in our personal heaven. Up to eat a kipper breakfast, then down towards Saints and along the cliff path then down to Moulin Huet bay. Spent several hours sitting getting quite hot in the sun, listening to the sea and the birds, and watching a woman and her dog go for a swim together, a bit of scrambling over rocks and reading books too, (I was reading about Aimé Césaire). Then as the tide drew in we sat above the bay on the bench, and I sat there doing one of those listening meditation things, listing to the sounds of the seabirds, and the other birds in the cliffside bushes and woodland behind me, and the sound of waves breaking on the rocks all around, moving to further and further away sounds with the warmth on my face. After a while the weather changed, and it grew a little misty. We walked home and after a rest, and packed our case, met Jane and Richard for a quick drink before our supper. They have been pet sitting in a big house near ...

Rainy first thing, and we decided to head into town. An enjoyable bout of shopping, looking in jewellery shops, and clothes shops, and she brought some balconette bras, while I repaired to Costa coffee feeling very happy just to be hanging out in St Peter Port. At Lunch we met Jane and Richard in Christies for a good lunch and a general catch up. Both looking smart and well, with an Italianate air about them. An exceedingly attentive waiter, but the best little table in the house with the sun streaming in on us. A long lunch chatting and hearing their news of travel to southern Italy and its joys and dire trains, and Jane's work with Alison Jackson and a bit more about the warm reception to Richard's Gran'mere poem. A happy few hours with our old friends. Till Lorraine and I returned to shopping, and we bought a ring and some vittles for the evening. Then we walked to  the Lighthouse and watched people fishing. A three decent fish being landed while we were there, and we...

Up early and galloping through my French stuff, and sent it off to Paris and had a quick chat with mes amis there and did some more. I like working this way, and my colleagues always seem so pleased with things I send them. A quick walk into town at lunchtime and then back to work. Happy just to be spending the evening in Lorraine and Beth watched watched The Great British Bake Off. Listened to the JKT show on Radio Guernsey just before bedtime, and heard Richard reading a poem about La Gran'mère  for national poetry day. It was a fine poem. With my poems on the same subject, she is fast becoming the most written about menhir I know. Good to hear JKT, Richard and Jane again on the airwaves. Calliope in a moment of protest today, as I worked.

Monday morning, and the feeling that I should be rushing about and feeling almost guilty as Lorraine drove off.  Somewhat hungover after the previous night with young thespians. Awarded myself a much needed day off doing nothing, apart from trying to sort out some tiresome Telltale stuff. Also heard from Jane that Richard had been chosen to represent Guernsey for National Poetry Day. An honour, and richly deserved. Trying to read books of poetry on the gold sofa (recovery position) and falling asleep. Boy am I tired.

Up for the full Guernsey Breakfast this morning. Nice to be less delicate this morning. I popped out quickly to visit Gwen and Dave's grave, and say hello to the half a dozen people I remember in there. Then all off into Town. Went up to mooch about in The Guernsey Museum and briefly in Candie Gardens. Liked this pictures in the museum, including the octopus below from an exhibit about The Toilers on the Sea by Victor Hugo. An interesting collection there, including some by an artist called Brenda Munson who mum used to like. There was also a lego exhibition of a big things such as ships made with bits of lego. Why this was in the Guernsey museum I have no idea, and a waste of space as far as I was concerned. Noted that A Guernsey Double was still on sale in the shop there however, which pleased me. And on this note, down into town where Lorraine and I met up with the very chic  and Italianate Jane and Richard, for an all too brief coffee and gossip in Le Petit Bistro, be...