under another sun

Halloween. Offensive weather this morning. The news buzzing with rumours of a English lockdown next week. We set off to see Mum and Mas, and at one point even considered turning back as the motorway just north of Brighton. The wind was very strong, the road surface running with water, the air full of spray and rain.  Stressful driving for Lorraine, and the rain causing delays on the M25 so we were delayed. Mum and Mas in a little corner by the fire away from everyone, and we joined them for lunch and a couple of drinks. Lovely to see them. Mas rather sleepy after eating and in the warm, and not getting on particularly with his hearing aids.  Food better today, and the pints of Guinness I drank were nice. Lorraine enjoyed chatting with Mum and Mas. Mum saying about trying on her auntie Kay's clothes when she was a kid and they all lived in Ridge Road. Soon after we had arrived, I was sent a photo from Toby of him and Romy. I sent him ones back of us, which was nice. In contrast...

Decorations all packed away in the cardboard box marked Christmas for another year. After Lorraine and I took off its decorations, I dragged the tree down to the Christmas tree graveyard in Preston Park, following the trail of needles. Noticeably fewer this year than a couple of years ago. Our tree barely shed at all, and it seems few others had done so too. Must be the species on sale around these parts this year. Caught up with a bit of correspondence, and wrote to Sarah Barnsley who had sent me a note of congratulation about Sin Cycle , and a long overdue note to Joan in Deviation Road. Otherwise a final day of mooching about. Seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time on laundry, tidying the decorations away and washing up. All cooked a roast chicken with many vegetables this evening, and ate it watching episodes of the brainiac quiz show  Only Connect which Beth is very good at. Drank some wine, as it was Sunday night, and next week is a school week. Began clipping Call...

Up and helping Lorraine on with her clothes and into socks and so on this morning. Pat and Maureen off home today, but before that we were all driven by Beth into town. She did very well despite being stressed by having what she calls 'precious cargo' in the back.  Into various shops with Lorraine, Pat and Maureen. I bought present for Mum, after phoning her and her first saying that she wanted a box of time. Lorraine managing to buy a pair of jeans despite being one armed. We had coffee in Debenhams, which Maureen said was a nice sit down. Then home, in a cab and Pat and Maureen were collected by Lorraine's nephew Pete, who came in for a bit of a chat. Fond farewells with Pat and Maureen.  Pat has acquired a new coat from somewhere, but nobody knows where it came from. Beth off to see pals overnight, leaving Lorraine and I to a little quiet time, nesting alone on the gold sofa, and watch a film adaptation of The Turn of The Screw  and a couple of episodes of Wisting,...

A bank holiday today. Lorraine hard at work on things, and I treated the day as a working one this morning at least, starting work on a new work project of my own, which has the top secret code name 'waiting rooms' and is about waiting rooms.  Got a text from Carl saying he was in hospital, and that he'd been overworking and was in hospital worried about his heart. I spoke to him later, and he seems to be okay but there was some abnormality showing up on the scan that they will have to look at. Typical Carl, he bemoaned the lack of humour of the staff. Once he'd been unhooked from the leads of the various monitors, he said 'I'm just like a real boy!' but the Pinocchio reference was lost.  It's about waiting rooms. Heard from my lovely French clients who were happy with the cattle disease concepts from last week. As Lorraine was hard at work, I took myself on a longish walk this afternoon too, which felt good. I picked an apple from a tree and a...

Sent off my Shakespeare poem this morning for Project 154, and it was acknowledged a few hours later. Quite pleased with it. It will be printed opposite sonnet XIX in the anthology. My poem is focused on the person Shakespeare wants to preserve in the verse. It finishes with 'Yet, do thy worst, old Time: despite thy wrong,/My love shall in my verse ever live young.' My poem is in the voice of the lover haunting the sonnet, saying he didn't want to be live forever locked in the poem and is called 'Locked in the Lines', and will be printed between the lines of the Sonnet XIX. Future Kenny scholars will observe that this is a typical Kenny move, the sort of thing that was behind This Concert Will Fall In Love With You . Having sent this off as Cactus the next door cat was taking his morning toilet in our bushes, I then had the best morning's writing of poems that I have had in a very long time. Rather chuffed by all this. Then off to the gym, where I had a slig...

Men around today to remove an old half dead sofa, at the crack of dawn. Weirdly, there was no sign of Calliope this morning, She always wakes us up in the morning. I showered, picturing thirteen ways Calliope could have met a grizzly end. She emerged eventually from silent hiding amid the pile of boxes in the living room, but only when Lorraine and I were both in the room calling for her. She was terrified, and scared to go in the kitchen. We suspect the evil ginger and white cat of breaking in and committing some bestial act. I'm able to walk a far better now. A good thing too as I had to slope off to the quack to have my blood purine levels tested. A cheery nurse there extracting the gore. I always like talking to her. Then a haircut as my hair was in Wild Man of Borneo mode (except of course for the dispiriting Area of Concern). None, of course, as bad as these . Also had a large cup of coffee which made me feel very lively. Good to be out and about, then home on the bus. Bet...

Horrible news tonight from Toby. Joan and Dick's son Ethan has died. Toby, clearly shocked and pacing about at home in Toronto, told me that Romy was flying back home from Chicago and they are going up to Deviation Road tomorrow. I feel deeply sad that so many people I love, Toby, Romy, Joan and Dick will be so distraught and are so far away. My heart goes out to them. This makes the rest of the day's news seem inconsequential. A note from Rhona with an excellent endorsement from her to put on The Nightwork cover, for which I was very grateful.  An offer of work from my old chums at Tavistock Square this morning had to be turned down, but towards the afternoon I was told unexpectedly that I wouldn't be needed till next week so was released back into the wild, with only a few hours of work to do tomorrow. But on balance this has worked out very well, as after as sustained period of slogging on freelance,  on my poetry collection, the big business book, I am feeling a bit...

Another morning waking up with a sore lump in my throat. Sadly I am unable to moan about this as Lorraine has the same thing, but has to drive around the county advising schools while having the same thing. I was texted by my old Friend Keith offering me some work at 7:40, which I declined. I found this quite difficult as he was an old friend in need, but I must get the book finished, come hell or high water. Luckily I had an excellent day's work today, which made me feel cheerful and as if I was actually getting somewhere. Another ghastly rain-filled day, in a soaking winter. Lorraine home early, however, and we decided to walk out in the rain to see Inside Llewyn Davis . My shiny newish black shoes leaking abominably at the toes. Surely one of the prime directives of shoe technology is not to admit freezing water to your socked feet. Arrived at the Kommedia only to discover that everyone else in Brighton had shared the same idea and it was sold out. We had summoned Rosie Tayl...

A novelty horror-free day. Lorraine, poor thing, had to be up at six in what is turning out to be a bit of a week from hell work wise.  I was up and about before seven. Worked today on the business book, caught up with a little correspondence, including from Joan who had sent a note wishing Lorraine and I well. Writing to her made me long to visit Deviation Road again. It's like Tom Bombadil's house out there on Deviation Road in Ontario. Spoke to Janet and arranged a cup of tea with her and Ken tomorrow. They were pleased to hear about Lorraine and I. In writing the book I am having to read up a lot about Ensō , which I have decided is my latest craze. These are pictures of circles drawn in one stroke by calligraphers influenced by Zen. They require an empty mind, and how you ink your circle reflect the way you are tuned into the world. I love the idea of painting an Ensō every day, and have been thinking and writing about circles a good deal, even creating one of sorts th...

NYE A day of work today, helping Lorraine with her ghastly head teacher stuff, and working on building a new website for AnotherSun Recordings. Went to the gym this afternoon, was there for an hour. I am officially festively plump, and am keenly anticipating more rational eating and drinking. Chelsea lost again today. But the workout was good and New Year's Eve had to be attended to. Went to the Basketmakers where Matt and Wayne were, as well as Sam and Gary who introduced me as his landlord to his new girlfriend. It is a strange situation given that Gary is Lorraine's ex-husband. But it all works out fine, all very Brighton. Soon our party was joined by Guy and Tim and other friends and I found myself kissed by men wearing caps. I don't mind except when they are too beardy. (I am currently smooth faced). Generally a good night, lots of chat with Matt about the Opera we are going to write, and then most folks left and Rosie arrived. She said she was drunk enough to do her p...

Nice and Queasy L and I have a queasy bug. This is a fantastic way to reduce calories, however, as we only ate dry toast and a bowl of rice. Spent the day nauseously dozing and watching TV, and counting my lucky stars that I had nothing horrid to do. Otherwise I received a surprise package from Joan containing a copy of How Marketing ate Culture for me, and some pink fluffy fingerless gloves for Lorraine, which Calliope attacked immediately with a special viciousness. An item on the news about the 70th anniversary of what was called The second great fire of London, where the East End went up in flames after the attentions of the Luftwaffe. Miraculously St Paul's Cathedral remained standing as an icon of the indomitable spirit of the British Empire etc. etc. As the flames raged my grandmother was enduring a long and painful labour. And my mother, whose birthday it is tomorrow, was born with jaundice and had to be swung through the legs of the doctor to encourage her first breath wh...

Intrepid Started the day with a bacon and egg sandwich, then was collected by Lorraine and Beth for big shop in Sainsbury's as there were boozes, snacks and Christmas grub to be bought. Later we found ourselves up on the garden centre near the racecourse, this is high above town, and you could see the fields and downs still covered in snow. From there you can see how much Brighton is sheltered by the Downs, especially today when bitter north wind was blowing. A small party run by Lorraine and Dawn was great fun. Lorraine's folks Pat and Maureen arrived today for Christmas. I like tormenting Maureen, who still refuses to believe I had spell at Wormwood Scrubbs before coming to Brighton. Matt and Wayne came with John. Matt absurdly describing me as an attention seeker, and then proceeding to talk the hind legs all available donkeys. Nice to see Wayne who I'd not seen in a while. Jan and Helen and Gareth, and a nice man who used to live opposite Lorraine whose name I'm afr...

More monkish business Working hard and surprisingly fluently on the A Guernsey Double poems, much to my relief. Started two new ones today. One about David my grandfather, the other about fishing. Working in a focused, productive way. Some good ideas. Shortly to start a final cold eyed, sneering edit, willing to murder my darlings and slashing any remaining dead wood. Part of me really looking forward to this bit. In the evening off to the Basketmakers to meet Lorraine and her work pal also called Lorraine. Gary, Lorraine's ex-husband at the bar on the other side of the pub. Lorraine's friend Lorraine used to live in Mrs Thatcher's Finchley constituency. Much to Lorraine's disgust her non-political mother proudly displayed a photograph of herself meeting Mrs T in the living room for some time, appalling Lorraine and all right-thinking visitors. Below Joan sent me a nice photo of interspecies cooperation. Nico the dog being cleaned by Baxter after a walk in misty rain....

Brain fog again Brain fog continues. Most days my concentration is excellent. I am very lucky. But today, I was losing the thread every three or four minutes. Even mindmaps and listing things weren't helping. A boring day of dealing with tax, accountants, my old agency (wanting me to out forms before I can be paid for the paltry two days they still owe me). Unable to focus, apart from a brief spell in the magic cafe. Stared dully at TV in the evening watching Manchester United get beaten. I hope the brain business lifts before I arrive in Guernsey. Poor Lorraine undergoing ghastly house moving stress. Not much I can do to help, other than listen. Shaila gave me some Buddhism books she picked up while in Hong Kong. I was reading one in bed last night, and the calmness and lack of judgement that exuded from it is so refreshing. Religions other than Buddhism seem to me increasingly absurd. I have no problem with the idea of God - I love God - but religious hierarchies, or people who s...

A quiet day with Lorraine and red phantom tetras Up to do some more referencing work on the horrible cardiac arrest material my client gave me on Friday afternoon. Finished what I could and sent it back. Calliope sleeping on my desk as I worked. After, Lorraine drove me off to my favourite shop: the tropical fish shop. Here I bought I bought some red phantom tetras and two more red platies. My tank and its inmates are all thriving, despite one of the little fish wedging itself in a fold in the plastic bag. After this vital fish business, a walk by the sea with Lorraine, and we sat for an hour of sunny fresh air, discussing how empowered and positive she feels about about her moving house, which was great to hear. A quiet night in channel surfing between a programme about cats, and another about WW2 Atlantic convoys. And so to bed. Not before reading a note from Joan. There has been more gaming at Deviation. Below cat and mouse, The Starfarers of Catan about their business: Toby Romy a...

Farewell to Joan and Dick Very sad to leave Deviation Road. I got up early again to sit chatting with Joan and Dick. Joan makes everything seem like a home from home, and it is surprisingly difficult to leave. Joan gave Lorraine and I some of their neighbour's maple syrup and two pairs of beautiful and toasty socks that Joan had hand knitted. I can picture myself on my gold sofa, with my cat, and my feet resplendent in these socks. I shall think of Deviation Road. Before we left, a trip to see the abandoned kittens with Romy and Joan, which had visibly improved in just a few days. Also we walked into the barn, which is storing some hay, and is currently the happy home of a cat called Lucky Jim. Huge and fascinating space. Joan talking about the stacking of bales that she and Romy did when Romy was a teenager. Romy said the air was full of dust and it was really hot work. Then some sad goodbyes, and Toby drove us back to Toronto. Arriving home to a happy Meatball cat, and we all had...

A hand like a foot The bellowing of a bull at dawn from several fields away. And leaving Lorraine dozing happily in bed, a quick cup of coffee and then I was taken for an early morning walk by the dogs Maggie and Nico. They led me into the forest, bounding around and looking impatiently over their shoulders while I stopped to snap photos. Maggie springing tiggerishly in the long grass and the edges of fields planted with fodder crops alfalfa and timothy. A very still and quiet morning. Later Lorraine and I snuck out to try to snap shots of hummingbirds, and could hear Dick talking indoors. All day, when I was indoors, I was conscious of the house being surrounded by a great quietness. Lorraine really inspired by Joan's craft work. Showing me with great approval Joan's funky hats that she sells for a good price in a local hairdresser. When Ethan came around, the afternoon was given over to gaming. For they are fanatics on Deviation Road. We played a game called Stone Age and I w...

Listening to the wind, looking at the stars Dawn and looking at the window frame at the foot of the bed change colour from pink through yellow to white as the sun rose. I got up early and spent some time talking to Dick and Joan over toast and coffee. Lorraine's house deals moving swiftly, and it seems she has found a buyer for her house, and the offer on her new house has also been accepted. Still very stressful doing all this remotely. Out in the clinic Joan and Dick are keeping a rescued cat and its kittens. These animals are all in bad shape, and Dick, a retired vet, is treating them. He took Lorraine and I there to help. Lorraine holding the kittens, and Dick dropping pills into their mouths and rubbing their throats gently with his big hands. I stood by a door, and made sure that no kitten got treated twice. A quick go in the hammock, looking up into the tree, with Baxter the cat on my chest, and Nico the dog sitting below. Then a walk through the fields and into the forest b...

Into the wild boonies Set off for Deviation Road this morning with Lorraine and Toby. Much discussing of a house offer Lorraine has received. Amazing how you can negotiate a house sale from across the world these days. Toby driving us out of the suburbs of Toronto, one called the Vales of Castlemore , a vast, soulless housing development with no discernible infrastructure to serve it other than roads. Lovely to escape into the gentle rolling hills and the vast landscapes of South Ontario. After stopping for some excellent Italian pastries, we stopped for lunch at Susan's cafe in the tiny town of Markdale . We have been here before and Joan is well known there.A bit like going back in time, and here I consumed two excellent pies. A chicken pie and a blueberry pie. Susan came to speak to us, and we admired her prizewinning hooking picture on the wall. Fell into conversations with two old timers there. Ingrid who was originally German and had been in Ontario for a little short of fift...

A thieving seagull and the life of Brian Long overnight snooze at Lorraine's house. Woke up feeling a little more refreshed than I have done. Had breakfast downstairs in her kitchen. The back door opened and continually menaced by Eric the seagull, who managed to stab his thieving yellow beak a few times into Basil and Brian's catfood. Been reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society , as it is required reading for my Guernsey project. This is a book which has topped the New York Times chart. It is an epistolary novel, i.e. in letters, which makes it easy to read in short chunks. It's easy to read and pleasant enough, although the plot unfolds in a very predictable way. The smart London voices are handled well, and sound authentic for the time. It features a book group (a masterstroke, in terms of selling it) supposedly on Guernsey during the occupation, and I found it unconvincing. From a Guernsey perspective the island is not described with any reality, none...