under another sun

Lorraine back to school with some trepidation, having had a very stressful Friday. I have offered to help her do some admin type stuff to just take a few small bits off her shoulders. I wish I could do more. I was up early and feeling rather inspired this morning. I spent the first few hours from 7:30 writing with gusto and enthusiasm, working on a few poems including the one I jotted down yesterday. Did some excellent work, even if I say so myself. Robin and I did some recording for the podcast this morning. Good to chat to her, and feeling positive about all of it.  After this, I started doing my books for the last financial year as part of folding up my business. Also received notification about  sole trading business account, but then had to complete a whole new load of forms as it does not appear with my other accounts on my internet banking. Really feeling the benefit of being with the same bank for 30 years. They are like blinking goldfish, with no memory of ever having...

Carl's birthday today. I sent him a message via social meeja. Be lovely to see him over the top of a pint again one day.   A chat with Keith early this morning about business. Also had a long meeting with Robin about Planet Poetry, a bit of recording with her, but also about taking it up a notch. We think we have good content and are slowly getting better at what we are doing. I bought planetpoetrypodcast.com and we are going to set up a proper web page and so on. Struggling for focus when we were recording. I hate it when that happens.  In the afternoon, after a few bits of work. I went for a stroll to clear my head, and the sky was cloudy, and the sea dark blue grey but streaked with light.  In the evening, I interviewed John McCullough who is a lovely man and a poet I genuinely admire. A few stressful technical shenanigans first as he headphones mic set up didn't work, and there was glitchy sound in the recording which I will have to fix. But what he was saying was abs...

Up and did some work today, as Lorraine was having to sort some stuff out too. Then we walked down in the afternoon to Grand Central where Louise Tondeur launched informally her short story collection, Unusual Places. It was quite an informal affair, though lots of poetry pals were there, Louise's wife Sarah Barnsley obviously, but also Jeremy, Charlotte, Robin, Stephen, Janet Sutherland and John McCullough among others. Lou read a very good extract from one of the stories, as young Zach encouraged people to buy the book. Lorraine and I did, naturally. Lorraine and I talked to Bob the husband from the husband and and wife team behind Cultured Llama the publishers. Then home, after this pleasant interlude, before we headed out again to have an surprise birthday bite organised by Klaudia for Anton. We met in a newly-opened burger joint called Patty and Bun. Anne, Anna, my excellent godbairns Klaudia and Oskar and L and I tucked into various burgers and had a cheery meal. Nice to se...

Lorraine working from home this morning, which was nice to have tea together. We noticed the mushrooms were gone as mysteriously and quickly as they came. Thinking about my friend Tim Gallagher and trying to make an old poem about him work, had the image, which I rejected, of him disappearing into a wood like Keats's nightingale. A short walk at lunchtime, then slept heavily for an hour this afternoon. Luckily just before I went out this evening I did an hour's work I was pleased with. Then, before Lorraine got in, I walked to The Nightingale Room above the Grand Central pub opposite the station, which was tonight hosting a poetry reading. I will be reading there at the end of next month, although having done a blog post about this, it turns out the day has been changed and now it is October 25th. Anyway it seemed churlish not to turn up for some poetry, before I go on there. I knew a couple of people Michaela Ridgway and John McCullough with whom I had a brief chat about J...

Sunny and warm today, Lorraine, Beth and I caught a bus into town. I went off on my own, and walking along New Road and standing in the Pavilion Gardens after a haircut,  suddenly felt more cheery than I can remember feeling in some time. Popped into the Marwood Cafe and read some poetry there while sipping black coffee. John McCullough's new book, in which there is lots to admire. Then The Interpreter's House , which I have just subscribed to and has a positive review of The Nightwork in it plus poems by Robin, Sarah and Siegfried and a nice review of Robin's pamphlet too. Beth and Lorraine joined me in there as they had been shopping, mainly for Beth's upcoming holiday in Portugal with her dad's family. Then, as summer seems to have started, we bought some delicious ice creams from Boho Gelato and sat briefly in the Pavilion Gardens to eat them before bussing home. Home, later and everyone fell asleep due to various sore throats, colds and so on. Lorraine and ...

Awake at 5:30 so got up with Lorraine and made us a healthy porridge breakfast. Got to work doing lots of things I didn't want to do. One of these was a big clear up and filing of stuff that had built up over the last month or so. Steeling myself to look at my tax and business folders in an attempt to get a grip on things. Also doing a bit with my lovely French clients. Reached a point of feeling a bit more in control by mid afternoon. Started reading Spacecraft by John McCullough today. Lovely stuff. One poem I happened upon, Glitter, has a final stanza set in what must be the walled garden I go to. Sonia came today, and we had a long chat. Brexit is making her wonder about life in Britain, and her and her English husband may go to Bulgaria where she's from in a while. She said she had lived through an enormous upheaval in Bulgaria, when communism crumbled, and according to Sonia everything got worse for the ordinary people. She said she doesn't want to experience a...

Up early and faffing about before setting off for Mill Hill to see Mum and Mas. Naturally there was some train nonsense. Cancellations at St Pancras. Mum picked me up at the station however, and we went back home. Mas up and about, with a big bandage on his neck. We however regained the car and went to the local Harvester for a bite to eat. I seized the opportunity to drink two pints of beer. Mas certainly looking a better colour and more lively than when I last saw him. He was rightly bemoaning his hospital experience though where nobody seems able to communicate what is happening, or why and you speak to different people everyday with no overview. After chats and tea with Mum she gave me a lift to Stanmore, and I headed to Covent Garden. Only there was a security scare at Baker Street and the station was suddenly closed. The paranoia perhaps increased by it being 7th July when the attacks on London occurred eleven years ago. I am reminded of these attacks every time I go to Tavisto...