under another sun

Much better sleep last night, and as Lorraine was up and off early I was too. Spent the day closeted in my office, which I love. I kept looking outside thinking I must go for a walk, but the short interludes of strong sun were overwhelmed by rain and hail and so on. Worked on a poem first thing, finalised some first materials for Helen Russell which I sent her about our music project. This involved another close reading of the story The Centaur by Jose Saramago. This sent I read an interview Robin had done for a magazine before she sent it back to them. Received news about a new agency and have been invited to its inaugural meeting in a few weeks. I also heard from Chiara Beebe who sent me a sound file with a good recording of A Return to Sarnia on it - and the day rounded off by receiving notice of a fair and positive review of The Nightwork here in London Grip . Also spoke to Mum and Anton during the day. Beth had a day off and we ate noodles together for lunch on the gold so...

Lorraine working from home today, sitting in the kitchen muttering things like 75%, 78%, B2... over our lunch of tomato soup. Catching up after supervising the delivery of our new fridge. It is as tall as me. The freezer is below which means that nothing is stored at ankle level. A boon! A man called Justin installed our dishwasher too.  The house is becoming fully functional. A much needed day of physical recuperation. I lifted no boxes and heavy furniture, nor did I spend the day painting or scraping walls. My bad ankle and knee thanked me for it, as I have done nothing but traumatise them over the last week.  So a day of trying to pick up the threads of my work and writing. Also listened to a reading by Nadine Gordimer of Jose Saramago's short story The Centaur . Catching up with conversations too. Mum feeling better after a seeing a sympathetic doctor, who explained what the very high dose of antibiotics was doing to her and how to manage the side effects for the ...

Snowing.  Luckily I had nowhere to travel, and was working by eight at my desk. Stayed manacled there till noon, completing the pesky but interesting freelance job before sending it into cyberspace. Finding concentration a bit hard as prostatitis taking advantage of the lull in antibiotics. After three hopeful days of feeling better than I had done for some time, the old enemy is at the gates again. Trying not to be downcast about this, and am hoping the diagnostic operation is not too many months away. Afternoon more relaxed. Lorraine working at home in the afternoon, after long cross county drives were cancelled. This in from Richard in Guernsey, which was on the news this morning, for its unprecedented snow: 'looking out into the garden where the palms and tree branches are practically horizontal because of the on-shore wind howling in from the bay, which is only about two hundred metres away from us. There's sleety snow coming in and the bird feeders and water bowl hav...

Met Maureen and Pat for lunch in The Signalman today, the quilt that Lorraine has been making for Beth over the last 18 months returned after Maureen had done some splendid work on it. Beth will have a quilt that her mother and grandmother both worked on; a treasure. The Signalman, noisy with a tables blokes wetting their whistles before heading off to the Brighton game (which they were destined to win 4-0 against Huddersfield). We all had rather good fish and chips with mushy peas and thick slices of brown bread. Hearty fare, and the chips especially good. Conversation with the barman who found out what type of potato the chef specifies, a particular kind of maris piper was the answer. Home in the afternoon, for some sofa time, while with Lorraine's help was able to get through to Orange to find out what to do about some cyber bastards called called Jamster who were steadily charging me £1.50 for each unwanted text they sent me. The solution is to text 'stop all' to the ...