under another sun

Up early, Lorraine having a nice lie in. Then breakfast, wordle, tidying up, thinking about writing, and a chat with Anton. His latest physio seems to indicate he is doing very well, but his next task is to learn how to walk normally again.  I was trying to loosen a screw in some curtain poles which, some time later Loraine and I successfully attached to the wall. In the afternoon we also put some heavy shelves up. A disgusting business, and the less said about it the better: after enormous effort, I have put them in upside down. Beth came around with Enzo for a bit, after the wee bairn had been weighed. He's making excellent progress. Beth also trying to sort out the wiper problem on her car, took it into the local Kendall's garage and was quoted an eye-watering £400.  'A little bundle of joy' is a cliche for a baby, but there's no doubt Enzo is one. A beautiful day. I did my paces under blue skies, and big fluffy white clouds, which I always want to make black and...

Up early and off to Edgware. Lorraine back to Maureen and Pat's, to give Pat a shower. I reading Memories, Dreams, Reflections, an autobiography, of C. G. Jung , which I had started before, found it fascinating and then set it aside. Now I am powering through and I'm finding it a wonderful read. I am listening to it as an  audiobook, and reading the actual book depending on the circumstances. I was today reading the book. Chugging north quite happily, then just as we got into London my head began spinning as I read my book and I felt very odd. I then realised after a moment's panic that it was simple dehydration, having only a cup of coffee and a cup of tea from Lewes station. I had a bottle of water, gulped it down, and then got off still feeling a bit shaky at St Pancras. Having bought a bottle of water, drank it and a sandwich, I was soon back to normal. I tried to give the other part of the sandwich to a homeless man, who declined as he couldn't eat cheese.   Gettin...

The day's work revolving around inflammatory bowel diseases, and writing up unsurprising research. Who would have thought, for example, that having Crohn's disease might make your working life more difficult? Contacted by Janey an art director I met at Craig's wedding - and we may do some work together in future. The freelance horizons are looking brighter for me. The office as freezing today as it was Turkish bathish for the last few days. I had to wear my coat most of the day, and Keith sitting next to me fashioned a kind of medieval tabard out of bubble wrap. He asked me if I liked it, and I replied it was okay until someone has a pop at you. Had a ten minute nose around in Skoob books at lunchtime ferreting about for books about Jung. Several copies of a collection of essays addressing Jung's 'anti-Semitic shadow' struggling with the thorny problem of Jung's antisemitism. Very thorny when you consider that he had long term Jewish lover, revered (albe...

Sleepy and unfocused as the lively weekend took its toll. I went to London today for a general mooch around and to meet Mario Petrucci, who is an old friend who has become a fairly famous poet. I waited some time for him at Baker Street station, where I was early and he very delayed by appalling trains. Reminded me of times I used to meet Mum there when we both worked in London as I lurked by the Sherlock Holmes statue. Waiting gave me the opportunity to do a spot of freelance tour guiding, being obliged to point people to the nearby Madame Tussuad's. Great to see Mario, who I had not seen in a couple of decades.  He had commuted down from Brunel University, where he has a residency. We repaired to a local cafe and spent two and a half hours chatting. I had re-read his  iTulips recently, and this really is a magnificent book; spare and modernist, but full of beautiful words and imagery and vibrant emotion. I told him how much I admired it. He t...

Lorraine and my B&B is called Orinsay, and we had a good night’s sleep. Reading Jung in bed and his discussion of synchronicity and coincidence. Breakfast was delicious and even included haggis alongside local sausages, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes.   All ingredients excellent. Lorraine and I chatting to Ian, a pal of Craig and Mel’s who was staying at Orinsay too. He mentioned Strand on the Green where Matt, Graeme and Kate live (and I lived for many years) and I happened to glance above his head and noticed that the painting above his head was of Strand on the Green and Kew Bridge. Quite a coincidence. Lorraine walked in the castle grounds, shopped and later found a cafe for a light lunch. Waiting for Lorraine outside a nosebleed inducing  shop, I turned around and realised I was looking at the shop of Gordon Caris who mends watches and clocks, the shop only opens two days a week, Thursdays and Fridays and was empty as today was a Saturday. Gordon Cari...

A frenzy of packing and a rush to Brighton station. Then a fairly easy journey to London, across London to Kings Cross and then we caught the Edinburgh train for Alnmouth Station for Alnwick  close to the Scottish border, which Craig had fallen in love with as an exchange student. Heavy rain as we descended from the train, and jumped into a taxi with Sylvia and a friend for the ten minute drive into town. A pleasant bed and breakfast and, after settling in, we took a walk to Barter Books ,  built in the old railway station building, complete with model trains rattling above some of the shelves of second hand books. A secondhand bookshop isn't the best place to find my current obsessions of contemporary findings in paleoanthropology and now Jung, as I have this idea that our blurry prehistory, is akin to our personal prehistory.   I was reading Jung: A Very Short Introduction by Anthony Stephens on my kindle on the train, and it is really exciting me. I hav...