under another sun

To my art class this morning, and spent a happy couple of hours trying to draw people without making them look like mutants. A BT engineer arrived shortly after I got home, and Lorraine and I thought he needed a refund from whatever charm school he went to. Rude and abrupt, although his work was neat.  I made off to see Anton this evening, met at the Evening star, stopped off at the Great Eastern and ended up in a cafe bar called Presuming Ed's on London Road. Lots to catch up on as we'd not seen each other for weeks.  Both of us loved Presuming Eds condensing an essence of Brighton. It was a chaotic student place, with plastic limbs  brandishing lightbulbs from the ceiling, areas of giant spider models, and ancient cigarette advertising lightshades, a large shark model with its jaws clamping on a large teddy bear of some description. Toby phoned shortly after we arrived, and Anton was able to chat to him too. It only served halves, and we sat there on stools around a rai...

The force not with me today. Faffed about editing podcasts this morning, chatted to Sonia who says Barry is looking dismally at the temperatures in Bulgaria, given that it is cold and rainy here. She had also taken a citizen test lately, and failed it much to her chagrin.  Late in the afternoon wandered into town to collect a prescription, and meet up with Chris Williams for a coffee. I felt unrelaxed. Walking along London Road (a.k.a. The Jeremy Kyle Mile) is at the best of times often an outlandish experience,  was an education. Quite a few people with masks, but about a third of them wearing them around their necks, with their noses hanging out, or in one case, as a nose-only covering.  I walked into Bond Street, and met Chris Williams sat outside Caffe Nero. I asked to move however, as the people were too near. It was better to sit inside near the open door with nobody coming close. Chris is full of interesting travel stories, and told me about seeing the dawn on top ...

A hot sunny day. Lorraine and I looking at the garden up early and watering our stumpery. Brighton crowded and milling with people. Lorraine doing school work this morning, so I walked down London Road looking at things. I was looking at things a bit harder than usual, because I am planning a new project about the road. Instead of plunging ahead, however, I thought this time I might actually think about it beforehand, rather than charging ahead. I'm coldly assessing its viability.  Then into the gym. This much needed at the moment as I am in a fat stage. I tried new machines, including a row of them that a few anxiously thin boys were using to bulk up their arms while staring intently at their biceps in the mirror. This being human business is a challenge. Then I walked home. Bumped into Reuben and Claire and three of their bairns, and a good chat.  Reubs and Claire are going to come to the show, which is kind of them. Walked back through the park, to find Lorraine was ...

Lorraine's birthday. Big kiss and cuddle for L this morning, and up early to feed the rampaging cats and make tea, before Lorraine after opening various cards and pressies made off to work.  I spent the morning slightly disappointingly wading through a backlog of email and admin. Come lunchtime I felt a bit jaded, having had a terrible night's sleep. Had tom yum soup for lunch, and while slurping it down watched a TV documentary about rockpools made my Richard Fortey who wrote a book about Trilobites I had rather enjoyed. Off into the outside world, walking down London Road, which was being its usual conduit of all that's wretched, before strolling about in the North Laine. Also into Churchill Square to buy a species of Nerf blaster gun for Oskar, while talking to Anton on the phone. Also bought Lorriane a present connected to her new craze of embroidery. Lorraine got home in good time and we made off into Brighton again, she signed on to another season with Hullabal...

Mercury is retrograde, which astrologers claim sends communications awry. Astrology may be bunk, but it mirrors the scrambled and patchy communications arriving at the PK outpost, waiting for Godot-like briefs and emails to be answered. Nevertheless a great day's work on the business book. I will soon have a large enough sample to go fishing with it. A warmish blue-skied day, so went out for an hour at lunchtime gulping the fresh air. Paid a cheque into my bank, and then strayed onto the pier. A dozen people on deck chairs; a mother basking with her eyes firmly closed, absorbing the sun on her face while being tormented by her bored son, and others eyed by seagulls as they dozed to the cheesy music drifting from the speakers. Admittedly the sun-baskers were wearing coats, but nevertheless an omen of better things. Seen from the pier, the pebbles on the beach now in two colours, the dark sea-wetted edge, and the sun dried beach several tones lighter. Walking home along Lond...