under another sun

Lorraine off to Hove to get her hair cut today. I finalised the pamphlet-length MS and sent it off. It contains poems that mess with the fabric of reality, they are very marmite. I hope they like marmite. Then off to Brighton to meet Mrs Kenny, with her lovely glossy hair. We mooched up St James's road, and stopped in the pub called The Saint James, where we went on our first date for a quick drink before heading to the restaurant that used to be across the road. A chaotic, but friendly pub these days. A large blue and yellow macaw had pride of place on a tall stand at the back of the room, and apparently had form in stealing people's earrings. Someone having their photo taken with it, while their dog barking continuously at it. Another dog joined in and there was an ear splitting cacophony. Meanwhile a bloke sat on our tabletop to look at the racing scores. The pizza we had ordered to share took an age to come, but was excellent when it did. We drank some lemonade shandy there...

Lorraine and Beth taking Enzo off to his hospital appointment today. It seems he has a condition where certain foods, such as cows milk, react badly with him, not immediately but in half an hour or so. It's a kind of juvenile protein intolerance, which should right itself as he grows up. Beth, Lorraine and Enzo spent time with Pat and Maureen after, with Lorraine not returning till five. A quiet day for me, I heard from Robin, spoke to Mum, and worked intermittently at writing. Yvonne contacted me. She will have extensive nursing duties when Brian gets back from hospital after his knee replacement. I arranged to see Brian later in the week. I also went to the gym and had a good workout, to sweatily atone for the weekend wrongs.  Lorraine got to the bottom of her mysterious shoulder rash. From the greenhouse, brushing against cucumber leaves.  

A hot night with poor sleep for both of us. The gulls on the roof hammering, scuffling and screaming raucously at the dawn. And at six thirty I was wide awake. Lorraine's sleep was poor too, and she couldn't get to sleep last night.  Robin and I uploaded the Will Harris episode of the podcast . A good one I think. Robin's judicious final snips making it all the better. I hope Will likes it. Otherwise we had Enzo from breakfast time. He is growing his collection of consonants, adding a soft g sound. He is absolutely besotted with Lorraine, of course, but it seemed to be a grandpa day, with the  little lad repeatedly reaching up to me to be held and carried about, bounced on the knee and so on.  Lorraine and I were playing with him in the living room, and I had to pop into the kitchen to take something out of the freezer, and he actually burst into tears when I left. He is usually happy and smiling, but looking into his little tragic face if you don't pick him up immed...

Saturday morning, and Lorraine had the spewy bug, but rallied magnificently to take care of Enzo. Obviously Toby hadn't bargained for staying in a plague house. Luckily we have outside furniture so he and I sat outside for breakfast and a long conversation in the garden. Lorraine calling for a bit of  help when needed, and came outside to give Enzo lunch.   I sat with Enzo outside for a bit, while Tobs was indoors. He just sat with me happily looking at the seagulls and a butterfly and the trees and sky with rapt attention. I think we can learn a lot from babies. In the afternoon Toby sensibly opted to see Mike and Zina, and I walked him to the bus stop early in the afternoon.The bus got stuck at Newhaven, and he texted yearning for Japanese levels of efficiency.  Lorraine shattered this afternoon. I took the baby boy for a long walk by the sea, me humming The Happy Song , by Imogen Heap to him. But he was perfectly happy, and wriggling with excitement looking at everythi...

Morning at home with Enzo, being rather adorable. Beth and James off to North Wales for Amy Freeman's wedding. Then off to Morrisons just after lunch to do some shopping. Toby called to say he was just leaving Lewes. Lorraine completed the shopping, I got my drugs, and then met Tobs in Steamworks. We had a half, and came home and Toby got to meet Enzo and say howdy to Lorraine.  Sadly Meatball, Romy and Toby's long-lived cat had to be put down today, which they were sad about. It seems a lifetime ago when I first met her, having let myself into Toby and Romy's place while they were at work, she cautiously came over, after several attempts, and bit me in a welcoming way.   Toby and I made off to the Boot. No rebooters there, as all involved elsewhere tonight, but this was actually fine as we had a chance to talk, and a bite to eat, before mooching off to The Cinq Ports for another pint. Like a time warp in there with people going to a jukebox type of wall mounted machine and...

Up to Edgware today, the next heatwave building ominously now. An easy journey, managing to use my laptop a couple of times, and met Mum early at Hampstead. She thought she was going to be late, as when she stood up to get off the train, the doors only opened for a few seconds before they pushed off to the Belsize Park. Luckily she got off there and came back. We flitted down Flask walk, seeking shadows, and made it turning the corner by the school, up to The White Bear. Mum had a pea and lovage soup and I had a fancy fish finger type sandwich and a couple of pints of cold lager. We were saying the next time we go there we have to meet the Tobster too, whose arrival later this week is keenly awaited. We parted fairly early, and I was able to get home for 5:30 which was nice. Had some grub and after watching the interesting end of the Argentina Egypt game, with Argentina coming back from two down to win 3-2 in the last fifteen minutes. Then I went for a cooling saunter by the sea, as Lo...

A much-needed calm day, both feeling a bit tired. Slow breakfast, and a food shop (I always enjoy food shopping with Lorraine), Lorraine did some gardening, I went to the gym to atone for the last two evenings. Then studio. I am exploring in sketches what I am now beginning to write about. It accesses a different part of my brain -- which I should not find surprising after decades of image plus copy advertising, I don't really understand. I seem to learn the same things over and over throughout my life. I have a vague idea of doing a hybrid project, if I can get my art standard high enough. Spoke to Mum and arranged to see her in Hampstead next Tuesday. Arranged a haircut for Monday as it's all gone into clown mode. Air fried chicken tonight, with delicious beans I picked from the garden among the veg. Football tonight. An interesting game between France and Paraguay, who played with callous gamesmanship and thuggishness, and confined their beating to 1-0 because of it. France,...

Reasonably productive day, posted the power of attorney forms talking to the jolly ladies in the post office, and prepared and entered Gordon Road into another competition. A good gym session, shopping, and spoke to Mum at tea time. Also had a new creative idea percolating in the background. Lorraine off to personal trainer this morning, went walking with her old headteacher buddies after, then to pottery this evening, returning with some splendid pots. Another heatwave is coming next week apparently. Need to get an air conditioning unit if this is how things are now. Saw a photo of my head from behind. The area of concern has spread like a successful player in a game of Risk it has been annexing my scalp.    Below, pots made by Lorraine. The white one has been glazed but not fired yet. She is coming on in springs and somersaults. The lids fit snugly. She says she is good at lids.  

A busy Sunday. With Lorraine's adult supervision, I completed and printed the Lasting Power of Attorney documents out for mum to sign, and got in touch with Wynford and Ben to ask them to sign too tomorrow when I go up. Wynford: Yes, Ben: I'll try and see what I can do, which I'm hoping means yes too. Also some admin about my tolerance for financial risk for my savings had to be sent off too. Lorraine and I are very much medium-low risk people when it comes to finance. Anyway doing this kind of admin early on made me feel happy once it was done. Delores breezed in later (a breath of fresh air as she had been walking in the Forest) to borrow the strimmer and to laugh loudly in the kitchen.   Some gardening. I poked about in the pond. I think all the fish are gone now. There was the great egret devastation, and I don't know if it popped back to eat the last two, of the unbelievable heat did them a mischief, but I couldn't see any in there, while I cut back some of the...

A saunter around Seaford this morning, popped in to see Pat and Maureen, who were struggling with iPlayer. Then had a walk around town, popping in to Gallery Uno to see our friends Adele and Debbie's work among others.  Off to Squirrel's End late this afternoon where we hung out with Beth and James and the baby boy, who was in sparkling form. We also celebrated Beth and James being parents for a year, and James's recent successful year's review. He is doing excellently, despite starting days after Enzo was born, and life being full on for both of them.  Lorraine and I had been talking off and on about trying a nostalgic doner kebab, as I can't remember having one for at least a decade.  Delicious Doner Seaford has a good reputation. Beth decided to make it happen, and we got a delivery meal from them and drank sparking wine (I stuck to beer mostly) and simply talked all evening, and it was really fun.  Lorraine and I had large doner kebabs, they were huge and stuffe...

A relaxed breakfast, kippers today, watching a video of Enzo playing enthusiastically with his wonderful new toys sent by Romy and Toby. It is perfect for where he is developmentally, with balls, and little spiral tracks, and flippy two-way doors and so on. Debbie contacted me saying she could teach me the grouting technique she uses on her stained glass, which removes the need for lead.  I spent an hour writing, and Lorraine did some piano practice, then we, with Lorraine at the Vanguard, turned into an unstoppable gardening machines.  Hefting sacs of compost, and sweltering in the green house potting up tomatoes, planting cucumbers into their summer beds, stringing canes, repotting cacti, and chillies and all kinds of things. Having to scatter snail pellets as the cucumber seedlings in the greenhouse have been slaughtered by them Later planting out celeriac, leeks and so on. I repaired briefly to the gym. Lorraine still working steadily on my return, so I joined in with more...

A day at home...  I did a bit more editing of the short story.  Lorraine surged purposefully outside to do gardening, I cleaned the pond filter and thinned the pond weed. Only two goldfish remain now, as the unknown predator has been at work again. These two survivors look chubby and healthy though. Later in the afternoon, studio time. Me trying and failing to come up with visual art ideas, but spending a lot of time thinking happily about them, and Lorraine playing with clay, making small clay fish. I made one too. All highly enjoyable. Thank God Lorraine and I have a new TV obsession: Babylon 5. The first episode was risibly bad, so we almost stopped watching it there and then. But I looked up some old reviews of it, and it is well thought of. Now we are enjoying its ever more complex plot, and dated visuals and attitudes. Spoke to the Tobster this evening, and discussing his visit over in the summer. And after talking with him about the Guardian's list of the best 100 novel...

Lorraine's birthday, which she enjoyed lots. Tea in bed, and opening assorted pressies and cards, then made off to do Rhyme Time at the Library. After this, and she popped in to see Pat and Maureen, Beth, Lorraine and Enzo collected me and made off to Mamoosh for lunch for some absolutely delicious falafel based goodness. A few people coming over to adore the wee boy.  Home again, then Lorraine went to Eastbourne to do her pottery course, returned having had undivided attention from the tutor, as all other attendees couldn't make it. This gave her plenty of time to discuss wheels. She arrived home again exhilarated by throwing pots, and having had a cheery day.  My lovely Lorraine this morning. 

Lorraine had a hen day. Off with Beth to Hotel Du Vin, where Rosie and her hens had a splendid time.  One moment where there were hints of a stripper, but the door opened to reveal a cardboard cutout of Innis in his life guard gear. The ladies also had a session learning how to mixing assorted fragrant oils.  I had a rooster day. Main event a walk by the sea for thirty mins, which is a record for the week. Fish and chips later. Once Lorraine was home, we watched   Foundation on Apple TV. Enjoyably doomy and complex. And some footie too. Compelling Arsenal psychodrama. Arsenal swept all before them, amid talk of an unprecedented quadruple. After a disastrous couple of weeks, I find it painful to watch Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, rigid with anxiety, as he stalks the touchline as glory slips through his fingers yet again.  An actual payment came through today, via PayPal, for the poem Gardening With My Wife , just appearing in Ireland's Channel magazine.  Bel...

A necessarily quiet day. We had to cry off from a night out at Sally and Marek's in Brighton tonight. Took Lorraine breakfast in bed, she is improved, though still in need of lots of rest. Wasn't worried about her like I was yesterday.  I spoke to Mum, who was off to meet Robert in the pub. Then I made off to see Pat and Maureen to take them some medications and a delivery of two summer blouses that had arrived at our place. Maureen full of dangerous ideas about panelling one of the walls in the living room, and she enlarged on her theory that Lorraine does too much, which is why she is ill.  Home after a short stroll by the greenish sea. Lorraine fed and watered, I did some writing for a substack post, and in the afternoon, popped out to buy tamari sauce for the stir fry I made later. Lorraine a tad brighter as the day wore on.  I finished reading The High Window , by Raymond Chandler, and we watched the last couple of episodes of Small Prophets , which was quirky and or...

Lorraine definitely unwell this morning, and her cough is really bad and breathing was hard. I made her do a covid test: negative. During covid I bought a blood oxygen meter and Lorraine wanted to check this level, and we got a slightly alarming reading from it. I phoned 111 and not long after the local surgery called. Lorraine went in wearing two face masks, Beth, with Enzo in the baby seat, drove us to the surgery. We were seen very quickly. They did a blood oxygen test which was normal, so all well. Vitals all okay, it's just has a nasty virus that needs plenty of liquids and rest and so on. Good to get it checked out though. Home again in the Betty's lipstick red car.  Then I simply looked after Lorraine, popped out for shopping, cooked and tidied. Lorraine improving over the day but being made to rest. Former ward sisters are not necessarily optimal patients.

Lorraine unwell, with the shivers and cold symptoms overnight. Made her a hot water bottle and found the wooly Canadian socks that Joan had given me ages ago and put them on her feet. These seemed to make a big difference. In the morning I took Lorraine breakfast in bed, and did my best to look after her today. Having seen Mum yesterday I began to worry I'd passed this new lurgy on to her. But she was philosophical about it when we spoke. The CBT work I'm doing says there are worries you can do something about and others that you can't. Worrying about things you can't change is futile. A useful  reminder for me. It's funny how the most useful things to be told are often the most blindingly obvious.  Met Robin online this morning to discuss the next two episodes of Planet Poetry, which will be new ones. I always feel braced and more purposeful after we talk. Then to Brighton, as the train pulled in I glimpsed John McCullough standing alone on the platform so distinct...

A bright cheery morning, and after breakfast Lorraine and I surged out into the garden for a few hours gardening. I weeded several raised beds and planted some garlic. The garlic came in a packet of two cloves, one of which was made up of only two sections. Meanwhile Lorraine planting all kinds of seeds and repotting industriously in the glasshouse while listening to Classic FM. I peered into the pond, but I but I saw no tadpoles. Quite nice to sip tea outside like a horny handed man of the soil. Quite meditative really, and I resisted listening to a podcast. Thinking how the poem coming out shortly in the Irish magazine Channel, is called Gardening with my wife. Gardening with Lorraine from time to time, feels very fundamental. Chatted to Mum who had met Robert in the pub for lunch.  The rest of the day on Kenny farm spent companionably with Lorraine doing little. Did a bit more of my CBT stuff. Chelsea lost again disgracefully today, so went to bed early to read more of  The...

An unusual morning. Lorraine and I travelled up to Blackfriars this morning to meet Romy. She was staying at Seacontainers, now a hotel and block full of agencies, some of whom I'd had dealings with over the years, and also it was just along the river from the IBM building I worked at in the nineties. It still feels very familiar there.  Lovely to be able to see Romy albeit briefly. We met in the lobby of the hotel, and sauntered along the river, and stopped for a coffee in the NFT then a small pizza in Gabriel's wharf. For the last few days she's been working between London and Frankfurt. Lots to discuss and catching up on family things, hearing about Dick's baseball oriented trip to the US, Joan, Raine, Toby and the house being gradually reassembled. She'd enjoyed seeing Mum the other day in the White Bear, and was looking forward to collecting the venerable Meatball, now a US resident, on her return. Nice to sit with Romy by the dreary grandeur of the Thames. Sad...

Up and breakfasting with Mum.  Then off to the surgery, the results for the urine test were in but nobody had looked at them yet. All a bit redundant now she's been treated for it thanks to the rapid response nurse. I called them again this afternoon, and they now have number and they will text me if Mum is prescribed something.  Home again, and cooked us some food.  Then when mum had a lie down, I went to buy some food for her in Stanmore. The bird theme continues: standing on the corner of the side street I happened upon a woman talking to a talkative man with three talkative parrots, two green and one grey. The woman, a passer-by who had somehow become entangled with the group, insisted I say hello to the birds. The owner, a friendly older South Asian gent, said this was a board meeting, as the parrots chuckled to one another. Then he said they were being shy, when I started saying hello. Eventually one said hello back to me, and protocol complete I was able to melt aw...