under another sun

A mystery this morning. Some unknown creature moved one of the plants in our wildlife pond about a foot from its original position. I suspect fowl play and think it may be a seagull beaking obnoxiously at its container. After breakfast with Pat and Maureen, Lorraine plunged into the garden, and I did sanded the ground floor window ledges and door step, like a proper DIY geezer.  Then a bit more flat hunting. The four of us piling into the car. Off to a flat that the estate agent was rather ashamed to show us once he arrived. The walls were literally sodden with damp, and there appeared to be some species of deciduous tree growing from the skirting board. Two other places potentially to be viewed were discounted unseen being similar to one already rejected. We went back to the place they looked at first, Stratheden Court with the sea view, and as this seems perfect for them in every way, the die has been cast. I spoke to a bloke sunning himself in the garden, he said he loved it in ...

Lying in bed with Lorraine making plans about the day. Up and moving the carpet in one of the rooms to prepare for the boiler being replaced. I lifted up the sideboard so we could move the carpet.   My back gave very painfully. Swore repeatedly and with feeling. Lorraine slapped an ice pack on it. I kept moving, and we went into the garden and did a few small jobs and felt okay and got lulled into a false sense of security. But once I sat down everything began to seize painfully -- just like when I did it last summer. Gah. Football a cheering diversion. Manchester United, who have been nowhere near their best have been showing green shoots of a strong recovery. They went to Liverpool, their greatest rivals and themselves having a difficult season, and were spanked a record 7-0. I know it is wrong of me but you'd have to have a heart of stone not to have texted Anton about it and to be gladdened by Match of the Day 2. Spoke to Mum today. She has sourced a car, and the driving instru...

Lorraine drove us off first thing to the excellent Top Cats at Patcham this morning with Calliope moaning on the back seat. She had a scratch inside her ear last week which despite Lorraine bathing it with salt water has become infected, and when she shakes her head a shower of unpleasantness is liberated from it. Really nice vet who injected her with antibiotics and cleaned her sore ear, indignities which Calliope tolerated incredibly well.  The bonus for me was that she slept most of the day sleeping as the various drugs did their work, which meant my desktop daemon was absent. Spoke to Sophie and Anton this morning amid ticking a dozen more things from the list of things that must be done. Lorraine working from home all morning before travelling across the county to train governors and suchlike. I popped out for a walk in the beautiful sunshine for a short spell before work again. I am all about the work at the moment Half watched a Manchester United match in the evening aga...

Frustrated by an IT rebellion wasting the precious morning hours and generally workin' my nerve following an iTunes update failure. Sorted it out this afternoon with a system restore and by reinstalling all the Apple software. Off to Starbucks full of IT rage where I, slightly depressingly, found the section I was working on to be a load of tripe and onions. Then to the gym for a grrr-reducing workout. Followed by some shopping for a birthday present for Klaudia as recommended by Anton. Later I spoke to my Goddaughter on the phone, who was about to go off skateboarding on her new skateboard, and signing off with an affectionate 'bye weasel' to me as we finished talking, which I liked. Chatted to Anna too, for the first time in a while. Hard to believe it is ten years since I first saw Klaudia on her first day in the world. Quite focused this afternoon. Spoke to mum by phone and then using facetime from the iPad Toby and Romy bought her.  This was fun. More computer stuf...

Heavy rain on the Velux windows at 5:30. Up later, thanks to a cup of tea from Lorraine. She was also stretching out her trousers to show how much weight she has lost on her fasting diet. Working on the book thinking about what constitutes a sense of wonder. This interspersed with the distinctly unwondrous business of chasing an unpaid invoice, speaking to the estate agent, washing sofa covers and so on. Somewhere a magical ring has been thrown into a volcano. Texts with Anton about the resignation of the Sauron of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson. A splendid event that, hopefully, will herald that club's collapse into pastoral mediocrity. But I will miss his purple faced touchline rages and have to acknowledge that he was the best manager the English game has ever seen. A peaceful evening, Lorraine not having her best time at work. I comforted her with noodles.

Dowsing for beginners Walked to Icart first thing this morning (after a large breakfast) and wended around to Moulin Huet. Here we took the steep slope down to the bay, and sat on the bench taking in the gorgeous view. Before we lost ourselves among rockpools, and watching the lively sea surge among the rocks with slaps and booms. Then it was time for lunch, and we repaired to the Captains again, where it was busy with Sunday roasts being served. It seemed rude not to have one too, so we were found a table and slaked our throats with more cold Pony ale. Nice food. Yelps from the other part of the bar where Manchester United were beginning their worst day's football in decades, being hammered by Manchester City 6-1. I thoughtfully texted Anton with six smiley faces in the afternoon, but then Chelsea went on to lose unexpectedly so I deserved it. Anton texted the season is over for me football does not exist in my life . And later, as the bitterness grew, fergie and the toupe wearing...

Wrapper's delight Up at 7.00am to work on Defenders of Guernsey . Some time later Lorraine and Mum surfaced. We went down Trafalgar Street to Nia where we had a rather nice breakfast. Slightly pompously I told them afterwards how much the service and food had improved since I was last there. Then a lengthy period of wrapping and pricing Mum's framed watercolours, unframed watercolours,and her Giclée prints. This process rendered slightly more problematic by the fact that Mum is on heavy duty tranquillisers which appears to be the standard treatment for shingles. Although it is understandably making her a bit vague, it has eliminated the pain, which is great. Moments of realisation that prints that had been laboriously wrapped hadn't been signed and so on. Eventually, after splendid help from Lorraine, and a trip to Rymans from me, everything was wrapped and priced and packed into Lorraine's car and driven off to Janet and Ken's house. There Janet is presenting her ...

Beth's birthday Beth's 19th birthday today, but Beth overnight had been in a time machine and was about 10 when she bounced into the bedroom at 6:30am. Soon after she bought cups of tea and her and Mark sat on the end of the bed like talking cats, until Betty's present opening ceremony began. She got a Crackberry from Lorraine, Mark got her a useful combination toy aircraft/fork and some Cath Kidston oven gloves, which matched the Cath Kidston cook's pinafore I got her. Luckily we'd bought the same colour and pattern too. The Cath Kidston shop was where I was accused of shoplifting last weekend. I found it migraine-inducingly stuffed with kitch and flowery stuff in pink and baby blue. I suspect, however, I may not be target market. Beth off to work at the stage school to be sung happy birthday to by small children, and then have a drink with her dad and lots of presents and a party with her mates in the evening. Klaudia now goes to the stage school too and took a ca...

Hexing More football hexing from Anton this morning. "Hi mate just wanted to be the first to congratulate you today you will be deserved champions well done." A policy which dates back to this moment , when he prematurely "congratulated" me just before John Terry slipped over in the mud, missing a penalty which cost Chelsea victory in the European Champions League cup final against Anton's unspeakable Manchester United. Bank holiday weekend... So naturally teeming with rain all day. Lorraine a little under the weather. I went back home for a bit to feed Calliope, do some work, and go to the gym. Rather underpowered even by my currently underpowered standards, and felt rather worn out afterwards. Steady rain all day. Guiltily abandoning poor Calliope, and L and I went to Sainsbury's and then back to her place to pot plants, and eat roast chicken and become installed on the sofa to watch Hellboy, Del Toro's superhero film, on TV. Full of his splendid touch...

Back to Glamoursmith Up to work with some agency amigos today in Glamoursmith. Working on my A Guernsey Double poems on the train. Spent the day working on concepts for a Multiple Sclerosis treatment. Found this site here of radiology art. Home and in the evening ordered some flyers for This concert... and then listened to the midi files that Matt had sent me. For the first time I could hear the compositions for each of the variations. The music is absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to performed by living and breathing musicians this weekend (as opposed to a computer composition program). Now neurotically worrying about being able to find my cues. Also found time to follow Manchester United's fortunes, and swap texts and calls with Anton. I watched them being knocked out of the Champion's League. After the fell event, no further texts from up the hill as the Nazgul shadow of football depression had fallen. It's a funny old game.

Football, dodgy politicians and poets In pain again all day, making work difficult. Went to have my back massaged, which was agony but then completely removed the pain. For half an hour. Frustrating to be so close to finishing Skelton Yawngrave but unable to type for more than ten minutes at a stretch. In the evening Anton came around and we scored a Chinese takeaway from a restaurant next to the usual takeaway, which was a revelation. Then we watched the European cup final. Anton's beloved Manchester United put in a surprisingly abject performance against Barcelona, who Chelsea went out to in the last round thanks to a corrupt referee. Anton looking tormented and fidgeting about the place, and unable to watch half of it. I of course was able to view it with a dispassionate eye, while Calliope quietly supported the Catalan side. After, and NOT talking about football, Anton and I went to the Battle of Trafalgar for a consoling pint of Harveys, and a change of scene before he shuffle...

In a dark wood, where the straight way was lost Off early up the hill to Anton's house in my walking gear. Klaudia opening the door to me like a proper grown up girl. Both Godchildren on good form today. Anton drove us then to Ashdown forest. We got lost on route due to Anton not listening to my navigation, or my navigation not being clear enough. Some discussion about this, which came as a relief from Anton frequently steering our conversation to Manchester Utd. We arrived at our starting point for what was going to be long circular route through the forest. Ashdown forest had inspired Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories. Unusually for us we got repeatedly lost, but the forest was so beautiful that we hardly bickered at all. This despite Anton having to repeatedly consult maps and compass, and taking several wrong turns. The forest is mixed woodland and patches of heath and today the conditions were ideal. Cool but bright and sunny, and the bluebells were out in force. Anton claim...

A slip of fate A good day, fairly low key. Started with some work on my skeleton story for a few hours, and then had a swim in the afternoon. This I followed by a spot of clothes shopping. I had been putting this off till I stop being so porcine. But this is proving a long wait, so I have bought some fat clothes thinking if you are fat you may as well be smart and fat. Evening entirely taken up with watching the Champions League Cup Final between Manchester Utd and Chelsea with Anton. Anton is a Utd fan and so one of us was destined to be gloomy. We got some takeaway Chinese food and sat on the sofa and watched an epic confrontation which went to a penalty shoot out. Unbelievably the excellent Chelsea captain John Terry only had to score his penalty and Chelsea would win. Due to the downpour in Moscow he slipped on the drenched pitch just as he took it, which caused him to miss the goal by a whisker. United went on to win by the narrowest possible margin. Thus a piece of wet mud can ma...

An English afternoon in March Up this morning to go for a walk with Anton. First time we'd gone for a walk together since October - mainly due to ghastly virus I had over Christmas. Currently Anton is offensively skinny, due to his so-called Kamikaze diet. For the last week he has not really eaten, and endured headaches and general enervation. He was impeccably prepared for our walk, of course, with the right clothes and equipment. He had also taken with him about 5000 calories worth of food: slow cooked Boston baked beans, which were contained in a large vacuum flask, a large and delicious pork pie from a specialist pork pie and sausage butcher, and a small snappy container full of a generous helping of Piccalilli sauce. Not to mention a big bag of mixed nuts. I made do with some sandwiches from M&S. Anton thoughtfully encouraged me to eat some of his pie, as increasing other people's weight around you is an important part of successful slimming. A really nice four and a h...