under another sun

Lorraine out helping Pat and Maureen for much of the day. I had a quiet day of writing and thinking, just want I wanted. This sort of thing exciting and interesting for me, it doesn't much make for blog fodder. I called Mum this morning, and the wifi went dead. No wifi this afternoon or evening. Luckily however we were going out this evening as it was Anton's birthday. I also belatedly sent Bob a card too, as it was his birthday too. Chris came around to service the boiler too, had a long chat with him. I had to summon him back shortly afterwards as the carbon monoxide alarm went off above the boiler. But he checked all his workings, and sniffed about with his CO monitor and couldn't find anything, and it didn't go off again.  I managed to lose my Berghaus recently, so we forged out into a fine soaking rain, just missed a bus by the station, and went to get a faster bus, of which there were none. Twenty minutes at the bus stop, so we were going to be late for the meal w...

Up early, and getting Lorraine off to school. Two more hours searching for my Harry Potterish new glasses. Took to facebook to moan about their disappearance, Rosie suggested I should use strings to keep them on me. The majority of the day fiddling with the book layout for Magnificent Grace, which absorbed a good deal of patience. Decided on a quick walk, and took my camera to photograph the fog that settled on Brighton in the afternoon, but its battery was flat. I took one snap on my phone of misty Blaker's Park. The evening Lorraine, again home at six which is very early for her, we cabbed off to Anton's house where Anne was having a little gathering for her 80th. Anton unexpectedly had to work in London today. Anna there however to help, which was kind. Both bairns there too being excellent. Good to see Klaudia who we'd not seen over the festive period, now recovered from tonsillitis. Oskar now clearly taller than his sister. I expect he will be looking down on the a...

Guy Fawkes Night Up just after 5am delighted the cats with an early breakfast. Lorraine had to go to a conference about leadership today, so I contented myself with trying to catch up with everything I've let slip over the last week or so, with only a small degree of success. Beth up and out without eating off to see Mark and other pals. Tired and an upset stomach, but I went to the gym thinking this would make me feel better. Working up in London has made me fatter within a week and a half. Went to Anna and Anton's. Watched Anna on TV in a programme about mackerel, filmed catching them and then making them into sushi, and giving a rather assured interview about her opinions about mackerel. Then the family and I drove off in Anton's swanky new BMW to Martin and Sam's place in Hove. Lorraine arrived shortly afterwards. Martin and Sam have a nice house, and there was lots of nice food and hot punch available. Klaudia was the only girl and there were six or eight boys run...

Foggy Working hard this morning on various ailment copy. The man cold has now settled onto my chest and I am intermittently feverish. Once this was done I went off into Brighton to buy a few pressies for Anton, as it was his brithday. Also to sort out my Blackberry, which is not only frozen, but now officially dead. After some to-ing and fro-ing they have agreed to courier the part of the phone that does not work any more tomorrow. Every piece of technology I own is failing piece by piece. Went into a record shop and sore a vinyl single called Virgo Four Perfection, which seemed an ideal purchase for Anton. However when I got it home, the title had changed to Virgo Four Resurrection, which isn't the same thing at all. I also went into a charity shop and got some more vinyl for him. It staffed by a pair of least convincing angular male to female transgender ladies I have ever seen, both rather tightly lipped and unsmiling until you start to chat. A nice afternoon, though so...

Displacements A very enjoyable day, but not one in which much work happened. Trekked late from Lorraine's house to my own, and started work at a reprehensible 9:20. Glad I'd taken my hiking pole with a jabby end, as the streets are treacherously icy, climbing up hills coated with thick ice not a happy experience for generously proportioned gentleman with a high centre of gravity. A long and enjoyable chat on the theme of island madness with Richard this morning, then after several displacements, off at lunchtime to walk gingerly up to see Janet and Ken, to drop off some milk (as they'd sensibly avoided the icy streets) and their copy of A Guernsey Double , and Ken gave me a copy of his new translation Letters to Madame The Marchioness of P * * * * on Opera . (Attributed to the Abbe Gabriel Bonnnot de Mably 1709 - 1785). We also had a nice cup of tea, where I was shown a portrait of Rossi , their ginger cat. Then home. Mum called me just after I stepped into the door, h...

Mermaid's treasure Up early and off for a swim first thing. They have finally repaired the heater for the showers and the pool, although it was still not warm. Returned home to write a bit more on my Skelton Yawngrave novel before nipping up the hill to Anton's house to set off for the seaside with Klaudia and Oskar as it was such a beautiful day. There was talk of rock pooling, but the tide was up when we got to the sea. Talking to Klaudia a lot, and discussing shadows and how they follow you. Then on to discovering "mermaid's treasure" by a rock, (mainly shells) as little Oskar boofed cheerfully about the place without fear. After two hours of this, and Klaudia deciding she wanted cuddles: code for being carried as the little princess had had enough of walking. Shortly after being returned to the car my Godchildren slept like babies as Anton and I drove home. Sat in Anton's back garden drinking tea and chatting. Then Anton gave me three big bunches of grapes...