under another sun

Working hard this morning. I have utterly changed my policy on agents, seeing as many of them state in their guidelines that you can send them samples of your book (the ones that are accepting approaches) but can't guarantee to ever get back to you unless they are interested. I am just adopting a multiple, mail-them-if-they-have-a-pulse policy and turning it into a numbers game, until such point as anyone shows interest or I am done with the whole of the Children's Artists' & Writers' Yearbook. Then I will try another route. All this a long-winded way of saying I sent out my novel to two more agents. It is time consuming, because even if you have prewritten a covering letter template, synopsis and so on, each agency wants the information sent in different ways so you always have to adapt it. But machines don't mind doing this sort of thing at all. The policy from now on is one of unfeeling relentlessness. Beep. Whirr. I sent out a short story too. Off into t...

So up with Lorraine this morning, and waved her off not to see her for the rest of the week. She is going to the Isle of Wight today with a couple of dozen children in a coach and a boat. So left to my own devices this week. Certain photos taken of me last week at the poetry reading I went to, cropped up on Facebook. In these photos I look a bit like Friar Tuck. I began a two-pronged attack on this, going to the barbers late this morning to make sure the ratio of gleaming pate to hair was a bit less medieval. Then to the gym for the first time in ages, for a mild mannered half an hour on the cross trainer.  From there to the non-ideologically sound Starbucks, where I worked for a bit on my laptop, before sauntering off to The Marwood where I had arranged to meet Catherine and Alex, as I thought they should meet as they have much in common. Nice to drink even coffee and chat with them for a couple of hours about all kinds of things. Then home, where I did a bit more work. I am ...

Up early and working for a while, before sloping off into town, where I bought shoe laces, dust masks for scraping walls, and went to the bank. After this I had a quick coffee in the Marwood cafe. It was regrettably full of posturing arty types doing some kind of quick and grubby photoshoot, as if it were the most important thing in the world. Bah, I thought, Old fogeyishly. Then off to meet Catherine at The Bath Arms for lunch. A pint of beer, some grub and a long chat. Catherine is so intelligent and sane, I always feel braced and perked up by her company, and that I can say almost anything to her. I also spoke to Rosie about our forthcoming birthdays, which as they are only a day apart we are going to have a mutual drink in a pub with our many mutual chums on Saturday night. Still no real energy. I start off the day full of hope and cheer, but by mid afternoon feel tied, and achey, which makes me feel glum. It feels like there are million things to do, but I just have no oomph. ...

So another good sleep, though punctuated with nightmares again. I seem to be going through a season of them, as the brain does its nightly archiving. Lorraine working from home today, and I was too, courtesy of my lovely French clients, doing a smidgeon of work on antimicrobial resistance. I was also going into town to meet Alex, a very interesting person I met through Glen 'Fingers' Capra. However instead of arriving at 11:30 I set off at 11:30 and so was half an hour late, just missing her. I hate this sort of thing as it pains me to be late by even a few minutes. Luckily she accepted my apology, and we are to meet tomorrow. As I burst into the Marwood, the sound system was playing, appropriately, 'She's Gone' by Hall and Oates. Had a coffee there anyway, and then bought some vittles and returned home, all by foot so, there and back, I had a good walk at least. Home and a bit more French work, and published a summation of the Edinburgh stuff on my other site. ...

Early breakfast, and then out into town, to watch the children's parade. Always lots of fun, and reminds me of how great Brighton is. This year on the theme of poetry in motion, and so many parents joining in. Lots of drumming and music too of course. We saw our former  next door neighbours in the Old Church Hall on the parade with their sons, and Lorraine saying howdy to a few teacher pals. Then off to the Marwood for a coffee, and we did shopping looked at tea plates, which Lorraine had a pressing need for but we couldn't find the perfect ones. I bought my yearly pair of shades, destined no doubt to be sat on or lost, and Lorraine went into Specsavers to sort out her specs order. Then spontaneously off to Kommedia, had a bite to eat and a drink of lager and watched the afternoon showing of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, which was great fun. I don't much like superhero films, but this is fresh, ironic, visually surprising and puts being entertaining front and centre. L...

Up slowly, and had some breakfast, before Lorraine and I walked down to the Marwood where we met Sophie and Andros for a coffee and a good deal of talking too. Just really good fun to be hanging out with them again. Appropriately, we sat in the Naughty Corner. I drank three coffees. Good to hear about how Christof and Electra were doing, and talk to Andros about films and Sophie about life. Looking again at The Shining door they have there complete with a plastic Jack Nicholson face poking through it. Of course Andros worked on The Shining . Fond farewells, Sophie and Andros heading back off to London, and Lorraine and I went home by bus, and Lorraine worked on school things, and I did bits of my own work, cooked and so on.  Also did some sorting out of clothes, and our shared wardrobe. We threw out lots of my ratty teeshirts.

After another plumber had come to look at our bathroom, Lorraine and Beth off to Eastbourne to see Sarah's production of Beauty and the Beast.  I bussed into town and met Sophie and Andros by the seafront. We walked to the Marwood Cafe for a long chat. Both cheerful despite Andros having a bad heart attack on the side of Mt Athos in Greece last year, and having spent weeks in a Greek hospital. Christof was with him at the time and had to deal with the emergency (which he did brilliantly) and led to Andros being dramatically winched up from the side of the mountain and airlifted to hospital. He made me laugh lots when we were discussing Brighton hen parties, and how the next morning they return to London like jaded boilers. Sophie, despite all the colossal amounts of stress over the past few months, pretty good too. Andros has moments when he can't breath as his heart is not working very well, but they pass. He is facing his obstacles with courage and humour, and is just getti...

Rain dodged to the Marwood Cafe this morning for a long chat with Sarah Barnsley and Robin about matters poetical and non-poetical, such as the future of Telltale and so on. I'd told them it was a hipster cafe, and Robin liked it, while Sarah amusingly began her Marwood encounter with a lengthy description of a better cafe nearby.  Back home and a general scampering about getting this ready for our trip to Whitby. I'n my case this involved having a sleep, as I this chest infection persists in making me feel drained.  Heard from Matty boy that the probably destination for my October trip is Chad. I will get a fuller brief at the end of next week. Beginning to look forward to it, as well as feel challenged by it. If things go to plan I will be there on my birthday. After Lorraine got home from work, and John came around and Betty cooked for us all, we packed the car and drove off to Edgware, as the first morsel of our journey up to Vampiric Whitby.  M25 as us...

Up early and made tea, then after doing a few chores, and noting with irritation the damage the foxes have already done to our new patio Lorraine and I went out for the day in Brighton. One of those perfect Brighton days, the centre busy and full all kinds of music from varieties of buskers. We wandered about happily doing some shopping. I popped into the second hand book store where I found a bilingual edition of selected poems by Victor Hugo, including one or two he wrote in Guernsey, one poem Open Windows: Early Morning he talks about all the sounds he can hear, including the bells of the Town church. Did some shopping, Lorraine looking in shops for fabric, and an earring tree to solve the morning problem of hard-to-find earrings. We paused for coffee at the Marwood Coffee House, more shopping, then popped into The Basketmakers for a bite to eat and a pint at five. Then at six we went to the Kommedia to see the final cut of Blade Runner on a big screen. Just fabulous: a visual ...

Up late after a dreadful night's sleep, waking in the night weirdly panicked and dehydrated, bused into the smog of Brighton to meet Mindy at the Marwood. There is a noticeable foulness about the air. Good to catch up with her jetlagged as she was from a trip to New York with David. While there she had dragged him deep into Queens to see a theatre show in someone's house, and then added David's address as a possible venue for the world tour. I observed she could be quite high maintenance sometimes. Really good to see her and sip a couple of coffees in the Marwood, which I always enjoy. Fond farewells with Mindy, who I realise now I have known for about 30 years, then ambled home, stopping off to buy a second hand copy of Nine Songs by Arthur Waley, and fail to have a haircut as I couldn't be bothered to queue. Had a snack with Lorraine on the patio, conscious now of more than half a dozen foxes stowed in their den a few feet away. A real sun trap. Bits of admin t...