under another sun

Enzo this morning, then with Enzo, Lorraine and I went around to Pat and Maureen's where Handy Kate was going to do some work in their flat. Lorraine drove Pat and Maureen home, and I pushed the wee boy home. On the way back I saw that Melissa was doing her art installation from her window, so we stopped to see her. Enzo being shy. Melissa sitting by a sign she'd made saying The Department of Boundaries is now closed.  As were chatting a woman, with some kind of special needs came by and started going through her tray of things. I couldn't stay long as I we had to get back. A day of looking after folks, playing with Enzo, making Pat and Maureen teas and so on. I did have a little time to think here and there.  We took Pat and Maureen back, and spent an hour or so settling Pat down, as he'd had a toilet accident. The love and care Maureen and Lorraine give him is heartwarming.  Was able to call Mum too, to confirm I'm coming up tomorrow. Home and I cooked a curry fo...

Somewhat cooler in Seaford today, we had a bit of sea fret which cooled things down nicely. Got up early to sit in my study, at my desk in a cooling draft, and finding I could concentrate again.  Meanwhile poor Mum still sweltering  in Edgware, but she is battling through it. After an early lunch the joy of being able to walk to the gym without getting hot and bothered. Lovely stuff. I've experienced hotter temperatures than these before in other countries, but something about the humidity was just too much to bear.  Back from the gym, but a story rejection took the wind out of my sails for a bit. But I soon perked up as in the evening I met Lorraine in the Boot early, as she came straight from Pat and Maureen. Just us which was actually really nice, then and Melissa and Chris came and sat with us briefly until our food came. I like their meet cute... Melissa beating grouse out of the undergrowth towards the guns, one of which was Chris. Then Chris and Julie arrived short...

To drawing class this morning, home to Lorraine and Enzo. Had lunch, and played with the baby, then sloped off to the gym for a bit. Late afternoon, I bussed off to Brighton and the Stanley Road store. Patrick and Melissa were giving talks there. Many familiar faces: Adele, Kate and Andrew, Sally and Marek, Debbie, Chris Melissa's husband and Chris and his son, and some friends from art class. All jolly, and the people who ran it talking about their philosophy of joining artist together, as well as my friends, they had a slide show of visual art, to a background of music created by a Polish DJ. I talked to lots of people and came back feeling quite boosted. On the way home, Adele, Patrick and I stopped off at Franco Manca for a cheeky pizza before going home by train to Seaford. Below Patrick and Melissa acquitting themselves excellently. Melissa dressed as Frieda Kahlo, and talking about a fresh start in her work after reviewing an impressive track record. Patrick talking about tr...

Tried to get on with something like normal life. Dipped my toe into the water, by going to life drawing, just around the corner. Nice to chat with Melissa and Debbie and a new man called John. A male model I've drawn before. I was struggling to get any likeness today,  and after a couple of hours I felt extremely tired.   Baby Enzo with us when I got home, as Beth has restarted work today.  Enzo sleeping after a disrupted night, and I sparked out on the gold sofa too after the rigours of drawing. He was a bit alarmed when Lorraine gave him to me, as he hasn't seen me for a few weeks.  The afternoon I joined join the understory group from my study. I was able to vent a little in a supportive space with Charlotte, Emma, Marilyn and Linda, felt better for it, and also understood. Also interested by other people's interesting work and thoughts.   Exhausted after this, I did not go to the needle writers reading in Lewes, where I was hoping to see Robin and other pals...

After a cheeky breakfast with Lorraine, off to life drawing. A male model called Haley, who warmed up doing advanced yoga, and was able twist his body into what Melissa calls pretzel shapes. Really enjoyed the drawing today. Enjoyed seeing all the drawers, and found myself next to Debbie who Lorraine and Adele know through the book group. Melissa told me I had been missed which is always nice to hear. Beth and Enzo at home when I got back. Enzo a delight of course, and fascinating how you can see new developments in the space of a week.  This afternoon Beth took Enzo to the Nursery for half an hour. There is a process where you gradually habituate the baby into going there. Both seemed fine afterwards.   Inexplicably washed out this afternoon. Had a doze, and a quiet read of my Raymond Chandler book Farewell, My Lovely. I rallied for a brief trip off to Morrisons. Photographing this watery looking sun which spoke to me of today's energy levels. Early to bed. Below, the sun, an...

Woke up after a nightmare, where I had suddenly remembered that I had murdered two people, and felt (still in the dream) utterly horrified at myself.  Up and off to Melissa's drawing class... Another older male model. I tried something different: not taking my pencil off the page and trying to draw in a continuous line, and not be afraid to make mistakes. I quite enjoyed it. Off this afternoon to see Stacy, to get my hair cut. Raining of course, so I got home with wet hat hair. Stacy less stressed than when I last saw him. Happy to be staying in tonight, as the weather was foul again. Below some sketches keeping the pencil on the page, and Sydney Street in the rain.

My best night sleep in days. Woke up feeling chipper, made breakfast for Lorraine and I then slid off to Life Drawing class. A nice model called Sadie, it was her first time modelling so was a bit nervous. She was a history of art graduate, who was feeling her way back into work after having children. My drawings weren't as good as I hoped, but switching to coloured pencils again helped. I was drawing next to Adele, which was fun. Helped Melissa tidy up afterwards. She's a good egg and rather a kind person I think. In the late afternoon, Steve, Adele and Patrick arrived for a Shakespeare session. Today's play, All's Well That Ends Well . A pretty unpleasant play all round. With a little bit of comedy in it. Helena is in love with Bertram, who is high born and noble and barely knows she's alive. However, by managing to cure the King of France of his anal fistula, she is rewarded by her choice of men. She chooses Bertram who marries her, does not consummate the relati...

Off to life drawing this morning, wrapped up in lots of warm clothes. Only an hour's coughing last night. Nice to see Melissa and my fellow scribblers. The room was warm for the model, so I had to take off a few layers. One of those times when I make people laugh without trying. I tried drawing with charcoal mostly, and used some that Anton had bought me, which soon got over my hands and face and so on. Melissa tells me that I am too harsh about my own efforts, and suggested that next week I should draw with my left hand to lower expectations. So I'll try that. I want to be rawer and more spontaneous, and sometimes I want to draw towards a project, something like a little booklet with poems for example. Other times I think I should just draw for its own sake. I am overthinking everything. Gah. Home and Lorraine at Beth's. I watched a video of an ICE agent leaning into a car, and murdering a mother called Renee by shooting her in the face. An action later defended by the Tru...

Breakfast with Mum, filled her up with seeds and live yoghurts, toast etc. Not long after, Beth and Enzo in matching pyjamas came by, and Mum met Enzo for the first time and was as enamoured by the little lad as everyone else.  I peeled many root vegetables. Later Lorraine and I zoomed around Morrisons and then took Mum to see Pat and Maureen. A nippily gorgeous day with the sun on the sea. Maureen pleased to see Mum. We made plans about tomorrow's festivities. Mum and I went out by the sea for a bit for five minutes or so, but it was parky a piercing north east wind.   Early evening and we took Mum to the Old Boot Inn, where we met up with Delores. The pub was rammed, and flukily we managed to get a table. Mum liked the busy festive throng. Melissa was on a nearby table and we chatted to her and Chris her husband as they were leaving. I assured Melissa that I would eagerly return to her drawing class next term. Chris, one of the rebooters, turned up too with his son Keiran, w...

Early again this morning. Lorraine zooming off to Beth's. Enzo having his first jabs today. I made off to the life drawing class. Again not quite feeling at the top of my game while drawing. Making lots of mistakes, and drawing lots of constructive comments from Melissa. Our model today was excellent, Lorraine Yu from Hong Kong who is also an actor.  Kate, one of the others who attends there, brought me in lots of coloured paper, as I was admiring her work, where she makes marks with coloured pastels directly onto coloured paper. I might have a go at that. Someone was handing out leaflets for a Poetry event in Ardingly, then began saying that when she taught poetry in schools they rhymed and had strict metre and so on. Everything else was -- and I am paraphrasing here -- degenerate rubbish. Luckily I took no bait. T.S.Eliot for example, published The Wasteland in 1922, which didn't wasn't in strict metre and didn't rhyme -- and that was over a 100 years ago.  Was feeli...

Up early, Lorraine having a nice lie in. Then breakfast, wordle, tidying up, thinking about writing, and a chat with Anton. His latest physio seems to indicate he is doing very well, but his next task is to learn how to walk normally again.  I was trying to loosen a screw in some curtain poles which, some time later Loraine and I successfully attached to the wall. In the afternoon we also put some heavy shelves up. A disgusting business, and the less said about it the better: after enormous effort, I have put them in upside down. Beth came around with Enzo for a bit, after the wee bairn had been weighed. He's making excellent progress. Beth also trying to sort out the wiper problem on her car, took it into the local Kendall's garage and was quoted an eye-watering £400.  'A little bundle of joy' is a cliche for a baby, but there's no doubt Enzo is one. A beautiful day. I did my paces under blue skies, and big fluffy white clouds, which I always want to make black and...

Recording with Robin after breakfast, did the rest of the show in one session, which was pleasing. Then I gathered my bits of recent drawings and went to Melissa's house at lunchtime, just across from the graveyard in the centre of town. She lives in a bright yellow house, and we talked for almost an hour about what I'd done. Nice to have this chat with her, as she gave me some good advice, for example about shading up to the line. I had to smile, as at school Ron Groom used to get me to paint up to the line too. I always seemed to want to leave gaps between areas of colour, and a bazillion years later I'm still doing this. These old tendencies seem to be hard wired in. Left and bumped into Adele on the street, who was just on her way to have her own feedback sesh too. I always love bumping into friends on the street. Makes me feel at home. Otherwise a quiet day for me, some writing this afternoon. Lorraine busy with Pat and Maureen. I spoke to Mum, and cooked in the evenin...