under another sun

To work again. At last some information about what they want me to be doing, and confirmation that I will have to go to Vienna at the end of November for four days. The American senior account woman, who is very chatty and bubbly, came and high-fived me at one point for writing a letter. Briefly mooching about at lunch, as today they had given me a long list of work that needed to be done. A bit of inter agency banter on Facebook today. The French Bloke posted a picture of his office again, looking out of the window onto the River and all its intriguing fowl at Sunbury. I stood up and photographed a nasty bit of Paddington, with a jealous Bah! Robbie snuck a photo of me hunched over my laptop, with a Bah! And Matty boy posted a photo of Bei Li standing at his desk in Chiswick. The big thing today was my poetry reading. Was fairly nervous about this all day. I felt underprepared. Also no chance to go through anything, or do any kind of rehearsal at all. Was even a bit twitchy about ...

Lorraine working from home this morning, which was nice to have tea together. We noticed the mushrooms were gone as mysteriously and quickly as they came. Thinking about my friend Tim Gallagher and trying to make an old poem about him work, had the image, which I rejected, of him disappearing into a wood like Keats's nightingale. A short walk at lunchtime, then slept heavily for an hour this afternoon. Luckily just before I went out this evening I did an hour's work I was pleased with. Then, before Lorraine got in, I walked to The Nightingale Room above the Grand Central pub opposite the station, which was tonight hosting a poetry reading. I will be reading there at the end of next month, although having done a blog post about this, it turns out the day has been changed and now it is October 25th. Anyway it seemed churlish not to turn up for some poetry, before I go on there. I knew a couple of people Michaela Ridgway and John McCullough with whom I had a brief chat about J...

Lorraine brought up tea and porridge for us first thing this morning. Then having got up I made Giannis more eggs and B. Not sure if he wanted them, but I forced them on him anyway. Much of the day devoted to driving myself quietly mad and going around in circles in the work I am doing. Went for a bit of a walk at lunchtime, which I thought might help. Returned to go around in circles in the afternoon to the point where I felt like pulling my hair out. Decided at the end of the day I was going to take a break from it, as the woods/trees conundrum was proving far too difficult. Walked down to the Red Roaster in the evening and watched some poets reading. Clare Best launching a small 'almost' pamphlet with a few illustrations by Michaela Ridgeway was the highlight for me. Still, nice to see some of the Lewes poetic posse of Robin, Charlotte, Clare, Stephen Bone and Catherine Smith and other poetic folks in attendance, and I had a nice chat with Marion Tracy, who I'd not p...