under another sun

Friday and some time this morning to finalise what I was going to read tonight and collect together a few books and so on. Lorraine really busy, shopping with James for the shower tomorrow, doing the last stitches of the secret project, ferried Pat and Maureen from the pub with their new friend also called Maureen. After a wee snooze, I caught the half five train to Lewes, and sauntered over to the Elephant and Castle and sat quietly for a bit and drank a shandy.  Today was the launch of Robin's The Mayday Diaries  and she had been kind enough to ask me to read with her. She also asked Catherine Smith to join us. We discussed beforehand that we wanted to make it fairly informal, and a bit chatty like the podcast. When Nick and Robin arrived, we went upstairs and Robin and I arranged the chairs for the reading. Palo arrived early, with two prints which we put on chairs to be seen. I joked to Palo that she was my show and tell. Soon people were turning up. Many of the audie...

A full day. Up and writing, Lorraine off to work with Beth in Churchill Square. Just as I was getting into my flow, a call from Maureen, and I nipped around to help her and Pat with the catheter that he had put in yesterday. Luckily I had previous experience helping Ken with his.  Then a short walk along the seafront before getting back to my desk. A few tweaks to the podcast, and that was uploaded today, featuring my interview with Martin Malone. In the afternoon, I joined in another Understory Conversation and read the second part of the Kenniad to Marilyn, Emma and Charlotte -- obviously far too long for any comments, but the consensus was positive.  After I finished this, I then carried lots of big broken bits of built in wardrobe from the bathroom to outside the house. At one point I dropped one of the big bits outside, and it fell edgeways onto the four toes of my left foot. I was only wearing canvas Vans shoes. That smarted really badly.  Lorraine back from adventu...

 Lorraine and I overslept this morning. More recording with Robin at 11, then I spent much of the day editing, and sent it to Robin at close of play. Meanwhile Lorraine had put out a plea for help with our built in wardrobe, as the day before I had tried unsuccessfully to be able to unscrew a single screw -- they had all been glued somehow into place, as well as screwed in.  However Chris and Patrick arrived with bags full of heavy tools, and managed to dismantle it with lots of effort. It was unbelievably kind of them. I continued editing, but then somehow all the lights fused due to the work. I thought for a moment I'd lost much of the day's work, but luckily once my chuggy slow mac sorted itself out, it turned out I had lost nothing. Finished this work, just as Patrick and Chris had finished their demolishing. Lorraine and I hugged them both. Really they were extremely generous. Quite tired by the editing, and enjoyed slumping in the warm, watching TV.

A long slog. Up and working at my desk at seven, until I had to give a presentation to a dozen or so folks, as Marlène not really fluent enough to present in English. I felt for her today. She had a cold and her son had kept her up all night with flu and having to spend the day working in a foreign language with me This evening, after scoffing a delicious dinner Lorraine had made, I sloped off to Patrick's house grateful for a walk, even though it was very cold. Spend the evening with him and Andrew listening to two new tracks he has put together. He has been composing in a sort of electronic dance music way, and one of the tracks Shiny Shoes , was a bit like Underworld, and a proper banger. It sampled people giving offensive opinions on phone in shows, which escalated into a song which was a refuted them. Andrew and I, accidentally in matching jumpers, listened to it at high volume, while sipping a couple of judicious beers and gave what feedback we could. Andrew a particularly pe...

Working on concepts for Valérie again today. Sent them off this afternoon, and received an almost instantaneous positive response. Working with Val is lovely. Also billed my other client, then went for a walk late in the evening, just to blow the cobwebs off having been manacled to the desk for much of the day. Lorraine had been off to her personal trainer this morning and was out and about. Felt in a good mood, having completed my jobs. Spoke to Mum, then went for a drink with Patrick and Andrew. Was fascinated by Andrew telling me that he can't see pictures in his head. He read an article in the Guardian about someone who had never been able to visualise people or things in their heads and realised it was him too. A story made even more remarkable by the fact that he had worked for years in Police surveillance. A rather a good and interesting evening, and I enjoyed myself. Both men very interesting. We had a perhaps unnecessary absolute bloody final in the Cinque Ports having met...