Prevailing Up very early and working on agency copy till noon, and chatting to First Matie whose job I shall be covering next week. Then down to the gym for another sweaty session. Then a bizarre and annoying visit to the printers to collect the remainder of the leaflets, over which there had been a mix up. They attempted to overcharge me, and claim they had "spoken to your wife who knew all about it" about their misquote. A story they stuck to despite me explaining I wasn't married, lived alone and showing them my phone which of course had no record of their call. I prevailed. Then a few yards down the road to meet Matt and cheerily discuss the recordings in The Basketmakers over a pint of Seafarers. Simon sent us the raw sound files today, and I listened to them again - finding it hard to be objective about hearing myself recorded. I soon pushed off to Lorraine's house from where we went to the local Indian restaurant The Shahi to join Cath and celebrate her bir...
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Skeletons, Sea mist and Spacetoads Slightly infuriating morning trying to get on with preparing to go into Downs School. Running out of paper and ink, and technology not cooperating. Running late I jumped into a cab and soon found myself making a cup of tea for myself in the staff room, before being marched down into one of the classes. A quick chat with their teacher Mrs Kennedy, and children ran into the room, taking some time to settle. Sudden surge of panic, but after a slightly clunky beginning I read a couple of chunks of the story to the kids, and talked about being a writer and fielded lots of questions and began to relax into it. Managed to get to the end of the session, and I think it went fairly well. Using Mum's pictures was a massive help. Then up and repeating the experience to another class. Conversation took a different route here and I read out slightly different sections, and this was not so successful, but still okay. Then I was shown out of the class and ambled ...
Links and cycles Busy making decisions about the A Guernsey Double book today. Catriona has pointed me in the direction of the Arts Commission forms and it's time to get started with a costing. I also found that asking my LinkedIn connections about sourcing digital printers and had lots of helpful advice within an hour. A revelation. Snowflakes again, but they only made the streets greasy. Took myself out in the afternoon for coffee and a different perspective to my magic cafe. In the evening Paul called me as he wasn't gigging tonight, and he and I spent the evening catching up in the Batty and swapping some headlines from the 20 years that have passed since Paul and I used to perform regularly in the Troubadour Cafe in Earl's Court. Paul told me about the long years as a wandering Troubadour himself, and what living in Paris is like as an artist these days, saying that Paris has a soul but its people don't. He also talked me through his Dr Spacetoad incarnation. App...
The Moon is a Dandy Rather run over feeling this morning, and a sluggish start to the day. Lorraine and I off to the Abergavenny Arms in Rodwell to meet First Matie, where I had the world's slowest pint and a exceedingly good Sunday roast dinner. From there we zoomed to the gorgeous village of Southease a couple of minutes down the road, with its roofs yellow with lichen. Good to see Kate in her new environs, utterly looking the part, and seeming very much at home in a little fairytale cottage, with a view across the road to the beautiful round tower of Southease Church, and the graveyard dotted with snowdrops. We took a cup of tea with us and wandered into the church. Inside a block of stillness, with only the sound of woodpigeons and other birds in it. Light tinged by coloured glass here and there. Fond farewells to Katie, then Lorraine and I zoomed home. In the evening I took myself off to the nearby Evening Star for another bout of Dr Spacetoad. A crazy night with bursts of w...