under another sun

Uncle Steve again for breakfast. Lorraine microwaved some porridge for him, till it exploded. Then Lorraine off to Eastbourne with Maureen for occupational therapy discussions about showers. Steve hung out with Pat, then made his way home. I had enjoyed getting to know him better.  I spent the morning working on the Kenniad, also getting ready for tomorrow's journey. Also wasted hours having ordered some diazepam from the surgery some time ago. I like to have one with me just in case when I am flying.  After three visits to the pharmacy, three visits to the surgery where just before close of play,  my doctor appeared to explain that I couldn't prescribed this, due to the fact that they couldn't be insured in case someone was drowsy when they needed to escape the plane. Infuriating waste of time.  Meanwhile an email from Auringy saying that there might be a problem with the flight tomorrow.  Home from the futile business at the surgery pausing to quaff a  pi...

Up early this Monday with Lorraine, and continuing my work (without much gusto or elan) on the work for mes amis in Paris all day. Took a call from my doctor to discuss my ears at 9:20. Going to try a mild steroid cream now, although not deep inside the ear obviously. The ears are making me feel sluggish. The house quiet without Beth as I worked, with only Calliope's patented 'heartbroken' howling miaow to be heard, and the occasional roof stabbing of peanut eating rooks overhead. Nevertheless a couple of short walks to oxygenate my brain, and one around the park when Lorraine got home after dinner. Made me think of Romy and Toby who often do postprandial strolls. Lorraine and I getting a grip on calories again. The time is right.

Ear properly raging this morning, so I talked to my GP practice and was able to get an appointment. I walked down to Oxford Street, where my surgery now is, and blessing Mum for providing me with some rubber gloves, buzzed for entrance and was allowed in. I found it was all a bit like being on stage, a facemask was pushed towards me and putting it on, I walked past the one patient on a chair and went upstairs to a waiting room with three or four chairs all in different parts of the room, with nobody sitting in them. Saw a Dr Cotton, who I liked lots and masked up as she was, looked into my ear and was gratifyingly taken aback by it, saying it looked very sore and painful, and prescribed antibiotic eardrops and then spray steroids for once it settles down. I asked her how she was bearing up, and she said that they were doing okay, and that people were beginning to come back to the surgery now after being too afraid to. We had tried to have a remote session, but the video link would not ...

So Lorraine back to work, and me back at my desk first thing looking out on torrential rain, but then had to push off to the quack to discuss my ears, which are sometimes painful and are now howling with more or less continual tinnitus. I was given a nose spray to help clear out sinuses generally, and told to try olive oil in my ears to soothe the inflammation, which did not respond to the previous spray. The young doctor also jabbed me for flu. Then to the gym, where I did a haggis- and beer-atoning workout, the chemist, Sainsbury's then walked home in the rain, chatting briefly to Mum. After a bite to eat, worked on some stuff my French client had sent through till 4.  And got back to tinkering with my own things. I prepped and Beth made some delicious chicken wraps, before she headed off to a meeting about a show. Lorraine survived her inset day, and we slumped on the sofa. Lorraine chatting with Maureen, as Pat and Maureen still recovering from a very nasty bug. We went to be...

Friday the 13th. As a budding horror writer this should be an excellent day, and in a weird way it was. Up and off to the quack this morning, the last stop of my dedicated health week. It is now in a different building, and was not my normal doctor. A nice young doctor however. Apparently I have otitis externa aka swimmer's ear which I have had for a couple of months at least. I think I got it from wearing my earbuds all the time while exercising and walking.  For this he has given me a spray, combining mild steroids and antibiotics. From there to the nearby boots to get the spray, and the pharmacist told me that next month I won't have to pay for my prescription, which is astonishing. Home feeling rather pleased with myself, as I had completed my week of medical things and come through unscathed. Ambled home through the park, and felt curiously happy. Working on the new story today too, which was fun. The cover for Magnificent Grace also coming on well. Also feeling physi...

So, a ghastly night's sleep. I took the monitor off after 2am (they said I could) and I didn't sleep till about 4 so felt a bit blurry this morning. Got out of bed early and began work on the story I started yesterday. I have assembled it from previous material, and it is working a treat. I have not settled on a name for it yet. After an hour or so of this I walked down to the doctor's office with the blood pressure gubbins, and for an appointment. The doctor was able to give me the scores on the doors, which he said were reassuring. In fact my blood pressure was okay. All I have to do now is take care of myself, shun situations that freak me out, and I may not explode like an overfed leech at any moment after all. This is a bit of a win. Off then to Brighton station and up to Paddington where I met Mum. The first of my three birds. We had arranged to meet in the station entrance. Of which there are about 17. Luckily mum had her phone and we discovered we were at oppo...

A bit of a medical theme, today. I had to get up early and walk off to have a blood test first thing. The nurse achieved a hole in one in my vein, which is a refreshing change. I walked home, and eventually was able to speak to Mum at the Royal Free. She was sounding pretty good, and the procedure yesterday didn’t leave her too uncomfortable. I also spoke to Mas, who was complaining about the number of people who had called around to check on him. Then after walking home, Lorraine and I went to have our feet done at a podiatrist called Sole Sisters. I’d never been to a podiatrist before. But having my feet sorted out (I have slightly ingrowing toenails) was great. The Kenny feet felt far more balletic right away. I am not particularly fond of my feet, but Lucy the podiatrist led me to believe that she had seen far grizzlier sights. Afterwards Lucy did Lorraine, while I drank a coffee in the café next door. In the afternoon, we dropped some baby clothes to Sam's old pal John Ma...

So up with the sparrows this morning, the sky still threatening rain. I mooched off the doctors to discuss blood pressure, gout, a persistent ear infection and a weird lump in my chest. Came away reassured, and with a few routine tests lined up. I like my doctor very much, and we tend to have a bit of a laugh. I told him its not you it's me, on my white coat syndrome. Off next to get my haircut as it was suddenly unruly and sprouting sideways like a clown. This dealt with, off to the ideologically unsound Starbucks where I celebrated with large cup of coffee, and fiddled with some poems. Then to Specsavers for an eye test. I need a slightly stronger prescription, but my eye health is good. Together we compared the red photos of inside my eyes to last time and it all looked healthy. Then the difficult business of choosing specs with a woman called Raquel, whose head I did in by rebuffing her suggestions. We had quite a laugh about it. Then a bus home, and I sorted out the last o...

Seagulls stamping and scuffing on our bedroom roof this morning. Off to see the doc this morning, who has set up blood and poo tests, and perhaps another colonoscopy if things don't improve. I'm keen on regular colonoscopies given that bowels, um, run in our family. I also handed him a leaflet for A Glass of Nothing . You never know. As I was just around from the barbers I had a quick cut in there from Stacy, who cut my hair before my wedding. He is a perfectionist, and it pleases me how he frowningly scissors individual hairs from the Kenny Barnet. Thence to Starbucks where I wrote a few bits and pieces, including on the new story. Bought a card for young Oskar whose birthday it is tomorrow, and got home to fashion a golden ticket for him. Sat with Beth this afternoon doing some play admin before our evening rehearsal, this time at home, with Dylan and Kitty. For reasons best known to herself Calliope very keen to join in. Lying on the carpet on the middle of the stage an...

Up early and working for an hour before I went to the quacks, and I had a blood test too.  Then lurked about in Starbucks with a large cup of tea and a skinny blueberry muffin, writing the rest of the script I was working on for the charity, and getting a new battery for my watch from a jewellers in Churchill square, who were both rude and inefficient, and buying a couple of pressies for my lovely wife, over which a veil of discretion must be drawn. Before returning home to put my nose to the grindstone.

Unable to sleep last night. Eventually got up, and drank some chamomile tea, put an icepack on my back, and started reading In Praise of Folly by Erasmus. Even this didn't do the trick. Consequently a little bleary and unfocused. Working on some first words for Helen's Centaur music, which was quite challenging. I also wrote myself a new list, but it seems more nebulous than last week's one. Bloody cold again, though as yet no snow in Brighton. Went for a walk through the park into town to try to pick up some a packaged from the clowns at Royal Mail. It had already been sent back, thanks to it having been wrongly delivered. Then to the doctor to discuss the constant hobbling. Felt a fraud because I haven't been hobbling at all for a couple of weeks, since I made the appointment. There was a student present in our consultation, which makes me feel like I am playing the Woody Allenish part of a neurotic patient, rather than actually being one. Walked home, cold despi...

Another dreadful night. Sometime after 4 at the end of my tether and being skewered with what is the worst back pain I've ever experienced, I swore and punched the bed. Unfortunately this frightened Lorraine awake and I felt like the worst kind of serial killer. Again due to the pain I ended up only being able to sleep on the sofa, wedging myself into a weird position around 5am. Lorraine late up because her mobile phone ran out of juice between the alarm ring and the snooze ring. I sprang from the sofa before 8 as a man called Luke from Rentokil arrived. I had to herd the cats into a safe room then leave the house repairing to the cafe around the corner to work on my laptop. Except my specs were in the now biohazard house. Nothing for it but to eat a diet busting large breakfast, while listening to three men competitively bragging about their holidays and the heroic  scuba dives, fishing trips etc. they'd all done on them. Luckily got a Doctor's appointment and given s...

Hobbled off to Brighton to visit the Japanese shop to buy authentic miso soup. Then visited the doctor to bleat about my health (the lump between my ribs nothing to worry about apparently). Then popped into The Real Patisserie to buy some savoury bits and some chewy brown bread. Took the eatables up to Janet and Ken to scoff them with a nice bowl of mulligatawny soup that Janet had made. A pleasant interlude. Ken rather tired, but much conversation with Janet on a wide range of subjects. She is sensibly opting to take a break from her Diva show next year. Home to Haywards Heath (impossible to get used to saying that) and cabbed yawning back from the station. Then apart from a few urgent emails about Telltale Press and I was bone idle and slept. Then watched World at War documentaries about the Final Solution and Japan. War really is Hell. Was struck by the everyday context for so much of the madness. The Kamikaze pilots for example knocking back a spot of sake before heading off t...

Up early and on with the book before having to break off to go to the quack. Blood tests reveal blood sugar and cholesterol fine. A medical student in the room which is a tad weird. Feeling stressed this morning, and having to wait ages in the doctor's waiting room looking at the blood pressure monitoring machine, amplifying usual white coat syndrome meant blood pressure was high. I suggested they do one of those 24 hour trials, which my doctor agreed to, this will happen in November. More shenanigans with the house, having to chase the letting agents as they have underpaid me by £380, meanwhile the purchase moving with the pace of an arthritic snail. Feeling calmer and more relaxed this afternoon. Doing a bit more writing. Lorraine home early and after chilling with her for a while, before we wandered off to the Battle of Trafalgar to meet Rosie, Betty and Matt. Dawn also popped in later in the evening. Good to see everyone, and settle my nerves thanks to good work done in the...

In an excellent mood, off to the quack, who is a lovely man and with a medical student who he quizzed with testing questions. Off the antibiotics for the time being, thank God. Some new pills which the pharmacist, who seems to like me, took me into a little room to discuss. Then, as my hair had passed its clown-like tipping point, to the barbers. Anton says there are two patterns in  male baldness, 'the rockabilly', a cooler sort of frontal balding favoured by him and,  less cool, 'the benedictine' which my area of concern is steadily turning into. Came out with a sleek head, and pointed it in the direction of Janet and Ken's house. Delighted to see Ken on his feet to greet me with a beardy hug when I arrived. He was full of praise for Janet, and mentally sharp, and he in far better shape than I had expected, and they are tinkering with his meds to get things right, and was on the receiving end from his doctor about actually taking them. Ken is being visited eve...

Lorraine up early, and I sprang up too. Working on insulin pens copy, before shuffling off to sit in the Quack's waiting room for 50 minutes. Luckily I was listening to PG Wodehouse, tuning into a funnier world of gentlemen's gentlemen, terrifying aunts and people 'what ho!'-ing each other and feeling really rather braced. The doctor arranging a trip to the specialist for me, as three months of this boring and depressing malarkey was deemed enough. He gave me a backup prescription for antibiotics so I won't be, um, caught short again. Enjoyably popped out for a coffee with Anton at lunchtime. Nice place, and my first cup of coffee for weeks. Anton loves Januaries, as it is the start of his working year, and nothing has had a chance to go wrong yet. Laughing about some of his patented work tactics, such as 'short answer yes, long answer no', the principle of never saying no to anyone, until you can give them a full explanation. Then home to finish off t...

Off to the quack. I like my doctor,  despite loathing surgery visits. In the waiting room I started listening to a meditation on my iPhone. After a few minutes talking to the doctor the earphones somehow slid out, and a hypnotic voice started talking from my pocket about climbing down a flight of stairs into a beautiful garden, complete with tweets of birds. My doctor sees me as a bit of an eccentric and things like this don't help. After this I strode down to the sea, which was strikingly green. Wandered about on the pier for a bit. A gloomy day, but good to get some fresh air and feeling personally a bit freer than I have done for a while. Homeward, and I popped into the pharmacy, waiting with the methadone users, for the horse pills I was prescribed. Afternoon and early evening spent on accounts. Things extra complicated by moving house, above and beyond the normal scratting around for receipts and so on. Almost there now, and I will be greatly pleased when it's all done...

Friday to the quack, who personally sucked bloods out of me to pinpoint the cause of seized-up ankle and joints -- I will go back to find the results in a week or so. I like my doctor. Home and marvelling again at the treacheries of the body, that in a few days you can go from doing three 1-2 hour gym sessions per week to barely being able to walk. An ideal time then for Lorraine and I to drive to the Cotswolds to stay with Sue and John. Grey overcast or raining all day of course. But a pleasant drive into the green, and a few minutes before we arrived at South Littleton the low sun broke free momentarily, and the spotlit fields and trees and the country road were suddenly beautiful against the brooding sky. A warm welcome on arrival (and an articulate one from Paddy the dog who with the barest tweak to his DNA would actually talk) and we had an enjoyable evening sitting at their big kitchen table, eating and chatting late into the night.

Overlooked by Lucy Up early to finish the haemophilia website, then off to the quack following their letter summons. As a hypochondriac the less time brooding about what could be wrong, the better. This meant I had to see the scary doctor as opposed to usual one. Pleased to discover there was nothing much to worry about. Meanwhile Mum had gone to the hospital to discuss her post operative pain with her surgeon, and they have just upped the strength of her painkillers, which is not entirely satisfactory. Slipped out to the gym for a brief go on the hulk legs machine. But had to break off to attend to some business matters, and line up another spot of work for next week. Then went with Matt this afternoon to check out the Marlborough pub theatre for the doppelganger project. The young theatre manager is in Matt's choir, and seemed keen for us to try out the mini-opera there. I looked even more fondly on Matt than usual, as he is my passport to success when it comes to knowing people ...

Job Cold now developed into a streaming man cold. Feel like Job. Next stop a plague of boils. However I had French work to do, so up with les moineaux to get on with it as I plan to take the rest of the week off to see Toby when he arrives, and try to get myself back into shape. I am walking much better today, and was able to saunter down to go to the quack to discuss swollen knees, ankles etc. with some alacrity. My doctor is a gentle soul and so it is easy to forgive sitting in the waiting room for 40 minutes. Home again, but brain AWOL, and everything difficult, although the new client Justine is charming. Took myself briefly to Waterstones for half an hour's respite. A nice evening. Lorraine arrived bearing DVDs, and cooked us a vegetable curry. We watched the Swedish film of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .