under another sun

Doing some editing of my interview with Ruth Padel for the podcast for a couple of hours this morning. A wintery wet day, and my mood was a bit on the lowish side too. But no time for that, as Lorraine's Uncle Steve, Pat and Maureen and Beth and James came around for Sunday lunch.  Lorraine and I cooked roast pork and roast chicken. I gave Pat and Maureen a nip of PX sherry which Maureen loved. Uncle Steve lively and on good form. James, who was fighting off a cold, had been racing his bike at 9:00am at Preston Park, with Beth being his loyal supporter. It's love. Eeveryone melted away. Steve back to Margate with Pat and Maureen's spare keys in his pocket.  I called Mum for a chat, then Lorraine and I lurked. I watched some FA cup stuff. Chelsea already out, and then some more Frasier.  To bed, and I read Lorraine All Summer in a Day , a story from by giant book of most of the short stories written by Ray Bradbury. Set on a rainy Venus, and first published in 1954. It is ...

Sunny at first, with the bloody seagull tapping on the kitchen door again. I leant out of the window and photographed it doing so. But the big thing today was... Rain. Rain at last falling on Seaford this afternoon, and fairly heavily too. We had a garden morning, potting up tomatoes, chilies and so on.  Lorraine drove some cardboard off to the nearby recycling, and I floated about in the back garden for a few minutes just soaking up (ahem) the experience of rain. Petrichor, I learned recently, is the word for the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after long heat. And there was a sense of the garden sighing with relief. The fish pond, which had been making me feel anxious because its level was so low, despite sneaking buckets of water into it, was replenished by a good amount too.  Was contacted by an old school friend today, Peter Hoibak, out of the blue for the first time in over forty years -- via his wife's linked in account. A pleasant surprise. I guess we ar...

Lorraine and I spent Saturday spent in Zombie mode, recovering from what had been a despicable week at work. I had a nice chat with Mum, pottered about a bit, but had no gas in the tank. I wanted to go for a walk, but there were gales and heavy rain all day, apart from when I got up early to buy bread and take Lorraine and I breakfast in bed and read the Guardian on the phone as the rain started to fall. Worked all day Sunday. Took Lorraine breakfast in bed, then disappeared. For me this job has turned into an endurance test. I am going to take a break after it for sanity reasons. But as a last job and my patience is in the red zone. Especially the 2.5 hour meetings that stretch into every evening with an unwieldy  transatlantic team. Mystifying why squandering dozens of people's time this way is thought good. Right now I feel like I am serving a jail sentence, and haven't wished the days away like this since I was in Chad. Our ideas, of course, are liked. The New York people w...

A comparatively wonderful night's sleep. Woke up having slept like a log, and accompanied by cats. Got up and bought some bread and bacon from around the corner, and made breakfast and took it up to Lorraine. Gradually got up and unpacked our case full of dirty clothes. Spoke to Mum and Mas this morning, they showed me the new rail in the garden outside, a big improvement. They seemed fairly cheery, and were off to meet Robert at lunchtime. I also spoke to Ben who called by.   Utterly rainy again. Reminding me of the year that Romy stayed with us in Brighton, and it rained harder and more often than I had ever seen it. In the afternoon we walked down to The Beirhaus pub where we met Anton, free at last after serial self-isolations. He has mostly been bored and working really hard. Had a few cheeky German beers and hot dogs with German mustard and sauerkraut and caught up on the news. Then to the Fountainhead for a bit more to eat and a game of euchre. We had some veggie stuff, but ...

Working on the French brief about cat vaccinations all day. My old pal Keith called me, and we may be doing a wee bit of work together one way or another soon. Out this evening to see Anton, at his house. Just catching Lorraine for a bit, before I left.  Walked there in the teeming rain, but I had a big golf umbrella so was fine. We just hung out drinking a few beers and eating Anton's amazing pizzas. A board game set up, based on the Lord of the Rings, and Anton had spent forever painting each character individually and there seemed to be hundreds of them, everything from Oiliphants to Orcs, Nazguls to Hobbits, all painted in meticulous detail. More surprising than this, that after listening to some tunes and eating till I felt like bursting, was that Anton got out his Tarot pack and did a tarot reading. Just writing that last sentence makes me feel I have fallen through a tear in the fabric of reality into another world. Lovely cards though. And also he had an oracle pack, where ...

Left to my own devices today as Lorraine at working in the School and off to pilates this evening. When I wasn't working, or sending emails I went for a walk in the drenching rain to pick up a prescription that hadn't arrived earlier in the week. This time they said there was no record of me ordering it, despite the fact the doctor phoned me for a chat having received it.  Home and also found the invoice I had sent to the The French Bloke's agency had disappeared into the ether too. They only intermittently receive my emails, which is perplexing.

Worked well on my own writing. I am writing well at the moment. In the afternoon slunk off to the gym, which was cue for a deluge of rain. After a cheeky half an hour on the cross trainer in my new gym shoes. I went popped into the pharmacy, and Sainsbury's. Utterly soaking by the time I got home, and had a hot shower.  Cooked rather excellent meatballs for supper. A nice evening in with Lorraine. Other than that, few pulse-quickening matters to report.

Up early because of Plumbers, who did not turn up immediately. Had breakfast with Toby who was now heading off to Aberystwyth, a bit of an epic rail journey via London and Birmingham.  Sad to see him go, but we will hook up next week. No water this morning, as there was a burst water main just down the road. Took a few hours to sort out. Plumbers arrived, and finally finished installing the shower. An electrician is coming next Friday, just for one or two bits, but it is done. It looks good too. Only took 'em four weeks. In the afternoon, once we were free of workmen, and Sonia had arrived, we made off to Hassocks garden centre and bought Lorraine the sun lounger she had been craving. Then home. The sky looking somewhat suspect, and a bit of a wind gathering. We took he sun lounger out onto the decking, and soon it was thundering and raining hard, for the first time in over 50 days. In the evening off to a drink to celebrate Innis's birthday, at the Bottom's Rest.  ...

Off to London this morning early, sporting my new jacket under fine skies. Arrived in plenty of time at the station, but because the ticket seller's machine suddenly went slow, I only just caught my train. Into the passport office, where a passport lady told me that I'd not changed in ten years. If only, but I did look dour in my last photo though. Then to Chiswick for discussions with Stephen on work matters. It started raining again there, then back to Victoria to collect my shiny new passport and leap on a train. Once at Preston Park I walked home in torrential rain in my brand new jacket, which was a galling. Betty and Lorraine both at home, Beth rightly feeling horrible by having to get up for 4:20 the next morning. Had a long chat with Helen, who is recovering from surgery and about to undergo radiotherapy. Good to talk to her about everything. We agreed to meet up after I return from Chad. Pleased to be working from home for the rest of the week on my freelance p...

So eventually an interlude where the rain and was replaced by rainwashed blue sky. Quite a long chat with Sonia this morning, who told me to get back to work upstairs so that we could continue to employ her. After some hours of work, I slipped blinking into the outside world, and via the Real Patisserie, where I had something of a consultation about the comparative sweetness of tarts, up to see Janet and Ken, drink tea and snap into the tarts. Janet and Ken on pretty good form, and Janet's slow but steady recovery means that she felt well enough to go up to London to see the Paul Klee exhibition at the Tate Modern. I must see this before it is done. A good deal of breeze to be shot.  Janet is already beginning to prepare for the Open Houses later in the year. Felt curiously wan and as if sickening for something a bit later. Lorraine was working at home late this afternoon, and simply slept for an hour as she worked before took Lorraine's London Hospital cure all of a cup o...

All day at my desk, working really fluently and happily on the book. The rain and hail of the outside world did not tempt me. Instead I worked or Noah-ishly listened to radio or internet clips of the flooding. Things are getting bad for lots of people including the French Bloke and Bouncy Max who have been islanded in Chertsey Meads for some time. But - touch wood - but everything seems fine in Brighton and Mum and Mas fine high up in Edgware. Pleased when Lorraine got home from driving around the county. All good, except for the cats, who are depressed by the rain and tetchy with each other.Spoke to Mum via facetime, and to Janet and Ken, who I will visit tomorrow. In the bleak but beautiful words of Edward Thomas. Rain Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain On this bleak hut, and solitude, and me Remembering again that I shall die And neither hear the rain nor give it thanks For washing me cleaner than I have been Since I was born into this solitude. Blessed are t...

A quiet morning with Lorraine planning the year ahead, and tidying up the bomb-hit house: for First Matie was coming to visit. Wonderful to be able to share with her the highlife of Brighton - a rain-soaked traffic jam after picking her up, and then making her walk in the mud and rain of the bepuddled park, and taking her to the little walled garden, which was closed. However we did all enjoy looking at hundreds newts creeping about in murky pond. You have to make your own entertainment. Luckily Lorraine cooked us a mountain of veggies and a pork joint, and we had a glass of wine and forked down roast, crunching on crackling and, after a decent pause, custard and apple crumble. Proper English fare and lots to recommend it. Many of discussions to be had, as it had been a long time since I'd seen Kate, and it makes me pleased that Lorraine and First Matie get on so well too. I walked Katie off to Brighton station, for fond farewells. I then hurried off to the Unitarian Church to ...

Rain Heavy drenching rain all day today, this being an English Summer. Was providing moral support as Lorraine sorted through cupboards, and Sam harvested the innards of an old computer. I enjoyed sitting under a velux window watching the rain tumble out of the sky towards it. I love everything about rain on glass. I suppose this is due to my Grandparents in Guernsey having a glasshouse running the length of their cottage, and I loved hearing the rain and, before they had it fixed, watching rain dripping into strategically placed saucepans and buckets, the air tainted with the astringent smell of geraniums and pelargoniums and my Grandmother's Du Maurier cigarettes. In the evening found myself engrossed in the Women's World Cup Football final between the USA and Japan. Japan came from behind twice, and ended up winning on penalties. A hugely enjoyable game, and two never-say-die teams.

Sark in the wild rain Raining steadily in Guernsey this morning. No matter however, we were off to Sark to meet Anna and Anton and the bairns, who have unaccountably been staying in Jersey. The Bon Marin de Serk left early. We found ourselves in the company of people going to a funeral, and others to a Pirate-themed party. The sky was slate grey, and the sea greenish grey, and despite the calm sea, the boat gave slovenly lurches over the little waves, which had Lorraine grateful she'd taken her travel sick pills. It also forced her to look up from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo she is avidly reading. After half an hour we'd reached Maseline harbour, where it was pouring with rain, and climbed aboard the tractor-drawn carts up the hill to the village. Lorraine and I scrambled into a cafe for a hobbits second breakfast where the choice was a full English breakfast or an egg and sausage sandwich. The staff moaning about how busy it was. Outside the rain alternated between heavy...

Vodka in the rain Up early and working hard on some conceptual branding work for a Dutch Vodka. This went rather well, and had the bulk of the job done by lunchtime. A delighted client, and a few calls during the afternoon, but all well. Typically the thought they liked best was the one I had about five minutes after taking the brief. All this meant I was manacled to my desk, and only ran out to my 'larder', the Marks and Sparks in the station. The lovely rain fell steadily for the first time in a while, Calliope spent a good deal of time indoors and looking for trouble; rushing me unprovoked from across the room and wrapping her forelegs around my shins, getting a mouthful of trouser and shaking her head savagely, when not attempting to rest her head on my shoulder when typing. (It was me typing, not the cat.) I haven't heard the mysterious toad croak today. I thought that's what they did in the rain. Opened my window to listen for it, and looked down at a man in the T...

Rain and Lorraine Looks like Lorraine is going to move house next week. She is trying not to get too excited, but it is great news. Utter deluge this morning. Fortunately all I had to do was put out my recycling but returned utterly drenched, and treading mud into the house having cleverly taken up all my decking. Wrote like a maniac today about French wine regions, with only a short interlude talking to Bob. After the French work, some more work on billing. Followed by more work on the proposal for the Guernsey Arts Commission, which I posted tonight to Richard for him to stop it being rubbish. Spoke to Richard this evening, and briefly to the lovely Jane, before their trip to The Fermain Tavern. Wish I was there with them. Calliope fractious and bored due to the rain.

Rain and swine flu A proper Monday morning for most, teeming with rain in Brighton. I got up a little before seven, scarfed oats and a large cup of tea and got to work. For one good thing about rain, is that it makes you feel great to be inside in the warm and dry. At eleven I broke off and went out into the rain for a workout in the gym. I used the cross trainer apparatus which is giving Toby legs like the Hulk, and quite enjoyed it. Made me sweaty. Someone nodded at me today in the gym. Naturally, to blend in, I returned their nod with an indifferent stare. I am beginning, just a little, to enjoy it now and feel less self-conscious. Back to work, untangling a chapter of the book most of the afternoon. I'm keeping focused. Heard from Diane, and Lorraine and Bob today. Also from a Canadian writer friend Mark who is going to write a travel book about Europe, which sounds rather a splendid idea. Listening with increasing interest to the news about Swine Flu. Two people have it in Sco...

Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun An enjoyable Bank Holiday, intermittent rain all day on the holiday town of Brighton. I got up eager to write. This enthusiasm was dampened by my computer problems, which after an hour of struggling spontaneously righted themselves. Having written nothing, I walrussed off to the gym, which quickly made me feel better despite it being packed. Passed some families in rainproof clothes who decided to brave it for the day. Bless them. Returned to cook a breakfast for myself and Lorraine who spent the day in my dressing gown, till leaving at 3.00pm, while I spent the day intermittently working on my Pharma job and reading the papers, or doing some shopping in the rain. Lorraine for some reason shuns umbrellas. Inspired by Randolph, I spent some of the evening in the company of Schopenhauer and Calliope the cat. Breaking off to walk up the hill to feed Anton and Anna's cats. Suddenly very popular with them when I arrived. This aphorism, fr...

Après moi le Deluge Ghastly night's sleep not helped by a gale which rattled the windows, and Lorraine's cats which kept interfering with me. One of them, Basil, has a habit of patiently resting one of her paws on you till you wake up. This is her cue to step away, sporting an expression which says, in cat language, "that was my idea". Experimenting today with podcasts. As a pilot I uploaded my podcast of this site . As I love the sound of my own voice so much, I may try other bits and pieces. A while ago I added a blog link to Mandy's blog . Mandy, who now lives in NZ was at the same school as me, Copland High School in Wembley in the year below mine. As you can see from her blog which carries a photo of her from 1978 that, unlike me, Mandy looks exactly the same. Galling's what I call it. You may notice that Mandy rather likes Bob Dylan. Also working on my poetry - but in a slightly disorganised way so the day slipped through my fingers with little to show...

Wasps taste of apples Day started on a gothic note after an unsettled night riddled with dark dreams. An odd Friday, with people appearing subdued in the train snaking up to London under skies which did not brighten much after the sun rose. London in the rain. Work fine but seemed to drag. People in a fractious mood, though not me. Walked off to go for a swim at lunch in the rain, but the chlorinator was broken so the pool was closed. Bumped into the red-haired man again, and left hastily. Funny chat just before I left work. Barney had found a page of astounding facts: such as slugs have six noses, and that wasps taste of apples. I have just tried to visit it again, but the page has been taken down. Odd. After work sauntered off to the Dove to meet Sarah. Sat by the fire and had a pleasant chat. She is toying with the idea of taking up a job offer teaching in China. Then we went for a big fat curry in the Light of Nepal and after the call of seagull was heard and I headed for home.