under another sun

Up early after feeling a bit worried overnight that I had misplayed the politics on the new job. Began work at 7:30 and I  finished that job at noon. A big oui from the new clients in Paris, so all was well.  Planet Poetry upload day today, and I had to send an unfinished edit to Robin to compete this morning. She did and bounced it back, and I uploaded it this afternoon . Nice to be able to feature Rhona, who I first met in the 80s. Did a bit of work for Pat this afternoon too. He had said it would be a half day, but it ended up being a very small job. Chatted to Mum today, otherwise beginning to feel a big brain dead, as it has been quite a high pressure week. Not ideal as it was Lorraine's week off. Still I am making money, so that is good. Not that I have done much of the billing yet. More Wire tonight, and some cards too. We ate wings in woof woof sauce, or rather the original sauce which is slightly less growly than a traditional woof woof. It was good, although I as ha...

Dreaming about owning some kind of moped last night, and was delighted with the novel idea that it could take me places. The dream was set in London and several years ago. I showed it to a dream Michel, and the French Bloke was surprisingly impressed with it.   Lorraine back to work. But started working on poetry and toying with the idea for a new short story which flowed nicely. The wind slightly taken out of my sails with a rejection of Diabolus in Musica from The Fiction Desk, who I was trying out as they publish ghost stories and wanted fiction about music. I was a bit dubious about them before I sent it, and despite receiving the friendliest of generic rejections, I shan't be submitting to them again. Visited Charlotte's blog again , and she has a link to a wonderful talk by Brené Brown called The Power of Vulnerability .  Vulnerability is not something to be avoided. When I interviewed her she said she was trying to write from a place of honesty. This of course exposes y...

A third day of hibernation, with Lorraine having a day off in lieu of the day she will work at school during half term. I have to go outside eventually, as it makes me feel very antsy not walking. As Lorraine was off, I only worked for a short burst, editing the Rhona interview. I contacted her to re record one of the poems as there was a bit of bippety boppety interference in the original I had not noticed at the time. Also did my first spot of billing for 2021, which was cheering -- and I have another smidgeon of work later in the week -- and even the faint possibility of some the following week. Heard from Tess who is kindly proofing some of my short stories. She queried my use of commas. I have  become increasingly sloppy over punctuation over the years. So it is really useful to be able to access her brain on this. Lorraine playing Nintendo games quite a lot today. I joined her playing Mariocarts, which I enjoy, although the multicoloured landscape you zoom through overloads y...

Woke up to a note from Matthew Rees who, as befits a  horror writer and editor, always seems to send his emails at around midnight, accepting my story Flytrap. This is another of my old scraps I reworked. Because I am a lot better with prose these days, I find I can transform old material. It's good to know that that former effort wasn't wasted.  Up early and a quick note to thank Matthew and one to Rhona and then I wrote a follow up letter to the solicitor I'd phoned yesterday. Chatting with Mum over lunch and Toby twice this evening on this matter. Also spoke Anton, still losing weight apparently. Sadly no time for a walk today, but popped around the corner to buy bread. That cooped up feeling comes on me strongly, when I can't get out. A day's work with Keith, on a product vaguely related to pharma. Mostly fine, but feeling a tad distracted, not least by cats playing some species of soccer with a tennis ball. Presented the work to two pleasant and bearded clients...

A fun Friday. Did a bit of writing I was really pleased for the first few hours, and then after a snack at lunch, hoovered, washed the kitchen floor and other domestic chores for a couple of hours. Spoke to Anton who while speaking to me was watching heavily armed policemen walking along the street checking under cars. Otherwise he is greatly pleased by having reached his target weight of 80kg after a month of starving himself and drinking nothing.    Lorraine home early, being this week slightly more on top of things, and has been finishing earlier, and was at home before five tonight. We even played some cards, and treated ourselves to woof woof chicken wings and oven chips, washed down with some beers. We watched Sherlock and a French series called Lupin on TV.  Also, quite late, watched a documentary about Dolly Parton, which I weirdly enjoyed. Spoke to Mum and Mas. I am so happy they are vaccinated but they are as bored and depressed by lockdown as anyone, and stress...

Klaudia's 17th birthday today. Anton said the other day that he told her she was only a year away from buying him a pint in a pub now. Felt sorry I haven't seen her for such a long time. I at least texted her and got her bank details so we can send her some money for baubles and trinkets etc. A designated day of rest. I began rereading through Rhona's books to prep for our interview next week. Many of them are signed, including one from 1988. We go back an awful long time. A quick spin around the streets with Lorraine at one point, just to get her aired and exercised. Also a certain amount of computer gaming. Loraine downloading something called  Pode , and we did a bit of racing about on Mariocarts too. Lorraine made beef burgers tonight, with real beef. Generally I will only eat beef in a bean jar, but these were delicious. Luckily, thanks to Allopurinol, I am able to eat beef once in a blue moon without getting orc foot afterwards.   Watched a film called The Wife, whic...

All about games today, which Lorraine said would do me good. We played the Nintendo Switch, driving about like maniacs on Mario carts which I like a lot, and starting a quest on Z elda, Link's Awakening . This is what Lorraine and Beth call a bimbling game, where you nimble about a beautiful environment on quests. We had a laugh doing this only to break off for a cheeky walk around Blaker's park. But everywhere busy with people doing the same thing.   A day where there were no urgent calls for Lorraine to deal with thank God, and I fell asleep this afternoon too, and felt quite drained. I think I was relaxing. Lorraine made a delicious fish pie this evening. Then a zoom call with Beth and James, and played Linkee down the line with them, which was fun. Beth now doing cross stitch too, and loving it. She and James seem happy. It is lovely to see. A supportive note from Rhona about Planet Poetry .  Went to bed, but then I lay awake for hours. 

Took delivery of some bedroom furniture today, hefted in by two muscly men. A spectacle Beth regretted that she missed. Brian sprawled on the bed curiously calm through the whole thing. When they were cooing over him, I said with a laugh that his name was Brian. The most alarmingly muscled man then said that, actually, he was called Brian, he said that his Serbian wife laughed at him until he told her to look up the meaning of his name. Strong apparently, and King in Serbian. I stood corrected. A kitchen lunch with Beth. Beth: pitta bread filled with bacon and eggs, me: miso soup with noodles and fish fingers. Lorraine and Beth are appalled by the fish fingers, but I maintain they are a nice side dish to a miso soup. Then to London to a poetry reading near Waterloo, where with Rhona, Tammy and another woman whose work I liked called Sue Rose, despite one of her poems being very similar to one of mine I am most proud of.  Not seen Tammy read for over twenty years, and she is flu...

Managed to sleep for six hours so consequently felt far more alive. Taking care of business this morning and met Robin and Catherine Smith on the train to Victoria late this afternoon as we travelled up to the Poetry Cafe. I'm learning a lot from Catherine and Robin and how they go about being poets, Catherine's ability to critique is impressive. A bite to eat in the cafe, till Siegfried Baber arrived having travelled from Bath. I felt quite twitchy wondering if anyone was going to turn up on a working Wednesday in January, but we actually had a full house. Really good to see Rhona, who I'd not seen in person for many years, nor hear her read. She read from her latest book Ex-ville . Because Rhona was there, Nancy Mattson and Tammy Yoseloff, both old friends not seen for around 20 years came too, and it was great to see them, and made me feel as if I hadn't been entirely forgotten. My reading was good, and went well. I mixed some new work in with the old. I was foll...

A good night's sleep, and mercifully able to work from home on my Shaftsbury Ave job today. Foot and ankle still far from dandy but I can stand and walk better. Working early, and survived a whole day without painkillers. Lorraine working late tonight teaching governors, so I cooked noodles, and various veggies, enjoyed two episodes of The Wire and wrote to Rhona. Surprisingly worn out this evening, being wan and sluggish is such a waste of time. Reading Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges which I am finding full of bookish, labyrinthine, postmodern pleasures.

Horrible news tonight from Toby. Joan and Dick's son Ethan has died. Toby, clearly shocked and pacing about at home in Toronto, told me that Romy was flying back home from Chicago and they are going up to Deviation Road tomorrow. I feel deeply sad that so many people I love, Toby, Romy, Joan and Dick will be so distraught and are so far away. My heart goes out to them. This makes the rest of the day's news seem inconsequential. A note from Rhona with an excellent endorsement from her to put on The Nightwork cover, for which I was very grateful.  An offer of work from my old chums at Tavistock Square this morning had to be turned down, but towards the afternoon I was told unexpectedly that I wouldn't be needed till next week so was released back into the wild, with only a few hours of work to do tomorrow. But on balance this has worked out very well, as after as sustained period of slogging on freelance,  on my poetry collection, the big business book, I am feeling a bit...

A few really helpful comments from Rhona in my in basket first thing -- and so got to a day of intensive poem tinkering on the last lap. Followed by me making some ratatouille, for the first time in my life, and salting aubergines and courgettes. Yesterday's estate agent called around with his written valuation, but twice called me 'good man' in a matey way. I hate mateyness. I hate being called mate in shops too. I'm 'sir' to you is what I aways sniffily think. I am a fossil. Tonight, Lorraine and I ate ratatouille with griddled turkey steaks, a tasty and healthy business.

I had a much needed day working on The Nightwork manuscript till around 4, and then sent the results to Rhona. This meant I missed The Children's Parade, which Lorraine and Mum saw, before Mum went off to Janet's place. Lorraine then met Betty and Rosie and went to Janet's open house. Anton also went there. Just as I'd finished work, Toby face timed me for a good chat. Then this done I made my way to the sun garden of the Battle of Trafalgar where Lorraine, Betty and Anton were sipping cold beers. We managed to move to a sunny spot and were then joined by Mum, who had enjoyed her day at Janet's place. Then Anton and I scooted home to collect Mum's things and met them all in The Cow at Seven Dials. Co-incidentally Ken, Janet and Huss had gone there too, so we had quite a gathering, which entirely compensated for the monastic scribing of the day. Mum had to catch a train home, so I walked her down and bade her a fond farewell before returning to The Cow. Had a...

Off to London again with a tickling cough and cold. However a pleasant enough day, and feeling quite cheery walking up  Villiers Street with the streams of people disgorged from Embankment station, dodging the chuggers, and a young man in a business suit talking about Jesus. These days although I still commute in London quite often, it has almost become a novelty, and the strangeness of London life is striking.   Meanwhile, I was really delighted to hear back from Rhona McAdam, an old friend who I asked to help me with my poetry manuscript. Trying to get this sorted as the deadline is rearing its head. Just excellent to reconnect with her as she has always been a bit of an inspiration to me. Home again and simply happy to be at home with my lovely wife, who had just parked up as I was arriving and walked down the street to meet me. A fairly early night. Luckily I am working from home tomorrow and not having to travel is going to be a big help in bouncing back from my cold....

Raining poets in London Sleeping-pill assisted sleep made me feel much improved today, although still unaccountably edgy. But cut through things quickly, sent copies of Defenders off to an agent and to Shaun Shackleton at the Guernsey Press. Also contacted The Sussex Beacon about the CD project, went to see Adrian and Diane about photographs, taking in dozens of spangly high heels Adrain is shooting. Was made a lovely cup of coffee and had a nice chat with both. Off to London, plans changing at the last moment so took myself amid torrential rain to the poetry library in The Royal Festial Hall. Had a strange sequence of coincidences all relating to people I knew really well in the early 90s. Wandered over at random to pick up a copy of Acumen and it fell open at a poem by Rhona McAdam, an old friend. Next magazine I picked up it fell open at a review of the excellent iTuplips by Mario Petrucci, another old friend. Wandered aimlessly along the shelves and Tim Gallagher's Narcissus G...

Pop stars and zoo keepers Friday at last. Much cheerfulness, and significantly fresher in body and sould today, despite trying to breath life into a crushingly dull brochure about savings accounts all day. Over lunch, Anita, a nice work colleague, told the story of how she and young Aja had "met" Marilyn Manson on Wednesday. Aja was waiting outside his changing room door, having blagged her way there during a lunchtime television shoot. The door had a code lock on it, and Aja slightly madly suggested they punch in 666. Trying this plan, they found the door was already open, and they pushed through. After gawping, star-struck, at some of belongings, Manson came in behind them with two of his security guys. Fortunately instead of a nasty scene, it turns out he was really pleasant and Aja, who was a big fan and reduced to a blubbering I love you , had her photo taken with him. And talking of fans, I put my mum's website on my work intranet, and lots of people have looked at...