under another sun

Up and getting packed, then Jade collected us and took us to Leuchars station. Fond farewells, and Lorraine spoke to Sam on the phone. A long journey home, but fairly easy till Lewes, where the Seaford train didn't wait for the London commuters to get to the platform, then there were numpties trespassing on the line, so trains were being cancelled and so on. I read more of How to think like a poet  as Robin and I are going to interview its author Dai George on Thursday. We also ate cold macaroni pies on the train which Sam had bought the day before.  Home -- a blessed relief -- and beans on toast and a sit on the gold sofa with cats.

Collected bright and early by Jade and Sam. A cold day and were driven north for two and a half hours to Aviemore in the Cairngorms. Quite amazing to be driven along through a great -- to Sassenach eyes -- empty landscape forested with bleak snow capped mountains. Loved it and I had never seen this part of Scotland before. We reached Aviemore where Jade had booked us all on a steam train ride. We clambered aboard and it was a Santa Special, so had Santa and a host of naughty elves cavorting through the coaches. There were lots of kids on the ride, for obvious reasons.  Our first elf was called Crackers, a male elf, a bit extra and ebullient, who took a shine to Sam. Then there were women elves hiding and leaping about running up and down the aisle while shouting, and exciting the children no end. Then there was a magician style elf, and finally a rather quiet Santa whispering to children about Christmas. Meanwhile the steam from the train hung low among the trees, and the whole thi...

A slow morning, Lorraine busy doing crochet and me doing a bit of writing. Sam working today. We then were collected by Jade and driven off to nearby Pittenweem where there were some small art exhibitions. There met, Mog and Jerome, Mog's parents Peter and Shelagh, and colleagues of Jade and Mog... A philosopher called Mara, and a really pleasant guy called Graham, who is an Earth Scientist working with stuff to do with oceans. We all piled into a cafe where we got excellent hot chocolate and snacks. Then we all were invited down to Graham's new home where we had cups of tea, and Jade, Mara and Mog did a major survey of Graham's new dwelling. Then we all did, squeezing up a very narrow flight of stairs hidden behind a cupboard door into a third floor. Then Jade drove us home, and she began cooking, and Lorraine and I relaxed in Burnside cottage. The evening, Lorraine and I toddled off to The Big House, where we had jolly good evening with 'the commune', hosted by Je...

To Scotland. Trundled our little wheely cases onto the train at Seaford then St Pancras via Brighton, and the long journey up to Leuchars station in Fife from St Pancras. This last bit quite pleasant, sitting opposite one another. I finished two books on the journey, Clear a short novel by Carys Davies that Dawn and Paul had given me, which was set against the clearances in Scotland. Lorraine and people in her book group had read it and liked it. I thought it was pretty good, but a bit clunky. I also read Feline Philosophy , a book by John Gray that Catherine and Tanya got me, about the philosophical differences between cats and people, and what we can learn by how they go about things.  Arrived in Leuchars in the dark and teeming rain. We stood in the carpark, where Jade arrived almost instantly, and drove us through St Andrews, then onto Kilrenny. We dropped our stuff at the wee cottage we had rented called Burnside Cottage, on a kind of twitten called Routine Row. All very nice....

Breakfast, then Beth came round to collect Sam and Jade so they could visit her new house and garden. Lorraine and I zoomed about getting stuff ready. I sparked up the barbecue and dug up some potatoes with my hands while Lorraine prepping salads and so much more. A lovely time in the sun in the back. The barbecue behaved reasonably well, full steam ahead but then slunk into a sullen but steady low heat towards the end, so the burgers Beth and James had brought were slow cooked, but still apparently delicious. Lorraine really happy to have have Sam and Beth together at home with Jade and James. Lots of laughing and I felt a moment of my own luckiness in being part of a family. Beth especially relaxed as she did not have to work tomorrow. Below eating outside, containing a fraction of James. I am looking a bit weirder than usual because I am kneeling. Jade took a shot of Calliope giving Lorraine some love, with Brian snoozing in the background.   

Sent off my amendments to Hamish Whyte this morning, just like a real writer. Also email with Charlotte, we are going to do a conversational interview for the Understory blog.  Lorraine and I then in a tidying and hoovering the house frenzy for a few hours, and also zoomed off to the supermarket.  In the evening Lorraine and I popped off to the Pump Barn at Exceat, just by Friston Forest where there was an art show featuring Adele and Palo among others from the last minute artists group. The room was full of friends, and we had picked up Debbie, one of the book club posse, and Patrick en route. Brian and Yvonne, Deana and John, several local artists that I have spoken to. Lorraine and I chatted with Palo too, and was very flattered by Palo asking me to open the Seaford Arts Club exhibition later in the month, which took me zero seconds to agree to. It was a great scene there in the private view, lots of folks a slightly jazzy band, a lovely room with a wee bar in the corner....

Chilled morning, walked to Sam and Jade, and we all went to Kellie castle, where we had a cup of tea, and then left again as we had arrived a bit late to look at the interior, and it was hosing with rain which made the gardens a damp prospect.  Jade dropped us at Roger Street, and I had yet another long sleep. Felt a good deal brighter afterwards, and Lorraine and I mooched across to Sam and Jade's place. We had all been invited for a roast beef dinner with Mog and Jerome, and Mog's parents Peter and Shelia, and another 'communard' staying with Mog and Jerome, a historian of the Spanish civil war, Roseanna. Mog, Peter and Roseanna all wearing fetching green hats with tassels that Shelia had made. Mog looking particularly lovely in hers. A jolly time of it, in their amazing dining room, with a table that comfortably sat nine. Really liked everyone there, and had my first slice of roast beef for quite a while. Lovely it was too (all praise to Allopurinol the drug I take t...

Jade working. Sam also doing his two shifts. A slowish start for us in our Roger Street, Cellardyke. Went for a stroll around Cellardyke, passing a blue plaque for Peter Smith, known as Poetry Peter born in 1847. Eventually mooched up to Kilrenny to chat to Sam between shifts. I snuck in a sleep too, as I am still feeling drained from this heavy chest cold.  Also much exercised by a poetry dilemma. I entered two poetry MS into two competitions -- the same MS but under two different names. I find myself shortlisted in both competitions, and am now excruciated by the idea that they might both win and I would have to explain to one what I had done, and be expelled in ridicule from the poetry world, with too many penalties on my poetic licence and so on. I find out next week. Sod's law says it will be the same day.   Once Jade was done, we went outside a pub in the weak Scottish evening sunlight and drank some beer, then made off a few yards to the Anstruther Fish Bar. Here we had...

A long slow schlepp to Scotland. Went to Brighton (as there were no London trains at Lewes) then Kings Cross. The train was supposed to go from there to Leuchars, but instead terminated in Edinburgh. There was talk of a bus replacement service, but Lorraine would have hated that. So in the end we had to get a little local train from Edinburgh Waverley which chugged past the airport and Murrayfield rugby ground before crossing the Firth of Forth towards Kirkcaldy. Here we were met by Jade who had driven from work to collect us.  The big open countryside beautiful with the low sun turning everything orange. Things going well for Jade in her career at the moment, and she is off to New York next week to give a paper. She looked well and seemed full of energy.  Our lodgings were in Roger Street. We arrived at Roger Street in Astruther, but it turns out we wanted Roger Street in Cellardyke (the two little towns are joined). After Lorraine had clarified where we were, we let ourselve...

Up and a busy before breaking off to leave for Scotland by train. Seaford to Lewes. Lewes to East Croydon. East Croydon to St Pancras. King's Cross to Leuchars in Fife. The train to Scotland was uncomfortable, with hard narrow seats. I was sat behind a two year old, who after wetting herself on the seat, lay on the floor and screamed until purple in the face in an epic tantrum. Writing and reading a bit hard under these circumstances. Crossing the Forth Railway bridge an experience, as if the train suddenly became a plane with views over the Firth of Forth.  Lovely to be in Scotland again. Jade all smiles as she collected us in her little red car at Leuchars station. Drove back through St Andrews, which looked very grand, with a ruined castle and ruined Medieval cathedral. It revolves around two things: the prestigious university, and the world-renowned golf course. Then we followed Jade's normal drive home back to Kilrenny, a little village just outside Anstruther, which is it...

Today was Lorraine's birthday. An early cup of tea in bed, I gave her my card and and a little Japanese fan I had bought some time ago, in lieu of future travels. Beth bounced up as the Birthday Elf with presents and cards from a few other folks. Including a nice picture of three grey hearts she had bought. After breakfast, Beth had organised a series of zoom chats throughout the day, with Pat and Maureen, Rosie and Innis (and Pippi). Nice to see people's faces on screens. I also worked on the SKTV, uploading an episode this morning. I also spoke to Anton and young Oskar whose birthday it was yesterday. Lorraine and I went for a quick walk this afternoon, around Blakers Park. Lovely day. Had drinks outside early evening, and then spoke to Sam and Jade. Sam's beard now grown to OT prophet proportions. Felt full of affection for them. We had a delivery curry this evening, and we drank some bubbly and I drank several beers. Beth Lorraine and I played Euchre and the card ca...

A large breakfast, and fairly briskly up and off on the bus to St Peter Port. Bought some tickets for the Herm boat, and mooched about in town for a while. A lovely day, cool breeze over the water but sunny. Nice hop across the Little Roussel to Herm, where we disembarked at the Rosaire steps as the tide was low. We sauntered around the island to Shell Beach, which as the wind was in from the East was quite blowy, but the beach was white and lovely and pretty empty, and we wandered about looking at shells, eating our various lunch snacks bought from M&S in guernsey. and John and Beth did a scramble on the rocks, and we had drink at the little cafe, and L and I had a slice of gâche. We all walked to Belvoir bay, and Lorraine and Sam walked back towards the Harbour. I went with Jade, John and Beth and walked around the bottom, cliffy part of the island. Beth spotted a swing in the trees, and they all had a go on it laughing a good deal. I felt that I would snap the branch if I did ...

Sam and Jade managed to stay up talking to Ravis about communism till something like 3 o'clock. Sam and Ravis, who was on breakfasts, both looking a little worse for wear. Ravis left a pint of water at Sam's place with a straw in it. Generally cheeriness over our varieties of Guernsey breakfasts. Sian arrived this morning and eventually we wall set off to walk down to Moulin Huet. A bit of an overcast day, but the sun peeped out briefly. We spent some time down on the beach, Jade, Sian, Sam and I all having a paddle. The water did make your bones ache, but then I had glowing and refreshed feet for some time afterwards. At one point, Sam stripped down to his boxers and started wading in, but wisely decided against it as his feet were cramping with cold. John and Betty scrambling up rocks, and Lorraine found  a rock to sit on and watch the sea creep in and go into a meditation. A visit Guernsey photoshoot going on the stairs at the top of the beach, which I found a tad annoying...

Sian had left for London from Hove this morning. We had fun with her over the festive period.  Lorraine up early, then drove Beth back to her flat, then off to the station where she travelled up to be with John at his mum's in London. Then Lorraine had a regular check up mammogram. I had a blissfully slow morning, catching up with my blog and sorting stuff out in my study, while Pat and Maureen were elves tidying breakfast things down in the kitchen. A quiet day, weather not terribly inviting. Lorraine and I drove to Hove in the afternoon to collect Sam, still croaky and unwell, and Jade. Brought them home to feed them, Lorraine made ham and eggs and french fries, and Jade ate the last of the mushroom wellington with french fries. Then we took them to the station. Fond farewells with Sam and Jade. I had really enjoyed seeing them. Christmas was a success, and Lorraine was very happy to see everyone, as was I. Home and we sat with Pat and Maureen, watching TV and having a small ...

Feeling reasonably fresh and non hungover this morning. Must be the fact I drank lots of water judiciously yesterday, in between the positively good for you vegan beers, and the vigorously funktastic free dance I was doing at the end of the night. Very, very tired though. A slow breakfast in the hotel, with Pat and Maureen, and John and Beth. It was a help yourself buffet breakfast, so I started with porridge, then ate a cooked breakfast for good measure, with cups of coffee and orange juice. Lorraine and I then went for a walk into town with Pat and Maureen, pausing to have a nice coffee somewhere. The space under the station runs with canal weirs, and is weirdly lit. Pat and I were speculating that it would be a good place for a murder story to start. Home again, and a brief snooze. Before regrouping with Beth and John, Pat and Maureen and heading off to the Town Hall Tavern, where we met Sam and Jade and Sian. Lorraine and Sian are already getting on splendidly.  I really ...