under another sun

A sunshine day Woke early with my mind buzzing about poetry and writing, after a bad night's sleep. Calliope learnt today how to climb stairs, and celebrated by climbing up to my bedroom sitting in the middle of the duvet and doing an over-excited wee. She followed this achievement by scratching Lorriane's eyeball. Despite her many sins she is at least not sneezing so much, and eating like a horse all of a sudden. Up, finally and working some poems for a bit. Then shopping with Lorraine. A glorious day today in Brighton. We mooched about feeling happy, visiting Beth at her Saturday job in a kids drama school where there were dozens of over-excited kids doing singing and dancing. What's not to love? And then shopping. Damn the doomed economy: I boldly bought a new duvet covers, and a new duvet. A chilled night in, after a day in which I felt suddenly rejuvenated and cheerful. Beth and Mark called by to meet Calliope, who is utterly shameless and attention seeking when ther...

Memories and theories Nightmares last night after going to bed early but a beautiful morning. Today reminds me of MJ. Apart from the horror of the events on this day in 2001, which I watched live on TV at my agency with an American friend Craig, it reminds me of how we had swapped emails in the morning before the event - and in the days afterwards. She was terrified, and my heart went out to her. Visiting Ground Zero in 2005 was a very sobering experience. All those poor people dead, including one of MJ's best friends. And a few hours later was the first time I met MJ in person. Listening now to Saturday by Ian McEwen. The book, which is excellent, is set on the day of 15th February 2003. A day I also remember well as I joined the other two million people marching through London against the warmongering of the west - as a direct consequence of 9/11 of course. Actually marching was a bit of a misnomer, the march was creeping at a snail's pace, and bloody freezing it was too. Aft...