under another sun

A leisurely start to the day, then I uploaded the final episode of Magnificent Grace to SYTV. A lovely note from Ben in the evening -- he had listened to the whole thing. Now I have to maintain energy in the project and do more promotion. A walk this afternoon to the usual place, have paused  The Silmarillion  and am listening to Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins the astronaut, which is fascinating. Blustery while I was walking, and this walk ended in rain. Lorraine and I took another walk around Blaker's Park an hour later when the sun came out again. Spoke to Mum today, very worried as Salty their beefy white cat has disappeared. The evening spent playing cards and trivial pursuit with Beth and Lorraine.

A fairly productive start to the week, despite waking up in a fury at the government's handling of C19. Pictures emerged today of people cramming into the tubes again, and this is simply a recipe for a second wave. The ambiguous messaging and botched delivery is astonishing. Most of the agencies in the country could have delivered something better. As the day emerged lots of conflicting interpretations emerging, from within the government, let alone the general populace. Attempted a meme.... which at least made me feel better. Lorraine off at school all day. I finished editing, T he Dream Home , the short horror story that was published by Frogmore Papers, and the latest Skelton Yawngrave TV episode (I'm now on chapter 24). Essentially I think I am going to read everything onto YouTube, as it is a way of giving published material a bit of a second airing -- and also should I meet a sudden demise at the hands of C19 I want to have uploaded lots of stuff. Also had a really ...

I got up bright and early today, and got to work, completing the 13th chapter of Skelton Yawngrave. I sent off a story to David Longhorn of Supernatural Tales too, just to keep my hand in. Lorraine up and, with a steely glint to her eye, started going through drawers in the bedroom, and together we had a cull of old shoes, and reorganised everything. Behind Lorraine's shoes there was a dried frog, which made L shudder as the vacuum sucked it up. In the afternoon chilled out out with Lorraine in the back garden.  She is finishing a cross stitch based on a Van Gough painting. Beth caught the bug and cleared her room for a bit too, then assembled a coat stand she had ordered in the back garden with Lorraine's help. I had one of my yellow pads, which I use to put daily to do lists, and track my various projects, a list I update on a new sheet every couple of days. I hadn't done it since the 23rd March, which was a little sign to me of how disrupted I have felt. Quite ofte...

Hammering on our bedroom roof every morning. It is crows stabbing at monkey nuts and leaving the detritus by our back door. They stab down like a blows from a pin hammer. Lorraine off to school today. Chatted with Mum today. I uploaded Episode 4 of Magnificent Grace , and am now am pausing for a day or so to regroup. I made a pigs ear of recording episode 5 which made me feel cross and as if the whole thing was a futile waste of time. Went for another stomping walk mid afternoon to Hollingbury Hillfort, and then hung out in the back garden with Lorraine and Beth. After making another tweak (my fault misspelling a word on a diagram) to copy for my pals in Hampton. It was the evening of beige food, eating up some weird stuff that was taking up space in the freezer. Quorn sausage rolls, little onion bargee, samosas and plus some tasteless spring rolls. I chose to eat all these with sauerkraut to maintain the beige. Not an unqualified success. Lager and hot evenings go together, on w...

Up early, although Lorraine home today. Working all day on Skelton Yawngrave TV, as I re-recorded one of the episodes. Also spoke to Sian, and chatted about the marketing of her website. Chatted too, to Toby who was working from home. Uploaded episode two  of Magnificent Grace. Heartened to hear from Kay, Lorraine's cousin, who told me her twins were were lapping up Skelton Yawngrave TV. Sanity highlight was walking up to Hollingbury Hill again, listening to the comforting and familiar  Tolkien and occasionally turning my audiobook off and just listening to birds. I can feel my spirit improving as I walk.  A beautiful day. The night ending with a big full moon, which I peered at after we went upstairs through my velux windows. Netflix and so on signal is terrible in the late evenings with everyone sucking the local broadband. Precious little that can be done about it. Watched the end of a documentary about Miles Davis, a complex fiery cat and no mistake. No booze ...

Up early and a few last jobs before the first episode of Magnificent Grace went live on YouTube . After this contacting a few people in schools and posted a notice in the local community facebook page about it. Seems to have gone well with people being nice about it. Early doors though. Lorraine home from school and doesn't need to go back till Thursday. She took a shower as soon as she got home, which is a good idea. Chatted to Mum, and Bob too who seemed in pretty good spirits. The Prime Minister in Intensive Care, I feel genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. Something I never thought would happen. Went for a long mooch around Hollingbury Hill and took the long way home, around some local streets. Passed the Preston Park Tavern, and looked in gloomily at the empty pub. Nearby I saw these chalk marks on a wall.