under another sun

A late breakfast, drinking out of my Best Grandad in the World mug. I have yet to earn this accolade, but it's a lovely thought.   Lorraine caring for Pat and Maureen much of the day. I walked my bare minimum, which is ten thousand paces, then cooked one of my very herby chicken stews which turned out excellently. Also read a bit of Arthur Machen and contemplated my failures as a writer of poetry.  Another trip to Pat and Maureen in the evening, as Pat was a bit agitated. Home again and we discovered some sloe gin from last year, and had a nip of it. Wondered who had given it to us, until Lorraine said the writing on the label was her own. It was like a delayed present to ourselves. Watched some of Match of the Day, and repaired to bed. Chelsea won at least. Lorraine taking on so much at the moment, and I worry about her.  

Anton's birthday today. I celebrated with a long early walk, up and around the sides of fields and down to the seafront. I think I found a fossil. Lorraine went off to Caroline for personal training. Also passing   Sarah Harvey in Bolney in their cars. Both jumped out for a hug before they drove off.  In the evening Lorraine and I made off to Brighton, where we zoomed up the hill to Anton's place to give him his requested present of cedar wood boot trees and a card. Then we walked down to The Cow, with Anne, Oskar, Klaudia and Anton, very sprightly on his stick. A Thai meal, which was tasty, and it's always a treat for me to see Klaudia and Oskar, and I had a few nice chats with Anne too. Then back to Anton's house for some birthday cake. Oskar demonstrating that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, talking with enormous brio about 'spidering' in raw denim, aided and abetted by Anton, also enthusiastically getting out his phone to add detail. Oskar inte...

A certain fragility this morning. In need of coffee and a square breakfast and a little quietness. Innis and Rosie drove over. Rosie's birthday the day after mine, but a difficult week with her mother being in hospital, among other things. Some horrible traffic bottleneck meant it took them almost two hours to get here too. However we went up to the South Barn, and walked back down towards the Seven Sisters, stopped on a bench and ate a cheese roll, then walked round where we collected lots of sloes in that little wooded valley leading back to the Barn. But not before Rosie and Pippi both got covered in burrs, which had to be picked out of their clothes and pelts respectively. We also picked lots of sloes, for some reason I picked a few elderberries thinking they were tiny sloes. Much discussion of the best way of making sloe gin.  Home to some chocolate brownies, which Innis and Rosie had brought, before they went home. Then dragging more furniture around in our bedroom, so Amanda...