under another sun

Ahhh. A day at home. That doesn't mean nothing was done, however. We undertook a major project... Putting up three shelves, each a quarter of circle in the corner of the kitchen. A job achieved with a steady magnificence. It all worked and the spirit level congratulated us. Next, and we've not cracked this yet, came the difficult business of trying to decide what to place on them.   Not moved to do much. Lorraine and I watered the tomatoes and so on. Otherwise rain hosed down from the sky making any kind of foray unappealing. My joints, particularly an elbow has been quite painful recently, and I think I am a bit run down. Luckily there are no great demands on me at the moment so I sipped tea and coffee, and enjoyed my indolence while I could. Felt sorry for the folks in Brighton celebrating Pride. In the evening we watched the first Star Trek movie, which was several parsecs from good, but still enjoyable. And a bit of women's football from the world cup. Quite enjoyed thi...

So a gentle start to the day, Lorraine working from home today and me with no work. We had a 'business meeting' this morning and we chased the Estate Agents and the Solicitors over cups of tea in the kitchen.  No reply from the award winning Estate Agents, and we chivvied the award winning Solicitors. At the end of the day the Estate Agent got back with the promising news that our buyer's mortgage was approved and they were in a position to move. Yesterday Lorraine spoke with the Estate Agent in Seaford, saying we wanted to move sooner rather than later. After the call, however, it occurred to me that we may have to pay a deposit when we exchange contracts -- and we might need a short term bridging loan. Cross with myself that we hadn't clarified this earlier.    Otherwise a lazy day. Lorraine not feeling full of pep, so had an easy day. I went to the gym, and did a workout while listening to Stephen Fry read Sherlock Holmes's story The Man With The Twisted Lip . I...

 Lorraine and I lying low today. I woke up in the night with a spangling migraine at around 3:30 am and felt a little washed out in the morning. Much improved as the day progressed. I talked to Mum, and Lorraine talked to Pat and Maureen. Lorraine also chatted to Angie and Richard again, these are the people we are buying the house from in Seaford. They are keeping in touch lots. Lying in bed this morning, I did a Medscape quiz about spotting Narcissistic Personality Disorder in patients, and aced it. We saw a smidge of Wimbledon too, the ladies final where two ladies were playing a game of tennis and one of them won. Commentators bemoaning the fact that the winner -- a Russian girl who had, become an Kazakhstani a few years earlier (Russians being banned from Wimbledon this year because of Putin's war) -- was rather self controlled about winning and did behave emotionally enough. I would say this was sexist drivel but all the commentators were women.  Fish pie in the oven, Lo...

Up fairly early this morning and we zoomed off to Tanya and Catherine's house for a few glasses of bubbly with them and Tim and Guy to celebrate Tanya's recent birthday. Excellent to see everyone and have a gossip. Comparing notes with Catherine and Tanya about their house move. They are staying in Brighton, and moving a few streets higher up muesli mountain than they are now.  Tim and Guy on entertaining form as usual, Guy is such a natural storyteller. We sauntered down into the old lanes to Petit Pois for Sunday lunch. Excellent, decently priced food there. We had booked thankfully. I had roast lamb for the first time in years and talked lots to Catherine and talked about visual art with Tanya, and we plotted to go to a gallery together at some point. Then we walked off to eat ice cream outside Brass Monkey. Fond farewells with everyone, and Lorraine and I bussed home. Sprawled happily, and very tiredly, on the gold sofa from tea time. Star Trek The Next Generation our curre...

Improving from whatever was ailing me. Off into town with Lorraine who had to go to Specsavers. Her visit there lasted well over an hour, giving me time to do a bit of window shopping in the lanes for an hour or so.  Returning to see what was keeping her, I simply walked past the shop, should have gone to Specsavers , I thought having been brainwashed by the advert. After a bit we found ourselves outside the studenty pub the East Street Tap, which is just around the corner from Chalk and simply went in for a glass of cider. I'd not set foot in there for over two years. Loud music and tables and chairs like those of a cheap factory canteen. But still not without charm. The in the gents the urinals are made from metal kegs, with the name of the old beer Courage stamped on them. A message there about what beer turns into. Also some graffiti: Prince Andrew is a sweaty nonce . I don't remember having seen graffiti about royalty before, and never so accurate.  We were hungry, but e...

A full day and no mistake guv'nor. Excellent news ... Doctor Spotlight  is now published online. Also The Grieving   is published in Supernatural Tales today. Sadly there was little time to sit about feeling big and clever.  Friendly email from Yang Lian this morning, and I arranged to interview Brian Holton, his translator. He was available immediately, so I snuck in a cheeky twenty minute call to him this morning, recording the interview. A lovely man, who has translated Lian since the nineties, and also is the only regular translator of Chinese into Scots, as well as being a poet and musician and performer. However this leaves me with a big problem as I now have three interviews with fluent and talkative people to condense into one show.  Sonia here today, but I stayed locked in my room and barely had time to talk to her. Brief chats with Sam and Jade during the day. And snatched ones with Betty about rum, and Anton too. Otherwise working on a new brief....

Lorraine up and off to work before the sparrows. An anxious start to the day, with Lorraine being messaged extremely early about staff needing covid tests. Left me finding it hard to concentrate on brainwork. I used the morning to hoover and mop the kitchen floor, do some laundry and so on. If in doubt, tidy up. I also made a covid contingency plan with Robin about the podcast, should one of us get the lurgy. Nice comments from Mario and Clare Best and Charlotte about this week's podcast. Listening to the Cooper Clarke book, while on my stomp, an interlude of him monkey-sitting for a cafe owning acquaintance in Amsterdam made me laugh aloud.   Anton on a post work exercise walk, dropped off half of one of his cheesecakes and we had a chat, with him standing out in the street and me at my door. I was set up an interview with Charlotte for next week. and chatted to mum while I was chopping root vegetables for a turkey stew.  Lorraine home at last, late and having had do deal wit...

A poor night's sleep and rather tired. Getting on with my writing, although my concentration not at its best. Spoke to Mum who said that the neighbours next door, the ones with a phobia of life on earth and with concrete dogs in their garden, have apologised to Mum for being weird. This is good news, and makes her and Mas feel much happier at home. Into town, popping in at the North Laine Brewhouse and The Eagle to ask about booking a space for people after the event which is happening on 16th May to celebrate Janet's work and achievements. It seems to have defaulted to me to sort this out reactivating feelings associated with being taken for granted which is pressing a few buttons. Then I bought a padlock and went to the gym. Got sweaty on the cross trainer. Sainsbury's. Then home to sit int he garden in the sun, although it was much colder than last weekend. Feeling like I am missing Lorraine, and pleased when she got home. We ate an excellent salad, and watched the...

A cold morning, with a nasty north wind blowing. A happy one for me, as when I went to bed my ankle was beginning to feel weird, and I was expecting an outbreak of Orc-foot, but this did not happen. Also the coldy feelings that Lorraine and I both had over the weekend did not result in bad colds. Lorraine and I scrambled into her car, but the pesky thing wouldn't start. I had to set off walking to the station, while Lorraine arranged to be picked up and had to get the AA round in the evening to replace the battery, which was dead as dodo. Lorraine remarkably calm about all this. I got on my trains and as I stood up at Victoria, found I had been sitting next to Mandy, someone I'd worked with in Hammersmith years ago. Quick chat with her, before plunging down into the tube. Work was fine, if dull. Work to be done, though. Short walk by the canal, eating chicken and avocado sandwich.  Home, reading a book called Mister Pip , by Lloyd Jones that Dawn had given it to me for my b...

Up before the Monday larks with Lorraine, scraping ice off the windscreen before she drove me to Preston Park Station. A bright sunny day. Jumped off at Hassocks. Once on the Victoria train, started writing one of my new eight line poems about a Coelacanth. This jotted down, I started reading a collection of vaguely Christmas themed short stories by Rachel Joyce called A snow garden, a book that Dawn had given Lorraine and I a year ago. As I got off the train I spotted Matt Colborne in the crowds. He'd been on the train with me. A brief conversation galloping across Victoria station, he is living in London now. We bade each other farewell as I joined the massive queue outside the tube, which was let in after not too long. Someone baa-ing like a sheep as we the sheeple flocked along and down into the station. Into work, and not a bad day. Managing to get people to tell me what they want writing from time to time. Still a bit like getting blood from a stone. People quite chatty t...

Disturbed, anxious dreams. Woke up early to a rejection from The Stockholm Review. Up and onto my French work, which was pinged back and forth across the English Channel all day. I went for a couple of short walks while waiting for everything to sort itself out. Dwelling in Facebook all day, lots of women I know using the #metoo hashtag, saying they had been sexually abused. Meanwhile, in the afternoon a weirdly orange darkness descended. Shortly before three I could not make out the numbers or letters on my keyboard, even though I was sitting by my window. Brian and I went outside to investigate, and the sky was thickly overcast, with a faint orange tinge and letting no light through. It was bizarre. The mix of Saharan sand and Portuguese wildfire smoke, and been dragged up by ex-hurricane Ophelia which was currently blowing the cobwebs off Eire. It was unnaturally warm too, for an October day. I sent a tweet out about it. Turned out my most popular tweet to date would be about th...

Up this morning, and after a pre-Sonia tidy, a spot of work, I zoomed up to London, and travelled to Maida Vale to meet Mum. Had to go on the Backerloo line for a couple of stops, which is one of the noodle thin ones that give me claustrophobia. I managed it, not having done this for a while, and came out and as I was unfeasibly early had some coffee. When Mum came we walked off to the BBC studios there for more music. A long queue which we had to stand in for half an hour or so, chatting. It was a recording of four contemporary British composers. Into the recording studio, which seemed immense and was miked up for the full BBC Symphony Orchestra. For long pieces, the first called Endangered written by Rachel Portman was a bit film music like, and was about endangered species.  The second piece by Edwin Rozburgh, Concerto for Piano and Wind Orchestra , was more challenging  between a dialogue between a pianist, playing a bazillion notes, and the wind sections of the orches...

Lorraine working from home today, so a comparative lie in… Getting up at 8 o'clock. Lorraine working on the next desk while I had an excellent day's work on the book, clarifying the introduction and making its argument more rigorous. Quite satisfying and I am beginning to believe that I can actually get the thing finished. L and I received another wedding present from John and Sue, a beautiful hardback copy of The Tower by W.B.Yeats. Not only is Yeats my favourite poet, but the tower in question where Yeats lived, Thoor Ballylee, is close to their property in Ireland where we have been invited to stay. I would love to visit it. Nice to have Lorraine at home, and eat soup with her at lunch and cook in the evening before she went off to the school she is a governor at. I also slipped off this afternoon to visit Janet and Ken. Janet is having a heart check up on Monday, and Ken and I are going to collect her or visit her depending on what action is needed, after she had a bit...

Up and off to the hospital with Lorraine, who was having an injection in her heel. Fished for a taxi at Preston Circus and we arrived early. We had to wait in the A&E area, but luckily beyond a vomiting woman and a boy who had come off his motorbike and hurt his shoulder there was nothing too alarming going on while I waited for Lorraine to be needled. Lorraine walking out looking cheery. Always more fun to be leaving. Taxied home, Lorraine talking in the particularly friendly way she reserves for taxi drivers which always amuses me. As Lorraine recovered downstairs for a bit before coming upstairs to work. I got on with the book for the rest of the day. The day, however, ended with the latest hurdle of many on the Twitten: wall experts have said the bungeroosh back wall must be treated for damp. Luckily I am developing the first feelings of philosophical resignation about this, and refrained from bellowing bugger the bungeroosh. Between bouts of stress, I am feeling more philo...

A delicate and wan morning. Felt a glow of cheer though, after what had been one of the happiest birthdays I can remember. Lorraine cooked Scotch pancakes which were utterly delicious. Sprawled about on the sofa and chairs with Lorraine, First Matie and Betty (who had gone out clubbing after we left the Basketmakers... Ah the stamina of youth). We watched programmes about Autumn fruits and all chuckled as a male chef commented about a succession of sweet, tasty, surprisingly large plums. Eventually the endless cups of tea and mineral water and breakfast and general slumping did their magic work. Betty back up to London, and First Matie, L and I went up the road to the Signalman for roast lunch. It was nice to walk up Ditchling Rise however, the road gutters gleaming with freshly fallen conkers. Sadly though the food quality at the Signalman has plummeted. Won't be going back there to eat any time soon. I also had a solitary kill or cure beer: a pint of Darkness, a dark malty ...

Now in semi-holiday mode, L and I slept in till nineish. I sprang out of bed to work on the book for a few hours, managing some good progress before being swept up by the day. Sonia here this morning, and we are going to her wedding at the weekend. Then off to the garden centre with Lorraine where she selected lots of plants for Anton's garden having been given a budget. The garden centre just the other side of the Downs really nice, with good plants and bees and butterflies dancing among them. Crammed into the car with them and then off to Anton's place, stealing into his house like reverse burglars, carrying things into the back of the garden. A fun time with Lorraine directing the moving of plants, the planting of plants, shouting at Trotsky the cat for biting plants, and so on. I thought it looked really nice, and Anton, texting later seemed pleased. I wonder how much of it will survive the onslaught of snails and cats, not to mention my lively Godchildren. Home and a q...

All up early this morning. A house viewing mid morning, and Toby packed and wanting to be at the airport to fend off any booking complications or general travel horrors. Lorraine drove Toby off to the station as there is no point stretching out goodbyes. Sad to see my brother go, but it was great to have spent time hanging out together. Lorraine off up to London to spend a day at the zoo with Betty after we readied the house. After dealing with a few bits of admin, I went to Starbucks and drank a coffee and worked for a couple of hours, before going to the gym just up the road from there. A reasonably good workout and then home for Miso soup and noodles. Left to my own devices, I felt unusually demotivated and in a sort of limbo between being on holiday, and wanting to press on with things. The result was that I did little till Lorraine got home in the evening, showing me pictures of penguins, giraffes etc. and a happy Beth. Watched one of the original, but digitally restored, ...

Pain and reward A day of two halves. The first part rather grim as my upper back has gone into one of its paroxysms which involves very bad pain in my arm and shoulder, which no painkiller touches. That and my six maddening mosquito bites did for my concentration. Instead I went to the gym just to do the treadmill and cross trainer for half an hour, as sitting typing is excruciating. On returning home phoned Sainsbury's to complain having seen an elderly lady of perhaps 90 being disgracefully bullied by two of the checkout staff for creaking along with her trolley in a basket zone. Thinking about this on the way home made my blood boil so I called and made my feelings clear. In the evening however, things very good indeed. Had a long chat with Catriona in Guernsey and will have the opportunity to do a final presentation to the arts guys next month. Apparently everyone excited by the proposal, which combines literary flair with business acumen, even though I say it myself. Catriona ...

Full stop Worn out, I did absolutely nothing today. Took advantage of three Star Treks in a row on BBC, and slept on my sofa. The Next Generation ones now seem almost more dated than the originals. Accidentally created a soupy masterpiece from the scraps in the fridge. Lentils, garlic, leek, butternut squash, fresh parsley, sage and rosemary and some lean bacon created an ambrosial blend. Got a text from the Gnome: "At rugby surrounded by gnomes. Lovely". I looked for him on the TV in Cardiff among the other downcast gnomes as the New Zealand All Blacks thrashed Wales. Listened to Lord of the Rings audiobook went to bed early and blamelessly.