under another sun

Woke up feeling ill exhausted and hot, and breakfasted on paracetamol. A bad night, through being ill and waking up feeling desperately sad about our friend. I tried not to think about the despair he must have felt to reach a point where you kill yourself. Pleased not to travel up to London. Instead slogged at my desk 8:30 till 6:30 on this job that had turned into a nightmare. Still feeling very angry and resentful about this job. I had today to bash out reams of unnecessary work at a ridiculously fast clip, that wasn't even being received by the CD because it was going into his spam file. By 6:30 it was finally done. I called Mum, and cancelled our trip tomorrow as I don't want to infect her and Mas. My saintly wife cooked us a lovely roast chicken, and was still talking to me after I had been moaning and swearing all day. We ate this happily, and watched the end of the derivative but fun  Stranger Things season two before an early night.

A quiet day, feeling a bit sore throaty catching up with stuff from my desk, working out how to use my SketchBook software, and a spot of billing. Confirmation that I am working in London next week too, good for the Kenny coffers. Spoke to Mum and arranged a visit to Edgware for next weekend. Heard we will get some money back from SleasyJet for the cancelled flight. Lorraine working today, I popped into the gym this afternoon, which I felt pleased with myself about, despite not feeling particularly energetic. We had a dinner outside, and played cards for a bit before sloping indoors to binge-watch  Stranger Things .

Up early for a Saturday. Lorraine got in touch with Cass, and by luck (for us) he had a job fall through next week so is able to decorate the big bedroom and the spare one for us next week. I went into town to pick up the wallpaper Lorraine had ordered from the post office and have a haircut. The barber doing a dip as he circle around the back of your head with the mirror to avoid the bald spot. I called him on it, and we had a laugh. Then home, both Lorraine and I lacking energy, and Lorraine feeling coldy. We went off in the afternoon to Hove, to talk about paint in a paint shop, and take five big bags of Beth's clothes and shoes to Martlets Hospice charity shop. Then we picked up Beth from teaching. We sat in the car park listening to the radio for ten minutes and talking about what the radio had mentioned, 'locker room chat of men'. I never speak to anyone in locker rooms. We looked at the i360 lit up like a UFO. I took an iPhone snap of it but it simply did not come ...

Up a little earlier today, and Lorraine and I determined to head off out into the country to go for a walk in a wood. We ended up going to the place we normally see bluebells in, and there was hardly anyone there. A bit squelchy but still very beautiful. I felt a bit wound up this morning, but walking through the wood and talking to Lorraine made me feel much better as usual. We drove home, pausing to buy a chicken and some eccles cakes to consume with coffee in the afternoon. Lorraine then did some preparation for school next week, and I found another agent to send my Children's book to, as the one I've sent it to has not responded to either the original MS nor my follow up. I found I had one a tiny poetry competition, which was nice. I will be sent a free book. The judge was J. O. Morgan, and I asked to be sent his new one. I have Interference Pattern, his last one, which I saw him read from in the last T.S. Eliot awards. Fairly pleased with this, as the theme was dreams a...

So back to work of sorts. Sitting in the garden trying to write bits on the centaur project. Also writing to Richard, he and Jane are off to Italy again soon.  Spoke to Mum, then waited for information so I could start a flea-based job, but this never arrived. Feeling very sore throated as the day progressed and slept in the afternoon on the sofa. Have been listening as an audiobook to David Hepworth's 1971 - Never a dull moment , which is quite good fun. Lorraine and I watched the remaining four episodes of Stranger Things before bed on Netflix. Highly derivative of things like ET, Close Encounters, X Files, David Lynch and so on of course, but still hugely enjoyable, and well acted. And quite scary too. Liked the idea of the upside down world. Below a Stranger Things gif.

Sam's birthday today. When we all got up, (I felt a mite perkier) and Lorraine and I had packed, we taxied to a French cafe near Leeds Station and had a really nice brunch. Lorraine and I had savoury pancake galettes, very tasty, and teas. Then to another cafe by the station where Sam likes the coffee (Sam takes coffee quite seriously). Jade talking about gender in a very interesting way. It was a sunny day but there were lots of clumps of dried mud on the streets, and inside the station had a cordoned off area which was very muddy indeed. A straggle of Leeds open air festival types, looking muddy and exhausted, were in there.  Fond farewells with Sam and Jade. Despite feeling ill, I'd really enjoyed our visit, and Lorraine had loved seeing Sam of course. Into the train and off down to London. An uneventful journey, listening to audiobooks. Then St Pancras to Brighton, fairly painlessly too. Nice to be home, nevertheless. John was there with Beth. He'd just finished his...