under another sun

Basking in my first class train wheeze still. You can tell it is a good idea, as travelling train staff use it, like the three drivers talking about a colleague who Missed Shoreham. How can you miss Shoreham? etc. I worked on work stuff again, and finished the work I'd been doing so I could send in once I got to work. A busy morning, and a less busy afternoon. Keith and I going off to Leon to eat at lunch. I had some species of chicken and rice with bits of salad. Afternoon with one meeting. The weekend beginning to seem a logical possibility. Time stretchy, appalling work longueurs hating the time I am spending there, and then so hideously fast in other ways. After work, sloped up to Euston Square tube. Walked through Tavistock Square and took the snap below. Plenty of rain today. Tube to Stanmore and walked to Mum and Mason's in the rain. Off in the car to Amaretto on Edgware High Road. They were friendly to Mum and Mas there. Mas and I ordered Americana pizzas and had so...

Back to work for Lorraine, and for me the start of two weeks up in Tavistock Square. A horrid night of not sleeping, awful throat and coughing. Felt like death warmed over on the train, where I started listening to my new audiobook Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Pausing to score some strepsils, I went into work to discover I’d been teamed up with my old pal Keith. Good to see him, and a relief to know I’ll be working with someone I’ve worked with so often before. He was making me laugh with a story of pursading his partner to let him on a cable car, and then once aboard remembering that he is terrified of them, and clinging to the floor on all fours, and then having to be restrained from leaping out onto a treetop to escape. Then forcing his partner to walk down the mountain afterwards.   The work we’re asked to do is a thorny brief with not much elbow room, but we have time to work it all out. Keith worrying at his ear, which was painful and slightly deaf, and me having lost m...

Mas had his neck operation, and is okay. I thought they were putting a stent in but Mum things they didn’t. It was successful however. Up blearily with Lorraine, who drove me to Preston Park my train was on time. But the delayed earlier train arrived at the station a few minutes before, broke down and so when the train came it had two trainloads on it. Had to stand up as far as Farringdon, for over an hour and a half.   However I used this time, squidged half into a the luggage space to have a word with myself about everything. Decided that the only thing I can control is my own conduct, and had better look to it, and decided to preachily share this on Facebook.   You can be the change you want to see. Work fine. Still enjoying working with Fernanda. With the growing amount of people at the Tavistock Square agency, I find the whole process has become more complicated, and instead of being able to drive things along I am asked to do not too much.   Curiously this ...

Lorraine dropped me off at the station this morning, then up to London. Working on my French stuff in the train as it delayed its way up to London. Full day at work, working through lunch. Thank goodness I am working with Fernanda at the moment, which makes the days fairly easy. A moment of respite looking down on the trees of Tavistock Square, talking about photography with her. Mentioned Pete Caton, who was in Chad with me, and he messaged me for the first time every about five minutes after. Very strange. Then home again, relaxing on the delayed train home. Lorraine had cooked and we had supper together. As I got home England were playing the mighty Iceland, and it was already 1-1. Soon Iceland scored another goal. I worked from there on the French stuff,  before coming downstairs to see the final whistle and England's most embarrassing ever loss. Coming after Brexit, the loss of a football came seemed small fry. But there was something in a bewildering loss, the immediate man...

An early start in teeming rain. Lorraine drove me to Brighton station hideously early, where I bought a travel card to St Pancras, but due to various cancellations, got an early train to Victoria and caught a bus instead. Crossed Russel Squeare in the rain, and then popped into Starbucks below the office for breakfast. Left in reception for ages, watching the unfriendly receptionists service their facebook accounts. Loads of new people there since I last worked in Tavistock Square, but a few old friends. Slug who called me in to work on the pitch was on holiday. Karam is imminently about to be a father. And Fernanda who I will be working with had a gall bladder operation last week.   No brief however, so spent the morning idling a bit. Managed to follow up on Island Review about my poem, which they accepted about a year ago. Their reply to me must have gone astray, and rather embarrassingly they had published it last week.  Nice to see The Remembering Cliffs get a breath...

Final day in Tavistock Square before heading off to Greece tomorrow. A mystery solved too about why work had been a bit thin on the ground this year, my chums in Tavistock square had assumed a conflict of interest because I was working with the guys in Chiswick. There is none, but this goes some way to explaining why I kept being dropped at the last minute for jobs. Now I know what the problem is, the misunderstanding can be cleared up. Otherwise having worked through the last couple of weekends, and having some last minute stuff to do tonight, rather pleased to be finally about the business of packing, and setting the clocks unspeakably early for tomorrow. Snorkel and facemark packed, slumped exhaustedly into bed.

So now working constantly. Third day of working in London after my surprise call on Monday evening. Back with my chums in Tavistock Square. First Matie popped in on a social call (as she'd worked there for some time). Also nice to see my other friends who work here. Feeling pretty tired as I started the week feeling underpowered, and I've also had to work on some stuff for my French client at night and on the train. I will be working through the weekend. Nice to be in London though, and pausing to look at the caryatids near Euston station. I love seeing these things and have tried to write a poem about them before. And today I melted away from my desk in the afternoon and walked around Tavistock Square and looked at Gandhi for five minutes. Home and reading poems and listening to podcasts. Lorraine and Betty still doing the diets and so on. Naturally now Lorraine is working at home, I am in London. So it goes.  Falling into bed like an exhausted dog, and Lorraine reading th...

Up to London, weather on the turn with the dregs of a hurricane dragging itself over the Atlantic. Missed my train this morning. Another day in Tavistock Square, luckily feeling a good deal less wussy than I had felt over the weekend. Another day of animal diseases. Weather rolling in and the light doing interesting things through the windows all afternoon. Walked off to buy a sandwich at lunchtime, feeling noticeably less rubbish than of late and enjoying the sight of Tavistock Square. Home on a slow train, finished The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis -- feeling as if it could have been a great book but left unconvinced. Then once back in Brighton straight to the Three Jolly Brewers for a poetry workshop, which I joined halfway through. A slightly strange atmosphere among attendees, but I was greeted in a friendly enough way. Said hello to various pals, including Robin, Antony, Andie and Susan. A swift drink afterwards, listening to people's opinions, and fishing a Guernsey pou...

Working on the train going up to London, luckily managing to dodge the heavy rain showers. Once at work I found myself a victim of my own speed and creative alacrity today, having finished the work I was hired to do early, I was released back into the wild till mid next week. Went out for a pint at lunchtime with Karam and Slug and an art director who is about to migrate to the Philippines. Also managed to send off the text for the This pamphlet/card/wee book/ will fall in love with you. In the evening availed myself of one or two free drinks in the office. Have enjoyed the last couple of weeks in Tavistock Square, and meeting and working with Fernanda - a genuinely creative art director. Spoke to Bob about Saturday, when Bob, Carl and I are having a long overdue reunion in London. Train ride enlivened by sitting near a young woman ferociously solving a rubric's cube, with her mobile phone as a stopwatch next to her. She was timing herself and regularly solved it in under 20 ...

Up at the crack of dawn and off to town. Managed to read another book of  Paradise Lost  on the train too. Magnificent stuff. Train was delayed, bus broke down etc. so arrived late having walked through Bloomsbury, whose squares looked absolutely stunning, in their early Autumn glory. Not worked in Tavistock Square for a year. But felt comfortable returning and was teamed up with an talented and easy-going Brazilian art director called Fernanda on an interesting job. Home late. Emailing Jane and Richard, Jane had one of those alarms in the night, and wrote about it hilariously here.  And early to bed.

Weirdly woozy start to the day. Awake early, snuffly with a slight cold, and a weird ear thing that made things spin a bit if I turned my head too fast. The train ride particularly beautiful this morning, with the low bright Autumn sun picking out things I'd never noticed before: the fat white gable end of a new house, like a Paul Klee arrow in the jumble of South London, pointing up to a big blue sky; a building with trees on the roof; the patterns of crisscrossing cranes. Building work in central London seems to have kept going apace during the recession. At St Pancras I noticed four or five bunches of flowers and a framed photo outside a construction site which marked the death of a young construction worker. Work better, sat with Pat this morning working on concepts for a premature ejaculation pitch going on in Australia. Had fun coming up with some puntastic concepts and ideas. And the afternoon devoted to updating four similar documents with lots of small changes. After wor...

Up early and off in the rain to the smoke.When I arrived at the station L called to say the radio had said the trains were doomed. There only one train, mine, luckily enough as there had been a fatality at East Croydon.  Only ten minutes late for work, which was fine, and nice to be up in Tavistock Square again. Brain a little slow. Out at lunchtime in hard rain to post stuff off to the solicitors. Home in the rain from the office, and missed my train by about two seconds at St Pancras. Slow journey home. Lorraine out at her choir, and so I bought some fish and chips from the smiling man at Sing Li and took them home to eat in the company of Frasier. An early night once my lovely had returned and foraged food from the larder. Read poems (not mine) to Lorraine till she fell asleep.

A very busy day. Up and hiring a new accountant, sending a copy of A Guernsey Double off to a thoughtful buyer, reading notes from Helen in Germany who has translated Heidegger in the Forest (more on that on the Notebook site soon), popping into the doctor to arrange my yearly blood test, posting a birthday card for Mason, redesigning the wedding invite card as we are having it reprinted for several slightly infuriating reasons. Then off to London to collect a brief at noon in Tavistock Square about blood thinners. Jotted down the draft of a poem on the train. Then rushed to the meeting with the charming Yazia, and briefly saw a greenish First Matie who has a queasy bug. Homeward glancing at material on blood thinners. To the bank, then home to re-redesign the invite for a third time before sending it back to the printers, which involved a bout of swearing and bad temper, which was not my finest hour, especially as Lorraine was working next to me. Then back on with my blood thinn...

Up in the morning and off to the smoke to work in Tavistock Square. Noticed yesterday the pile of wilting sunbaked flowers left on the pavement in remembrance of those people killed travelling on a bus there on 7th July 2005. Another hot day, and despite being handed over five jobs none of them actually materialised so I spent much of the day kicking my heels and researching things for my own work. At the end of the day asked to take Friday off and return on Monday. Sensibly availed myself of the free Thursday agency bar, however, and talked at length with German Lisa and Slug, arriving home rather late and with my top hat slightly askew. Below walking along the office I sneaked this photo of a solitary man sitting in his own office with a painted tiger face.

Again up to Tavistock Square. A manbag incident on the way into work. The strap coming free of the bag, as I walked on and had to scurry back to retrieve it from the mobs of Dicknsian dodgers. Once at work, given some referencing work this morning which I loathe. Off in the afternoon off to Wise Buddha in Great Titchfield Street in a taxi with Amardeep, a tiny young suit with a forceful personality and Jimmy Choo heels. London gridlocked and it took us about 45 minutes, longer than it would have taken to walk. In and out rather quickly with a good voiceover artist, with the appropriately stirring corporate tone. Nice client too. After I had to wait for a short time, and browsed through one of their many visitor's books -- which contained signatures from everyone from Cliff Richard to The Doobie Brothers. Thunder and a deluge as we left, which meant there was suddenly not a single taxi to be had. I was all for walking it, Amadeep said she was going to go by tube, then ...

Off to Tavistock Square. Brighton station in the morning had taken the precaution of cancelling trains before the snow arrived. The train delayed of course, but only by fifteen minutes as it slunk northward through the frosty fields. When I arrived in St Pancras, it was snowing in London. A morning of fiddly work on cat worms, with a nice Spanish woman Yaiza, who I'd not seen for a while. She was telling me about her Christmas meals in Spain, the rice, huge pots of vegetables and mixed meats that everyone dips into. She was almost drooling. Travel woe percolated through computer screens and the TV in the glass walled office next door. Many people had not made it in to the office at all, and I began to feel nervous I was going to be stranded in London. Pat told people they should go, and so I did. Betty's show was snowed off too, as the plan was to get to Kingston to see it after work. Early in the afternoon I legged it to St Pancras, and through sheer luck caught a delaye...

Lorraine up at six and I dragged my sorry self into London again. The train to London half its usual size so it was crammed with people and I was unable to work in it, as people were looming over me and a tiny man was reading his wretched Metro and spreading out as far as his body would allow next to me. A pleasant quiet day, working with Jerry and chatting with Andrea and Jess opposite. I mooched out at lunchtime snapping the autumnal Tavistock square, carpeted with golden leaves. Some of the streets nearby already full of driven-in golden leaf-prints. Home reasonably promptly but dog tired, despite it being only Monday. I intend to take next week off to recover, and try to get my poetry manuscript ready. Lorraine home later than me, and we ate our microwaved plated up dinners left over from yesterday's roast. At least the bits of it that remained after Brian the cat stealing a large piece of pork. There is no end to the badness of that cat, despite his butter wouldn't mel...

More poems written on the train this morning. This week I have enjoyed listening to Music for 18 Musicians , by Steve Reich. The minimalist chugging a perfect thing to block out the chugging of the train and people talking. Karam boarded the train in London and sat next to me for 20 minutes, and we walked into work together talking about poetry and other artistic stuff. Tavistock Square looking beautiful the last few days, with a sombre English misty drabness that is quite lovely, and not really captured at all in the snap below. A fire drill in the morning, and everybody filed out through the nearby streets and gathered in a misty crescent. Otherwise working with Jerry is good, and he was showing me a few things I'd not seen, like photos of heavy chains coated with silk from silk worms. Enjoying the people in the office, and I am there next week too. Reached home zombie tired. Lorraine had survived a hideous day, and we sloped happily off to the Shahi and had a good meal. Ju...

Feeling brighter today, and working in Tavistock Square again, with the day mainly being given over to parasitical worms. Working on my poems in the train with my new fountain pen, which is making me actually enjoy the act of writing again. Lunchtime walking in the square, with the sun emerging to dapple the fallen leaves and squirrels scavenging picturesquely. An oasis from the traffic. Lots of floral tributes around the Gandhi statue, perhaps left there from his birthday on October 2nd. I talked to Mum and Mase who have had five young Americans staying with them over the weekend, who had only just left. They were looking forward to a quiet afternoon. Home late, after my vermiform day, and pleased to be there. Lorraine and I gaped at more Space: Above and Beyond, and the end of The Great British Bake Off. Betty had pre-ordered the new album by Martha Wainwright, which arrived this evening as a birthday present.

Off this morning to work with my chums in Tavistock Square. Train delayed as usual, and felt very tired this morning. However, I had a civilised beer at lunch with Karam and Steve to celebrate my birthday, chatting among other things about the amazing Felix Baumgartner jump. His courage was incredible. But then I guess there was no other way down. Somewhat less heroically, I spent most of the day happily thinking about advertising concepts for worming pills, and some time looking at pictures of dogs' and cats' intestinal worms, which was every bit as repulsive as you'd imagine. Home, listening to the ' Wittertainment ' of the Kermode and Mayo podcast. Once arrived, and having returned home past the Church of Christ the King VS street drinkers standoff, and Lorraine and I watched yet another Above and Beyond episode. I like it just as much now as I did when I first saw it on TV, strangely still a cult show, which was devised by people who had worked on the X-F...