under another sun

Bedraggled bairns Anna had an early business meeting in London, so my Godchildren Oskar and Klaudia had breakfast here this morning. Anna looking both glamorous and businesslike, bringing a bag of cereals and some milk. The bairns raided the pirate box for chocolates dug out their toys, played my guitar, feed the fish, etc. After 40 minutes of this off into the teeth of the gale and rain to school. The children bedraggled when they arrived, and I was happy to get them back indoors. Klaudia not wanting to wear her hood, and skipping along happily in the rain. Oskar less happy with it as we struggled to get his hood on. Found myself pulling his ear by mistake at one point, but Oksar endured this stoically. Home and work on the Libretto, some French work, and some accountant and bill-paying based admin. Late in the afternoon finished The Double by Dostoevsky, which although interesting ends less well than it started: as if the double scenario has been established, and Dostoevsky wasn...

Off to Kent Off by train to Kent to see Lorraine's parents. Lorraine breaking her usual on-train silence on the journey there to speak to me. Collected by Pat at Ashford station and a lovely afternoon hanging about eating a lovely roast lamb dinner with tons of vegetables. Maureen draping microwaveable bags of hot things over my back as I happened to tweak it shortly after arrival. Their tropical aquarium well established now, and I was pleased to see Lucky the Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) still alive and well. Studying two photos of Lorraine's grandmother on the walls. They look very like each other. Home again, a few pages from finishing The Double now. It is an uncomfortable toe-curling experience. I hate reading about humiliation and frustration, and have never been able to finish The Trial by Kafka for the same reason. Home to watch Chelsea be beaten on Match of the Day by Liverpool. Fernando Torres, who has wandered about the pitch in an abject and aimless fa...

Fireworks Breakfast with Mum and Mase: coffee and crumpets and various compulsory vitamin pills. Mum scorning her usual muesli. Then some chatting and resetting Spotify on Mum's computer and making her listen to smidge of screeching Schoenberg. Also showed her facebook. Then off for a steak and kidney pudding in the Man in the Moon in Stanmore, parking in the Sainsbury's car park, as Mum and Mase are at war with the jobsworth in the Lidl's car park. Mum sporting a butterfly ring she bought, and her enforced starvation over the last few weeks has resulted in the silver lining of her having lost weight. Avidly reading The Double by Dostoevsky on the train back to Brighton. It is definitely about someone having a nervous breakdown, and then there is the issue of whether the double is really there or not. In the evening met Matt briefly over a beer to talk excitedly about doubles, Schoenberg, etc. and how we could make ours distinctly different. A farewell outside the pub, a...