under another sun

First of the month, and after writing for a couple of hours, I caught the train up into London to meet Mum in the Salisbury. We shared plate of nachos, and chatted happily over a couple of drinks. I was telling her how much the diversity in my musical taste was down to her exposing me to things like Stravinsky and Miles Davis when I was a nipper. Not to mention all the trips to museums and art galleries. That kind of stuff makes a big difference I think, and we were lucky to live in London and be close to so many cultural riches. Mum reminded me that she was 79, and she really is remarkable taking a break from Mas and zooming into town on the tube to meet me. I made off then to Hammersmith, to meet Matty boy for a long overdue catch up. As I was early I took a nostalgic stroll past the riverside offices I worked at from 2000-2007 plus a few bits of freelance afterwards. The area all around it, which once was a huge piece of fenced off wasteland is now full of upmarket apartment block...

Howdy ho London To London today. The train draggingly slow through the snow-dusted fields to Victoria. I caught up on various podcasts, and yawned a good deal as I had accidentally gone to bed late, and an intruding black cat caused alarms in the night. Calliope, with me following, chased the larger intruder out, the same one she was biffing in the yard recently. I means I will have to put the magnet on Calliope's collar and use the magnetic catflap to exclude intruders. Working today in Hammersmith with Betsy for a specialist healthcare agency. Betsy is an American art director, with a good visual imagination - and we make each other laugh despite working on concepts for a healthcare product that helps to prevent surgical site infections, or SSIs as they are known in the trade. In the afternoon we were joined by Hannah a medical expert writer, who thoughtfully showed us photographs of inflamed surgical site wounds. Betsy was jetlagged, and I was a bit braindead, so it was hard wor...

Peace and The Dove Friday and feeling very cheerful on the train going to work this morning. Had one of those peaceful Buddhist-type revelations: I have everything I need in my life to be happy. It is just a matter of shuffling the proportions, and looking again with gratitude at what I have. Working hard this morning on various documents and brochures, and then went to lunch with the French Bloke in the Dove, one of my all time favourite pubs. We scarfed a yummy comfort food lunch of sausage and cabbage and potato mash with gravy. Then there were a few pints of London Pride, and some plotting - for the Dove's old bar demands it - and chatting. The FB also telling me about The God Delusion by Dawkins, which I am going to download. Looking at the carved bit of Portland stone on the fireplace which had to be rebuilt after the war thanks to the effects of time and "Mr Hitler". The carving is of a dove with an olive branch in its beak and the ark on the horizon. I love that ...

Ditto day Mostly a ditto day. Except I slept deeply at home, and then worked on poems on the train. Another pleasant day at work with the "big" idea we had yesterday being received well. Spurned offers to go to the pub to slope off for a walk at lunchtime. I am trying to get a bit fitter as I still feel woozy and throaty after the flu. Walked by the river, enjoying the blustery cold. Took photos but none of any interest. But it was great to escape and look at things. Sent an email to Lakshmi whose birthday it is today. Got emails from Mum about things like what font to use on the website. Read an interesting philosophy essay by the Gnome's son on Laughter. Left work promptly. Once in Brighton I walked up the hill to check on Anton's house as they are away skiing at the moment. Then home to eat cheese on toast again, and talk to the fabulous Sarah, before an early night. Below the excellent (and very hard to pass) The Dove. I have never succeeded in walking past the D...

The Dove and The Dark Place Heard about Alice Coltrane's death today. She was an amazing woman who died on Jan 12th and her album Journey in Satchidananda has to be one of my top ten records of all time (despite being impossible to pronounce). She is a Jazz musician with a spiritual dimension and an Eastern flavour having lived in India for some time, and has some amazing moments. Went to work. And I didn't like it. Sat in a soul-sapping meeting and then went out at lunchtime for a walk with the French Bloke along the river. It was a blessed relief. Sat in The Dove by the open fire and had a laugh and a beer before returning to The Dark Place. Work seems an intolerable burden, even though nothing bad is happening, and I am full of a yearning for freedom and a feeling of dissatisfaction with my lack of achievement. Part of me welcomes this, however, and I intend to use it as a spur. Back home to my thankfully warm house, as the temperature is plummeting now to normal January l...