under another sun

Woke up early, despite this being the first day of Lorraine's hols (although she did do some work). I had just had a dream, where the entire plot of a short Christmas animation had played out in my head. Simply got dressed, had a cup of tea and wrote it down for the next hour and a half. Then took Mrs Kenny a nice cup of tea. Dawn arrived to work on the bathroom and bedroom upstairs. Lorraine got up and we had breakfast. Then I had a long conversation with Robin. This done, and a bite of lunch had, Lorraine and I zoomed off to Lidls at Whitehawk, facemarks on, where we returned the two bottles that had been sold to us with their protective caps still on. This a palaver, as they had never encountered this before, especially as we were now trying to return them. Lorraine had been given two bottles of nice gin in the last week, and Beth had told us the rum we had bought 'tastes like arse' as she had bought one recently. It took a phone call and the summoning of a manger bu...

Another episode of Skelton Yawngrave TV, and also uploaded a short horror story  The Dream Home . Kept myself pretty busy, and in the afternoon went for a bracing walk -- quite a few folks out and about now and noticeably more cars on Ditchling Road. Lorraine working from home, but with her nose to the grindstone sorting out how a restart in June can happen, and talking to staff and so on. Chatted to Mum, and then sat in the Taverna, in the sun, which was just warm enough, and drank a can of beer and finished listening to the appendixes of the Lord of the Rings. Listening to that has brought great succour and calmness to me. Reminded Mum that she had written in the three volume copy she gave to me when I was sixteen (previously I had read the family yellow-spined onevolume giant), 'for all your seasons of mist and mellow thoughtfulness.' Beth out for much of the day working, and Lorraine and I had a leisurely dinner, and watched TV, like you do.

A fairly productive start to the week, despite waking up in a fury at the government's handling of C19. Pictures emerged today of people cramming into the tubes again, and this is simply a recipe for a second wave. The ambiguous messaging and botched delivery is astonishing. Most of the agencies in the country could have delivered something better. As the day emerged lots of conflicting interpretations emerging, from within the government, let alone the general populace. Attempted a meme.... which at least made me feel better. Lorraine off at school all day. I finished editing, T he Dream Home , the short horror story that was published by Frogmore Papers, and the latest Skelton Yawngrave TV episode (I'm now on chapter 24). Essentially I think I am going to read everything onto YouTube, as it is a way of giving published material a bit of a second airing -- and also should I meet a sudden demise at the hands of C19 I want to have uploaded lots of stuff. Also had a really ...

The Frogmore Papers arrived today, with my horror story in it The Dream Home . Lots of time wasted struggling to get a speaker working, trying to connect it to the wifi and so on. Galling when it has worked perfectly until recently. A hot day. In afternoon Lorraine and I went into town and I collected my new glasses from Specsavers. One of the pairs looks a bit Harry Potterish. Then Lorraine bought me a much needed new pair of shoes as an early birthday present, and found a pair for herself that fitted the shoe rules. We passed a cafe that had little cannoli in it and we bought three, one of which was a lobster's tail. A message from Val in Paris needing some urgent help. Then we mooched down to the seaside and sat on a bench in Hove looking out to sea. It was high tide. The Labour Party Conference is being held in Brighton, and there was a gathering of Labour politicos listening to amplified speakers talking mainly about climate change, and how this was woven into the strugg...

Up with the lark, as Lorraine had got up very early to go to the gym. I got working not long after seven on some stuff for Val in Paris. Lorraine returned home, having forgot her work clothes to change into. Once I'd finished the French stuff quick walk in the beautiful morning, before back to work on finalising The Inheritor , now much improved I think. Received a letter in the post from Jeremy saying that he wanted to take my wee horror story The Dream Home for the next Frogmore Papers. Chuffed with this, as am seeing it as another sign that the horror route is a good one for me. A bit of a breakthrough. To the gym at lunchtime, did quite a good workout. Home and more bits and pieces of work, laundry and other housework. Read another couple of stories by Matthew Rees, jolly good they were too. When Lorraine home, we ate in the back garden fishcakes and salad. I had to pop across to the cornershop afterwards, on the 30 walk home, quite a hefty migraine started, and I simply t...

Up early and reviewing the story I had written yesterday, called Little Horrors , which I am very pleased with. I think this story, and the one I wrote immediately before it called The Dream Home are the best short stories I have written. I feel as if I have made a breakthrough. They are both very short, just a thousand and a half words each, but there's a lot in them. Otherwise a day at home, working on bits and pieces. In the afternoon a jaunt into town. Had some coffee and worked on my pad making lists and prioritising stuff. Then home via Sainsbury's and made some food for Lorraine when she got back home. Below , I read something online about how quickly the world would return to something like normal if all humans suddenly vanished. I have long enjoyed this fantasy, and seen glimpses of this otherworld in tumbled overgrown greenhouses in Guernsey. A derelict building at the bottom of Preston Park gave me another couple of snaps to add to this thought.

A sweltering day, lapped up by beachgoers, while the  Extinction Rebellion gathers force up in London. Up and off into town fairly early as Lorraine had a haircut with Paul, for whom she can never be late. I bought Lorraine a birthday jigsaw in C&H fabrics. A woman in late middle age was choosing half a dozen jigsaws when I was there and was virtually body checking me to block me from choosing one in case it was one that she wanted. Puzzling behaviour. Then off to my usual Caffè Nero where I had a free coffee thanks to my full loyalty card, and spent an hour or so completing the edit on my new horror short story, called The Dream House. Had showed it to Lorraine this morning, and she liked it. I think it works really well. Collected Lorraine, with neat and sunny hair, from the hairdresser and sauntered back into town, and we went for a stroll down by the sea. Sam called and chatted to Lorraine for half an hour as we did so, and I dawdled about keeping out of the sun. The ...