under another sun

Off to drawing class this morning, trying to be early. Lorraine phoned me shortly before I arrived to say I'd left my paper at home. So had to double back, Lorraine handed it to me in the street. Late again, which made me feel irritable. The model was Tommy, who we have had before. A slim young guy, who I find a bit difficult to draw. Melissa stopping me after a few pencil strokes, and saying that the foot would be off the page. Tommy and I spoke afterwards and he wanted to connect with me as he is writing a play which needs a bit of background about advertising in it. Nice chat with Melissa afterwards too. Adele, Patrick and I had bumped into her in the Boot last Friday too, and she apologised for not introducing her husband. She locked up an we left. Sauntered home, realising that I'd left my umbrella in the women's Institute Hall. Then home to find Lorraine hard at work tidying. In the afternoon she made off to take Maureen, with Patrick in tow, to see the doctor.  I att...

A great night's sleep. Tidied the kitchen, made breakfast, then prepared for a recording with Robin, discussing poetry about vampires, John Keats, Hope Mirrlees, and Father's Day. All went well and we had some fun. The publisher's publicist wrote to me about the Vampire book, wondering if we could delay covering it till a bit later in the year, but it was already done by then.  I am going to be a last minute replacement reader, in a poetry reading in Arundel with Robin next Monday, which is Beth's due date. Then I sloped off to Pomegranate to meet Lorraine and Pat and Maureen for an early lunch. Maureen ended up giving me half hers, luckily she had the same,  sourdough bread with smashed avocado with smoked salmon sprinkled with seeds and chilli flakes. Actually a prefect little lunch. Maureen always takes her hearing aid out in the cafe, so we communicate with her by pulling faces and bellowing. Then back home to work on Gordon Road -- a really good session and made a ...

Up early to work on Gordon Road, then have breakfast with Lorraine. She zoomed off to do her pottery, and I sloped round the corner to life drawing. For some reason I did everything badly in the first half, producing my worst work yet. A lovely chat with Melissa who runs the sessions at half time, and decided it was okay to not excel, and ended up doing much better in the second half. Adele there with her own stool, a drum stool bought in the US with a Captain America style star on it. Stylish. Home and back onto Gordon Road for an hour or so. Made some decisions. Lorraine back from pottery but only long enough to grab a tupperwear of apples, nuts and cheese she'd asked for before taking Pat and Maureen back to Eastbourne for a medical appointment and some shopping. A bite to eat, then I went to the gym. My knee held up well, though a little swollen afterwards. On the way there I passed the pond, where there was a lively argument going on between a seagull and a heron. Usual seagul...