under another sun

Up with the sparrows and working on the French brief, from just gone seven as yesterday. Hus phoned me at nine asking me when I was arriving to look after Ken. I had to tell him this was impossible today, which made me feel bad. Then on with the day's work from my pals in Paddington. I have told them about what's going on, and luckily this particular job is coming to an end soon. They are lovely people, but this particular project is one that even with an electron microscope I would not be able to locate any interest. This all ended around 6:30. But hurrah! No commute. Feeling under the weather today, and Lorraine coughing and tired when she got home. Luckily I had cooked a chicken curry and this turned out quite well, and we watched the other half of Back to the Future, which, I suppose, was mildly entertaining. Felt bad that I hadn't done anything on the Janet and Ken front today, but badly needed to focus on work, and just step back for a bit.  Rod and Claire are t...

Up early and working from home, but a very difficult day dominated by Janet even though I did not see her. She was unwell today. I had calls with Hus, Georgie (a friend of Janet's), and Rod, plus sent various emails. I am finding the experience stressful, as all the practicalities are new to me, people seem to be looking to me to know what to do, and obviously I feel very sad about Janet.  I feel as if I am wearing a heavy greatcoat all the time. Not much other news, other than having to work on stuff from my pals from Paddington. This was a bit fraught too as items I'd sent them hadn't been received, and I thought they were demanding another piece of work I had not yet done and so on.  I am writing about events in an internal conference of a pharmaceutical company. It seems so trivial at the moment. Brian seems much recovered, and flinging himself desperately at the front door when I opened it in an attempt to escape. Thankfully he seems much better. Calliope sitting o...

Quite motivated this morning, sent my children's novel off to a U.S. literary agent, entered Sin Cycle into the Magma pamphlet competition, among other stuff. Then walked over to see Janet in Hove, as there was a respite carer in to look after Ken. Janet somewhat tired, so she hopped aboard Ken's wheelchair and we trundled up the road to a restaurant called Third Avenue, where we had a bite to eat, and two glasses each of a non-alcoholic berry and crushed ice drink. Service was snailish, but we had a good chat, and Janet is wisely getting her affairs in order. Back at Janet's house we sat in the back room, as Ken and Janet shared a crafty cigarette. I saw that the tomatoes Janet had put in were full of fruit, and she asked me to pick them. She has always had green fingers, and her new little garden was full of  stripy, and red, and yellow tomatoes. When I picked them, the smell took me back to childhood. Janet gave me a big bag of them to take away. I hopped on a bus...

A steady day of work, finishing off an essay I am writing about waiting rooms as part of the top secret waiting room project. Lorraine went off to have her hair cut and saw Beth. Texting Carl today, who is still in hospital and somewhat glum. In the afternoon when I was getting square eyes, and feeling tired, I went for a long walk up to Stanmer Park woods. Enjoyed seeing the earth which had cracked between all the trees in the wood during the heatwave, now back to normal and everything green again. Home at six after walking for a couple of hours, to Lorraine. An idyllic day in some ways, writing and walking and having Lorraine at home. Enjoying these last days of having Lorraine at home. Watched the second episode of the new BBC series Bodyguard, which is tense and watchable. Lorraine reading me The Secret Garden in bed. It is one of those childhood books I love. The descriptions of earth, and spring bulbs and so on are bringing back sense memories. Reading it again after so ma...