under another sun

At work on Gordon Road first thing. Lots to digest and think about after my conversations with Charlotte and Steve but feeling optimistic that I could sort it. Lorraine zoomed off to Eastbourne to do a morning's pottery. At elven I was collected by Yvonne and we hopped into her mini and went to Mamoosh in Newhaven. A good chat and some coffee. She's full of good advice about grandchildren and the importance of dinosaurs. Apparently her two grandsons do a good deal of roaring when they come back from the Dinosaur Safari, at nearby Paradise Park in Newhaven.  In the afternoon Lorraine and I pressed on with sorting out the spare room, so it works as a guest room and  as Lorraine's knitting and sewing domain.  In the evening to Brighton where I met Anton at the Signalman. And a curate's egg of news to catch up on. We also talked about AI. Anton apprehensive about how it will develop. Then we nostalgically popped into the Joker and had some chicken wings -- sadly not the ...

Up and writing my new story, Kansas, again. Then off to the gym at lunchtime for a brief workout. Listening for a bit to the book about Anxiety, which is based on CBT, and in thinking about it found several mental pennies falling into place. It was a weirdly exhilarating feeling. Shortly after I got home from the gym, Lorraine collected Beth this afternoon and they drove off to Basingstoke to see Beth's granny Glenys who is in hospital having been a cause of concern the family. I have met Glenys a few times and have always been struck by what a quiet force for good she is.  Hopped on a train, after a lengthy search outside for Brian, and finding him in our lounge,  and got off at London Road to meet Anton in The Signalman. After saying howdy to Anton, I sauntered inside to the bar and they had a help yourself jug of water there, which I drank and had a protracted bout of choking. 'That's what you get when you drink water,, said the young guy next to me. Had a good time bask...

Lorraine and I got hold of the day by the scruff of its neck and sorted out the front garden, which although only small, needed a fair bit bush trimming. We had dragged out the trug there too, and this we emptied. Then we took the car off for its MOT underneath the viaduct, and had lunch at The Signalman, one of our locals when we lived in the Old Church Hall. Enjoyed going for a beer, albeit a solitary beer, with my missus. A tasty chicken burger and a cheery barmaid. Then collected the car, which passed its MOT, and organised some storage for the general house declutter we are planning.  Home, and working on poems for a bit, and eating a sandwich supper. Watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show film, which I had never seen. I did of course see the original Royal Court Theatre cast performing it as a young teenager. My school, being an inner city sort of place, had mysteriously good arts connections, and so a bunch of us were taken on some kind of school trip to see it. I think I was...

Mercifully working from home today so as to allow me to sneak off first thing and have a blood test at the quacks, then pop into the barbers pen early nearby. I really like the nurse at the surgery. We were laughing about what would happen if the blood that came out was green, although she seemed relieved when it came out the usual colour. The barbers all friendly first thing in the morning. Area of concern gleaming, and steps were taken to control my increasingly Leonid Brezhnev stylee eyebrows. Home and started work at the usual time. Chatting to Mark next door, who despite having left his house to move into the new one, was back to polyfiller in a few holes in the wall. Rather impressed by this. He seemed a little sad to be going too. Sonia arrived and I had a quick chat with her, and a little later opened the door to Mark and a French man who wanted to look around the house, having seen it just published. I showed him around. He seemed lean and keen. Lovely hot day. At lunch ...

A delicate and wan morning. Felt a glow of cheer though, after what had been one of the happiest birthdays I can remember. Lorraine cooked Scotch pancakes which were utterly delicious. Sprawled about on the sofa and chairs with Lorraine, First Matie and Betty (who had gone out clubbing after we left the Basketmakers... Ah the stamina of youth). We watched programmes about Autumn fruits and all chuckled as a male chef commented about a succession of sweet, tasty, surprisingly large plums. Eventually the endless cups of tea and mineral water and breakfast and general slumping did their magic work. Betty back up to London, and First Matie, L and I went up the road to the Signalman for roast lunch. It was nice to walk up Ditchling Rise however, the road gutters gleaming with freshly fallen conkers. Sadly though the food quality at the Signalman has plummeted. Won't be going back there to eat any time soon. I also had a solitary kill or cure beer: a pint of Darkness, a dark malty ...

Second day of Lorraine's holiday, and lots of business to be done. I got up early and worked for a couple of hours quite productively on the book before we zoomed into town. The most important business of the day was to go to Brighton Town Hall to talk to the registrars and officially book our wedding, show birth certificates, passports, divorce papers and so on. Also had a separate interview to make sure it was not going to be a fake marriage. We also went to the venue for the reception and booked that sucker, then stopped in at the printers to get the wee invite printed. Also managed to look at a few hotels to get an idea of prices for potential guests. In The Ship Hotel we let a lady go before us at reception, a lovely older Welsh lady who was asking for a Bible in her room, as she had left her one at home. Also looked at wedding bands in windows, but by then I was getting a nosebleed and as there is so much choice in the Old Lanes it made me feel like my head was exploding....

A poor night's sleep. Scooting about this morning doing some work before accosting Mum at Brighton station. Straight to the sea, which we found to be greenish with a bruised banks of cloud raining in the distance.  Mum drawn right away to the kippers in a roll at Jack and Linda Mills place on the seafront. Lovely people and Jack was wearing a Guernsey jumper and so we chatted about this and he came outside to chat with us as we ate outside. He told us about fishing here just after the war, and how the sea was full of fish because of how the sea had been mined to defend it. Then a cold walk around the pier, the flags stiff in the breeze. A good deal of talking to be done, which we did as we walked around the pier watching the skeletons etc. loom out of their smoking windows at the top of the horror hotel ride. Then inland to The Mock Turtle for tea and cake. Enjoying all the willow pattern plates on the wall, and the tables on the sides groaning with cakes. Next to the Museu...

Manacled to my desk all day, creating concepts for one client, a long chat with the other talking about another client I will be working on next week. Late in the day Keith called and I will also do a smidge with him at the end of next week. Good from a doubloons perspective. As is traditional, because Lorraine is only working one day next week, I am booked every day.  Luckily though all of these are working from home, which happily means I sidestep 20 hours of travel. Engrossed early by the film of the meteor streaking into the Urals, and talk of an asteroid coming rather close to Earth. Chaos is always just around the corner. Betty home for the week, giving a little sigh of happiness about being home, and curling up on the gold sofa all afternoon. In the evening L, Betty and I popped up to The Signalman in good spirits, to celebrate Betty's return and Lorraine's half term. I had a nicely hot Thai chicken curry, and L and B were pleased with their snap too.  Drank some b...

Hard to get out of bed this morning, and felt sad for Lorraine who had to venture off into non-settling snow as she left home. Another dreary Monday and another bout of brain work on the book. This factual stuff is hard, as you have to assemble them in ways that appear reasonable. Lurched off at lunchtime to the gym but have been afflicted with savage indigestion all morning I found being on the cross trainer enduring stabbing chest pain curiously unrelaxing despite knowing the cause. On a much more cheery note, met Matt for a wide ranging plan and a scheme in The Signalman , and we think we have a plot and subject for an opera. I feel very happy about this, and we explored the possibilities of our story line for several hours. I don't want to say too much at such an early stage, but it is  based on real events in the recent past. Home and bought some Chinese snackage from the local takeaway, as Lorraine had been singing in the choir again. We scarfed this, bu...

Despite having a slight cold, there was a song on my lips this morning for I did not have to join the rain-soaked stampede of pinching, punching commuters. Instead, as I am working from home this week, I gave myself permission to slack off after some admin, billing and so on. To the local greengrocer, where the tiny, ancient proprietor shambles between the tired vegetables or on the days when he is working alone, disappears into the back for minutes at a time leaving his shop at the mercy of light fingers. Most leave cash on his till when he has wandered off. I bought leeks, potatoes and butternut squash. From these ingredients, with the addition of garlic, a fresh red chilli, cumin and coriander, mushrooms and chicken stock, I fashioned an unexpectedly delicious soup. The afternoon given over to a cold-induced snooze and embarking on Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie, lent me by my pal Nicola, who had previously turned me on to the splendid  Owen Meany . Midnight's Ch...

Working well on the New Idea. Really happy with how this is progressing, and since I have returned from holiday, the strength of the idea is increasingly apparent. Off to the gym at lunchtime, but I felt a bit weird, hot and tired, so I stopped after half an hour. Home and a relaxed afternoon. Lorraine working from home too, which was nice. In the evening Sam came around again, and Lorraine, Sam, Beth, Laura and I went to the Signalman, where I had a really enjoyable chat with Sam, talking about philosophy and he recommending a couple of singers to me too. Sam most interested in logic, which I found very challenging when I studied the subject. From there the five of us drifted down to the Shahi for a nice curry. When all the young 'uns melted away and Lorraine and I simply repaired home to the sofa in a companionable way. Despite feeling a tad shattered, it was an excellent end to the week.

On with my work this morning, out a couple of times to the shops in the blazing summer sun. Claudia surfacing at 2:30. Made her toast and had a chat for a while, she is has a directness which I like. Lorraine home early too, which was excellent. Phoned Jane and Richard in Guernsey. Much local excitement as Charles and Camilla (for whom Jane is the world's leading lookalike ). Shots on Jane's site of Prince Charles, who gave Jane something of a second glance. Meanwhile Richard's new book was coming on apace, and I heard about their trip to Devon and the north of England, experiencing house floods en route. Reminded me how much I am missing Guernsey and how a bottle of wine with Richard and Jane is well overdue. Then Toby arrived from London for another short stay. We took Betty and Claudia to sit in the beergarden of The Signalman and shot the breeze there. Betty drinking a pint of Brighton Blonde, which she says is what she is. We also discovered that Claudia ...

July and the drought continues. Today the rain relented only for an hour or so, and Toby and Romy set off among the bedraggled denizens of Brighton. I joined them later at the Marwood for a cup of coffee, and then, taking advantage of a slight brightening of the clouds we scurried onto Brighton Pier where it began to rain again. Romy said that it reminded her of places in Japan. Then off to The Giggling Squid for a pleasant lunch.  It has been wonderful to spend a couple of days talking to Toby and Romy. Then rain dodging through the lush Pavilion Gardens to the Brighton Museum. Am really beginning to warm to its eclectic collection, we spent some time happily drifting in there. On the way home, Toby suggested we go into St Bartholomew's Church , which I'd never been to before, despite its huge and austere brick presence in the New England quarter. It has an extraordinarily lofty interior, making you feel ant-like (in a pleasant, spiritually-uplifting way) as you walk in. ...

Normal day of working on the New Idea, and a spot of listening to Moby-Dick. Feeling better in myself than I have done for a while this Friday. Afore I headed uphill to The Signalman this evening, with Lorraine, Beth and Cath to watch Eng-er-land play football against the Swedes. Much better seeing it in a boozer than in the tranquillity of one's own home.  England won 3-2 after a close fought match. A few folks I knew in the bar, including Rick out of the Hi-Sides. A lively atmosphere, and fairly good fun. Equally nice to leave the sweary hurly burly and slope home. Nobody has expected England to do well this time, and they haven't utterly embarrassed themselves so far, as they did in the World Cup two years ago. But as sure as eggs is eggs, a debacle awaits. Ankle better than it has been in two weeks today, but just before bed I trod on a stone in my sock and jarred the screaming bejasus out of it anew.

Days have replicated, so found little to report yesterday. Worked gloomily on The New Idea, chatted with mum. I will take her cat heads to the Blue Dog gallery this weekend. The son in his twenties of her next door neighbours (the ones with the concrete dogs) is seriously ill with some kind of brain problem. For me the day steadily improved. I slipped out of my cell to hobble into the park and its secret garden, which was bursting with foxgloves, which somehow transported me to a happy place. They must love the rain, which today didn't fall till tea time. Lorraine working late, so Betty texted to suggest we meet in The Signalman at five. We had a bite to eat there, with some footie going on in the background. Betty, who had been hard at work in the cupcake industry, seems to be assembling work from several sources, including some teaching at her old Saturday stage school. A boon for me as I have been able to discuss parts of The New Idea with her too. Lucky to be able to have a...