under another sun

Up blearily early thanks to the cats. Unaccountably worried that I had offended people with the play. But realised that I was simply being paranoid, and experiencing the post show weirdness. Quick catch up with Mum.  Then made breakfast for myself and Lorraine, then we had to get up to drive to the Marly to collect the props. Some scuffing about there, before I walked uphill across town carrying the hatstand and two chairs, trying not to lance shoppers in the North Laine. Not something I'd recommend with a hangover. Dropped them back to the Duke of Wellington with thanks and sauntered gingerly home. Devoted much of the rest of the day to doing as little as possible. Lorraine off having her hair cut, and then doing a spot of Christmas Shopping. In the evening off in steady rain to meet Anton and Mari for dinner in the Sussex Yeoman. Braved one of their nice burgers. Lorraine and I really enjoyed meeting Mari again, and having a relaxing evening. She has managed to expose Anton...

Lorraine out with Dawn, Jan and Helen this lunchtime for a birthday bite to eat. This allowed me a day of martyred quiet hobbling, and the opportunity to play some Miles Davis In A Silent Way . A cheery evening, however, to celebrate Lorraine's birthday on Wednesday. Off by taxi (me rather gingerly) to The Sussex Yeoman. We met Rosie, John and Anton there for a few drinks and to strap on the nosebag to celebrate Lorraine's birthday. I ate a venison burger and was greatly cheered to be milling about in the outside world drinking a few cheery beers and gossiping.

Up before seven and working on the French Cows and Pigs project. The work done before nine. Then I fiddled about with Betty's poster for her Fringe show. Beth and John came home late last night, while I was in the land of nod. Beth off to teach this morning, and Lorraine getting her hair done. Weirdly, and in a way that makes a lie of things like physics, Lorraine came home with hair that was longer than when she left, due to the way it was cut. It looked good. Sat about chatting with John, who is a really nice guy, and after Betty returned, I made my way upstairs to have a long sleep feeling a bit coldy and wan. The four of us went out to the Sussex Yeoman where we met Dawn, Rosie and Matt for a few drinks and a good feed to celebrate Lorraine's birthday. We like that place. I had a comforting plate of sausage, mash and vegetables. Lorraine had plaice, which was brill. Much laughing and chatting all night. A taxi home before sliding off to bed.

Lorraine and I up cheerfully this morning, and off at lunchtime rain dodging into town to do a spot of shopping. To the Sussex Yeoman where we met Betty after two, and were soon joined by First Matie who had come down from London. Good to see Betty who seems incredibly busy, but pretty cheerful. She had to return to London, after consuming a Yeoman burger scooby snack. Jolly good to see Katie, good to get her news and drag her home, where we inflicted Japanese photos on her and fed her a delicious Spanish pork and beans dish that Lorraine had cooked. Carefully avoiding horror films, we instead selected a movie called The Call , which was a horrific thriller instead, which had everyone squirming on the sofa and feeling wan and shaken.

Up early and feeling quite a bit better than yesterday. Lorraine and I walked around the corner and came back with a ladder and I spent some time up it, scooping out handfuls of mud and clumps of grass and other plants. There was one particular clump that had formed in the gutter above the door, the source of an aspiring Niagara which falls on your head when entering or leaving the house in the rain. I spattered all the gutter gunk down onto the floor, which went everywhere and took a long time to clear up afterwards. Thinking, as I did, of the Yeats poem The Circus Animal's Desertion : "Now that my ladder's gone,/I must lie down where all the ladders start/ In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.' Into town after showering and Lorraine and I met Beth for Lunch. Beth looking tired after working really hard. We all had one of their excellent hamburgers before Beth returned to London. Lorraine and I then went shopping in Churchill Square. All the Christmas decora...

Up late again, Lorraine and I reading up about calories, and the Fast Diet on her iPad this morning in bed. Lorraine then off to collect Beth in the car, who is still a bit down about some college politics. I listened to some interesting bits of radio and played about drawing for a while. Then Lorraine and I went off on the slidey streets in light snowfall to The Sussex Yeoman for Sunday lunch. Met Rosie and Anton there, and we had an enjoyable afternoon forking down a nice roast with lots of veggies, and some bread and butter pudding made with peaches and Baileys. Anton sporting his large Russian hat and on good form. Rosie cheery and fun as usual. Bellies bulging like cannon balls, we crossed the road to The Batty and sat near the fire, untroubled by life although Anton quite weary of the dog in the pub. Betty joined us before starting a protracted journey home. Lorraine and I slid home on the icy streets. We are starting the fast diet tomorrow, I am a long way from my ...

Up a ladder Up early and off to the Twitten as Alf the plumber came to check my gas. This the final check I needed before I can begin to rent. All fine until the very last thing he checked, which needs an electrician to make sure the gas is properly earthed through the electricity box. Gah. However I had a very productive morning dabbing paint on here and there, gardening and generally tidying. Also took some photos of the place to put on Gumtree, which is a site for advertising houses to rent among other things. Got talking to Merlin, one of my neighbours in the Twitten. He was cutting his hedge, which drifted small bits of debris onto the widow frame I was painting. But he kindly lent me a large ladder which I precariously ventured up a few times to peer at windows and so on. Good view of the Twitten under a wonderful blue sky. Merlin rather likeable and works charitably supplying bicycles to Africa. Home in the afternoon, Lorraine working from the home office. I did a few bits and ...

Sam and Pat's Birthday Refreshed and up early. Drove to the Twitten to rescue various plants, including my vast tree-like jade plant, which I grew from a single leaf and must now be twenty years old. Then L and I to the gym. I noticed how Lorraine gets the same strangely noble expression while excersising that she does while singing. Then to The Sussex Yeoman to celebrate Sam's 21st and Pat's 78th birthdays. Sam was on excellent form and pleased with his presents. I got him a Gresham Blake token (Blake is a local tailor and very stylish). Sam, Mark and I all scoffed venison burgers which was rather fine.Sam joined shortly before he left by a friend called Penny teetering on high heels. Then home, via the Twitten where Dawn was working at decorating my house, and we gave her some of the sponge-free, chocolate free cake Lorraine had bought for Sam (which had been served with candles and mini Jolly Roger pirate flags). Home and I went to bed for two hours with C...

Wetshirt Breakfast of bacon sandwiches with Maureen and Pat. Lorraine and I went with them to the station, and to the gym. I had planned to stop of at my house first to pick up a shirt and a towel, and then have a shower there after the gym. I didn't have my keys, though, and nor did Lorraine. I went to the gym for a bit anyway, surging about on the hulk-legs machine and then having a shower. Having no shirt to change into, I simply took my gym shirt into the shower reasoning that it was one of the high tech quick drying variety. Standing about after trying not to look selfconscious drying myself and sodden teeshirt with a hairdryer. Gah. Off then to The Sussex Yeoman to meet John and Matt and Matt's great friend Ruth down from Edinburgh. A really nice Sunday Lunch, apart from the stupid wet shirt. Really liked Ruth, who studied composition with Matt and is a fantastic piano player (though sadly she hates performing) and arranges musical events in Scotland. Home an...

Exodus Playing Bob Marley's Exodus this morning, and it is time for the movement of I Jah Man Kenny. So I booked a self-styled nice man with a big van, to move the bulky bits to Lorraine's, known from now on as the The Old Church Hall in this blog, on Saturday. Calliope beings her new life on Friday when I take her and the other precious things over in the car. Then fielded calls from the agency. Ordered packing boxes, painted out graffiti on my green fence, collected my hard drive and other bits from the post office, backed up everything on it and tried ineffectually to catch up on the backlog of work. Then packing and sorting. When I decided the time had come to place my head into a doorframe and slam the door on it repeatedly, I chose instead to go to the gym where I became embroiled in a extra long workout. Emerged rather starving and was resting my bones when Lorraine came around. Probably prompted by seeing Mason yesterday, an appalling desire had grown in me for a Susse...

Breaking cover Lorraine pulling the side panel from the bath and deconstructing her bathroom to look for the source of a blockage in the pipe early this morning. After a spell of this sort of thing, Lorraine off to get her back cracked by a chiropractor, while I repaired home. Listened to the soundfile of The Rainbow Chorus recording of Matt and my song Found . Matt added an organ part to the opening which was splendid. Then Matt arrived in person, and once he'd done stroking Calliope, we spent some time in the ghastly business of looking at photos of ourselves, and okaying the look and feel of our CD which I'd been designing. Both very happy with the direction it is all taking. From there, the three of us went around the corner to the Yeoman for three of their devastating Yeoman burgers. I blame Mason, who started all this Yeoman burger business. A quiet evening in. Below I took an image of a cactus flower in Kew Gardens the other week. I have obviously cropped it, reversed ...

Thwarted Cranes I'm quite sure August was once a summer month. Steady rain all day. More French work. So much for keeping the week free. Up early and started this before the Tobster got up. Also I finally completed the 'In praise of music' lyrics for the choir competition. Toby and I went off to the French patisserie, and had a bit of breakfast before I had to break off to do a bit more French work, moaning about how I cannot escape. Toby showed us his fantastic photos of his and Romy's trip to Bolivia and Peru. Amazing traveller's tales and photographs of otherworldly landscapes of high altitude deserts, vast white salt plains with islands covered with huge thousand year old cacti, or of floating lake islands made of reeds, from where he bought me a mobile to hang from the ceiling. When Lorraine came around bearing cheesecake, we three walked around the corner to the Sussex Yeoman for lunch, and then sauntered down to the beach in the rain taking a few photos. We r...

Anna's birthday Woke up feeling rough this morning. Aching and tired. However I had another excellent morning's writing. I seem to be on a roll. Off in the afternoon to buy a smell-based present for Anna, and browse in Borders which is in receivership and closing down. There is something disturbing about a bookshop closing down, especially one that actually sells proper books, and not just ghost written crap about celebs. I joined the vultures flapping about the place, most books were 20% off, but I came away empty-beaked. A day of birthdays today. Anna, Reuben and the French Bloke. Texted happy birthday to the other two, and went out with Anton and Anna this evening to The Sussex Yeomen, a mere 30 seconds walk from my door, which was uncharacteristically crammed with the dregs of an office party that had started there at lunch time. Hadn't been out with Anna for ages, and it was great to catch up. Smell-based present went down well. Anton and I had some moules in a wonderf...

My birthday part two Now into the second week of my birthday celebrations. First tidying up my house in a frenzy in the morning, helped by the ever lovely Lorraine. Then Mum and Mase arrived first and were momentarily traumatised because I was in the corner shop, and thought they'd got the wrong day. Then my old school friend Shaila necessitated dancing about on the streets outside the stations looking for a glamorous sparrowy thing in a BMW. As we left for the Sussex Yeoman, a few yards around the corner, bumped into First Matie too. At the pub met Janet and Ken, Anton and Brian. Had some pretty nice snap and the conversation started to flow nicely. Also had several more presents too: one of those waterbottles you can put into your rucksack and suck water out from like you were in Dune, from Anton and Anna. A plastic model kit of an FW190 from my Godchildren, a beautiful designer jug from Janet and Ken, and some salad forks, a bottle of Champagne and books on Buddhism from Hong Ko...

Bluebells and Nazis Spent the morning writing my Skeleton story. Heard a yob like chanting of England! England! through my open window from a crowd marching from the station. It was a far right organisation who I believe were protesting in Brighton. Lorraine snoozing between reading the print off the paper. Then in the afternoon she grew insistent to see bluebells and hug trees. So she drove us to a beautiful wood near Burgess Hill on the other side of the downs. I have never seen so many bluebells in my life. It was like stepping into a kind of heaven where the woods were carpeted with a snow of the dusty violet blue flowers as far as the wood would let you see into it. And the air beneath the canopy was peppery with their faint hyacinth-like smell. Also we saw what my book of wildflowers calls early purple orchids as well as primroses and violets. And everywhere the trees in first leaf like, as Larkin said, something almost being said. Spent at least an hour and a half wandering abo...

Spring cleaning Up early to do a few hours work for the website stuff for my pharma company, then scarfed a large breakfast Lorraine had made. Under Lorraine's leadership and direction, did two hideous things today. First was hook up my new security porch light. This involved standing on a chair and fiddling with wires, and drilling holes and other manly stuff. As the daughter of an electrician, Lorraine handled the tricky bits as this kind of ability is genetically transferred. Janet and Ken passed while we were doing this on the way to the station, Ken in a good hat, and Janet in a nice beret. Then did a Hurculean Spring clean of kitchen cupboards and fridge and so on, and threw out lots of things. Lorraine teaching me that it is not necessary to scrabble in the back of Narnia deep cupboards for important pans when you can simply reorganise them so they are to hand. Amazing how good psychologically a major clear out can be for you.  These labours took many hours, and eventually w...

Sofa loafing A blustery day as Lorraine and I walked to her house. I went with her, Beth and Mark, in a special advisory capacity, to buy an aquarium. For it is Beth's birthday later this month. A different fish shop this time, full of schoals of familiar tetras and guppies. As I gloated over the tanks, I felt the desire to set up an aquarium grow strong in me again. Then to Pet's Corner to buy a magnetic cat flap for Calliope, so that she can dive in unmolested but enraged hordes of chasing moggies will be barred. Also purchased a little gold coloured tag which I had engraved with her name and my phone number. Sadly however the fetching green fish-skeleton collar Beth had spotted was too big for her weasel neck, but she will grow into it. Lorraine and I went to the Sussex Yeoman (a spit away from my house) for an nice Sunday evening meal. I had roast pork with lots of red cabbage and apple sauce, and as we talked I watched the pub sign for the Battle of Trafalgar (the pub oppo...

Sunlight in the abyss A few hours drugged sleep, and wasn't too bad for a post migraine day. Dealt with a few business matters first thing. Funny how jobs turn up in threes like buses. Some negotiation needed as they all want me to start in the same week. But obviously with the world's financial systems going to hell in a handcart, the idea of making some last cash before I start having to grow turnips in the twitten and burn literature for heat is quite comforting. Scored chewy brown bread and pain aux raisins for breakfast, and a spot of Guardian reading. Headline: Staring into the abyss with a picture of Gordon Brown looking at an out of focus Alistair Darling, his chancellor. Left Mum and Mase with the cat and zoomed off for yet another chirporactor's appointment. Where I was cracked in ways I have never been cracked before. Then I had an enjoyable lunch with Mum and Mase in the The Sussex Yeoman, a cat's spit from my house. Food quite nice in there, and in the bri...