under another sun

So a busy Sunday. Off to Seaford Station on the icy pavements, but the trains were delayed or cancelled due to ice on the third rail and there was no foreseeable train for at least half an hour. This country going to the dogs etc. So we got a refund on our tickets, and decided to drive instead. As soon as we left the station and were almost home there was the galling sight of a train arriving.  Nevertheless a pleasant drive to the University of Sussex where we met Paul and Dawn to see a fantastic French string quartet, The Quatuor Arod, The concert had been relocated from the usual concert hall to the Meeting House, a modern church building with effective stained glass in simple blocks of colour embedded in the encircling concrete of the round building. A lovely setting, although perishingly cold and everyone sat with their coats on, except for the four young guys in the quartet.  First they played Mendelssohn's Op.44 No.1 with sparking competence, but the piece itself left me...

Up late, after breakfast in bed. Lurking in the garden discussing our next steps. Lorraine went to a Bolney W.I. meeting this lunch time. I did little and when Lorraine came home again, we went off to The Brighton Tavern, and met Matt there with Reuben and John Hood and others. Matt and Reuben are moving to Yorkshire. Lovely to chat to Matt who I have not seen much of for some time. Usual chatty throng at the Tavern, with Lorraine finding herself attached to a nice and rather drunk man called Alec who kept telling her how wonderful she was. John left soon after we arrived. Also met Tim, a very talented poet and pianist, who arrived with a baritone horn for Matt. Much hugging of Matt and we were very sad to see him go, although it was great to see him so excited about moving into a new house, which he has bought. Felt like the end of an era for me, although Matt and I have not worked together for several years now, working with him on This concert will fall in love with you and other ...

Working on the train going up to London, luckily managing to dodge the heavy rain showers. Once at work I found myself a victim of my own speed and creative alacrity today, having finished the work I was hired to do early, I was released back into the wild till mid next week. Went out for a pint at lunchtime with Karam and Slug and an art director who is about to migrate to the Philippines. Also managed to send off the text for the This pamphlet/card/wee book/ will fall in love with you. In the evening availed myself of one or two free drinks in the office. Have enjoyed the last couple of weeks in Tavistock Square, and meeting and working with Fernanda - a genuinely creative art director. Spoke to Bob about Saturday, when Bob, Carl and I are having a long overdue reunion in London. Train ride enlivened by sitting near a young woman ferociously solving a rubric's cube, with her mobile phone as a stopwatch next to her. She was timing herself and regularly solved it in under 20 ...

Was woken in the night by a thunder storm and torrential rain hammering on the velum windows and the roof. Up in the morning and off to work, reworking the original text version of what became this concert will fall in love you  on the train as I have managed to persuade a publisher to have a look at this. Late in the morning of course, as the train was inevitably delayed. Work fine however, apart from the aberration of going out to buy lasagne and chips for lunch as I had a sudden craving for comforting food from a local Italian cafe which Slug is convinced is Serbian. Afternoon Fernanda and I presenting work to US colleagues over the phone - little said in response. Later we pinning lots of stuff onto the wall which, as we are working on cattle diseases, we called our moooodboard. Home fairly early. Falling asleep on the train. Home to my lovely wife and the full moon above.

Working on a piece of flash fiction (i.e. a very short story with a hipper name) and one of the characters is a transexual. Blearily woke up this morning, gratefully sipping the tea Lorraine had brought me, and thumbing the Guardian app on my iPhone to read  an extraordinarily offensive rant by inflammatory hack Julie Birchill  about transexual people. The comments section had exploded, and people were saying how they had reported her insults to the police. During the day her article was taken offline, and replaced by an apology from the editor. She certainly has a talent for getting a reaction, and from a selfish point of view, the furore gave me some insights at exactly the right moment. Brighton avoiding snow, but enjoying rain as usual. A day of quiet reflection for me (something that Julie Burchill could have done with) troubled only by the demands of cats. Lorraine out this evening, and I worked on my very short story, and mooched about cheerfully but with variabl...

Recording day The morning of the day I became a recording artist sucked: beautiful sun triggering the release of pollen and other miscreant spores into the air making my throat sore. Then I felt like weeping with frustration as my computer, with its spanking new hard drive, failed again. Managed to start it and restore it to an earlier version (i.e. sometime yesterday) and it has been working since then, but I trust it as far as I can throw it, which will next be out of the window. To St Michael and All Angels for 3:30. Dr Simon Scardanelli our engineer already busy with a nest of wires and microphones. Matt seething as the priests told him that we would have to interrupt our recording for them to say prayers, something which nobody had mentioned until we arrived. This being England, we all had a cup of tea first, and there were quite a few nerves flying around, although there was a very supportive atmosphere. Simon really nice guy, who was veru reassuring to me. Adam and Tom assemblin...

Photographs Hard disk passed away in the night. A few words were said, followed by an arm-thrashing dance. (Typing this on old steam-driven laptop I'd given to Lorraine). Limbo-ish day. Rehearsed my lines for This Concert for some hours in the morning then followed Brian Eno’s advice: if in doubt, tidy up. Spoke to Mum and Mas. Mum said she had been working on her heads. This summons several images and only after some time do large painted big cat heads come to mind. In the afternoon I went to see Adrian and Di. Adrian showed me the shots he had taken. Miraculously, given there were minuscule amounts of light in the place, he has created some wonderfully evocative images for us. In one or two I don’t look too porcine, which is nice. Some lovely shots of Matt conducting and looking intense. Enjoyable chat with Adrian. Di saying that this month would bring abundance for a Chinese feng shui reason. I hope she's right. Chastened by man mountain pictures, sped off to the gym for ...

Getting stuck in Calliope rudely walking along the length of my body at 3:30am. Woke up late for me, at 8:30. Spent the morning backing up every email I have ever sent on my computer. Was phoned by Dell and they have sheduled an engineer to conduct a disk transplant for my computer on Friday morning. Naturally, my computer has been behaving unimpeachably for the last day or so. Gripped by a desire to hoover and clean floors. Then to the gym for a sweaty 45 minutes, it is a very mentally clearing thing to do. Later on I spent time quietly rehearsing This concert and copying and copydexing in Matt's amendments to the score. My copydex glue is ancient and smells like rancid fish. Doubtless this will add to the recording ambience. Very excited by the prospect of recording, but hoping I dont' screw it up, and have something that makes me cringe every time I listen to it. I hope I can do a good job. Finding it hard to think about much else now that it's only a few days away.

Inspiron rage Hot night. Woke up and trying to fix computer today,which at least turns on again. Infuriatingly after running various diagnostics I stupidly ended up buying a fix online which didn't work. Realised only then that it was a dubious at best company and so, feeling foolish, had to cancel my credit card. Managed not to become furious which was an achievement. And also followed up a promising business lead. My computer is a Dell Inspiron, and when I used to work on the Dell account at my old agency I used to write an ongoing soap called 'Rage of the Inspirons'. They are getting their revenge. Otherwise little to report. Started to design the promotional material for the plays in August, which we are calling 'Pack of 3'. Sloped off to the air conditioned gym in the afternoon. Spent an hour or two this evening rehearsing This concert will fall in love with you downstairs while Calliope looked on with interest. Not my most productive of days. But thank God my...

Back in the band A wad of cotton wool in my head instead of a brain today, perhaps due to a slight cold. Worked on amends to the atrial fibrillation work, and a bit of time on poems, which are going amazingly well at the moment. In the afternoon going through the score of This concert will fall in love with you and feeling rather nervous about the rehearsal due to the aforementioned brain. Off to Sussex University rehearsal room to meet Matt. Was introduced to Cem Muharrem, who has replaced Ellie as she wasn't available for the recordings, but Cem seems to be an amazing violinist. Adam, Tom and Fingers Capra there too. Felt happy to be back with the gang. A little insight into the life of a musician, and the feelings of camaraderie that can go with it. For me all this is like being in a band for a few weeks, which as so much of my time is spent alone is rather nice. Rather sadly it makes me think of Yes, my favourite rock group, and helps me understand the stuff I've read abo...

Down time and two dates A slightly slow start to today, after last night's liveliness. Had to do some work for my French clients in the morning and then, after another futile attempt to get my old agency to pay me, applied myself to some loafing and idling. General cheeriness about how the play went last night. News about the literary festival in Guernsey. I shall be leading a session on writing for children in a large tent erected in the town square. There is a school party of 60 booked on it I am told that the children 'have complex needs both physical and mental'. Again I'll be out of my comfort zone but I am quite looking forward to this. I also have a secret weapon in my glamorous assistant Lorraine. Not at all worried by the fact it is happening on Friday 13th of May. No sir. Not me. Also Matt sent me the date of 2nd July which is our recording date for This concert will fall in love with you . We will be doing this in the evening. Matt has decided we record it in...

Waterproof Pouring rain all night and day. Woke up periodically during the night to the sound of rain falling on Lorraine's Veluxe windows. I love the sound of rain falling on glass when you are safe and warm. Goes back to the long glasshouse attached to the back of my grandparents house in Guernsey. I loved being in there. It was full of the distinct smell of geranium leaves, and the patter of rain on the glass was like music. Occasionally, when a pane or two needed replacing, strategically placed buckets collected plinking drips too, which added to the effect. Anton and I decided against a long walk. Those country tracks turn into the Somme after ten hours of steady downpour. Instead Anton and I went shopping for a new anorak. My previous one now readily absorbs water instead of repels it for reasons I don't quite understand. I may have cleaned mud off it with a cloth impregnated with detergent. These hi-tech fabrics are temperamental. Naturally Anton knew the places to go, b...

Plan B Plan A was going to go up to London to schmooze and see pals, but I biffed this as I was feeling ropey. Instead, once I'd cleared the regurgitated cat biscuits from my study chair, worked on restructuring Skelton Yawngrave. The child character Grace is now the conduit through which you encounter all the others. It is the obvious way to do it, of course, and I was resisting it for this reason. But I find the story feels far more rooted this way. Co-incidentally I got a note from Catriona about the three sessions I will be running for children in the Guernsey Literary festival on Friday 13th May, which is focusing my mind somewhat. Also a note from Matt getting the ball rolling on a new performance of This Concert will fall in love with you , on the day before Valentine's Day. Otherwise listening to Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. This is a truly gripping story, subtly disconcerting, and a properly constructed ghost story set in the Arctic. Lovely stuff.

Brighton Bradbury Lorraine and I both hard at work this morning. Me in the closing stages of the Doppelganger piece, and Lorraine preparing for her interview which is 9:00am tomorrow. Also discovered another surviving neon and saved this. The neon massacre took four souls. Of the two survivors one looks as if it might pop its flippers at any moment. Off to the Shakespeare's Head for a quick bite of lunch and a chat with Matt and John. Prompted by Lorraine, Matt and I may do more of This concert will fall in love with you around Valentines Day. I have a feeling next year is going to be rather busy. After Lorraine left for home clutching surviving neons and to do more prep for tomorrow, I was left feeling rather antsy. Walked down to the sea and a stroll on the pier. Chilly and it being a Sunday night the funfair was closed. Dark with a full moon above and I enjoyed ghosting about by the ranks of parked dodgems, the closed Haunted House, rollercoaster and so on. I saw a figure with ...

This concert will fall in love with you -- official bootleg Here is an excerpt -- the opening theme and first two variations. Mark filmed this from the wings, and we have only just rediscovered it. The sound comes across fairly well, Ellie's violin being particularly clear.

A discovery Lorraine slightly under the weather and glum, while I was just tired. After breakfast, however, we took ourselves for a walk by the overcast sea, and felt better for the fresh air and a long chat. I had worked first thing, however, on the new 'In Praise of Music' piece Matt sent through. Ended up writing some obscure and vaguely religious words for it. Anna and Anton off to Jersey today to mingle with crapauds. Lorraine and I may meet them in Sark in a couple of weeks, at the end of their holiday and the beginning of ours. Sark, of course, is in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Better yet, returning from our walk, Lorraine played about with the movie camera and found some film of the This concert will fall in love with you which I was convinced had not been saved. Absolutely delighted to have some record of these first events. I will post something here later. Called Matt with the happy news, who said there had been a parade gathering in the street outside his house maki...

Amazon soothes my nerve A note from Amazon today with instructions. The page for A Guernsey Double should be fully functioning in a week or so. More online form filling, then off to the gym to sweat on the hulk legs machine for half an hour. On the way back, a long chat with my neighbour Wan. He is between jobs as a company treasurer. Instead he is restructuring his garden, a process which involving sacks of topsoil and rubble being moved and new sacks being delivered. His garden was the nicest in the Twitten already. The consequence of time on his hands. A text from Anna today, who has just got new coaching job, which she's really pleased about. Also phoned by Keith - back up to the smoke next week, but mercifully not on Monday. In the evening I went to the North Star for a late drink with Glen Capra, or Glen 'Fingers' Capra as I like to think of him given that he is a fabulous pianist, and played in This concert etc . Matt and Wayne were also there, and a man called Rich...

Modern times Hard to extricate myself from bed this morning, despite Calliope's best efforts. Lorraine feeling similar. Eventually I got up and worked for a few hours on the French work. Broke off to listen at one point to a bootleg-style recording of 'This concert' made by Basil who was singing in the choir. The music sounds fantastic, but as my speaker and voice were pointing away from Basil you can only hear me with difficulty. Typical. The good news is the music sounds beautiful. I'm looking forward to having a proper recording of it. Listening to the recording took me back to the performance so strongly I felt exhilarated and nervous all over again. Flashes of anxiety all day. The reasons for this hard to pin down. A sense of being caught up like Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times by forces beyond my control. Weird though, because life is going really well for me. By my own lights I am succeeding at the moment. But I feel like a moulting crab, still soft shelled but l...

Photos and poems Big steps forward with A Guernsey Double , Richard and I are close to agreeing a cover. I took myself out to the magic cafe in the afternoon and worryingly found about five things that needed to be fixed in the poems. The perspective of not looking at them properly for a couple of weeks. But I am comforted by WH Auden who said something to the effect that he never finished a poem, only abandoned it. Also popped in to see Adrian Turner's photos in an exhibition in Kensington Gardens in the laines. His seascape photos look fantastic at a larger scale. Lorraine came by this evening, and we occupied the gold sofa and did nothing, which was almost perfect as I am feeling under the weather. Below some shots by Jane Wrin of This Concert will fall in love with you Matt conducting, Glen on piano, Adam on vibraphone, Ellie on violin, me, and Tom on marimba. Lorraine third from the left singing.

Last night of the This Concert run Up early, having been gleefully bounced by Calliope. Cups of Joyful Cliff Path coffee with Mum and Mas this morning. Then they went for a walk around town and I seemed to be on the phone half the morning. Had lunch at the Sussex Yeoman with Mum, Mas, Pat, Maureen and Beth and Mark. I had one of their tasty but enormous hamburgers that sits in the stomach like a stone. Everyone got on well, and it was generally fun. After Mum and Mas left, I grew increasingly nervous about this evening. There were so many friends in the audience that I hid myself away emerging only to perform. It had the potential to be like a scene from a nightmare, where friends from all stages of my life were to witness a humiliation. Luckily, however, it was a storming night despite one of the sopranos, having to be replaced at the last moment by Matt's composer friend Nikki. We biffed into This concert with some style. The only blot on my landscape was that my purple cummerbu...