under another sun

Awake early, with thunder rolling in the distance, but only a light, brief downpour here. Then someone trouser called Lorraine at about 5:30 and I was awake from then on. A quiet interlude, Lorraine and I down in the garage, sorting and tidying for a while. It is beginning to take shape as a place we can do crafty arty things in now that all the shelves are made. We need another trip to the dump though. Lorraine went to Squirrel's End to be with Beth and the baby while James had a much needed sleep. Beth after the c-section has to move very carefully, and is still on painkillers. The Midwife visited this morning, however, and reassured them that everything was going well.  Meanwhile I sat by the sea. Felt a bit restless but the walk helped. Beth sent me a message that she wants me to come and cuddle Vincenzo soon. All is well. Below Lorraine and I were having breakfast, playing Wordle etc. and I snapped these vases of dried flowers we have in our kitchen. 

Slow morning, gradually crept up, tidied the kitchen and had breakfast. Sat out on the patio under the parasol all afternoon, and Beth came over and hung out with us, which was lovely. She likes talking through the baby business with Lorraine lots, and I really like hearing about it too.  I also caught up with doing some of this blog, and called Mum to organise seeing her tomorrow in Hampstead. Otherwise today was a happy day of rest. In the evening some distant thunder and lightning, and two heavy showers of rain, from storms heading across the Channel from France. The driest spring for 67 years apparently. I stood in it as it was falling, in big warm drops but not the steady downpour we need. Still better than nothing. My lightning tracker going off all the time, with thunder in the channel. We have yellow roses in the front garden which look amazing when next to irises.

Up and off to Borde Hill Gardens this morning, just north of Haywards Heath (aka by me at least as Hateful Heath). A beautiful gardens.  On Friday Lorraine spontaneously invited Freya to come with us as Steve was off shooting black powder pistols, as is his wont.  She was great company, and we learned about her life in California, and her time in Berlin and living in San Franciso and so on. One out of the car, it was a bit of a race against the weather. We bought some unusual plants from the plant show, and then had a walk around the gardens. It began thundering and there were some jags of lightning just to the west of the garden. I reminded Freya that this was the traditional end to a trip out in Blighty. However by the time we reached Seaford the sun had returned. Freya somehow with Lorraine’s assistance hooked our smart TV up with her film library — and we have lots of films now to watch.  While this was going on (all a bit password heavy for me) I popped to Morrison...

An amazing electrical storm while it was still dark this morning. The lightning flashes every other second on average, the type of storm that belongs to Greece which created an ominous continuous rumble. The strange sight of persistent rain till around noon too, very welcome in this neck of the woods. Lorraine went downstairs during the storm to close a window in Sam's study, and had to clamber seminaked on a table gothically illuminated by flickers of lightning. Beth told Lorraine that a tree outside their flat had been struck.  Toast this morning -- with our plum jam, now a bit thick but delicious. Otherwise slipped the surly manacles back on for a day working with Keith for a new client. Most amusing part was that we did this initial stage as a giant mind map, for which I had the software. Fun to observe Keith writhing with pain when I selected the wrong sort of green and so on. The client's project at an early stage -- so we were mainly defining the strategy rather than doi...

A night full of thunder and lightning. Up early and catching up with various bits of work that had accumulated since I was away.  More violent skies and an absolute deluge that had Osborne Road running like a brisk river while I did so. Luckily we are high up, and it all flowed downhill where there were floods. In the afternoon, off in the car with Lorraine and Betty to go to Trading Boundaries and look at new curtains. However we made it a few hundred yards when the car broke down, and we had to push it onto the pavement by Fiveways. The AA came and sorted the car out, eventually. The car needs to go to a garage however. Betty and I walked back home after half an hour or so. Trying to catch up on my blogs, but feeling rather tired and sorting out the photos taking ages. I will update tomorrow and fill in some of the blank days. The chest infection I came home with is still making me feel a little drained. Lorraine's car good enough to be driven home, and the AA man spent fur...

Amazing thunderstorm from about 6:30 in the morning and lasting for a couple of hours with one strike being very close indeed, perhaps hitting the viaduct almost overhead. There was hail too, particularly over in Hove, where it was photographed in drifts like snow. Much flooding around the area, and Worthing Station became unusable due to flooding. The cats both apprehensive and hanging about with us. Calliope hiding under the bed at one point. Lorraine working at home today, so a comparative lie in would have been possible if it were not for the heavenly affray. I busied myself with poetry as I seem to be in a purple patch, also sending a submission off, paying my tax bill, creeping off to the gym (where I did half an hour and left feeling a bit swimmy headed) and, shamefully, got around to sending a poem I had done for Craig and Mel's wedding off to the printers to give it to them as a framed gift two years later. Expecting to be phoned to do some freelance today, but this did...

Feeling well enough today to try going back to the gym, for the first time in ages, for a paltry, but significant, 15 minutes on the cross trainer and 5 minutes on the rowing machine. It felt good to be at least able to do this. Later in the day, it being very hot up in the roof of the Old Church Hall, walked down to the sea and had a paddle.  The beach naturally very crowded, but the water was warm and if I'd had my swimmies on I would have gone in. Was contacted about work next week, but I am in Leeds, so could only offer Monday or the following week. Heard no more. Otherwise a productive day on my own stuff. Lorraine out with work folks tonight. Another large storm in Brighton early in the evening, and I took the precaution of unplugging computers and TVs for a bit, thinking of people I've known who were terrified of thunder, such as my grandfather's family, and when I stayed in the south of Italy with an Italian family once, how one of the older women prayed fervently...

Working obsessively on new poems for many hours on a particular submission I have in mind. Boosted too by some kind words about The Nightwork from Richard. Tremendously hot day here in sunny Brighton, and I was pleased to finally escape the study if only for another doctor's appointment this afternoon, which coincided with feeling better today than I have done for some weeks. He weighed me and adjusted his records to show me a over a stone lighter. Then I called in on Anton a refreshing glass of water in his back garden. Nice to shoot the breeze for a bit. He is relieved to have been released from jury duty. Aparently Oskar feels hard done-to because Klaudia had an afternoon with me, so I will have to sort something out with him. Amazing really that my Godchildren actually want to spend time with me. I'm very lucky. We also toyed with Oskar's One Ring on a chain, just like Frodo Baggins's, except that Oskar's had been through the washing machine a few times. Anto...

Hard drive An eye test first thing this morning. Nice optometrist who said he started off as an electrical engineer, but married to an optician who, he noticed, was earning a lot more money than him. No appreciable deterioration in my mince pies and their insides good too which, having written at length about eye injections, is pleasing. Dell helpline: call started at 11am and after four phone calls, the problem was diagnosed as being as a doomed hard drive at 4:15pm. Felt like Dante in Purgatorio with an Indian call centre Virgil. Cheekily having diagnosed a hardware problem, they tried to sell me software support for a year. An engineer will come to replace my hard drive, which of course means I will have to set up my computer from scratch again. The problem also prevents an automatic backup so I am forced to laboriously copy everything across to my external hard drive, file by file, email by email. Gah. While I sighed in my study, there was a huge end-of-the-world thunderstorm over ...

Nothing but the wild rain Randolph called. His play Only Free Men is going well in Lewes. He said the stress was raised as the understudy for the main female role has had to step in with a week to go. He told me he is now beginning to believe he may not have a heart attack, which is good news. The understudy was rather alarmed at the prospect, but has done well. I will see the play on Saturday. The action concerns two intelligence officers questioning a British Doctor suspected of terrorist involvement. Three bouts of thunder in Brighton, accompanied by persistent torrential rain. In the Twitten I drew up the ramparts. The weather forced Calliope indoors to grumpily sleep with her head on the corner of my keyboard, while I began last year's accounts. Luckily for me these are fairly simple: you simply get a payment at the end of the job. The outgoings, of course, are more complicated. Thank God for spreadsheets. Funny chat with Al today. I will be doing some ailment based work wit...