under another sun

Apart from a few emails and a chat with Rod, Ken's son, to discuss his wellbeing, and Ros in France, I did not visit Ken or Janet today. I was feeling run down with a closed up throat, and Lorraine has been worse. However, we did go for a short drive off to Trading Boundaries, driving through the countryside beginning to go tawny. We nosed about there for a while, looking at the interesting furniture, much of it imported from India. I of course particularly nosed at the beautiful Roger Dean prints. They are lovely things, and of course Dean had colonised my visual imagination since I was a boy. We sat outside having a coffee and sharing a cheese scone while a Jazz band inside slurred through standards like So What , and Take 5 and My Favourite Things . Both of us somewhat below par. I feel drained and without a creative bone in my body. However, one of the weirdest things about today was that my brain was taken over by Pat. I found myself lapping up the scores in the Ryder C...

Lorraine and I off to Trading Boundaries today, and bought some really colourful cushions and a gorgeous patchwork quilt for the big bedroom. They suddenly brought the room alive. Always like it there, and ghosting about upstairs seeing all the Roger Dean prints. After this Lorraine and I went for a walk around Lake Wood near Uckfield. However it was incredibly muddy, but we had our boots on and squelched around enjoyably enough for a while. Good to get some fresh air. There is a small lake there with is very atmospheric, bordered by small caves and unusual rocks. Home, and then Lorraine started working on her bits and pieces for school, and I did some work on poems, and other bits and pieces, including speaking to Mum and arranging to come and meet her and Mas on Wednesday. Also girding loins for working in London next week. Lorraine made an amazing turkey pie, which we ate while watching Cylons in the evening. Below a detail of a pen drawing of the Tales Tom Topographic Ocean...

A very happy day today. Lorraine and I zoomed off after breakfast to Trading Boundries, as I was in the market for a pouffe. No optimal pouffes but we came away with a jug, a door handle and a coat rack. All good stuff. We like it there, and a look at Roger Dean prints, which are beautiful (if pricey). The colours on the authorised limited edition prints are gorgeous. Then to Lewes where we spent a happy couple of hours looking through the numerous antique and bric a brac shops of Lewes, pausing for coffee somewhere and a bit later to eat some vegetable Bhajis from a little stand. The batter was gorgeous and slightly gingery.  Eventually we found a pouffe. Took to the cash desk, Ah, a pouffe , said the woman, and I said, I'll have you know I'm a married man , pointing at Lorraine. Carried the pouffe back to the car, then had a look in the Needlemakers section where we saw some brand new pouffes, and browsed in a little shop where I was struck by the Observer Book of Pond Life...

Lorraine and I off to Sheffield Park today for a stroll about. First we stopped by Trading Boundaries and almost bought a single curtain, but when we found it cost £160 we declined. Off then to  Sheffield Park and a nice interlude in the fresh air and a chance to walk and talk. A few early daffs, and snowdrops out, and one or two camillas. But mostly as the rain started, a reassuring English grey. In the afternoon home again, and Beth and I had a first script read-through the first early draft of A Glass of Nothing , and extracted a section for use in the auditions we are starting this week. Good feeling to get going on it -- and Beth pleased at where we're heading. A chat with Mum this evening, then I cooked a chicken and roast veggies, while Lorraine did Headteacher stuff on our new table. A reassuringly expensive free range blighter bought round the corner. Tasted good though. Remembered eating chicken out in Oum Hadjer, where the chicken, which we heard being slaughtered ea...

A slowish start to Saturday, Lorraine and I lurking in bed till Lorraine had to zoom off in in haste or face the wrath of her hairdresser. I spent a few hours working more on A Glass of Nothing. Beth up to London for her cousin Maria's 21st birthday celebrations, including a trip to see Mama Mia . Lorraine and I then in the afternoon went off in the very strong winds off to Trading Boundaries where we got a comfortable reading chair for my study. Absolutely delighted with this, is perfect for my room, very comfortable but not slouchy. Perfect for reading in, in fact. Amazing how excited I got over a chair. Lorraine and I then drove back with it in the car, and stopped off for an early dinner in a pub called The Rainbow Inn outside Lewes, which we happened to drive past. A pint of perfectly kept Harveys, and I had pork vindaloo, one of the specials of the day, Lorraine had a traditional pub favourite of gammon, egg and chips. My curry was exceedingly mild mannered but fine, and ...

Lorraine and I having a happy holiday mooching about day today. My chest infection marginally better too. Drove off, in a gorgeous afternoon, to Trading Boundaries this afternoon to buy the curtains that Lorraine had had her eye on for some time. We managed to buy the last two sets, and they fit perfectly in our front room, and are a treat to the eye. We also had  coffee there, and I looked longingly again at the Roger Dean prints. Then to a couple of garden centres where Lorraine and I mooched happily among the flowers, and also talked a good deal about the water feature we hope to have in the back garden one day, and looked at pots for waterlilies and smelled many roses. Home, and a spot of gardening, picking more of the tomatoes that are growing well, and looking for the beans and plums that the snails are particularly liking, then the aforementioned curtain hanging, and I cooked a lively vegetable chilli.  Sitting in the living room, thanks to the curtains, I began to ...

A highly relaxed day today. A good deal of gardening, bearing foxes in mind. Off this evening to Trading Boundaries to see Steve Howe, guitar legend and member of Yes. He was introduced by Roger Dean too so I got a twofer on massive boyhood heroes. We had opted for a dine and concert option, and had some pleasant enough food on a table with six others. Two folks came took their places next to us, and the people on the far side said they could recommend the bass. The man next to me said he did not eat bass, and as a matter of fact he was a member of the bass anglers bass preservation society. We naturally warmed to these, the man a little older than me was a complete music obsessive, and his partner along because this was the least worst of the options he had offered her of gigs to go to. Lorraine in female solidarity with her quite quickly, although L found herself quite liking Steve Howe and said it was perfect Sunday evening enjoyment. Service efficient and friendly too. All a fa...

In bed this morning admiring the fantastic job Maureen did, turning a gold throw Lorraine bought at Trading Boundaries into a gorgeous pair of full length gold-coloured curtains. I'm sure the denizens of this part of Brighton are grateful no longer to be glancing up at the Kenny genitals from time to time. A dreadful night's sleep not helped much by drinking beers on a school night. Not just a figure of speech either, for I spent today with Dawn at Downs School with 32 more able writers of around 11. Clare joined us and was, like Dawn, an excellent teacher. The first part of the day was spent in using words poetically, and in the afternoon I gave them an advertising brief. The morning session worked well, encouraging them to use their senses. To this end Dawn had arranged for boxes into which you pushed your hand to touch things like cold custard, cold spaghetti with lumps, and a particularly unpleasant mix of jelly and suet. Impressive children, some of whom had words like ...

Saturday, thank God. Managed a much needed lie in before the cats grew pesky, and I sidled down the Ghormenghastly stairs of New Kenny Towers to the kitchen to appease them and make tea. Then, soon after Lorraine and I were up and at 'em, driving around buying paint and other stuff as well as Trading Boundaries where we bought a throw, golden in colour, which Lorraine has fashioned into a harem-like hanging which now shields the north of Brighton from seeing us clamber into bed of a night. There was also a small exhibition of signed Hipgnosis prints of album covers by the likes of Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel, including the famous prism cover of Dark Side of the Moon signed by Storm Thorgerson. Then home to spend time filling the holes and scars in the walls and then spent the evening watching a ridiculously stupid film called Battleship, where mighty transforming alien craft take on navy ships or something. Really stupid. We also guiltily ate fish and chips again, rather than ...

Very tired today. Calliope thoughtfully woke me up at six. We drove off to Haywards Heath to Lorriane's pal Jo's house which she is about to rent to us for the hopefully short period in between moving out of The Old Church Hall and moving into our new home. A nice enough little place, in a leafy little ex council estate. We are calling it our cats and skeletons move, i.e. just taking the cats and skeleton belongings. Home via Trading Boundaries, to see an exhibition of Roger Dean 's work. Dean was a hero in my teenage years, not just because of the fact he did the Yes album covers, but also his book Views made me think about design and architecture in a whole new way. But the exhibition was slapdash, and did the work no justice, like some kind of disorganised Brighton Open house. Good to see some of the prints, and so on however. But disappointing overall. As we drove off saw Dean himself from a distance hugging people. He'll always be a hero to me. Home and both L...