under another sun

A stormy morning, Lorraine and I hoping that Pat and Maureen would be sitting looking at the grey sky and lively sea thinking this may not be what they had signed up for. So up and read through and sent off the stuff for mes amis in Paris. Then breakfast with my babydoll before she set off to do Story Time then go round to help Pat and Maureen. I wrote to Valérie today to tell her that I had closed my business but would do odd jobs for her still. Lovely reply from her. Otherwise did a smidge of my own writing (it has not been a good writing week). Also watching some of the speeches from the Democratic National Congress in the US. Some fine speechmaking on show, exhibiting rhetorical skills currently thin on the ground in the UK. Well written speeches, seeding in ideas sometimes very subtly.  Longish chat with Mum, who told me Tanya suggested they go out with Robert to an Indian Restaurant, and that the road was now done. I am going up next Tuesday to see her. Also spoke to Anton at...

The day, I thought, of my latest interview. When I chased the publisher's publicity person, she said that they'd not even sent the questions to the poet who I was interviewing at 9am Central time. I sent them a crisp email about this.  But as usual when I send crisp emails, turns out I was the buffoon, having got the day completely wrong. Somehow as all the correspondence had the 22 August in the subject line, I'd forgotten this was the launch date, and not when I had agreed to interview the poet, which was 11 September.  Quite a startling mistake, and not like me, also a bit peeving as I had push myself to get it all done in time. However, now all the preparation is done, I can relax until I interview the poet next month. This let the steam out of the day. And I worked calmly on a short job for Val, having decided a while ago that I would turn work aside, except for my favourite client. It a fun mind-mappy thing anyway, proposing taglines for a portfolio of new animal medi...

Valentine's Day. Got up and brought Lorraine a cup of tea and gave her a valentine's card and I got one a little later. Had breakfast together, Lorraine off to the Library to do Rhyme Time with lots of toddlers.  I received an actual letter from a press that I had entered a competition with, asking if I was interested in appearing in a sampler with two other poets. A bit of a result, although I sense-checked it with Robin later in the day who helped me feel good about it. A curious thing whenever I get some success in poetry, I compare it with where I think I should be and feel a failure. Made a real effort to reframe this today, and not do this to myself. Instead I welcomed a small success as a small success.   Then working in the guest room -- my temporary office -- for most of the day doing a job about cat diabetes for Val. Nice to send the work off and be told that it's wonderful and exactly what was wanted. My favourite client.  More scuffling about in my study for a...

Working on concepts for Valérie again today. Sent them off this afternoon, and received an almost instantaneous positive response. Working with Val is lovely. Also billed my other client, then went for a walk late in the evening, just to blow the cobwebs off having been manacled to the desk for much of the day. Lorraine had been off to her personal trainer this morning and was out and about. Felt in a good mood, having completed my jobs. Spoke to Mum, then went for a drink with Patrick and Andrew. Was fascinated by Andrew telling me that he can't see pictures in his head. He read an article in the Guardian about someone who had never been able to visualise people or things in their heads and realised it was him too. A story made even more remarkable by the fact that he had worked for years in Police surveillance. A rather a good and interesting evening, and I enjoyed myself. Both men very interesting. We had a perhaps unnecessary absolute bloody final in the Cinque Ports having met...

Woke up very, early and went to my desk -- and got to work. But not before sending an email to Matt about the idea for flute and voice we'd been talking about in Slaithwaite. He sent me an email in the evening -- wishing we could pop out for a beer and a brainstorm. Apparently snow in Yorkshire, which Phoebe revels in. Great to be in touch properly again. Later in the morning I had a good chat with Valérie, looking chic even when working from home. She was very kind about me, saying they always thought of me as a member of their team. We have worked together often over the years, and it's like checking in with an old friend. Happily chugged on with her brief during the day. Working with Val is always calm and productive. Nipped out at lunch with Lorraine to do a spot of shopping, dipping into a few shops and buying a stool.  Then I spoke to Mum who was okay, and Mas not too bad. Luckily Mason was happy to stay at home. Then took a call from Gabriel.  Finished at 4 as I had bee...

A really bad night's sleep for some reason and waking up repeatedly.   A day of increasingly joyless slogging. Glacial progress on a complex and boring job. I told my client the work would be ready today -- but it just wasn't. Meanwhile, Valérie, my original French client got in touch and I'm going to do some work for her at the end of the week and early next week. Spent the day fruitlessly manacled to my desk and ended up in a very poor mood. Went for a walk in the evening, Lorraine, Pat and Maureen had gone to Marks and Sparks and to drop in on Beth. It was already dark. A quiet night in, eating fish curry, and watching TV and reading The Vegetarian , a novel by the South Korean woman Han Kang, my new favourite novelist. Lorraine came back with new socks and two thermal vests for me. Maureen very pleased with her purchases and showing me them. To bed early, to read a little more of The Vegetarian.

Sluggish this morning, but soon perked up. Delighting in the fact that the year is coming to an end.  However Val called from Paris asking me to help them out on a job, and sent me a wee brief. I will do it because it is Val, and fairly easy for me as I can do it alone. I will start it tomorrow. Otherwise Lorraine and I feeling cheery, and clearing space on the concrete for the greenhouse to be built. Still bitterly cold outside. After this we sauntered into town, Lorraine nipping into the hardware store as is her wont. Wandering around the corner to Broad Street and Lorraine said, 'there's a car in the cafe'. Had no idea what she meant till I saw a car had crashed into the front of a little cafe. I had heard a helicopter earlier, and three had been taken away injured. People thought it was an older driver who may have had a heart attack. No fatalities thankfully. Went into a small men's clothes shop. Lovely corduroy trousers in there but they didn't fit me properly...

Another automatic text from the bank first thing, saying another attempt to draw a cheque from my business account was being made. All I can do at the moment is await the complaint investigators getting back to me. But it still puts me off my stroke. Later, paid the plumber from my personal account, but in checking his invoice afterwards found he had changed his account details. Do'h. Feelings of inadequacy  compounded this evening, when I added three times too much Thai paste to the grub I was cooking.  Keith got in touch. He has been fairly quiet over the last few weeks too, we are going to make some plans. I contacted Val, to confirm all was well with the work I had sent her, and she asked if I had got the email she sent me yesterday. I hadn't, which is making me wonder if my email is still up the swanee.  I wrote for a few hours first thing, but was feeling antsy. Went for a walk at lunchtime.  Meanwhile Jade has been doing hot yoga and said she met a woman who t...

A poem to proof this morning, which is always nice. Will appear in a wee mag called Finished Creatures later this month I think. Off around lunchtime to Salisbury. Felt excellent to be setting off on an adventure, even if it weren't that far as the crow flies. En route I was contacted by Val from Paris about a job, but she was fine with me starting it after I'd been away, which was great.   A pleasant drive, and we arrived at a little hotel by the river Avon called the Rose and Crown. Our room odd in that it only had a velux window. There was a photo on the wall of what we might be looking at if there had been a window. Outside however, was very nice. We went for a mooch across an old Bridge and turning left down De Vaux Place and along by some fields and past Salisbury Cathedral.  We wandered into town a little, and I bought myself a bargain pair of light summer shoes, and we stopped off at the big market square and found a table outside a pub, and had a couple of drinks ther...

A fairly busy day today, did some final bits on Doctor Spotlight first thing, then spoke to Robin for an hour and a half about the podcast and did a wee bit of recording. Also received a call from Val with some more work for me, which was very welcome indeed. A short walk at lunchtime, then to work this afternoon on an animal health brief for Val, till it was dinner time. Lorraine late again, having had four nights with teachers who were doing parent's evening by phone. Spoke to Mum who told me about having lost her purse, and having to cancel all her cards. She retraced her steps and went to Iceland, and spoke to the security guard. It had been found there, with everything in it. She gave him a cheeky fiver as a thanks. Among the mammoths etc. in the freezer, were some frozen curries that Lorraine had made. We ate these tonight. This evening I went to get my testicle looked at by a doctor. Walked down Beaky Villas noticing a reddish planet. I used my phone app to confirm it was Ma...

Generally quite motivated today. Washed the kitchen floor, did some writing, talked to Robin  about podcasts through something called Squadcast. As I was trying, and failing to do this, Val called to ask me to do a bit more work on this week's concept. Went for a walk, under foreboding skies. All promise and no rain however. Spoke to Mum later. Good to have Lorraine home after another week. Beth cooked wings and focaccia bread today. It was exceedingly good.

A terrible night's sleep again, a chain of nightmares about getting lost in dark versions of London, that led me to start awake feeling horrible.  Felt a little sluggish today as a result. An absolute scorcher of a day, however. I took a couple of walks to get up to 10k. The Golf Course now recaptured by golfers, which in a way is better as there are fewer of them, and if you stick to the paths you can still thread around the place. Lorraine off to work again, in fresh clothes and a positive attitude. Heard from Val today, and all mes amis in Paris have been okay. She wrote 'I must say your Prime Minister remains a mystery to me.... the way the UK has managed the crisis is clearly not at the level of this country.' (She meant France.)  Her sister was running a C-19 ward in Quebec, but came through it without getting the disease. There was also a smidge of work from them too, which I did this afternoon. I wrote to Ben with an idea for a stained glass window. Had a Face...

A positive day today, I got up and worked on creating some ideas for a campaign Valérie had sent me, which was a nice little job, and kept me out of trouble and my mind focused. Once this was done I went for a walk up to Hollingbury Hillfort. A glorious day, and few people about. I took some shots emphasising the emptiness of things. Weirdly, my normal almost panicky dislike of being in bald, wide open spaces was mostly absent, and I enjoyed roaming about across the hilltop golf course which was barely being used. It felt like snatching some of freedom. Otherwise chats with Bob walking his dog, and sounding reasonably optimistic, and Mum, who was still struggling with TVs. Lorraine home tonight, now with two days working from home. Feels good to have her gathered back in. I'm please Betty's at home too, and not one of those poor sods in a flat somewhere suddenly struggling for work and rent. Feeling grateful today for those things I have.

For me a pretty good day. I am managing to feel burst of positivity. I began work on Skelton Yawngrave TV, a YouTube channel coming soon and chatted to Beth about this too. Went for a gorgeous walk up to Hollingbury Hillfort, crossing the road to avoid people on the way there. Still a few blithe golfers up there. The best day of the year so far, I was even able to sit outside and do some work in the corner by the kitchen, which is a sun trap, and protected from the wind which is still cool and coming from the east. This evening the lockdown was deepened. But as far as I was concerned, it changed little here in Kenny Towers. Tomorrow Lorraine has to go to work, Beth goes off to look after Tilly, the daughter of an NHS worker, and I stay at my desk and am permitted a government permitted exercise walk. Was phoned by Valérie, now relocated to a country location in the middle of France, having escaped the prospect of a lockdown with a son and partner in a small Paris apartment for some...

The thud this morning of my copy of Supernatural Tales coming through the letter flap, with my story The Inheritors in. Takes up 14 pages. Not taken up 14 pages of any meatspace publication before, and it was a very good feeling. Feeling cheerful, and far less queasy today. Working on some work for the French agency first thing, which was then cancelled as their client had decided to design the whole thing himself. Slightly despairing note from Val but I was able to support her a bit. Then able to do work on my own bits and pieces, and then I was sent with some stuff to do tomorrow. In the evening slipped off the desk manacles and walked off to see Anton for a cheeky drink at eight. We met outside the Shakespeare's Head, but there was a quiz night on so we went to a couple of other places, and ended up in The Evening Star, drinking beer similar to the kind he was drinking in Dresden recently. Anton liked the beer,  but didn't love the clientele of beardy and sandal-sportin...

Up with Lorraine and the larks and doing some ideas for my French clients for several hours this morning. This all sent off, I walked over to Richard's new flat, phoned en route by Val to discuss the concepts. Arrived at and found him and Silvana ready to be photographed. Fortunately it was a glorious day. We went into St Ann's Well gardens, right by where Richard now is, but there were no good places. We went down to the sea, and I was able to take a few snaps of them. Richard not in his happy place being photographed but he relaxed eventually. As I was doing this, the new clients called asking for some copy tweaks in the middle of this, so had to nip home fairly smartly afterwards to get that work done and returned. Star Trek tonight, with Lorraine, who was somewhat bushed having started a sore throat yesterday. An early night. Below some snaps I took of Richard and Silvana -- aka Bossa Love.

Drew up a list of achievable to-dos but then sidetracked by another smidge of work from Valérie in Paris, which was very welcome. It really is a pleasure to work with Val, which I have done for many years now. She definitely is my favourite client. God knows what will happen after Brexit. Plus the omnishambles of Brexit means people are already dithering over their budgets, which means jobs are not being firmed up. Despite mantras of Iron Discipline and so on, allowed myself to get pretty cheesed off today by an email from my accountant confirming I did indeed owe a small amount of tax money from last year. They referred me to page three of a letter they sent me a year ago. The small amount of progress I have made this month neatly wiped out and back to square one. Sigh. My own fault, but not feeling well disposed to my accountants at the moment. Otherwise I went to the gym where I got rid of some of my grrrrrs. Later I spoke to mum briefly, billed my French friends, and then cooke...

Woke up in plenty of time feeling rested and calm. Then I realised my reading specs had gone AWOL. Had to get down on my knees, shining my iPhone under the bed, and checked the room over a dozen times before I found them wedged between the wall and the top of bed after twenty minutes my stress levels were restored. Hotel staff were very friendly at The Best Western Diva Opera close to La Folies Bergère, which I could just glimpse if I craned my head out of one of the windows. All business for me, and I trundled my case around the corner to Rue Papillon where the little agency was, noticing how stylish everyone looked and hoping I didn't look like a tramp in my Berghaus dragging my cheap case. There, after going into the wrong door, I found Valérie, originally from Quebec, who introduced me to her team and gave me chouquette  for breakfast with a cup of tea, bless her. I liked Val and her project manager Marie right away. And it seemed the most natural thing in the world to go out...