under another sun

Valentine's day. I managed to not get Lorraine anything this year, which I felt bad about. I had a nice card, from Lorraine who forgave me and a tasteful set of egg cups as I'd remarked the other day we needed some. I think Valentine's day is more for the hopeful unattached really, but it is nice to be thought of. In the love department my (egg) cups runneth over. Despite it being a gorgeous sunny day, I was in a poor mood this morning, despite it being the last day of the job with Keith. Doing a job when you feel ill is no good. I was far from my best all the way through it -- and this harmed what we produced. On this last day I kept thinking fondly of a former art director, Nev, who, when we were working on a computer catalogue, endlessly repeated the mantra 'you can't shine shit'.  Lorraine and I mooching about in the garden for a bit at lunchtime, even sitting briefly in our summerhouse till I was summoned by text back to my desk. Just so happy in the garden...

Valentine's day. My Valentine and I swapped cards this morning, and Lorraine additionally gave me a heart shaped red stone, and a green solar powered cricket, which after we had admired I set down by the side of my bed. Lorraine and I worked upstairs in the office all day. Although in the morning I heard a non-specific scrunching and discovered that Calliope had bitten the cricket's head off. Lorraine and I worked at home all day to finish all her reports before we set off for Leeds. I surged out in the evening in the rain to the Shahi to get a takeaway. This was a very happy Valentine's day for me.

A Valentine's card with skeletons on, and a red Moleskine notebook from Lorraine this morning. Felt bad that as she had left early I had not woken up enough to give her mine. As I had to get more horse pills from the quack, and had a nice chat with him. I took the opportunity to wander about in the sunshine, buying an incredibly expensive pastie, and popped into Waterstones for a futile search for two specific books. It's sad, but there's no wonder Amazon is taking over. Home and two new clients I'd been patiently coaxing, finally broke cover and asked me to do some work. Signed  two non-disclosure agreements today. One is with a new French client, and I had to agree to be a 'collaborator', which made me smile. Some telephone calls and I took a long brief late in the day. Rather pleased by this little burst of activity, and plenty on my plate over the next week. Good to have two new clients in one day. Lorraine working late and we sloped off for a romantic...

You've got mail Downstairs to make Lorraine and I a cup of tea and found a romantic and copious cat poo on the carpet courtesy of fat Basil. I fed the cats, which Brian sicked up afterwards. Between I gave Lorraine her Valentine's card and a scarf and rose, and received a nice card of amorous owls. A lethargic start to the day, but I had to quickly get my ducks in a row and walk in to the BBC on Queens Road. Alison Ferns, who is really nice, was visibly pregnant and hadn't a clue what was on the CD (nor did she have one to hand, luckily I had one in my manbag) which left me slightly wondering what I was doing there. Still I was grateful for the coverage and she played most of one track, which sounded a bit weedy in the studio, but fine on the radio. I came out feeling I hadn't done a great job, but listening to the interview it was not bad under the circumstances. I was in and out in ten minutes or so, and then walked down to the sea briefly, and went to The Latest Musi...

Monday Valentine The Monday Valentines: a great name for a band. I met Lorraine this evening coming out of her choir (or quire as the Hullaballo Quire styles itself). Home and a nice cup of decaffinated coffee. Lorraine got me a book about Zombies in Brighton, and a Michael Morpurgo book. I got her the CD of PJ Harvey's new album Let England Shake , and a small blue glass heart. Today was the date of release for Let England Shake and I felt like a fanboy buying it on its day of release, and was given a print of PJ Harvey dressed in black with black feathers in her hair. Otherwise sadder and wiser after lively night. Working on atrial fibrillation and feeling shattered, with hangover piled on top of cold. Nobody but myself to blame.

Owls and a jar of sunlight Valentine's day was very nice. Got up early and bought some flowers and heart shaped pastries and chocolates for Lorraine, and then we had the same pastries and bacon sarnies in fresh bread for breakfast which was jolly fine. And I started the day feeling happy and content. Imaginatively, Lorraine bought me a little black stone owl for Valentine's day. I love owls and already have a box of owls. Also later in the day when we were mooching around in Brighton we went into a charity store, where I seem always to find something, and Lorraine spied another owl carved out of some natural wood so that it looks like an owl in a tree trunk. I bought this and a sturdy blue pottery vase for about seven pounds. Bargain! After a walk along the busy seafront we decided that the strategy of having a Valentine's meal in the afternoon rather than packing in cheek by jowl in the evening. Opted for Japanese and ate in the Oki-Nami restaurant which launched last year...

Valen'ine's day A cheerful day. I already had a card and dragonfly pressies from Sarah so sprang from my bed happy in the knowledge that I had an admirer from afar. I sent Sarah a card and some chocs which, travelling under a benificent star, arrived today in Tampa. As a goddess of love, today is Sarah's day. And I ended mine having a long chat being sprinkled with divinity from as much as 4420.41 miles away. Up early to send Mum some of her photos of her money-making pictures with corrected perspective. And then off to work where I learned that we'd won the pitch I worked on last week. I was then taken out for a lunchtime drink by way of celebration. Listening now to The Hobbit on audio book. Quite fun but I feel the need to listen to something that isn't Tolkien, because it leads to narrowness which in itself can become a bad hobbit. In the evening I went up to Anton and Anna's place to babysit the bairns. This gave them a chance to go to the movies like the ...