under another sun

Stormy rain this morning, and bloody cold again. A wretched way to start a Monday. However my journey was smooth as anything, and I started work on a new theatrical idea. Sitting on the same table as another woman muttering irritably at her emails. This woman didn't have the excuse of noise cancelling headphones. Lidya, Spansh art director said the weather was 'very disgusting and uncomfortable', which made me laugh somewhat. Into work, kicking my heels all morning, then a meeting just before lunch, which meant I had a mere 20 minutes walk, and then a dispiriting meeting afterwards, which looked again at the work I'd done last week which everyone loved, and now the goalposts are all moved, and we have a day and a bit to come up with new ideas, when we have squandered days on doing things that weren't quite right. Nobody's fault, but a tad galling. However, I did find out that plans are afoot to pay one of my invoices, which is deeply welcome news. Left...

Tired this morning, and very sluggish first thing but increasingly steady as the day wore on. Very happy I didn't drink lots of beers last night. But the journey to work fine. I get off at Hassocks to wait for the train to Victoria. Very foggy there this morning, and quite atmospheric. Finished We have always lived in the castle , this morning. Good book. Victoria full of servicemen with medals and a military band playing Beatles tunes. They were there again on the way home. In the tube, there was a recording of Dame Barbara Windsor asking for people to give money for the poppy fund. Work a little better. Have taken the initiative as there are no briefs, and you are supposed to know what to do by a process of osmosis. Still I had a nice walk at lunchtime, and walked a different bit of the canal, past big houses, one where Arthur Lowe used to live, and some lovely houses. Home, and Paddington tube was closed, so I had to catch a bus to Victoria. Otherwise home, and ate some st...

Feeling dog tired this morning as being overtired the night before I'd not slept well.  Worked on poetry on the way up to London, and the whole day a bit of a slog as a consequence, even though the people are fine and the job is interesting. The office stuffy and hot, and I had to drink strong coffee to stay awake. Found I had left my wallet at home so had to scrounge some sandwich money at lunchtime. Left work in good time, but Victoria station was hellish, and the journey took three hours as there was someone under a train on the network. As I had no wallet couldn't buy a tea or anything.  Eventually arrived home, but Lorraine out and I realised I had also left my keys indoors, luckily Mark next door had some spare ones. Lorraine had cooked a delicious chicken stew however, and I ate this food cooked with love before she returned, the best part of the day.

The undead Mercifully bite-free night. Off to the smoke. A fairly chilled day, and my stock is high with this agency, as the work I did for them won them a big pitch last week. Went to the nearby Plum cafe with Keith and another guy at lunch, and bumped into Alice and Helen and was kissed by both. Found myself having an exotic lamburger and a coke. Felt all north American. Afternoon ditto to the morning, but working with Keith which is always fun. Spent some time searching for photographs of cityscapes until my eyes bled. Home at last, and cooked some grub and sat on the gold sofa and saw a flea jump onto my trousers like some awful wer-flea or flea zombie. Cue another bout of spraying and laundry. Meanwhile, Calliope is subdued and sleepy. I'm wondering if the new anti flea drops have affected her. It's all a bit of a nightmare, skin crawling tonight even though there is nothing on me. Did some more French work till late, for there is no rest for the wicked. Then downloaded so...

Fog and chocolate cake The train nosing through a tunnel of dense fog. As usual this reminded me of Bleak House by Charles Dickens, especially as the train slid over the bridge into Victoria station. I did some good work on my poems on the train. Meanwhile, at Victoria, I went to the ticket office to renew my oyster card and pay the man back for the free ride he gave me yesterday. He was surprised, but he declined payment, and said it came from the heart and said that sometimes this sort of thing makes the world a better place. This philosophy, delivered in a sunny West Indian accent, entirely renewed my faith in humanity. And I found his small and random act of kindness to me genuinely moving. Had another swim at lunchtime, which I enjoyed and was much less frenzied than yesterday which was barging and elbowy and too full. Meanwhile the great resignation saga goes on. The agency may has well have been lost in the fog as no new deal was forthcoming. I ended the day sending written c...