under another sun

Off to London again with a tickling cough and cold. However a pleasant enough day, and feeling quite cheery walking up  Villiers Street with the streams of people disgorged from Embankment station, dodging the chuggers, and a young man in a business suit talking about Jesus. These days although I still commute in London quite often, it has almost become a novelty, and the strangeness of London life is striking.   Meanwhile, I was really delighted to hear back from Rhona McAdam, an old friend who I asked to help me with my poetry manuscript. Trying to get this sorted as the deadline is rearing its head. Just excellent to reconnect with her as she has always been a bit of an inspiration to me. Home again and simply happy to be at home with my lovely wife, who had just parked up as I was arriving and walked down the street to meet me. A fairly early night. Luckily I am working from home tomorrow and not having to travel is going to be a big help in bouncing back from my cold....

Working on the New Idea again first thing this morning, then up off peak to London, Walking up from Embankment station, I found Villiers Street choked with chuggers collecting for Cancer Research UK. After being approached for the third time I said, probably in an tetchy way, 'I don't do chuggers, love' to which the angry response was 'I'm not a chugger, I am a charity fundraiser'. The people doing it are just doing their jobs, and are happy to have them, but I detest being guilt tripped in the street by complete strangers. On a happier note, I had a cheeky beer and a catch up with Keith in the Salisbury, who has now moved on from Tavistock Square. I often get pains in the back of my head when I am with Keith because I am grinning so much. I then hoofed in the rain to Victoria where I caught up with Paul in the station Weatherspoons, and travelled with him on the train as far as Croydon. Reprehensibly we sipped from a mid-afternoon can of beer on the train. ...