under another sun

A bit of a medical theme, today. I had to get up early and walk off to have a blood test first thing. The nurse achieved a hole in one in my vein, which is a refreshing change. I walked home, and eventually was able to speak to Mum at the Royal Free. She was sounding pretty good, and the procedure yesterday didn’t leave her too uncomfortable. I also spoke to Mas, who was complaining about the number of people who had called around to check on him. Then after walking home, Lorraine and I went to have our feet done at a podiatrist called Sole Sisters. I’d never been to a podiatrist before. But having my feet sorted out (I have slightly ingrowing toenails) was great. The Kenny feet felt far more balletic right away. I am not particularly fond of my feet, but Lucy the podiatrist led me to believe that she had seen far grizzlier sights. Afterwards Lucy did Lorraine, while I drank a coffee in the café next door. In the afternoon, we dropped some baby clothes to Sam's old pal John Ma...

Less nervy today, although naturally nerves started at around 5pm. A taxi with James and Lorraine to The Marlborough, which was packed and had people conducting some kind of a Christmas Gift auction downstairs. More people tonight, and the room felt very full.  Catherine and Tanya and Steve Cartwright, Rosie and Innis were all there. A big day for Beth as Gary was there with Sophie, having been unable to see her during the Festival.  Emily and Eliza, two of her university besties came too. John came tonight too. The show went excellently. Less nervy than yesterday, and always fascinating to see how different audiences react to the same play. They really tuned into the dark side for the final section of A Glass of Nothing . Beth really on point tonight. Spectacular. Very proud of her and Dylan, Kitty and James. I couldn't have asked more of them, and they consistently did better than I imagined they could. Sad that we were done after just two nights. I have to get my thinki...

A bit of a limbo during the day. I slept this afternoon for an hour, and otherwise pottered about not doing too much of anything, other than wasting time humble bragging on Facebook, in an attempt to get more people through the door tonight. Lovely Lorraine arrived home early and she, James and I cabbed down to The Marly for six. Dylan, Beth and Kitty already there. Lurked in the green room a bit, and then as soon as we could get into the theatre, boshed in and set up rapidly. Bloody great white flats left in the room, and we had to dissemble them with the help of Marly folks before the seats could be done. A bit of nervous hanging around beforehand. Went to sit in the bar, nursing a half-pint. I met Ptolemy who Beth has taught, and had brought a posse of his drama A level class with him, having seen A Glass of Nothing earlier in the year. He congratulated me on the writing, and Beth says he can recite bits of the play. A very promising 16 year old I think, who clearly has marvellou...

Bit of a free floating day today. To the gym this morning to dispel tension, which worked but made me sleepy in the afternoon. And spoke to Mum, who said Mas was feeling a bit more himself, and they are talking about moving him from intensive care again soon. Otherwise a bit of tinkering with things to do with the play. Beth in bed most of the day. When James came we set off for the Marly in a cab. Nice Pakistani cab driver who I ended up discussing Pakistani politics with. He is optimistic about the future, which is good to hear. Did the tech rehearsal tonight, suddenly lots more real once the stage lights and sounds were sorted. A solid tech, Jessica, who new her stuff, which helped. Being on a lit stage really brought out the energy in Dylan particularly. He is such a natural. Beth conserving her voice. Lorraine came tonight too, and her presence was really welcome. Touching how much strength Beth derives from her being there. Lorraine thought We Three Kings was good too, and ...

Up early, and my brain not at its sharpest, and feeling generally tired. Bits of writing, and did a smidge for my French clients. The work I was expecting from my pals in Chiswick did not materialise, but I am happy with that.  Spoke to Mum before she went off to see Mason. Worked doing lists and stuff with Beth and the Tech script for We Three Kings . in the afternoon.  James collected us in his car and we spent the evening rehearsing with James and Dylan their scenes in W3K in the room upstairs of The Duke of Welly. Dylan making big strides today. James's comic timing very good I think. Maybe because he's a musician too. Very cold tonight for Brighton. Luckily James gave us a lift home too. Home to Lorraine at 9:30, chatted with my lovely wife before we shuffled off to bed.

Mas has been back in intensive care and Mum found him still rather out of it and not comfortable. This is concerning and I am going to hospital tomorrow with Mum. Otherwise it was a day of major rehearsals, from midday till gone six at the ever-hospitable Duke of Wellington. A good day's work on We Three Kings with a few moments of hilarity. Beth very good at driving the day. Made a couple of cuts to the text, both of which helped. A fast drink at the pub after, and the round was bought us by the owner, which was surprisingly kind of him. Then Beth and I caught a cab home. Lorraine had cooked us a roast chicken and lots of nice veggies, and Beth's pal Laura came around for a sleepover, and we had a cheery supper. Lorraine drank some wine, and I had a brace of beers and sank happily into the sofa watching some SF series on Netflix. Below, James's silver shoes for the part of Balthazara.

Lorraine up at six and I made up to have breakfast with her downstairs before she went. Quite handy as I had to send some stuff off on the job I was doing for my Chiswick pals just after seven. Lots of work first thing, and then a steady stream till mid-afternoon. Finding the prospect of everything else in the world frequently more enticing than sitting at my desk. Walked down to the Duke of Wellington town this evening, to rehearse We Three Kings this evening, met Claudius who happened to be downstairs in the pub, and has returned from the US looking fit and well. The rehearsal focused on the last section of when everyone's on stage, and Beth and the others sorting it all out and beginning to get it blocked. Though a bit tired this evening, it was energising to be with the gang again. Saw a bit of James being Balthazara the cross dressing King, and this will work nicely I think. The next few weeks look dense with rehearsals. After a quick wetting of the whistle, James drove...

Another day of bits and pieces. Up early and working. Then at lunchtime off to meet Simon at the PPT to find out what he's been doing since we worked together some years ago with the Cat With The Hat. One of the things he is doing is making really interesting designs from recycled wood and other materials, and old prints. Nice to catch up with him. Then home to sprawl on the sofa for a fast doze before heading off to Lewes. Beth and the others kicking off on rehearsing We Three Kings tonight too, which was good to know. Luckily an easy journey to the Lewes Arms, given it was a strike day on Southern Fail again. I arrived early and had a drink with Siegfried and his dad Adrian, who were already there. Jess and Robin turned up soon after, and then the place filled up nicely. Most importantly for me was that Lorraine came too, and having her there was top. A really excellent night. I did some of the introductions, shared with Sarah Barnsley, and I made people laugh introducing my...

Working hard early this morning to complete the first draft of We Three Kings. Felt good to have got there. I'm pleased with it, and I think I have left lots of room in it for the actors to expand and add their own flavours. We Three Kings the carol was written in 1857 by the Rev. John Henry Hopkins. Here's the verse about Frankincense: Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume  Breaths a life of gathering gloom;  Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying,  Sealed in the stone cold tomb. Cheery eh? Also a smidge of French work, with Val phoning my from Bamako in Senegal, for reasons unknown. In the afternoon Innis called round, and took lots of photographs of me. I have been to a fair few shoots in my time, but being the thing being shot is different. In the rare times I'm called on to supply a photo of myself, I always look a bit of a chump in them, so I thought it would be good to have Innis do me a proper shot. Luckily, Innis, who I'm liking more and more as I get to kno...

A cup of tea from my lovely Lorraine, and once up I was hard at work today on sorting out a few play bits first thing, then working on the French brief all day which was quite interesting and enjoyable. Bit of honest concept work guv'nor. Butterflies an' that. After this malarkey, slouched down the hill with Betty to The Duke of Wellington where we met up with Dylan, Kitty and James, and slunk up into the room upstairs. Read through the start of We Three Kings . Felt a bit exposed as I like to have things complete before I show people usually. But it was a useful exercise in pinning down what's working and what's not. Then they biffed through A Glass of Nothing , and they surprised themselves at how well they had remembered it. All quite buzzy afterwards which was good to see. A cheeky beer outside in the beer garden afterwards with James, Dylan and Betty. It was Kitty's boyf's birthday, so she had to go. I enjoyed talking to James lots. An interesting man. ...

No longer streaming with cold this morning, rather miraculously. Hard at work on the We Three Kings play and took a brief at lunch time from my french friends on a pitch. Even managed to go for a walk this afternoon in the sun, listening to my Beatles audiobook. John Lennon not in a good way when the book was being written, interested to hear him quoted on how all the people that read things into his work are all conning themselves, which is quite an egocentric way of looking at art. His self-loathing shines through from time to time. This was shortly before he met Yoko I think, who pepped him up one way or another. Cooked for Lorraine, who had set off for school early. We settled down to watch the traumatic last couple of episodes of Orange is the New Black. We have now watched all of them till they make a new series.  Lorraine and I shifting the furniture about this evening as we are about to take delivery of an Antonn, which is both a shelving unit and a source of quips for y...

Another quiet day of working on things I wanted to work on. So a very happy day for me. Up as Lorraine was leaving. Spent to day working on various projects, including tweaking another poem as well as cutting bits out of A Glass of Nothing and looking at We Three Kings. Ate the last of my bean jar today. It really was the most successful bean jar I'd made in ages, with beef too. Again wandered down to the Plenty cafe, for a pot of tea, and to get another perspective. Something about dislocating yourself that lets you see things afresh. In the evening Beth and I cooked a pasta bake. Then Lorraine came home,  and Kitty, James and Dylan came around to do a read through on the cuts I'd been making, plus doing some more tweaks. Nice to be with them, and I like James too. I took this snap of them around the dinner table. Dylan, Beth, Kitty and James.

A poor night's sleep. Got up however with Lorraine and began writing poems, then after talking to Mum and Janet (Ken should be home tomorrow) I walked down to Preston Circus with Beth. She went to her gym and I walked off into town to  buy a new anorak to replace the one I left on the train the other day. I got an identical one to the one I'd lost, and am pleased that I am again rainproof. Not that it was raining at all. Then wended back to the new cafe next to Betty's gym called Plenty. Treated myself to a coffee and a pain aux raisins   and started work on We Three Kings. Home and feeling dog tired, but trying not to sleep. I read the essay Black Orpheus by Jean Paul Sartre, and then cooked, as I didn't want a replay of Lorraine returning home in a 'hangry' mood as she had done the previous day aghast that there was no food prepared. A happy evening, but as we were both really tired. Listening to part of a Kermode and Mayo podcast, before sleeping. Heari...

Yay! My first day off in seven days of various kinds of slogging, and mercifully not having to travel by train anywhere. Anton swung by in his BMW convertible with the roof down and drove Lorraine and I off to Steyning to collect Dawn. Nice to be cruising around like this, but sitting in the back on the motorway buffeted my head, and worried at 'The area of concern', aka my bald bit. We went for a short walk in the woods at the bottom of Chanctonbury Ring, which I enjoyed, despite still feeling the after effects of the ghastly throat and cough business  and laboured going uphill. I also have a slightly lurchy ear thing going on, which doesn't help. Among other bits of personal gossip, Anton and I had a long discussion about Tolkien, he's contemplating doing a degree on it.  I recommended he download the The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao , and he had just started to listen to it. It is larded with Tolkien references, and is set in Dominica and New York. Back to ...