under another sun

 Off to see Bob in London today. We met under Nelson's column as usual. While waiting I noticed that   Whitehall was jammed with a hundred tractors jamming the road as the farmer's protested inheritance tax changes. Met Bob and it was a fine thing to see him. We spent the day mooching about between cafes, and had some food in Wagamama's and popped into Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and Ye Olde Mitre, historic old pubs to suit us venerable old chaps. But we were extremely restrained with the drinking. Mainly we spent the day talking and catching up. Bob lost his mother fairly recently and is obviously still processing this. His daughter is doing very well at university, and was producing and directing a student pantomime. Lovely to see how proud he is of Milly. We ended up in a noisy bar, full of people fresh from work and barking loudly at each other, and music playing really loudly. It actually made me feel stressed, straining to hear what Bob was saying and so on. Times have ch...

Between Cheese and a Mitre Working on re-laying out the CD cover today, and also a long phone chat with Sophie. Then off to London this afternoon to go to my dentist in Chiswick. More The Black Dahlia on the train. Was 45 mins early so got off at Turnham Green station and mooched past my old flat in Thornton Avenue, where I lived for a year before moving down to Brighton. That was a particularly depressing year, and I found I had blanked the street name and house number. Then through Chiswick down towards Strand on the Green, where Matty boy, First Matie and Graeme now live, past pubs where I used to read poetry, or places where friends had lived. I moved to Chiswick in 1986 which is a long time ago. Melancholy fading light, and by the time I had arrived at the dentist I felt as if life is fleeting and everything I've done was a no more than a hill of beans. A 40 minute wait in the dentist's reception not helping much. I was delayed by a massive job on an older man, requiring ...

In the Cittie Another night full of vivid dreams, and then up craving for a damn fine cup of Joe, once this and toast needs sated burned the Armenian flute music on Mum's laptop to take home, and Mum and I travelled into town on separate missions, saying goodbye at Baker Street. I went off to Tavistock Square and had a lunchtime beer with Pat and Karam. A good gossip and lots of laughs. Pat going into a school next year too, to talk about advertising to 16 year olds. Then a pleasant couple of hours wandering about in London free as a bird, pausing for a bite to eat and a browse in Foyles bookshop before making my way to meet Mick Ginty in Ye Old Mitre pub dating back to 1546. Satisfying to sit there in a busy, wood panelled room near and a portrait of Henry VIII and a real fire. One of those timeless London moments. Mick talking about the arrival of The Gintini , his and Lucy's baby due in about six weeks. Bob arrived and after an overlap, Mick left. Bob and I then proceeded o...