under another sun

No rain as my lovely drove me to the station, but oppressed by work this May day morning, having had something of a re-brief on a job, and only one day to fix it. But on the train I had an inspired twenty minutes, and fixed all the problems. Meanwhile Justin the art director had come up with a new visual approach, and so we cracked it fairly quickly and easily, and I left work on time, having expected a late one. However now they want me to present the thing, and I will have to be up at stupid o'clock tomorrow morning. Still, all's well that ends well. Otherwise not much to report a bit of a walk at lunchtime, where I chatted to Mum about my visit tomorrow. As I finished the call, a spiteful old grey locked rasta on bicycle called me a shit, because he thought I hadn't got out of his way on the towpath with sufficient alacrity. What is wrong with everyone? Travelling into London etc. it seems that people seem to be on particularly short fuses. Home, nostalgically buying a...

Lorraine up and away for a hair cut. I idled the morning happily pottering, doing laundry, changing the water in the aquariums, watching an episode of Frasier and watching YouTube of a concert by Yes at QPR football ground I went to in 1975. It was the first time I saw them, and it was fabulous. The ticket to the concert was a pass into a different world. Then Lorraine back and we drove off to Worthing to her colleague's barbecue. I didn't know anyone there but had a few pleasant chats and consumed some of the most blackly carbonised sausages I have ever encountered. Several batches were made, all identical. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Then home to change into into a suit and Lorraine into a long green dress, and thence to Peacehaven Golf Course where Sonya was having her wedding reception in the clubhouse looking over the fields. Felt slightly self-conscious in my suit as it all seemed quite casual. Sonya looked chic and chatted to us lots, considering it was h...

Lurchers To the Basketmakers to meet Katie and Puffin the dog. Soon we were joined by Lorraine, Matt and Sam. The pub was busy, but it was great to meet up and have several beers and sustained chats. Katie looking for a new lurcher-friendly place to live, and is going to stay in the country. Matt just returned from Hull, where he was sitting up at night with his mum who has just had a knee replacement operation. Puffin meanwhile has the makings of a good pub dog: an essential development, and once Katie had put her jumper down on the floor for her, Puffin settled fairly happily under the table. It is fascinating to stroke her flanks and feel her xylophone ribs. As a lurcher she is such a lean running machine, there is not a scrap of fat on her. I drank rather enthusiastically and lurched home for some fish and chips. Later, as Lorraine blissfully snoozed, I watched a DVD by mighty prog rock legends Yes that Anton had given me the other night. All well.

Progtastic A quiet day working. Wrote nine case studies for the hogsite, and then fiddled about working on an idea for a local Brighton play competition, which was fun. However highlight of the day for me was watching BBC4 Prog Rock Britannia which was a well overdue reappraisal of this genre. Great to see legends like Bill Bruford and Steve Howe. And listen to some fascinating stuff that I'd never heard before. Who knew that Soft Machine sounded like outtakes from Bitches Brew ? In my teens I particularly liked Yes and King Crimson. This, plus the fact that Mum listened to jazz and classical music rather ruined me for straight ahead rock music or for most stuff with a predictable 4/4 beat and chords. Progressive music was killed by punk. I liked punk too, its energy was amazing, but musically I can't listen to it with anything other than a faint nostalgia. Even at the time my favourite new groups were the elegant Television (from New York) and The Stranglers (who were a bit ...

Pizza, Prog & Rockabilly Up with the sparrows and off to London. The sparrows, incidentally, sleep on their backs with their beaks poking from the duvet in a neat row. Spent most of the day writing on a several page brochure about printers. At lunchtime First Matie drove me to Sainsbury's and, on returning, I mumbled on my sandwich and worked on the printer brochure again. Time hibernated. Some 100 years later, I left work the shadow of a man, after Kate had rewritten my brochure to stop it being rubbish. Then a slightly disrupted journey home, but heard from Mex whose important job interview had gone very well. Also heard from Anton, who was sans Anna (on a coaching course). So on returning to Brighton, I sidled up the road, to gorge on Anton's own unbeatable pizzas and polish off some Polish beers. While thus engaged, I also spoke on the phone to the Cat with the Hat, who was pleased with our meeting yesterday, and to Lorraine. Anton and I had an excellent evening, listen...

The moth blunders madly into the light Up with the sparrows. Spent my first four hours concentrated on a PowerPoint presentation, based on the conversations I was having yesterday with the Cat with the Hat. This delivered, slipped off for a swim, and to collect a package from Amazon. I found myself being kicked by the surging crawlers in the fast lane next to mine. How can this be right? Talked to mum, who is doing fairly well on her chemotherapy regime. Although certain foods are making her feel a nauseous when she has them. She has also been to the dentist, which she was advised to do before the treatment fully kicks in. I will be going up again next week to hang out with her and Mas. In the evening went to an excellent poetry reading by Brendan Cleary. See my daywork blog for more on that. I also tried out The Moth Display , in one of the open mic spots. This I did with a slightly mad intensity. The poem sounds rather tortured soul-ish, and was against the grain of the rest of the e...

Yes and no f***ing way Back to the smoke this morning, cringing into the carriage feeling caged and unnatural. Odd hunger pangs at 11:30 having not engorged a major breakfast this morning. Felt tetchy at work most of the day. This rounded off by finally being offered the job the agency has promised me for the last few months. Except they didn't. Their package was a zero payrise, and they changed the creative directorship they were offering me to a Micky Mouse job title that would mean nothing to my clients, or anyone else in the industry. I have invited them to think again. But think that I will have to leave instead, a prospect that's quite appealing. However this wasn't unexpected and was at least confirmation that my recent paranoia about delays and stalling wasn't unfounded. Home and then went up the road to eat fish and chips with Anton, and listen to music through his new speakers while sipping some beers. These included The Yes Album by mighty prog legends Yes...