under another sun

Lorraine went to see Paul in Hove for a haircut, and returned looking very glamorous indeed. She also popped in to see Rosie while there. I did some writing, then had a longish walk.  Early evening off to Saltdean Lido to celebrate Yvonne's big birthday (a couple of weeks in advance). We supposed to meet the others on the bus, but L and I accidentally boarded a rogue 12X and were there early. There were twelve of us there, obviously Yvonne and Brian, and Patrick and Adele, Marek and Sally, Guy and Barbara, Rick and Gabby. It was a beautiful art deco building dating to the late thirties. Strange clientele, mainly in their sixties and one or two looked only a little younger than the Lido all merrily dancing away. In a lengthy queue for the bar, I was being sized up by a table  of mature single ladies. I briefly felt like a sardine in a shark tank. Men in pork pie hats, one or two in sharp suits, and so on. It was styled as a reggae and ska night, but there were two tone types (a...

Raining heavily overnight. More foraging in the garden for soft fruits for breakfast and vegetables. The smell of the garden was lovely. Petrichor they call it. We have big two pots of blueberries and they are rewarding us with the best blueberries I've ever eaten. Again marvelling at being able to spoon down something you just picked five minutes ago. After breakfast, Lorraine and I mooched into town, principally to see Adele's show at Gallery Uno, called Duet, done with another artist called Liza Morton. Looked really professional insid and Adele's work is going from strength to strength in its variety and quality.  It was the opening morning too, so there was coffee and fizz to drink. I stuck to coffee as it wasn't quite noon. Adele looked all cheery and pleased, and she had a lot to be proud of. Liza had some fun pieces of pottery, including wall mountable gull's heads holding chips which made me laugh.  A spot of shopping, and looking at paint colours as we are...

A bit of sorting out of things and housework. Then a nice chat with Mum, then Lorraine and I made off to Brighton for lunch, met Mike and Zina in the Basketmakers -- great to see them. Almost two years since last we set eyes on them and especially as they are set on a move to Brighton, probably near the marina, poised over a plate of oysters. Like no time had passed since we last saw them. We had lunch together, and generally welcomed our new neighbours to one of our favourite places in Brighton. Interesting to hear about Zina's photography -- she'll be in her element round here, and Mike's plans to change gear on his work which seems all consuming. Lorraine and I decided to have our main meal there, and had a particularly delicious fish pie, served with a good salad. Home and I fell deeply asleep, then woke to go shopping. I still have very little energy. Had Yvonne and Brian around for a quick drink. Yvonne very happy as she though she had cancer again, but tests proved f...

Friday. Breakfast, then the gym, as Sylwia was here. Then to the Lanes Eatery, where I met Lorraine for coffee and a snack before she pushed off to take Pat and Maureen some fish and chips. An afternoon of fruitful writing for me, feeling energised.   Re-booting in the Old Boot Inn this evening, where we met Brian and Yvonne, Chris, Delores, Debbie and Carole. Yvonne's cataract operation done without seeming to leave a trace. Strapped on the nosebag there too and washed it down with a couple of pints of Harvey's Old Ale. Lorraine and I home to watch The Traitors. An excellent Friday. Below, blurry in the boot with Yvonne.   

Taking back control of our waistlines today. I walked my 10k paces, drank nothing, and we returned to our normal diet. Felt much better for it too. Lorraine and I had breakfast and planned our meals. We both have put on lots of weight in the last month. I dropped in on Yvonne and Brian, taking Brian a belated birthday present for his birthday on the first. He seemed in good form, and was going to see Brighton play Arsenal at home this evening. Yvonne has a cataract operation on Monday, so is keen to get that over and done with. Walked home from there place down to Splash Point and then along the coast and eventually home. Lorraine just back from shopping and popping in to see Patrick and Maureen.  Some nice downtime this afternoon and evening. Watched a movie called The Holdovers , which was touching, a couple of Frasiers and then an early night.  Two snaps while walking along by the sea.

After the longest night, Lorraine and I lay in bed sorting out things for Christmas (thank God for online shopping) and had breakfast, making lists about food and so on as the sun slipped into Capricorn for the winter solstice. Spoke to Mum whose conjunctivitis seems improved, and her eyes no longer photosensitive. Vampire mode off. Then Lorraine and got to work in the spare room, and I did the loft clambering. I made some lunch and we were just digesting this when Lorraine had to go and help Pat and Maureen. I tried some yoga style stretches and so on from an app I bought in bed this morning, and slept for an hour. Lorraine when she came home with fish and chips. I am festively plump at the moment, with all the socialising. Already part of me is looking forward to getting back on the Zoe waggon after Christmas. In the evening we made off in our Christmas jumpers to the Welly for beer and carols with Yvonne and Brian, Beth and James were supposed to be there too, but Beth was shattered...

More editing of the interview with Martin Malone. Lots to do. No more ghostly voices today however. Yesterday I found a weird sound intruding in the recording.  I was talking to Martin and ended what I was saying with: '...I suspect it was dropped.' Then an EVP ghost voice said: 'So did I'. Martin replied: I was very much in all kinds of outfield at that moment. Did not notice it at the time. Once we had the idea of opening out our Friday night beer with Steve, the fun has grown exponentially. Tonight a very cheery night in The Boot with Steve, Brian and Yvonne, Adele and Patrick and Chris. We had food and a few drinks, and it was excellent. Just a cosy bubble of fun and friendship. Pleased we asked Chris along as he is newly single and that can be hard. Being in cheery company is a good thing at times like this.

Lorraine off to Story Time this morning. Otherwise a homey day, and I did some writing. Birthday celebratory drinks in the Old Boot Inn with Pat and Maureen, Beth and James, Anton, Mark and Carol, Adele and Patrick, Brian and Yvonne, and Kate and Andrew. Steve was going to come but he was unwell, however Freja came and had a good time. I really enjoyed myself, receiving very thoughtful cards and pressies. Mark gave me an eraser, which harks back to 1971 when I sat next to him at Copland school on the first day and he wouldn't lend me his rubber. Perhaps 53 years later I should now forgive this. Anton gave me some immaculately wrapped pressies, two books I had coveted, and a fold away ink pen, which he uses all the time know, with beautiful green ink. A very cheery evening indeed, and I had lots of laughs and generally felt exceedingly lucky and happy. As if to mark the occasion, Harvey's Old Ale is now on tap in the Boot. Happy days. Most of us ate there too, perfectly decent f...

5 am. The unmistakable sound of Calliope fighting a big black cat outside, I poked my head through a bedroom window, and skillfully spouted a little water from an indoor watering can onto the black cat, who was twice the size. Calliope then chased it off.  However when I got up later, there was no sign of Calliope. She is normally pestering me in the morning. I went around the garden calling for her, then outside in the street and the alley behind the house. I was beginning to think the worst but she appeared from some secret hiding place and all was well. Up late, Lorraine having to rush off to do StoryTime without a breakfast. I did more editing on What's Inside .  I also crossed the Rubicon, signing off my last business accounts, and closed down my business bank stuff. This felt liberating, more like a new beginning. I haven't ruled out making money in future, but no longer from freelancing for agencies. So ends my little writing business est. 2007. It did me well for 17 ye...

Off to Pulborough village this evening. Lorraine picked up Brian and Yvonne (and Marley the dog) and drove off to Sally and Marek's place -- where we met Eliza Sally's daughter. Patrick and Adele arrived shortly afterwards. First business was watching England beat Switzerland in a penalty shootout. England's penalties immaculate, surprisingly, and Ivan Toney, who plays for Brentford, did his special technique of shooting while holding the goalkeeper's gaze and not looking at the net at all. Sally and Marek have a lovely home. Sally has made the walls dark and lovely, covered in paintings. And the river Arun runs at the bottom of their sloping garden.  A curry ordered in, and we sat about drinking and making merry, while Sally and Marek's three dogs, and Marley generally scampering about. Sally has a new puppy called Weasel, and it was therefor impossible for me not to like this dog. One of the dogs, called Scout, joined in the singing once Patrick had picked up a gu...

Up and Mum and I had breakfast and coffee, thus fortified, we contacted an administrative part of the US embassy with the notification of Mason's US social security ID and so on to turn off his pension. Mum, we think, will still get something from the US as his widow. Then we pottered about doing some sorting out in the kitchen. Wynford from next door popped in for a chat. At lunchtime, mum drove me to the Jolly Badger from where I walked to Mill Hill Broadway station. I watched mum zoom around the roundabout there with some elan.  Long journey home, feeling a bit braindead. No trains to Lewes, so had to go via Brighton. However the trip enlivened by discovering I had won a small pamphlet competition run by Hedgehog Press. It is a collaboration with Palo Almond -- four of her snowy images, and four poems from me in tanka style that were provoked by her work. I called it, perhaps in the spirit of calling a spade a spade, Snow . It's excellent as these little tanka poems don'...

Up early and rushing to get the podcast out, plus questions to mail off to the publisher of a poet I am interviewing next Monday. This took up much of the day, apart from an hour or so I spent with Lorraine in the back garden clearing the garage and moving things out of the glasshouse prior to us cleaning it out. A man arrived after lunch to install new piece of double glazing with a hole in it so that we can use the catflap again, as living with a litter tray indoors has worn thin. I caddishly left Lorraine to sort this out while I worked. Got the latest episode out, featuring an interview I did with an old friend Tammy Yoseloff who I knew from the 80s. Robin and my stuff afterwards took a lot of editing too, and I sent it off to Robin who did a brilliant job hacking a few more mins out of it.  A great relief to get the episode up, and also to have sorted out questions and mailed them for next Monday.  Spoke to Anton, and I am going to see him this Saturday to drink coffee, a...

Last day of 2023. A grey rainy day in Seaford, matched by a weirdly low mood for me.  However, a cheerful Beth and James called around for a coffee this afternoon, before going off to a party this evening at James's aunt's house. Beth the only person to have noticed that I accidentally shaved two patches from my eyebrows. I had been shaving my beard with my beard shaver a couple of days ago, on number 4. There is a bit under my lip that I take the cut down to number 1. I noticed my eyebrows were getting a bit Leonid Brezhnev and went to shave them, forgetting the number was on 1.   We had a party go to this evening too at Brian and Yvonne's house. A combined New Years Eve and Birthday, for Brian who was born on the first of January.  Patrick and Adele, and two other couples, Rick and Gabby, and Guy and Barbara. Brian had organised games, a sort of quiz of the year, then a how well do you know your spouses competition, which Lorraine and I won, and went away with a chocola...

A slow morning, thankfully just pottering about and feeling happy it is Saturday. Beth and James around late this afternoon. Poor Beth shattered from so much work this month. After an early dinner, off in the evening with Beth and James to The Wellington, where we went to the beer and carols session in aid of a church charity. Basically a room full of people singing with absolutely unrestrained gusto. Our pals Brian, Yvonne, Patrick and Adele were there, and James and Beth enjoyed meeting them. A strangely wonderful time singing with friends, which felt cathartic. So much fun and so Christmassy obviously too. Beth and James especially happy with the idea that laughs were available in abundance in Seaford, helping her and James picture what life might be like.   Below Brian lurking tidily on the bed between us.  

Awake before dawn, and pulled the curtains to see the dawn over a grey and Lorraine-less Seaford.  A shower, and breakfast with sleepy cats. A bit tired and wan. Spoke to Lorraine this morning.  First order of the day was a bit of Santa business. Brian called around with the costume, which I put on at home, and then we drove across Seaford to his house, nobody we passed even noticed Santa was sat in the passenger seat. At Brian's a three year old Jude and baby Sebastian with their mum Annabelle and Yvonne. I found it quite easy to get back into Santa mode, and enjoyed myself immensely. Brian had a list that Jude had written containing two items, a dinosaur and a train. I clarified if the dinosaur was a toy dinosaur otherwise it would be hard to get down the chimney and liberally deployed the ho-ho-hos and Santa banter and the whole thing ended in a certain amount of comedy dancing. Yvonne handed me a glass of port, with a straw, and I sipped it through my nylon beard. Then sli...

Up and breakfasted early, leaving Lorraine in bed and was collected by Brian who drove us off to Friston Forest. A lovely walk, the going soft and puddly, and the chat excellent. Brian stopping and making me look at things, like the colour of leaves under the beech trees. Marley the dog zooming about happily. Then back to Brian and Yvonne's house for a cuppa and to try on their Santa clothes. They want me to go around next week while their grandchildren are there and BE Santa. A man with my years of Santa experience couldn't really say no.  Then I walked home. A beautiful clear day, and not raining which was rather miraculous. Lorraine off at lunchtime to see Laura, and meet her baby Layla, and then on to hang out with Beth, and help her get her flat ready for the buyers who are coming around again tomorrow. I simply did some bits of work, billing and so on but wasn't in the mood to apply myself to anything.  I made off to meet Steve and his dutch pal Mike again, for a few ...

In the evening Lorraine drove us to Brian and Yvonne's house. A cheery meal and a few drinks, with Marley the dog bringing me something to throw for her. Brian, who had not been drinking for weeks for charity, had a few drinks. He also gave us a skull bottle full of cider he had made in his shed. I believe it is quite pokey. Lorraine said we would give it back, full of sloe gin.

Suddenly seasonally cold, and nippy at my desk this morning. Keep having dreams about applying for jobs, or turning up to a new agency and knowing nobody etc. My psyche is beginning to get to grips with the idea I am not going to be doing much freelance work from now on. I never thought of myself as someone who took their identity from their job. And luckily I can keep on writing.  A chat with Anton, who was in bed with a cold. Nice to wake up and start writing again, before slipping downstairs having breakfast. In the afternoon moving things, taking apart my futon and storing it, mowing the lawn till the lawn mower gave up the ghost. We bought a cheap one and it has already broken once. You get what you pay for. Lorraine and I took a saunter through Seaford, and then Brian and Yvonne dropped in with a present for me: a flask water or hot drinks when walking. Lovely.  Reading a bit too. Dipping into the  Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry Volume 2 Second Edition ...

Lorraine off to Chichester this morning to see her pals Carolyn and Leslie. I gathered myself slowly, then went off to Brighton to get a hair cut. I arrived a couple of hours early, as Anton wasn't free, I had an enjoyable time mooching about Brighton in the sun, and also sitting in the ideologically unsound Starbucks, where I read a poetry pamphlet by Ian McMillan and more of the Essays of Idleness by the Japanese monk Kenko. Enjoyed revisiting old haunts. Then a saunter to the seafront which was full of colour and busyness, the sea a bright blue green, and also looked at the fire-ruined Albion Hotel. Seeing an open door in the ruin, made me think that during the Blitz this sort of thing must have been an everyday sight. Lorraine on her way back from Chichester came down to find me in the Barbers, Stacy hard at work who was giving me his usual excellently perfectionist haircut. Toby called me when I was in the chair, and said he'd be down south on Monday. Back with Lorraine o...

Final bits done on the podcast today, and uploaded. Meanwhile Lorraine under Maureen's eagle eye, making curtains for our red dining room. Felt a bit frazzled and grateful to stop after I sent out social media messages for the poddy... Plus negotiating the last few bits of freelance for next week. Finding doing the podcast and work and general living quite enough. However, a brilliant evening. Left Pat and Maureen at home, and we went off to the Barn Theatre where there was a screening of a documentary about Eric Ravilious , the artist associated with these parts, whose reputation has climbed lots during the last decades. His work is very English, in a really good way. He was underestimated, partly because he painted in watercolour and made prints, which gave him I dare say the whiff of craft rather than art to people wanting brains. He was also an excellent war painter, but died in a plan crash off Iceland in September 1942. Adele was working on the door, and we met Brian and Yvon...