under another sun

Monday and Lorraine suffering from a dreadful cold, and doing her customised ear-splitting sneezes. I took care of her as best I could. She is absolutely too ill to work.  I don't have any symptoms but am feeling lethargic. Had time to do stuff today, such as chasing an agency for payment, billing the guys we worked with last week, and receiving a few hours of work form the French agency, which I did this afternoon. I also added to a new strange story, tentatively called The Bottle Garden, which is still in its early stages, and fiddled in an inconsequential way with a couple of poems. Shortly before sundown I went for a quick walk. Dogs everywhere as darkness fell. Most dogs wearing collars with coloured LED lights. One baying like the Hound of the Baskervilles into the night near the hillfort. One stealthy cur jumping up out of the dark at me as I walked down Hollingbury Park.  Cooked and then Lorraine, suffering on the sofa, but soldiering on with Star Dew Valley (she is fe...

A quiet day. Wrote to Jeremy saying what a good job he had done in editing Poetry South East 2020. Looked at my short story which is progressing well, although I need to trim it and magnify the horror and weird elements. Sent off a poetry MS, looked at a letter Lorraine was sending to parents and generally kept out of trouble. Another walk today, a gorgeous afternoon with lots of interesting clouds. Snapped this lovely black dog on Hollingbury Hill. I love black and white -- and although this dog was perfectly nice, dogs are quite often growling at me suspiciously at the moment. I have no idea why. 

Working for the agency again, including the obligatory urgent work after you've packed up for the day. But had a little time off this afternoon and was able to speak to Mum, who had thought today was Thursday and gone into central London for her dental appointment only to find she was a day early. Went for an extra-long circular walk just after lunch, listing to various improving podcasts, buying a few vegetables. I would be more worried about my life shrinking into these little circles, but I know I will have the opportunity to stretch out again. Half the joy of owning a dog must be in walking it. I see other people walking in circles, but some of them are attached to lead. I thought of Richard who had until recently had walked Rufus and Holly. Walking as a solitary human must be strange if you're used to being part of a pack. Lorraine looking forward to half-term next week to regroup from the onslaught. I cooked her chicken noodles. Below two interludes of light. One out...

The reception of dogs Another good day today. First thing in the morning, I worked fruitfully on the new Pollard & Kenny project for an hour. Then I got down to business, making calls, sending my presentation to a few agencies, emailing certain contacts and even taking the opportunity to introduce myself to two local agencies. This quite amusing, one contained three people looking startled that anyone should just walk in the door and talk to them about business. The second's website contained touchy feely stuff about dropping in for a cup of tea and a chat, but the reality was a walk across a car park, a door with a buzzer that opened onto a small but not terribly friendly dog barring your way. The canine negotiated, I reached the reception where I was met by a not terribly friendly male receptionist. In the afternoon I even found myself in The Basketmakers for twenty minutes, popping in for a single beer and to write some lists. Was called up to do some editing work on Monday ...

Encounter with a wasp beetle and other animals Sprang up from my airbed this morning for coffees with Mum and Mas. Then spent some time with Mum playing Carcassonne , the game that Toby and Romy sent mum. This was surprisingly enjoyable, and fairly easy to pick up, though I still don't know what the farmers are for. I've actually been to Carcassonne, and it does have a remarkable castle. Anyway we played it and it was fun. Mum and Mas then off to the dentist, and I did a spot of cleaning and sorting out my emails. Then a really enjoyable lunch driving off to a pub in Letchmore Heath near Elstree called The Three Horseshoes. Mum got talking to the landlady who was outside with her dog Angel, which was some species of barking boxer or something with one of those evil grotesque faces and bat ears. Apparently Angel was scared of cats and handbags. Or cats in handbags. I forget. Had a really useful conversation with Mas about business which helped me see the wood for the trees. Mum ...

Snow and a dogfish Having been about its secret ministry, there was snow this morning. Woke up envisioning a cup of tea with beaded bubbles winking at the brim, and thinking of John Keats. Followed this with a lovely breakfast of smoked salmon, kippers and scrambled eggs. Then I spent some time playing with Paddy the small dog, with a tennis ball which it returned and then did a fair amount of growly stuff as you wrenched it from its mouth, and repeated x 50. Dogs and Peter Kennys have over the years reached an uneasy entente cordiale, but this was rather a nice dog. Amazingly it went for a swim too, after we'd taken a short walk past the local church and along a long hedge up a hill, then down cloying mud tracks towards the valley of the river Avon. Apparently it likes swimming so much it has to be dragged back inland before it drowns of exhaustion. There was one exciting bit when Paddy almost disappeared over the weir, but John reeled him in with the extensible lead. The sun was ...