under another sun

A quiet Sunday and so Lorraine and I 'did the dungeon' which means going into the basement and moving things about in there to create more space. Beth called by for a cup of coffee and a lengthy chat about the game My Time In Portia with Lorraine. I read a bit more of the book I mainly read on Sunday, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, almost finished. The elevator pitch is simple: examine race through the lens of caste, but it is an excellent book. Lorraine wandering inside My Time In Portia , where her name is Linda, which makes Beth laugh lots, for some hours. Linda is constantly having to run around doing bizarre things like collecting mucus from snails, and animal faeces and rocks so she can manufacture things. Sometimes she gets into sword fights with giant ladybirds and so on. I leave Lorraine/Linda to her own devices.     Spoke to Mum and to Toby. Mum and I decided to bump the trip up to London to see mum later in the week. Meanwhile Toby and Romy in lockdown doldrums. Two mo...

 Lorraine and I up and possessed of a fire to sort out the dungeon downstairs. Now that we had got rid of the dead tumble dryer. A good deal of business. If you are to have a dungeon, it's best to ensure it is a tidy one. Nobody likes an untidy dungeon, it is bad Feng Shui.  This done, Lorraine and I simply chilled for the rest of the day. We lurked about companionably reading and sewing and so on. I read Caleb Femi's book Poor , and it is wonderful in many ways. I also finished Don Paterson's Sonnets , because Robin's always on about him, and read the last few poems in the collection by Katerina Angelaki Rooke, who my old pal Tim knew and was influenced by. An afternoon of simply reading poems. There is a lot to recommend it. Spoke to Anton, who had been painting the outside of his house, and to Mum who took delivery of a lemon meringue pie (a PK favourite) from a neighbour, except it was a vegan pie made with chick pea water, which looks exactly like meringue.  I had...

Bank Holiday Sunday. The heavens opened, as is traditional, and rain fell steadily from the leaden sky. Lorraine and I spent much of the day, once we had got out of bed, reorganising the dungeon. Lorraine takes the lead on this as I am unable to stand up without stooping down there, so I sat on a stool and was consulted occasionally, or carried things out of the dungeon. A new innovation was marking the boxes and drawers down there with an idea of the contents inside them.  Lorraine writing Fixings on several things, a general term apparently, for stuff that fixes things which can apply from anything from rubber bungee wires to sticky tape. Otherwise, a day of freedom. I spoke to Mum, and Lorraine and I binge watched GLOW on Netflix. A strangely heartwarming series. Lorraine cooked fish curry, we drank some weirdly powerful ginger beer, and relaxed. Lorraine starts work tomorrow again, from home, saying that despite it being a bank holiday it has all been holidays. And so t...

After a slow breakfast, Toby still feeling rough. Lorraine and I walked him to the station. A very warm day for blighty. Had coffee and hung out chatting till it was time for him to go. Sad to see the Tobster off at Brighton station. They really need to sort Star Trek beaming out. To the shops then for a wee bit, before returning home. Excitingly collecting from neighbours two things that have been delivered: an amazon firestick which will let us watch net flicks, and a coffee maker like the one we used in France, and a bit like the one Anton has. It uses capsules, and delivers rather excellent coffee and of course is a tremendously middle class purchase. Early this evening much sorting of our dungeon, which is where everything is poked until its fate can be decided. John and his mate Matt are moving into a flat in Hove shortly, and we have donated my old Calliope scratched wooden table and two chairs. This activity gave us an opportunity to have a good sort out in there, well most...