under another sun

Another day's slogging from very early in the morning with Marlène, redoing some of the ideas based on the feedback that had come in overnight. We reduced the number to five concepts so the day was a bit easier. Lorraine off to the Library again this morning to do Rhyme Time again with lots of nippers. She takes herself for a coffee too afterwards. I had time for a short walk at lunchtime. I presented our revised opinions at the end of the day. And it seems that we did well, and our ideas were liked lots. A quick friendly chat with Marlène afterwards. I liked working with her, and came up with a visual idea for one of the concepts that was quite brilliant. All well then. Spoke to Anton today. He has Stav's funeral tomorrow.   Felt exhausted on completion of the job today. So happy however I didn't have work hanging over me the next day. Fairly early to bed, as I could barely keep my eyes open.

A long slog. Up and working at my desk at seven, until I had to give a presentation to a dozen or so folks, as Marlène not really fluent enough to present in English. I felt for her today. She had a cold and her son had kept her up all night with flu and having to spend the day working in a foreign language with me This evening, after scoffing a delicious dinner Lorraine had made, I sloped off to Patrick's house grateful for a walk, even though it was very cold. Spend the evening with him and Andrew listening to two new tracks he has put together. He has been composing in a sort of electronic dance music way, and one of the tracks Shiny Shoes , was a bit like Underworld, and a proper banger. It sampled people giving offensive opinions on phone in shows, which escalated into a song which was a refuted them. Andrew and I, accidentally in matching jumpers, listened to it at high volume, while sipping a couple of judicious beers and gave what feedback we could. Andrew a particularly pe...

Feeling a bit sluggish but a perfect Monday to do a final bit of billing, and fix a computer problem as my meetings were suddenly no longer showing up in my calendar. Then I was able to decline a meeting for later this week, and drew a line under the freelance year -- not that I have been slogging this year. Still psychologically nice.  Spoke to Mum and confirmed I was coming up tomorrow. Took all the books from my shelves and moved most of the things in my study into the spare room, in preparation for shelf building tomorrow. Lorraine and I went mooching about in a few Seaford shops, and popped into Morrisons and loaded up on non-perishables. Dawn was meant to come and hang out with Lorraine in the afternoon, but wasn't feeling well. Everyone still very conscious of not infecting one another post covid. Otherwise find myself enjoying Sampha's new album Lahai . Deeply emotional, soulful and restrained, with bursts of staccato vocals and rhythms that take a time to adjust to. Re...

Insubstantial bits and pieces of work coming my way, and spent much of the day waiting for work to arrive, and when it did it was in paltry amounts -- so what I can bill for today is minimal.  I wandered out for a couple of walks in Blakers Park. The government is a shambles at the moment. Even the right wing press are calling for the dead of Dominic Cummings. But it stays resolutely on his shoulders for without him, Johnson is an empty sock puppet. Expecting this shower to lead us out of the coronavirus crisis with any efficiency is like asking a dog to sing Wagner. In better news, they are clear in Guernsey now. In the afternoon I risked a longer walk, listening to Carrying the Fire , which has patches of being really fascinating. He is prepared to be vulnerable too, talking about how claustrophobic and freaked out space suits made him feel to begin with, but he couldn't talk to anyone about it for fear of being booted off the team.  Spoke to Mum today too. Salty i...

Working in concentrated burst on the Coronavirus stuff from early till just gone 5, whereupon I slunk out into the back garden where Lorraine was happily doing a cross stitch embroidery and listening to an audiobook. She and Beth had a distanced chat with Innis and Rosie, and had driven past a place in Hove where Betty is hoping to move in with two pals in the Summer. She is excited at the prospect, but trying hard not to get too excited until it's in the bag. I took a couple of strolls around Blaker's Park just to have a bit of exercise in short breaks during the day. A few messages with the Tobster, having a coffee outside his cafe in Toronto. Listening to Carrying the Fire . Lorraine and I watched the last few Episodes of Afterlife. This Ricky Gervais series is almost unbearably sad, but quite funny in places too. Lorraine and I watched it together, L crying lots, but liking it. Here is a picture of our trug. The salad greens on the right are all we have eaten so far. Th...

Bank holiday Monday... very hot too. I was feeling a bit unsettled, and spent the day doing Freelance work about coronavirus in kids. This I interspersed with trimming an ivy hedge, and after work watering the garden and  going with Lorraine down to the Sainsbury's local to collect some Argos stuff, over the counter.  I lurked about outside as you can only go in singly. A distanced queue outside. Young people cavorting about the place. The vile wormtongue Dominic Cummings in the news today, apparently immune to the sack and refusing to resign as Prime Minister's special adviser. Even some of the right wing press fulminating against him for breaking all the lockdown rules, driving up to Durham from London while he and his wife were infected, and going out for day trips and so on. Folks who were not allowed to visit dying relatives and so on, justifiably incensed. He gave an unapologetic press conference in a garden. It seems he is the real power in the land. When was the la...

A freelance day for me, starting early with reading loads of briefing materials, and then a zoom call with Matty boy, and Slug and others at nine. Matty has an austere buzzcut. My own barnet now taking on a misbegotten life of its own. Met Ozzie and art director, who instantly had to leave for a hospital appointment which became delayed so I spent the bulk of the day working on my own, which was fine. I then took myself for a long walk after work, but it was very windy and blustery up on the Hillfort.  I stopped at Quaff at Fiveways which has a bench in front of the door, and bought some Harveys beer. Chatting to the man behind me in the queue about the prospects of drinking in a pub beer garden soon. Lorraine, meanwhile, was into school, now responding to her leadership calls on how the school should open. So far so good, although some of the parents are troubled. The fact is in the absolute absence of coherent leadership from National or local level, it has fallen to headteac...

Slogging all day from 7:30 till 5:30 whereupon I sent everything I had, and roared off towards the top of Hollingbury Hillfort. This made me feel a good deal better about everything. I could see The Isle of Wight clearly. A good day in that I managed to work my way out of the stumped feeling of yesterday, and get everything done. Lots of meetings. Beth set up a timetable so that we all knew when we were all working. Lorraine home too and zooming her staff, me zooming agencies, Beth zooming lessons. Barely thought about coronavirus or anything like that all day as was too busy. This is a plus. Nice to chat to so many old muckers not the phone however. My friend Pat has been very ill, so texted him. Recovering slowly he said. Below the Isle of Wight on the horizon.

Low riders I broke off at lunchtime from glaucoma, etc. for a nice half-hour massage at the Sundial clinic. These days there is little pain as the stored evils have been banished. She mentioned that, as I also carry tension in my lower back, next time she would release my gluteals. Because, she added, they are big muscles. I was not sure how to take this, but I nevertheless enjoyed the mental picture of sliding out of her room with relaxed, low rider buns. Had a conversation with my lovely French client who wants me to do lots more work with her next year in her new agency. I like working with her as she is always 100% professional. This is an arrangement which could guarantee a steady stream of activity next year - with plenty of time to break off and write about skeletons. Touch wood, financially things have looked fairly bright lately, in contrast to the rest of the world it seems. Being freelance at such a time is a good move, as you don't have all your eggs in one basket, and ...

A year today It has been exactly a year since I began my new life as a freelance writer. My quality of life has soared: I feel in control of my destiny, and above all I have been free to devote time to writing things I find important. The year has gone by in a flash and, happily, I have survived. Almost all the work I have been given has been through friends. I was having a chat with Anton the other day and saying how important networking was. He said something to the effect that you can network all you like, but what is really important is reputation. And I think that is right. I have two aims for next year. The first is to add to my stable of clients, and second push on with my own projects and see if I can translate lots of hard work into a successful outcomes.

Gauling and galling Working today on a job to do with France, which made a change. Much of the day in my study enjoyably scribbling concepts, and intermittently leaning out of my window in a roll necked sweater to smoke a Gauloise and think about the reality of nothingness within existentialism. In short a pretty fine day. Also put another coat of paint on my front door in the early morning sun before I got down to my work. Returned to look at it a couple of hours later and it had about two dozen bubbles, each about a centimetre-round, standing proud from the paint. Sigh. This door is galling. At about four Lorraine called by. She is on a school holiday at the moment, and we wandered down to the sea, and sat on a groyne with the sun at our backs, and waves gradually encroaching under our feet - and all was well. After a busy half an hour doing this in which my decision to go freelance yet again seemed powerfully big and clever, we sat outside listening to a singer play lots of soul cla...