under another sun

May the first... Up and working at eight, recording with Robin, then spent much of the day editing. Nice to chat to her, and she was as ever, encouraging after my two shortlisting and getting nowhere. Still getting the time-lag problem, and I had to reboot wifi and computer halfway through.  Lorraine off to do Rhymetime, and then she spent the rest of the day with Beth, who had taken the day off. At the end of the day,  I walked across the back of Seaford to Beth's house, where I found her in the enormous back garden with a large net, scooping sludge up from the bottom of the koi pond. She had also been mowing the lawn. She is changing. Lorraine had been gardening with her too. They'd had a really fun time together. James on a cycling holiday around Spain. I met Micky, the cat, for the first time. A frisky little tabby, who is clearly besotted with Beth. Beth and I were standing outside when Lorraine and I were leaving, and Micky was looking at us, with what Beth says is look ...

Another day manacled to the desk looking at Keith in a window on my screen and trying to come up with ideas -- and then discussing them with Pat last thing in the afternoon.  Recording with Robin immediately work was done. Lorraine and I drove off to our nearest Sainsbury's, in Newhaven. Not terribly exciting in itself but fun to be away from my desk. Lorraine working hard but happily in the new house. She found the bulk of the cutlery today which had the words Garage and other incriminating things written on the box in my hand.   Shocking news from Mum: a lightning strike that hit Kings Drive and knocked out their TV, and did the same to Ben's TV too. Mum's wifi is fried too -- as is Maheena's I think. Mum okay but having to organise BT people for the wifi and think about new televisions.   Back to my desk, and I almost finished editing the podcast by nine. Enough, and I came downstairs and sipped a single bottle of beer and watched some TV with my lovely wifey. Befor...

A sweltering day today, one of the UK's hottest ever. Lorraine's last day at school with kiddies in it, as part of the leaver's ceremony they all climb up to the top of the church tower, and this year Lorraine did it too. She arrived home very tired, but burdened with flowers and plants that she had been given by grateful parents. Then she had to go out again with the staff for a party. She was driving though so did not drink. I worked at What You Look For lots. It has fallen into a really good shape right away, and as I was tweaking the end, I felt a frisson of fear. If I am scaring myself, surely it a good sign. Tom arrived this morning, and left gin for us again. In the evening, after I had done a few bits of admin, I went off to the gym, mooching across the park to get there. Inside was a great deal cooler than the outside world, and got home again at 9:20. When Lorraine finally got home, I made her a large gin and tonic, and then we went to bed. We had our Juliett...

Amazing thunderstorm from about 6:30 in the morning and lasting for a couple of hours with one strike being very close indeed, perhaps hitting the viaduct almost overhead. There was hail too, particularly over in Hove, where it was photographed in drifts like snow. Much flooding around the area, and Worthing Station became unusable due to flooding. The cats both apprehensive and hanging about with us. Calliope hiding under the bed at one point. Lorraine working at home today, so a comparative lie in would have been possible if it were not for the heavenly affray. I busied myself with poetry as I seem to be in a purple patch, also sending a submission off, paying my tax bill, creeping off to the gym (where I did half an hour and left feeling a bit swimmy headed) and, shamefully, got around to sending a poem I had done for Craig and Mel's wedding off to the printers to give it to them as a framed gift two years later. Expecting to be phoned to do some freelance today, but this did...

Summer lightning Wrote happily about skeletons all day, and keeping a low profile. In the evening, after watching a TV programme about Guyana's wildlife, I noticed the sky flashing with distant lightning. So I headed down to the seafront, getting drenched en route, but glorying in the light show. Walking in the stair rod rain I kept stumbling across little sodden colonies of people sheltering in arches and shop doorways. One or two of these groups being foreign students amazed by the ghastliness of the English summer. The electric storm has been going for a couple of hours as I write with little sign of abating. I love it. Looking up at a few airliners flying in a flashing sky. The view up there must be spectacular - if not a little alarming. Below fragments of lightning taken from the pier.