under another sun

After breakfast with Lorraine, I set off to Brighton this morning to visit Anton at the Montefiore. Just a lovely hospital. As I arrived two nurses were wheeling him away, and I sat in his room for a while. Really calm, and loads of space. The boon of having a job which includes health insurance.  Anton in good spirits and had been climbing stairs and so on. We chatted for about an hour or so, then I melted away. Tried to buy a new fleece, but after going into TK Max as recommended by Anton, I got bored and caught a 12X heading off to meet Lorraine and Pat and Maureen.  Sat at the top at the back where the seats in front face the back. A woman got on with a squirming black dog that repeatedly licked my leg. In Seaford Lorraine called, and she was in the car in front of the bus, so I hopped off. We collected Pat and Maureen who were licking ices on the Seafront, and drove off to the Pump Barn on the edge of Friston Forest. Adele was exhibiting there and was in the gallery, lots...

Feeling a bit meh due to the shingles jab I think. My arm is the most painful it has ever been after a jab, Really hot and inflamed and my whole upper arm is sensitive to touch. A blood test this morning, but was in and out in two flicks of a vampire's cloak. Otherwise a bit of ineffectual writing this morning. Just not on it today. Lorraine and I managed to make a bit of progress in the garage and we scooted off to the tip again with a load of drawers and broken bits of cupboards and so on. Could easily have just slept this afternoon, but really needed to have achieved something. And we did. Lorraine and I to The Old Boot Inn this evening. We met Steve, Andy, Chris, back from Dubai, brought his friend Julie, a warm friendly Irish woman who within minutes was reciting W.B.Yeats for the win. Also Debbie, who I am getting to know and finding very nice.  Friday's revolving cast of rebooters is great.  Ate a fish pie there, with too many peas. 

Up early and wanting to write this morning. Lorraine scampering to be with Maureen when she took a medical call.  Writing some bits and pieces, and seeing if Gordon Road can be built into my bigger collection and so on. Wrote to Mariscat recently asking for more copies of the Sampler , but they are able to send me only two copies. This suggests the print run was minimal. It does mean that if I put some of the poems from that into a fuller MS most people won't have seen them. Then off to the gym, where I did quite an enthusiastic session on the cross trainer, but the weight machines were all clogged up with geezers, so I cut my losses and sloped home in the heat.  Lorraine and I had a rather idyllic afternoon, lounging outside under the big parasol.  Rebooting tonight. We met Helen and Andy, Matthew and Andy for a drink. Just as I was sitting down the Tobster called. He's secured a pied-à-terre in Toronto for when he resumes teaching.  After a couple of burgers and a...

Working all morning on Gordon Road, tinkering, and pruning. Requiring brainwork.  A relaxed afternoon, Lorraine went off to see the poet Hollie McNish in Brighton with Rosie and two other pals and I snuck off to the Old Boot where there were Adele and Patrick, Chris and Matthew. A low key evening till Delores arrived. She told us about a horrible experience she had in the week involving a rescue cat. The cat became immediately ill with a cold, Delores phoned the cat rehoming people and told them about it, then took the cat to the vet the next morning, where the cat rehoming people decided to try to physically seize back the cat. There were unseemly scenes at the vets. Police were called.  Luckily Delores was shaken but okay, and her money was refunded but the cat is back with the dodgy cat people. This story told, and much sympathy shown by us all. Minus Matthew, who'd had a stent put in last week and now feels great. We repaired to the Cinque Ports where Delores enjoyed a cou...

Friday at last. However faffing about with the podcast, and Robin and I were only finally done with it at 5pm. Went for a bit of a walk down to the sea at some point. Also chatted with Mum. By the end of the day I was very grateful to see the end of it. Not all well however, the poet interview was a bit marred by the sound quality and sibilant esses. I did my best by adjusting the EQ on the Audacity program. The poet is a bit miffed that I did not choose to re-record parts of it. So felt like I had worked all week for not very much.  Stil... publish and be damned.  However it was Friday night and we went to The Old Boot. I had reserved a table but they had screwed it all up and we had to skip between tables, this compounded by a fair amount of rudeness from the staff. Very unusual there. All made me rather cross. Still we had a good night, and lots of pals turned up. Delores, Andy, Steve, Patrick, Debbie, Yvonne and Brian, and Chris -- recovered now from a scare yesterday caus...