under another sun

Lorraine had arranged for a supermarket delivery to come this morning between 7 and 9. So up before the sparrows. However, when she checked it, the delivery was going to be made to our old address in Brighton. Lorraine having to make lots of phone calls, where she was assured she could drive to Hove and collect the order this afternoon. This a 40 minute drive. She drove off, and she'd been told a load of bollocks on the helpline, and so had to do the whole shop from scratch. Basically sorting this out took hours and was very frustrating considering the whole idea of a delivery was to save time. Meanwhile, I did the stuff for my client and sent it off to France around lunchtime.  Broke off so that Robin and I could re-record a conversation where on playback the channels recorded two Robins instead of both of us. Late feedback from the client, who tryingly true to form, wanted to make changes. Means I am going to have to do it tomorrow morning, which left me feeling a tad irritated. ...

Dreadful nightmares. Up fairly early for a Saturday, and we drove off to Hove. We stopped at the small parade of shops on Richardson Road not far from Betty's place, and Lorraine went into a flower shop to buy a a sort of mid autumn Secret Santa pressie they were doing at work. I loitered outside, finding myself looking at Lion Mews, the name of which made me smile somewhat, ('mews' being a cat noise to me.) and even more when I discovered there was a Cat Grooming service in one of units.   I was still Pooterishly chuckling about cat grooming at Lion Mews when a cheery Betty hove to, and Lorraine came out of the shop and we wandered down to the seafront.  Betty was in good spirits, helped by her and James going nicely. She was off in the afternoon with James to see his mum and cousin.  You could really see the sky there, with occasional minutes of blue skied sunshine, when it grew surprisingly hot, and then bands of ominous cloud. Beautiful light. We ambled along and sat ...

Lorraine and I had a happy day, pootling off to Shoreham to choose paint for our bathrooms, and bits and pieces for the house in  Dunelm, and popped into Lidl  to buy some food. Just felt cheery to be zooming off in the car on a bright day to go shopping a little further afield. We were pleased together out of there as it was an unpleasant experience, with a woman getting panicky and aggressive as she tore around the place. It was crowded too, with few wearing facemarks. We bought some a crate of the nice lager they sell there, and a small bottles of rum and gin.  Only when we were home did we find the security tags had not been taken off, so we will have to return to the store again at some point. I tweeted them about it, but the offered no solution other than returning to the store. Nevertheless, a restful afternoon and evening. I even had a cheeky snooze. Then vegetarian chilli and binge watching Modern Family .

The first of Feb. Lorraine and I mooching into town today, going shopping for clothes. Lorraine treated me to two shirts. We looked at lots of ladies clothes too in many shops and Lorraine bought a dress. All fine and I tested a few sofas and chairs used by gentlemen while their ladies are cursing softly in changing cubicles. However we did reward ourselves by going for a coffee in Trading Post coffee roasters. The coffee was excellent, and the samba drummers that suddenly exploded into action outside the cafe were certainly diverting. After a few more shops of one description or another (one Lorraine called the Floaty-floaty shop due to the nature of its clothes) we repaired to the Basketmakers for a couple of beers and some definitely tasty fish and chips. Thought of Matt there, and Lorraine texted him. A bus home afterwards and played some cards with Beth who had been with her pal Laura in the afternoon after work -- before a fairly early night for a Saturday. Below some drumme...

The happy weirdness of not having to get up on a Friday. After I had assuaged the carping of Calliope and Brian, I took my lovely wife up some breakfast and tea in bed. Then a lengthy sorting of clothes that might be wearable on holiday till Sonia came, Lorraine and I went into town for various bits of shopping chiefly for some species of sandals for both of us. I found I'd left my wallet at home, so naturally went on a shopping spree, buying two shirts, two polo shirts and a pair of sandals. Lorraine bought sandals too. After this we popped up to see Janet and Ken, for a cup of tea and a chat. Ken looking pretty healthy, and Janet telling us how there was interest in her embroidery after a recent exhibition, and she was thinking of doing some more forest-themed work. Lorrine and I bussed back home, and then doubled back to sip  couple of Friday beers and hamburgers in the Preston Park Tavern. Busy in there and the staff slow, but still nice to chill out with Lorraine all d...

Badly hungover this morning, but despite this a happy day. Lorraine and I up early and off into the deluge dropping a cheery Beth off to teach and then Lorraine drove us across country looking windswept, wet and autumnally beautiful, to Horsham and a branch of John Lewis. Here we looked at a great variety of interior things, and bought a lampshade and some towels and so on. Had a much needed cup of tea there too, and some kind of restoring pastry. On the way home we drove into Bolney village where Lorraine will be headteacher from January. The school is gorgeous little old building with, Lorraine says, a ghost on the top floor, which will be company when she is working late. It is opposite a cricket pitch and next to the old village church, and is all archetypically English.   In need of personal sleep and repair this afternoon, and revelled in having time with Lorraine pottering about. We were supposed to be seeing Matt and Reuben this evening, but Matt was ill. I was happy ju...

Lorraine and up and at 'em unusually early for a Saturday morning. We drove Betty to the Goldmans stage school where she teaches on Saturday. Lorraine and I off to buy things for me. These included lightweight mosquito and UV resistant shirts and trousers for The Great Chad Adventure. Fairly useless in store help, but Lorraine had researched it on the internet the day before thankfully. I also bought myself a rather lovely and expensive grey jacket, that fits beautifully after Lorraine led me to a shop. A fashion classic. Sober on the outside, and thanks to floral purple lining, jazzular on the inside. Just like moi . Had to steel myself to spend the money, but my wardrobe is beginning to look a tad shabby. Bumped into Claire Turner and her sister who lives in New York and had a chat with them in the street too. Claire is such a lovely person. Brighton gorgeous and sunny today. South African rugby fans here and there. I learned later they were playing Japan at the Amex Stadium (h...

So what with it being a Saturday I was hard at work from early in the morning till around two-ish intermittently chatting with colleagues. In the middle of the afternoon Lorraine and I walked down into town where my lovely wife bought me a pair of navy blue trousers, and we lurked about briefly before busing back home. Watched the FA Cup on TV this afternoon, a one sided game with Arsenal beating Aston Villa 4-0. Spent the rest of the evening fiddling around with this blog and generally enjoying a sprawl on the gold sofa, listening to Grieg's Peer Gynt as Lorraine did various bits to do with her quilt and copying photos from her iPad onto an ancient laptop. Betty out seeing a show this evening put on by some of her pals and returned to find us uncharacteristically watching a trashy show about Celebrity Meltdowns in 2014 that we had randomly and briefly stumbled on.

Slow start to the day. Both Lorraine and I completely exhausted. Lorraine fighting off a cold, and me feeling worn out and ancient after weeks of antibiotics for my prostrate infection, which is fighting a stubborn resistance. However a really cheery day. Lurking in bed for hours in the morning, Lorraine reading the new poems in bed, and to my relief liking them. Off to town today. I called in to the Twitten to discuss showers with Gary, and met Sophie again, with whom he is buying a house. Then off on a shopping spree with Lorraine. Bought a present for Betty, who is 21 this week, and then focused entirely on myself buying loads of clothes. Great to have Lorraine with me, egging me on, and providing a second opinion, and the odd aghast face when I emerged from a changing room with raspberry coloured trousers. I have been feeling increasingly shabby as the year has gone on, so great to be able to afford new trousers, teeshirts, shirts, a warm jacket (to replace the coat Brian ruine...

The burning of the clocks Most of the day surging up and down on the emotional rollercoaster that is shopping. It is exhausting to dither about between shops, and trying not to get side-tracked. Shopping is NOT my strongpoint, but I cleverly avoided going into a pub instead, and made some steady progress by the end of the day. Shortly after six I met Anton in the Eddy for a cheeky beer, and then we shot off through town down to the seafront to meet Rick and his bairns for the burning of the clocks. Compared to last year there didn't seem to be so many clocks, but still it was a good thing to watch - culminating in the burning of a Tower of Babel (a good idea) and fireworks. We were standing at the Terrace bar, with a good view of the procession, and handily able to sip a second beer there too. Then Lorraine arrived, just in time to see the fireworks, as Anton began to slip into hypothermia - then we taxied back to Anton's place for champagne, a tasty pasta carbonara and apple p...