under another sun

Up early and writing quite productively for a bit. Then breakfast with Lorraine, doing the Wordle thing over toast and a boiled egg.  Lorraine off to do Rhymetime at the library, and then spend time with Pat and Maureen. I went to the health centre and had a pneumonia jab. Apparently it is single jab for life. I am all for this, and am delighted to be needled.  Thence to the gym, and waddled about in there for a bit on the cross trainer and a few bits and pieces. The lats machine is good for my back. There is a sort of stomach tightening one too, where you crunch forward on a chair with weights involved. A tiny man darted on to it, when I was literally two metres away, and I decided to wait, where he did a few bits, then looked at his phone for five minutes, and then did a few more this went on for twenty minutes and I left. I don't know what the etiquette for this sort of thing is but I felt like punching his head. Gym people are not my tribe.  Home and felt quite virtuo...

A peaceful bank holiday morning, despite the workmen next door.  Lorraine went off to help Pat and Maureen, and I went to the Seaford Art Club exhibition and went for a coffee with Palo to the cafe near the graveyard, The Lanes Eatery, and signed some more copies of Snow which are still selling well. She told me she had a chat with  Chris Whitty, who popped in to see the Art -- as Palo's background in public health meant she felt like she was meeting a real hero.   Then home, and I mooched off to the gym for a bit of not too frenzied trundling, before sloping off to Pat and Maureen's place and find Lorraine. And from there, after doing a few bits and pieces and loading up the car, we brought them home for a roast chicken dinner and Lorraine took them home later. Below mucking about with a photo I took when staying at the Tower Hotel with Lorraine the other week.

Catching up somewhat. Had a long chat with Keith this morning. Life as a freelancer is fairly slow. Much of it traceable to Brexit of course -- it is easier for the US pharma countries to do business with a country inside the EU -- which is why my continental clients were the only ones keeping me in business. Unless something genuinely interesting emerges, I feel I am now going to devote myself to doing PK stuff, a bit poorer but much happier. Listened to Robin's podcast edit, heard from Palo, we have been charging £5 for Snow, and will use the money for charity, MIND being the one we fancy. She thinks she has raised over £200 already. Astonishing. Linda Goulden, one of the writers on the Understory Conversation sent me a note asking for a copy too. Otherwise doing podcast stuff with Robin. Spoke to Mum, who was off to the pub later, and Anton who was at an event in London. Lorraine had driven off to Ashford and returned with Pat and Maureen early this afternoon. Maureen cheerful ...

 Lorraine off to Ashford today. A beautiful day, which I was supposed to be editing, and sat at my desk for hours, but one of those days where your brain goes off at tangents however hard you try. I met Palo for lunch, and we sat in Baca cafe signing copies of Snow , and making a few plans. Palo suggested we shoot down to Gallery Uno and sign the copies there, seeing as we had our signing boots on.  She suggested that maybe I could go to the private viewing of the art show next week, and read poems. She will check if this is okay.  I like Palo, and she is a can-do person, and this little collaboration is fun. Went for a long walk this afternoon, eventually, having been frustrated by my own lack of progress on the editing. A gorgeous evening, with blue skies. Mooched along the seafront. A murder of crows at one point.  Very blue and lovely. Home, and not long before Lorraine arrived home safely. We are watching The Orville all over again.  Below Palo and I in Gal...

Maureen's birthday today. I got up early and began organising some notes towards another interview. Breakfast, with Maureen opening cards and presents. Lorraine had to rush off and be horribly sick, and spent the rest of the day and night in bed, probably with some kind of vomiting bug, or maybe food poisoning. Possibly from her home made kombucha we drank yesterday which was a bit pokey. I think it is a bug, and she was not at all well today.  Spoke to Mum who had been out to a neighbour's party last night. She'd also been to the pub in the afternoon, and chatted with some of her mates there. Love the idea that she had some fun. Rearranged the day, instead of us all going to Betty and James's place for cake and coffee, and having dinner here, Beth came around to collect the food we had bought, including lamb, and she cooked for Pat and Maureen at her place this afternoon. I stayed at home to monitor Lorraine, but instead fell asleep on the bed with her and woke up with...

Awoke up feeling creeped out at 3am, and realised it The Loney , the book I had been reading before I fell asleep, had made me feel uneasy.  Some time at my desk this morning, and a quick chat with mum. Off with Lorraine just after lunch to collect Pat and Maureen from Eastbourne station. All safely installed in the car, and enjoying the journey back looking across fields to the sea.  Home and  listening to Robin's latest interview. Also took delivery of the little Snow booklets, which are small and lovely. Very pleased with them, and Palo was too. A tiny triumph. Lorraine had bought an entire salmon going cheap in Morrisons. I went for a gorgeous walk by the lively sea and also popped into Morrisons. A glimpse of Seaford's dark underbelly. A man and his young son outside the supermarket as I passed. Boy: I don't like Mum. Man: Neither do I. She's a cheating whore for a start. Slightly startled by this I crossed the road, and saw a woman leaving the pig roast place, sm...

So a busy Sunday. Off to Seaford Station on the icy pavements, but the trains were delayed or cancelled due to ice on the third rail and there was no foreseeable train for at least half an hour. This country going to the dogs etc. So we got a refund on our tickets, and decided to drive instead. As soon as we left the station and were almost home there was the galling sight of a train arriving.  Nevertheless a pleasant drive to the University of Sussex where we met Paul and Dawn to see a fantastic French string quartet, The Quatuor Arod, The concert had been relocated from the usual concert hall to the Meeting House, a modern church building with effective stained glass in simple blocks of colour embedded in the encircling concrete of the round building. A lovely setting, although perishingly cold and everyone sat with their coats on, except for the four young guys in the quartet.  First they played Mendelssohn's Op.44 No.1 with sparking competence, but the piece itself left me...

Slept through the night for the first time in ages. Lorraine brought be tea in bed before going to work.  Went for a quick walk to the corner shop to buy some bread, and found that quite enough exercise for one day. Cancelled a drink with Anton tonight. Had a FaceTime with Mum, who said it had been snowing in Edgware I was due to see her tomorrow, but have biffed that till next week. About ten minutes after we stopped talking, there was a flurry here too. Lorraine had a brief half an hour blizzard of sleety snow in Bolney too. Slept heavily in the afternoon. A covid test this evening was negative, so I am none the wiser. Probably I am just tired and allowing myself to relax. Feeling a bit frustrated that this was the week I could really get down to my own work, and also keep going with the gym. Enjoyed reading my horoscope today, however, which said I would be full of athletic energy and enthusiasm.   A big plus, however, was I wrote the first few hundred words of a new short ...

Some settled snow this morning, although the day turned warmer and it was gone from the environs of Kenny Towers this evening. Up early and on with a few bits and pieces, including a futile search for my Power of Attorney document. Sigh. Then after a smidge of my own writing, I went into town. First for half an hour in the gym, and then onto the Caffè Nero at Western Road, where I saw some of my stained glass buddies, Chris, Adele, Sally, Kate and a newby called Jane. Ben popped in too, which was great as I wasn't able to see him the other night. Very friendly as ever. Nice chat and Ben had brought in his first ever piece, which showed clear talent right from the start. A man quite tall and solid sporting headphones and dancing outside the cafe in the road and pavement as we sat in the window. Stayed in Caffè Nero and met Innis, for a chat about our project and generally shoot the breeze about a variety of subjects. I bussed home, and spoke to Mum for a while.  Lorraine home at a...

Up with Lorraine and the sparrows this fine morning, although feeling wan and like I have some sort of bug. A dusting of snow this morning, which soon went as the day warmed up. First of the season though, and quite exciting for all that. Lorraine drove off to school. I am trying to focus on writing at the moment, as little else happening on the work front. Off to the gym, and onto the cross trainer. Home and did some quite good writing, cooked and so on. Nowt to write home about. Below in the back garden first thing. The blizzards return.

An abominable night's sleep, and a slight dusting of snow, man, on rooftops and gardens. Poor Lorraine up early, so I lurched down sipping the tea my lovely wife brought me and opened the window in my office and took a couple of snaps from the window, counting my blessings again at having such a nice office and view. Otherwise a peaceful day, working on assorted things, without the sense of taking huge strides. Still feeling decidedly under the weather, although able to hobble about more fluently. Slightly sobered by looking into the PK coffers and instead of spying doubloons a'plenty saw instead plenty of wormy old wood. I must turn the vast Kenny intellect to money making after spending every last bean on the house, house move and Christmas. Incidents of vivid excitement were few. A man from Sainsbury's delivered food, moaning about how heavy the water was as I forced him to carry it into the kitchen, telling him about my evil back. Was phoned by someone offering a sp...

A pleasant enough day at work. Walking in the squares for a little at lunchtime talking to Loraine and Mas. The wind blowing keenly through them, and my hand was cold holding the phone. Reading Primo Levi on the train home, after doing a little more Invaders of Guernsey. Looked up from my book, thinking there was fog over the Downs. Walked out of Brighton station and realised what I had seen was something of a blizzard. Home coated in snow. Calliope ran away from me when I got through the door. Lorraine had cooked some delicious stir fry. I like having her home when I get back from London.

Off to Tavistock Square. Brighton station in the morning had taken the precaution of cancelling trains before the snow arrived. The train delayed of course, but only by fifteen minutes as it slunk northward through the frosty fields. When I arrived in St Pancras, it was snowing in London. A morning of fiddly work on cat worms, with a nice Spanish woman Yaiza, who I'd not seen for a while. She was telling me about her Christmas meals in Spain, the rice, huge pots of vegetables and mixed meats that everyone dips into. She was almost drooling. Travel woe percolated through computer screens and the TV in the glass walled office next door. Many people had not made it in to the office at all, and I began to feel nervous I was going to be stranded in London. Pat told people they should go, and so I did. Betty's show was snowed off too, as the plan was to get to Kingston to see it after work. Early in the afternoon I legged it to St Pancras, and through sheer luck caught a delaye...

Porlocked Woke up at 3:00am to the sound of a small tractor. Downstairs I found a leaves had choked the pump and filter system of my aquarium, having taken the filter apart and repaired matters I found myself staring bleakly at the ceiling for a couple of hours. A dusting of snow on the rooftops first thing, and then it snowed off and on all day without settling, unlike most of the country. The jetstream running west to east over the Atlantic has kinked northwards, and so is dragging Arctic air down to temperate climes bringing the earliest snow I can remember. I got down to reworking the Doppelganger libretto building on what I'd started after conversations with Matt, which took most of the day. We're trying out the idea of adding more voices into it. Porlocked twice by two sales people from a mobile phone company. The first time having torn myself away from my desk I found they had walked off, the second time one said once I'd opened my door. "Are you okay?" whi...

Commute fail The heaviest snow since the early 90s has put paid to my journey into London this morning, not to mention my freelance day's wages. No trains at all to London. Seems like it is a snow day. It is still snowing in Brighton (though the snow isn't particuarly thick in the protected city centre where I live). A few shots around the station and of my Twitten. Feels like risking life and limb to walk in Brighton's sloped streets. Below my Twitten, around the station, and Calliope, on my return, rejecting the snow and all it stands for.

Snow and a dogfish Having been about its secret ministry, there was snow this morning. Woke up envisioning a cup of tea with beaded bubbles winking at the brim, and thinking of John Keats. Followed this with a lovely breakfast of smoked salmon, kippers and scrambled eggs. Then I spent some time playing with Paddy the small dog, with a tennis ball which it returned and then did a fair amount of growly stuff as you wrenched it from its mouth, and repeated x 50. Dogs and Peter Kennys have over the years reached an uneasy entente cordiale, but this was rather a nice dog. Amazingly it went for a swim too, after we'd taken a short walk past the local church and along a long hedge up a hill, then down cloying mud tracks towards the valley of the river Avon. Apparently it likes swimming so much it has to be dragged back inland before it drowns of exhaustion. There was one exciting bit when Paddy almost disappeared over the weir, but John reeled him in with the extensible lead. The sun was ...

A box of dragonflies I was woken by the postman this morning. Regular readers will understand that, despite this being Brighton, he wasn’t actually in my bedroom but knocking on my door. To my surprise was a parcel from the US from Sarah. It was a box of dragonflies. First there was a tin which, when opened, contained a beautiful origami box housing two dragonflies. Then there were other presents: a special edition of Wings of Desire, which is one of my all time favourite films, a box of Scooby Snacks (self-evidently sensible), some Moleskine (my favourite kind) notebooks and a lovely Valentine's card which was full of heart-shaped sprinkles. There was a note on the envelope to open it over a table. Moreover everything was immaculately presented, so much so that I was reluctant to open things. It was such a surprise that I took a snap first thing in the morning of some of its contents. So it was a very happy and cheery Peter Kenny that set off to the dark place to work this morning...

Snow and a can of whoopass Groggy start. I drank too much with Bob last night, and got to bed late. There was no snow in Brighton, but the world turned white a couple of minutes north of town. And I took some snaps from the train window again. Had a good day in some ways. I accomplished lots and got all the pitch work back on track again -- my work with the Gnome, plus the other two routes that are being developed and were going nowhere fast. However this is a contribution which is mainly invisible, and by 8.00pm I felt bitterly resentful about other people taking credit for my hard work and talent. Still this is my own fault for not changing things. There was a big agency party today, a black tie affair. But uncharacteristically I didn't want to go to it. Instead, after working late, I went home instead. And it is very nice to be here. Maybe I am a hermit after all. IM with Sarah who was at work. She messaged me to say that she was opening a can of whoopass . This is tremendous. I...

A white morning Woke up to snow, which of course fell silently. It made me remember the opening phrase from the Coleridge poem Frost at Midnight "The Frost performs its secret ministry". It made the train ride seem like travelling through a different country. And the countryside looked lovely. I tried unsuccessfully to take some photos through the window. Arriving in London the tube had been plunged into disarray after the inch or so of snow. It never used to be like that when I was a lad... etc. There were no tubes from Victoria. Eventually one turned up and the morning walk through the graveyard was beautiful. Work was fine too, and I received a bonus which was a nice surprise. Slipped out to lunch with Max the Mentor and ate a steak and ale pie, and had a fast post Christmas catch up. She said she got her daughter a karaoke machine but ended up singing on it herself all Christmas morning while her family complained about the groaning. In the evening I avioded the worst of...

Of snow and eel intestines My cold somewhat abated, I got up just before dawn and opened the curtains, then climbed back into bed to watch the falling snow. Kyoto is bordered on three sides with mountains and gets very wintery. Met Toby Romy and Hiroko and we set off in the cold to a nearby Starbucks which overlooked the snowy river, and was a wonderful place to enjoy hot cofee. Toby busy saying it was the world`s best Starbucks and he is probably right. Thus fortified we went back to the hotel to pack. Popped out then to a particularly lovely shop to look again at its prints and brushes and expensive pottery. Then after settling-up at the hotel, we taxied to our final temple. Sanjusangen-do was unheated and freezing. Inside was a structure like a long wooden football terrace, with 1000 life size sculptures of the Buddhist deity called Kannon. They flank one enormous seated deity. Spaced between them are a 28 other deities representing thunder, wind and other forces of nature. The scul...