under another sun

Felt a bit better able to concentrate today, as there is a concrete plan for the future. A meeting with Keith first thing. Then off with and Lorraine down to the Cynch storage place at the bottom of the hill to meet a man with a van. We ant-lined back and forth from our unit and did the same back into our front room. Having been to the gym more lately, I felt noticably stronger in my upper body compared to last time I was hefting this stuff. If our plan stays on track, we will clear the house into storage in three weeks, and be based in Ashford for a month, giving me plenty of time to torment  Maureen, my favourite mother in law. In the afternoon, I went to the gym. Lorraine went to her personal trainer in Bolney and then had a cup of tea with Sarah. She also told Michael the estate agent in Seaford what we had agreed with Angie and Richard of Seaford sellers. Michael makes our Brighton estate agents look thoroughly average.  

Another good night's sleep. Cheerier and more energy. My lovely wifey bring me a cup of tea in bed again.  And no April fooling. Went for a walk for half an hour or so around Blaker's park and nearby streets. A little flurry of fine snow again when I was out. I took a snap, and nothing showed up. Listened to an interview Robin has done for the podcast. She did a brilliant job.  Wrote a bit more of Storage , and started reading a book of poems by Mary Oliver called Dream Work. Tracey had lent me a copy of one of her later books years ago, but I didn't connect with it at all.  But it is love at first sight with this collection. Reaching out from 1986, when it was first published, to a geezer in 2022 who feels an absolute sense of connection and recognition. Writing and reading really is a kind of magic. Some poetry collections on your bookshelf are like friends.   Feeling much cheerier and more relaxed generally. Not flogging myself for a bit, feels great. Spoke t...

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 ...

Foot still somewhat painful, but Lorraine took some emergency time off work to drive us to big box storage. Opened the door and the storage place was crammed brimful with belongings and boxes. A heart-sinking moment contemplating finding a passport in this haystack. But with unbelievable luck, however, we spotted an open box near the door which had my passport in it. It had been mistakenly taken by one of the movers as it was never intended for storage. So we were in and out within two minutes instead of the hours we had imagined. Lorraine and I off to the bank in Hatewards Heath and was helped by an exceptionally pleasant man to transfer the house deposit to the solicitors. This done, feeling extremely relieved. Lorraine and I home and then after a pause for a pain au raisin and a refreshing cup of tea both of us began work. I caught up with some of the stuff I should have been doing over the last couple of days. Long conversation with Bob in this afternoon. Another couple of Worl...