under another sun

Working from early this morning on DRTV scripts, and pinging these off by midday. Loafed about a bit early afternoon before walking off to  pop a prescription into the quacks, where the friendly nurse there said she was pleased to see I'd survived Chad, and pop into see Janet and Ken. Nice to see them and be able to colourfully describe my recent adventures, as well as discuss the recent Canadian election. I suspect that in a few months, my exploits will have reached novel length and my heroic part in proceedings will loom large. As I was there consuming my own bodyweight in shortbread and biscuits their upholsterer arrived, and I ended up helping him carry in their sofa completely recovered and as good as new. Walked back home again, doing more walking than I have for some time. Then, in the evening, off to The Joker to have some Woof Woof Wings and a few cold beers with Anton, who came straight from work in London. The Woof Woof Wings provided a pleasant burning sensation, wi...

Off to London this afternoon to meet Amanda in the Salisbury, almost at the end of her six week trip to the UK, Poland and Germany. The good ol' gin palace looking a treat, and lovely to catch up with Mandy in meatspace. Heard about her trip to Germany for a vast games fair where she shared a stand and sold some of her games. Sounds like a different world. Stupidly I forgot to take a photo for this blog. Boo. Amanda off to see Bob Dylan, and I slipped off to Cork Street where Tamar Yoseloff was having the launch for her New and Selected poetry collection called A Formula for Night in the Redfern Gallery. She gave a short and excellent reading to a packed room and signed my copy. Nice to say howdy to a few poets and chat to Nancy Mattson about the Canadian election, and meet an interesting woman called called Nancy Campbell, who has been spending lots of time in Greenland and writing poems about it. Home on the train reading poems from Tammy's book and really liking them wh...

Guts settling down now, thank goodness, but still able to sleep deeply at the drop of a hat in a way that delights the Calliope who hung out with me for most of the day. When not simply idling, or chatting to mum, peevishly redoing things, such as an invoice that needed to be itemised by the hour and removing matters of commercial sensitivity from the blog on my peterkenny.co.uk page. Everyone out this evening, so I watched an excellent documentary on Ted Hughes which at the least inspired me to read Hughes again. A tetchy mood descending on me this evening, mostly attributable to tiredness.

Guts still feeling as if someone has punched them, but after waking up very early, writing my blog post for my other blog about Chad, I simply slept spent a good deal in the day and felt much improved. In other news I phoned Amazon about my camera and to my astonishment they will simply replace it. While, annoyingly, I've discovered that my French clients have not paid my invoices so I am chasing them. At tea time I struggled from the gold sofa and went with Betty to the registration event for the Brighton Fringe. We are planning to put on a show on next May called A Glass of Nothing . We talked to a couple of the people that run our preferred venue. We also popped into the Basketmakers Arms for a debrief (good to be in there plotting again) and got talking to Piper and Rachael who have a venue in Kemptown, which we will zoom along to see.  Nice people. Home to Lorraine looking a bit peaky with a sore throat, and baked pasta with a side dish of an anti-malaria pill. Below a ...

A glorious lie-in this morning, after I woke up early to feed the cats and have a hobbit's first breakfast of porridge and simply gone back to bed. Lorraine and I up again at noon and we had a hobbit's second breakfast of beans on toast and duck eggs that Beth had scored. Later eating lots of vegetables. I don't seem to have eaten many of the blighters for some time and that can't be good for you. A spot of work in the front garden this afternoon, cutting bushes back with Lorraine and both avoiding an enormous spider. I found I have little stamina and was soon tired. The Kenny bowels, which have experienced few worse weeks. Took some senna last night and again this morning, which resulted in a  joyful unblocking, half a dozen times. This gave way to diarrhoea by the end of the night and my stomach feeling like someone had kicked it. A chat with Mum this evening. We are looking forward to going to Guernsey next weekend. It will be brilliant. A happy time.

Ah the comforts of my own bed and being with my lovely wife. Felt extremely happy to be home. Went into town to have my hair cut, and do a spot of shopping with Lorraine, but not too much before heading home for the glories of the gold sofa. Slept heavily this afternoon. In the evening Lorraine, Beth and I went off to meet Rosie, Dawn and Anton for a bit of a celebration. Plenty to celebrate, mine and Rosie's birthdays and Lorraine's new job for starters and we had a very cheery night hearing everyone's news, and about Anton's trip to the US. And of course a fair amount of flinty eyed Indiana Jones stuff from me. Pressies and a nice spot of Thai food and a few drinks including gin cocktails in The Office pub. A really nice evening, and a lift home from Dawn afterwards. Great to see friends. Still feeling utterly lucky to be alive and to be home. I weighed myself and find that I have lost weight, but my stomach is repulsively bloated. I look like a thin snake that h...

Barely slept on the seven hour journey. Dropped off for a few minutes here and there, but nothing sustained. Started to watch movies, Pitch Perfect 2 which was ruined by the Airline's censor and the Grand Budapest Hotel , which I fell asleep in for the second time. I have yet to finish it, but it looks a great movie. Unpleasant turbulence from the lower islands of Greece up to the dalmatian coast but then it settled down over Northern Europe. Despite this I shunned diazepam for the whole trip back from Chad. A rather fast bumpy landing too, but we were home. Dragged ourselves through the corridors through passport control and then at baggage I claimed my bags and rushed off to find Lorraine who was waiting outside for me. Fantastic to be with Lorraine again. I'd missed her really badly. I was so lucky she took the morning off to collect me, and we arrived home quickly, calling Mum from the car to assure her of my persistent existence. Home and the simple pleasure of a cup...

Amazing to wake up (early of course) in the comfort of a cool room and a clean bed. Spent the morning in the restaurant of the hotel, getting on Facebook a bit and trying to write a few things down while I was still in the country. Opted not to visit the market to shop for loved ones, as it was the place where a dozen or so people had been blown up in June. Farewell then to the Shanghai hotel, or the Shangri-La as I couldn't help thinking of it when out in the field. Drove off to the airport, where there were a few dramas. Nine examinations of our passports, searches and lots of men standing about watching other people work. Passiri bless him gave us all a souvenir of Chad, a sort of plate-sized leather disc, and hugging him goodbye I felt I was saying goodbye to a guardian angel, for he had been exceptionally careful of us during our stay. Sorry to say goodbye to Tchang too, who I'd warmed to a great deal. Finally onto the plane, after faffing about in the midday blaze on ...

The enormous drive back to N'Jamena started on time. We left around 6:30 and headed west. More Withnail & I in the car. Feeling very cramped this time, and uncomfortable. Pete started playing Bob Dylan tracks which everyone loved, except me. I hate Bob Dylan. Feeling personally quite drained and dark at times, but then the good cheer of my companions picked me up. I've really come to like these guys. Matt of course is an old friend, and I was incredibly pleased he was on this trip. Pete who spent much time sleeping on my shoulder, is an amazing person who lives is life travelling the world from one disaster zone to the next taking photos for people like Greenpeace, and things l ike this in the Guardian.  Amazing person for whom everything seems negotiable, and has an incredibly disarming way with people. Steve, who works for the charity showed amazing leadership and focus. A really driven, cheerful and dynamic person. Brad was someone I instinctively liked right away, a qui...

Matt and I had a quieter morning staying in the compound, working out if we'd got everything we'd needed, and also writing a script for Steve to say to camera. Another absolutely sweltering day, reaching 49 C again, so we were well pleased to be able to sit in the breakfast room of the compound. I ate a little bit of bread and egg, which made me feel better too. Steve, Pete and Brad returned late in the morning, having taken some interesting shots. A spot of lunch, and presenting to Steve what Matt and I had done in the morning. Then back into the Toyotas for one last session at the village. Pete was zooming about shooting a variety of subjects, and Matt, Brad and I were mopping up the last things. Shots of the Chief and some villagers saying thank-you, (needed to be done several times as the Chief kept extemporising lengthily) a final drone shot, with the drone moving away from the village back into the sky starting just in front of the chief. And a shot of Fatima inside h...

As my birthday began, I struggled to remember a time I had felt grimmer. I'd lain awake all night feverishly with my stomach like a hot cannon ball, the contents of which was deciding which way it was going to expel itself. Eventually I had to creep to the vile hole before dawn and have several explosions of watery diarrhoea. Unable to eat, and taking rehydration powders and arrets. Steve medicined me with an antibiotic for diarrhoea which by the end of the day had worked really well. Feeling like death off to the shoot again. I had the idea of filming children running out of the withered crops onto the sandy soil, in what in my mind was a liminal shot, showing how close to the edge of the desertifying region they were. We shot this, with local children happily running for us. One little girl carrying a little sister on her back as she did so. Tchang being priceless as usual. After this was over I had to be driven off, with Doctor who was suffering the same thing, into the bush...

Steve hugely brighter today, which was a relief to us all. Brad after a slow start was soon working too. Everyone pleased to see this, and Passiri clearly mightily relieved. I felt weak at the knees sometimes which I put down to an excess of sunlight and the sheer heat. Gulping as much water as possible. Not feeling like eating too much either. Today was Sunday, so as planned we went to Church, where Steve was heroically able to give the sermon. This theme, rather excellently, was all about water and gardens, and he talking about Peter testing his faith by walking out onto the water next to Jesus, which spoke to me somewhat. Best of all was the singing of the Chadian choir, of which there were two. The congregation as a whole joining in and singing too, and jumping to their feet and dancing joyfully. Oum Hadjer a predominantly Muslim area, and most of the congregation were from the south. They looked well fed and were all nicely dressed in Sunday best. I felt a bit unsteady on my f...

Up early feeling dazed. I'd been unable to sleep so around midnight, bathed in my own sweat and feeling anxious about the next day's shoot I took a diazepam. This led me to snore like a hippo apparently, waking Matt and forcing him to employ earplugs. I'm not much of a snorer usually. All the group in purposeful mood. Brad the camerman and Pete the photographer straining at the leash to get going early when the colours were great. Breakfasts big and heavy in the compound with lots of meat (usually goat or chicken), and this taken down with lots of water and we were off. An extremely hot day. The Africans saying it was a heatwave, and complaining about the heat. Matt Brad and I were focused on getting the shots we needed for the TV ad. So during the day we filmed Fatima and her family, focusing on her daughter Kadija as our star. We filmed Fatima holding the day's food in the palm of her hand, digging in ant nests and so on in the morning. In the middle of the day we...