under another sun

Breakfast with Lorraine. Claudia and Jonas, went off to see Pat and Maureen, and they spent the afternoon with them, and eating fish and chips for supper.  I however zoomed over to London Road station, and walked up to Osborne Road through Blaker's Park, now green again. I collected Lorraine's mobile phone which had been mistakenly delivered to our old address. Slightly cringing, as the last time we'd those people, I was having dark thoughts about them on the day of moving out. Our old house not much different, I knocked at the door I'd painted, and glanced into the house to see not much had changed since we were there. The new owner, very friendly, and said that they felt like proper five ways people now. I walked the familiar route uphill towards Hollingbury, then cut down Surrenden Road, across Preston Park and into town to get a haircut from Stacy. Felt like I knew every step of everywhere I went. I asked Stacy if he'd had any break from work this year, and it s...

Up early, Lorraine having a nice lie in. Then breakfast, wordle, tidying up, thinking about writing, and a chat with Anton. His latest physio seems to indicate he is doing very well, but his next task is to learn how to walk normally again.  I was trying to loosen a screw in some curtain poles which, some time later Loraine and I successfully attached to the wall. In the afternoon we also put some heavy shelves up. A disgusting business, and the less said about it the better: after enormous effort, I have put them in upside down. Beth came around with Enzo for a bit, after the wee bairn had been weighed. He's making excellent progress. Beth also trying to sort out the wiper problem on her car, took it into the local Kendall's garage and was quoted an eye-watering £400.  'A little bundle of joy' is a cliche for a baby, but there's no doubt Enzo is one. A beautiful day. I did my paces under blue skies, and big fluffy white clouds, which I always want to make black and...

Off to drawing class this morning, trying to be early. Lorraine phoned me shortly before I arrived to say I'd left my paper at home. So had to double back, Lorraine handed it to me in the street. Late again, which made me feel irritable. The model was Tommy, who we have had before. A slim young guy, who I find a bit difficult to draw. Melissa stopping me after a few pencil strokes, and saying that the foot would be off the page. Tommy and I spoke afterwards and he wanted to connect with me as he is writing a play which needs a bit of background about advertising in it. Nice chat with Melissa afterwards too. Adele, Patrick and I had bumped into her in the Boot last Friday too, and she apologised for not introducing her husband. She locked up an we left. Sauntered home, realising that I'd left my umbrella in the women's Institute Hall. Then home to find Lorraine hard at work tidying. In the afternoon she made off to take Maureen, with Patrick in tow, to see the doctor.  I att...

Torrential rain this morning. Everything greening again.  I carefully crafted a cover letter etc. and sent off the MS of Gordon Road to a pamphlet publisher, who I happened to speak to recently. The idea of actually writing a poem is something I can't face.    At lunchtime Lorraine returned from rhymetime (and a snack) with Beth and Enzo. I had a cuddle with Enzo who definitely smiled at me, and made a proto-chuckle. I'm beginning to see what all the fuss is about with babies. Then off into the wide yonder for a walk when it was no longer pouring. Kept fairly close to shelter, but managed a couple of hours without getting wet. A gale blowing straight off the sea. Home and I cooked a rather hot vegetable chilli, and Lorraine sat upstairs with Delores, who she had bumped into earlier.  We all ate and watched music videos and chatted. Delores made us watch a Tiny desk concert of an Argentinian group, Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso who were rather marvellous, as well as Mile...

Anton's birthday today. I celebrated with a long early walk, up and around the sides of fields and down to the seafront. I think I found a fossil. Lorraine went off to Caroline for personal training. Also passing   Sarah Harvey in Bolney in their cars. Both jumped out for a hug before they drove off.  In the evening Lorraine and I made off to Brighton, where we zoomed up the hill to Anton's place to give him his requested present of cedar wood boot trees and a card. Then we walked down to The Cow, with Anne, Oskar, Klaudia and Anton, very sprightly on his stick. A Thai meal, which was tasty, and it's always a treat for me to see Klaudia and Oskar, and I had a few nice chats with Anne too. Then back to Anton's house for some birthday cake. Oskar demonstrating that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, talking with enormous brio about 'spidering' in raw denim, aided and abetted by Anton, also enthusiastically getting out his phone to add detail. Oskar inte...

Up early and off to Edgware. Lorraine back to Maureen and Pat's, to give Pat a shower. I reading Memories, Dreams, Reflections, an autobiography, of C. G. Jung , which I had started before, found it fascinating and then set it aside. Now I am powering through and I'm finding it a wonderful read. I am listening to it as an  audiobook, and reading the actual book depending on the circumstances. I was today reading the book. Chugging north quite happily, then just as we got into London my head began spinning as I read my book and I felt very odd. I then realised after a moment's panic that it was simple dehydration, having only a cup of coffee and a cup of tea from Lewes station. I had a bottle of water, gulped it down, and then got off still feeling a bit shaky at St Pancras. Having bought a bottle of water, drank it and a sandwich, I was soon back to normal. I tried to give the other part of the sandwich to a homeless man, who declined as he couldn't eat cheese.   Gettin...

Lorraine and I walked down to Pat and Maureen's, with a card for their 68th wedding anniversary. There we met Lorraine's cousin Stephen and his wife Sarah who had been staying in Seaford after a wedding.Turns out Sarah's brother lives a few streets from us. Lorraine's nephew Pete had also arrived. Maureen enjoying having people around, and telling Steve that he went to school in a bow tie, which he seems not to remember. Maureen going through the whole gamut of family names when talking to anyone.  Pat and Maureen married 68 years today.  Pete doing well, and loving living with Sharleen in Pat and Maureen's old house -- which was his home too for years. Pat a little confused again, when I took him to the loo to empty his bag and he never remembers he has a catheter. But he enjoyed having people around I think. Maureen a bit sad when they all left. So I was sent out to Morrisons to get P and M some lunch, and Lorraine did a bit of tidying and straightening. When I re...

Lorraine off this morning taking Pat a medical appointment in Hastings Conquest Hospital. The car got a puncture and although Lorraine was able to get to the hospital, but then had to wait hours for a mobile tyre replacement service. She was home at tea time.  I however in contrast had a nice day Went for a long walk this morning, I reached 15k for the day. On the way home I bought a plant and a card for Yvonne, whose birthday it was yesterday. In the afternoon went down to the studio and mucked about for a bit, doing some rubbish paintings. Feel a fleeting but nevertheless hearty dislike of poems at the moment, but this is part of the normal cycle of things.  Finally Lorraine home, and we had a nice evening. I cooked.  Match of the Day. Chelsea win again. All well. Below I walked down a little alleyway I'd never been down before, with allotments down one side (I liked these pumpkins, and a tattered flag on the shore looking towards Seaford Head.  The weather is chan...

Pat's 92 birthday today, and Sam's birthday too. We'd intended to have lunch in the Plough, as there was a wake going on in the Boot. But Maureen wasn't feeling great this morning, and ended up needing antibiotics for an ear infection and Lorraine had to zoom over there first thing.   Pat and Maureen, Lorraine's Uncle Steve, and Beth and Enzo came around to our place instead for lunch, and Lorraine and I zoomed off to Osbourne's to buy really nice fish and chips for everyone. A jolly time, drinking tea and chatting. Steve particularly good with Enzo I thought, and radiating cheeriness. Maureen much happier as the day wore on. Pat pleased to be with everyone. After a couple of hours, Steve had to leave for the long drive home, and Beth and Enzo left, and we took Pat and Maureen home. In the evening Lorraine and I went to the pub, where we met Adele and Patrick and Chris for a cheeky beer. Patrick encouraging me to search ancestry to try to find someone from Irela...

Completely forgot my drawing class this morning. But worked instead on poems. Lorraine's personal trainer Caroline came to us today, and had Lorraine working out in the garden. Nice woman, and we chatted for a bit. Off to Brighton this afternoon to hang out with Anton, recovering very well and doing a loads of paces per day. I noticed I had a bit more spring in my step as I walked up the steep hill of Guilford Road. Called for Anton, and sloped down to the Cow and played a game of chess, which I won, followed by a game of bones which Anton won. Just as we finished a cheery little man came and stood over us in the empty pub, commenting on the game. Luckily he was only there for Anton's final move. Neither of us drinking alcohol, but instead drank Guinness Zero, which is okay, but feels a bit heavy and weird afterwards. Walked down the street with him at Seven Dials, and stood outside two premises that were being threatened by the co-op next door. They each have a poster in both ...

The day started with a spot of good writing from me while Lorraine off doing Rhyme Time.  A sociable day. I met Yvonne for a quick coffee and a chat, before going home to meet Jess and Andrew. We four walked into town and went to Amie's Kitchen for some noodles, and a drink of Vietnamese Lime soda of some sort. Nice to see them again heard among other things about a nightmarish journey to Turkey with grandchildren, six hour delays arriving late at night and driving to somewhere you didn't have the address for and so on.   Later on, Lorraine made off to see Beth and Enzo, Beth under the weather. A bug passing between us all at the moment. A rejection from Long Poem Magazine, for the first part of Gordon Road. I've never been able to place work there. Having resubscribed to the magazine, I found the last issue a bit stuffy and dull, so I'm probably not in tune with their aesthetic. Rejections are always dreary and drain me of joie de vivre and confidence. Some rain tonigh...

A tetchy text from our next door neighbour, who has to wash his cars because of dust from our building work. The same neighbour whose house for the first two years of our stay was a building site, and we politely put up with months of dust, plastic waste, tools, etc coming over the fence, not to mention the constant noise and inconvenience. It made us both very angry.  I consciously had to calm down for the good of my health. He texted a bit later more politely and we replied to that one, deciding like Michelle Obama to go high when they go low.  I wanted to have some morning calm to write in, but I felt to irritable, so after speaking to Mum, I went off for an early walk. Seven miles in total today. I am now on a streak of fifteen days, and in the last seven days have walked over 40 miles. It feels good to be getting back to my old habits, and I am listening to audiobooks as I go, and my knee which had a moment a few months ago is holding up. Still on the biography of Muriel ...

Up and after two days of pubs, I prepared breakfast and thought about living in an enclosed monkish life contemplating and praying quietly. Lorraine a bit snuffly and coldy. Having eaten and doing some laundry we repaired to the garden and lurked in the open air. Another hot day, but the forecasts say rain is likely in a few days.    In the afternoon I went to Morrisons, bought some jam sugar with pectin, and a bar of chocolate for Lorraine, and then made off to various places where I'd seen blackberries on my travels. I picked a kilo of them, which doesn't sound much but takes plenty of time. The berry gods took their payment in thorn tips in my hands that are impossible to get out, and my shins being stung a good deal by stinging nettles. There is a glut of fruit this year, all a month too early and many of them dried up due to the climate crisis of a summer we have been having. So far August has seen 1% of the average rainfall for the south east of England. I noticed big ju...

Up and running about tidying as Lorraine baked some courgette bread. Last night she announced that her nursing pals were coming around this morning: Chris, Anne, Chris and her partner Gary. We sat in the garden and I gave them drinks and so on. They made off to Beachy Head to sightsee. Lorraine and I went into  town, a huge swarm of scooters driven by aging mods heading in the same direction, probably inspired by the Quadrophenia film. There was a huge gathering of them in Brighton for the weekend, also marking nostalgia for the days of the Battle of Brighton . Lorraine off to see Pat and Maureen. Maureen had been upset this morning, so Lorraine wanted to spend some time with them. I popped in to see the Seaford Art Club's exhibition. Eileen and Palo on duty, so it was nice to see them both. I then went off on a longish walk. Late afternoon Lorraine and I bussed into Brighton. Along the route an outbreak little St George's Crosses attached to lampposts. Much about this in local...

Up early again. Lorraine received a call from Maureen saying that Patrick's catheter had come out and so on, so she went round, called the catheter nurse and so on. Patrick behaving a little bit erratically, which Lorraine and I thought might be due to a bladder infection, which the nurse also thought. I talked to Luke who is doing a grand job repointing. The great clouds of dust part of the job is done, he is also putting in a little gutter too to prevent water gathering.  I went off to the station. Train cancelled but I caught the next one, after taking the opportunity to walk around the Salts for 25 minutes to up my paces. Then to Lewes where I met Messrs. Hartley and Hoibak in the Lansdowne arms, and then we made off to Chaula's for a buffet Indian lunch. Fairly good value, and decent food. Then we went on a little bit of a Lewes pub crawl, going to the Gardener's Arms, then off to the Snowdrop Inn (named after the Lewes Avalanche ) and back to the John Harvey tavern. C...

A call at 6:30 from Steve in the Waggon and Horses sounding a bit shaken and telling me that Paul had died in the night, and if I could let mum know as he thought she'd find the news upsetting. Steve and Paul had come to Mason's funeral and both are regulars and friends of Mum's at the Waggon. Too early to call Mum, so I waited till 9ish to tell her the news, then called Steve back. He'd received a call early this morning from Paul, and had rushed around to see him, but found him. He gave him CPR for 15 minutes, till the ambulance turned up, but poor Paul was already dead. Mum was obviously saddened by it, and said she was going to the pub this afternoon.   I found the whole thing somewhat triggering. Something about a sudden death, involving Mum, the day after Mason's birthday and I felt very stressed over breakfast. Lorraine gave me a hug, but it was a shadow over the day, and I only felt happier when I talked again to Mum in the evening. She'd been to the pub...

Up for a bit of writing, then out to pick pears to slice into our breakfast yoghurt and seeds and nuts. Beth also arrived with Enzo, who was very cute (see below). I squeezed in a bit of writing, and chatting to Luke who was grinding out mortar between bricks in preparation for repointing them. Later in the day I discovered that he had not brought his mask with him, and couldn't be bothered to get one. I shudder to think of him breathing that dust all day.  Fond farewells to Sam setting off for the great trek north. It had done us all good to see him. Lorraine, sad he had to go so soon, sped him to Lewes, and then spent the afternoon at Beth's house.  I did some more murdering of darlings on the shorter version of the collection. This against the background disruption of wall grinding, like the sound of having your teeth cleaned at the dentist. As for the collection, I still have not landed on a name that I am completely convinced about.  The weather turned cooler, though...

Awake at three and barely slept afterwards. Heard cats fighting outside, Sam getting up, a mosquito in my ear, and had a brilliant idea which the morning light revealed to be a dud. Feeling a bit wan this morning, however walking still a priority and did 15.5K paces listening to Tolkien's letters, he is now older than me in it, and had fallen out with C.S.Lewis, which is a shame. In my mind, they were a bit like Lennon and McCartney, friends and who spurred each other onto be better. Otherwise a day with Sam, Beth and Enzo came around to see him. Sam meeting his nephew for the first time, and then going with Lorraine to see Pat and Maureen. Also Luke came around to work on our wall, removing a brick and hooking out bits of damp sand and stuff that had gathered there from the cavity. This was one theory about the damp we have in that corner. There wasn't too much of it, but the bricks are going to be repointed  When not walking, or making tea for Luke, I decided my proposed coll...

Woke up having had a significant dream. I have had lots of work related dreams lately, but in this one I was happily handing over the job to a vague but pleasant newbie. My desk had two old and battered cupboards on it, one said Metaphor and the other Healthcare. I had a feeling of cheery release as I spoke to my replacement about what an interesting job it had been. Both Lorraine and I rather sluggish after last night's reggae shenanigans. We sat in bed sipping tea for some time. An early text from Sam arrived saying he was travelling down today from Glasgow put Lorraine in a state of excitement. I also discovered my trousers had called Toby amid the fiercest of the skanking. L and I had breakfast, and did Wordle, which we do every morning over a boiled egg, I got it in two goes for the second time this week. Lorraine also does Murdle which is a murdery logic problem.  Over breakfast I also learned I hadn't been placed in a recent tiny booklet competition by Hedgehog. I had co...

Lorraine went to see Paul in Hove for a haircut, and returned looking very glamorous indeed. She also popped in to see Rosie while there. I did some writing, then had a longish walk.  Early evening off to Saltdean Lido to celebrate Yvonne's big birthday (a couple of weeks in advance). We supposed to meet the others on the bus, but L and I accidentally boarded a rogue 12X and were there early. There were twelve of us there, obviously Yvonne and Brian, and Patrick and Adele, Marek and Sally, Guy and Barbara, Rick and Gabby. It was a beautiful art deco building dating to the late thirties. Strange clientele, mainly in their sixties and one or two looked only a little younger than the Lido all merrily dancing away. In a lengthy queue for the bar, I was being sized up by a table  of mature single ladies. I briefly felt like a sardine in a shark tank. Men in pork pie hats, one or two in sharp suits, and so on. It was styled as a reggae and ska night, but there were two tone types (a...