under another sun

Spoke to Mum first thing, just to confirm she was okay. She was. Tyre men arrived to do Lorraine's car. Lorraine zoomed off to do Rhyme time, Sylwia arrived to clean the house and I repaired to my study to listen to and tweak Robin's cut of the podcast. This done I made off to Brighton for a haircut. Stacy on good form. It began hailing and lashing rain while I was there. Everyone in the barbers talking sadly about three women who drowned in the sea off Brighton in the early hours of the day. I wondered if Innis had been involved. It turned out he had been part of this upsetting day. Hail and lashing rain. I scurried back to the station. Collected my super reader glasses from Specavers, which combine close reading at the bottom with arms length focus at the top. They take getting used to and made me feel a bit woozy.  Made it home shortly before hail, hard rain and thunder.  Bit more podcast stuff. And a relaxed evening. Although called again because Mum set off her pendant ag...

To Hampstead first thing. Rain and thundery liveliness forecast this week. A fairly easy journey this morning, and I was able to do some writing on the train.  I early to Hampstead station, and mum was already there. We sloped down Flask Walk, up past the school to The Old White Bear. Quite empty when we arrived, but a few people filtered in. We ate some rather good fish and chips, and had some drinks in a cheery fashion, even when we had a divergence of opinion over how much wine Mum might want. Back to the station, and fond farewells. I had a smooth and fast journey home too, which was excellent. Lorraine off doing her pottery class and arrived home at 9:30. About half an hour later, I was called alarmingly to say mum had pressed her pendant and couldn't be reached. While I was trying to contact her, they called back to say that she had let them know it was a false alarm. I tried to call her several times after but she was not picking up, which was unsettling just before bedtime....

 Lots going on this morning. I had to bump a recording session with Robin till this afternoon. While Lorraine was out collecting Maureen, Wenda, an old friend of Lorraine's arrived with flowers. She turned out to be a kind, empathetic person to whom I warmed immediately, and in no time we were talking like old friends.  Then a man arrived to look at Lorraine's tyre and found there was a screw through it, and it needed to be completely replaced. Lorraine and Maureen arrived, and Maureen was delighted to see Wenda too. I slunk upstairs to call Mum and do a bit of writing before coming down before the left for Lewes, where Wenda's husband David, who is an actor, was filming for a day. In the afternoon, after banter with Robin, I sloped off in the afternoon and rejoined my usual gym, as my upper body needs help. Same nice lady as last time, who told me I was there day's different in my birthday to her brother, which made her like me.  Slight rain on my way home. There is a ...

 A cheery morning, once we were up and breakfasted, and after I'd scrambled about in the loft, we drifted down to the studio where Lorraine threw some pots, and I fiddled with some visual ideas. Our CD player sprang back to life, and we had music and art and pottery going on. Which was rather idyllic.  To Morrisons, by foot as Lorraine's car has a flat, luckily a man is coming to sort that very tyre tomorrow. Home and a general frenzy of tidying in preparation for Brian and Yvonne. Lorraine cooked a tali, using the little trays and bowls and that was all rather lovely. Cheery night with lots of laughing. They gave Lorraine some PX sherry and I was surprised to be given some pencils and paper, and a wee drawing of me done by Brian. Below: knee pads. Mum paid for these, which Lorraine bought for my birthday last year. They are game changers, kneeling on the loft board, in the garden etc. with manly abandon.  

Outdoorsy healthy day. We surged purposefully into the garden, for weeding vegetable beds and while Lorraine planted,  I pruned hard an ancient rosemary bush and a leggy lemon verbena bush. The copious clippings went into the garden bin. I rarely suck in lungfuls of aromatic bin air, but I did today.  From here a walk down towards Tide Mills and looped back to the beach and home. Baby Enzo here for a sleepover tonight. Cheery little lovely boy he is. His sleep patterns were a bit messed up so he was over tired, and Lorraine couldn't get him to sleep. At about 9pm, Beth and James came to collect him. He went straight to sleep in the short car ride home. Below I like the small 'wild' part of the garden that Lorraine have sown with native plants. Meanwhile the shallow end of the little wildlife pond we put in here has dried out with only one downpour since March. The weather has predominantly been coming from the north east, so there are cool nights and dry sunny days with no ...

A red letter day, as Lorraine's pottery wheel was delivered. An excited Lorraine and I carried it down to the studio, and she soon was using it. Before that, I was recording with Robin. I said a few things about J.H.Prynne, which made me think of my old friend MSR.  I zoomed off to take fish and chips to Pat and Maureen, and hung out for a bit. Pat trying initially to eat with two forks bless him. Then I mooched off to walk by the sea. Home for a tad more editing on the short story, and in the evening off to The Old Boot Inn. Tonight's cast: Debbie, Delores, Andy and Patrick and L and I of course. Ended talking about philosophy, and Debbie particularly wants to start a philosophical conversation group. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this, because philosophy, in my experience as a former philosophy student, leads only to roaring and or peevish arguments.    Below , actually I took this yesterday. Liked the orange light on the white building and the blue sky at the en...

Lorraine collected Enzo and we had breakfast with him, he had a hobbits second breakfast of a pear and Weetabix mix. He adores Lorraine, but does seem genuinely pleased to see me too, which is wonderful. A bit of podcast prep this morning,  then recording some podcast banter with Robin. Just nice to catch up. I've missed talking to her.  Then lunch and playing with Enzo. In the afternoon to Drusilla's. Enzo certainly noticing the animals but when everything is new, a load of prairie dogs are just one more excitement. One monkey came to the window and loomed over him, which Enzo didn't much like. The swing was a great hit though. Grandparents in the car which parked next to us, and the woman talking lots to Lorraine as we left at the same time. Quite a few babies being taken there. Off this evening after dinner Lorraine and I sloped down to the women's institute, and tried to keep the flag shagging neofascists out of local government. What times we live in. Re-read The O...

Up early again enjoying sitting at my desk and thinking about words. After breakfast and Sylwia arriving Lorraine went off to Rhyme Time, and I spent a few hours editing the Kansas story, which I think is going to be called The Follower Followed or maybe just The Follower.  I hacked hundreds of words from it, and probably needs a bit more. It's still over six thousand words and its completion has been hampered by being ill and so on. Taking lots of time over something doesn't necessarily equal quality though.   I had a bite to eat, and then popped around to Melissa's house for a review of my drawings, which soon evolved into talking about art and life more generally. She's thinking of doing a performance piece later in the year, and is a properly creative person. I left with lots to think about. Talking with Melissa helped me realise I have been putting too much weight on the drawing and should just trust myself to explore the possibilities, rather than being goal focus...

Up early and prepping to interview Will Harris. We had problems with his sound, problems with wifi and so on, and I had to ask him to re read his poems at the end just to ensure we had clean versions. I found him genuinely interesting and I really liked him. The session lasted an hour and 40 minutes, but Will was very gracious about this. After this, Lorraine and I loaded up the car and took a load more recycling off to the recycling centre. While I was doing this I went through a lung cancer triage by phone-- this prompted by my local surgery as a free service. Thankfully, they said I am low risk and nothing needs to be done. One of the questions was about what sort of cigarettes have I smoked. Apparently one roll up cigarettes are twice as bad as normal ones.  At the recycling centre we drove right past the bays and out into the main road the other side. We had to go around again, which made us laugh. Then we went to this big Age UK warehouse, which is crammed full of furniture f...

I got up early and joined drawingisfree.org to drawing people's faces in an online zoom call for the length of a song. Adele told me all about it and sent me the link. My drawings were a bit cartoon-like, but it was very good practice. The convener asks attendees to volunteer to sit, and there are dozens of attendees and people willingly agree. Up and then off to Stratheden Court, to collect Pat and Maureen and bring them round to ours for the day. Some logistics needed what with wheelchairs and walkers and so on, but fairly easily achieved. Maureen especially enjoying a change of scene. Beth came around with her little sunshine boy for a couple of hours, which delighted them. Pat was really smiling and happy to see hm.  Enzo with a bit of help is almost standing, and always on the verge of crawling. But he is so communicative and bright and is sung to so often, and is doing things like clapping at the right point in songs.  A delicious curry made by Lorraine, we took them hom...

I was up very early for some reason. I am feeling far more positive than I've felt in a long while. I decided that 2026 officially started on May 1st. Took Lorraine a cup of tea and we planned our day. Soon we were surging purposefully into the garage, reclaiming the space to create our studio. We made real progress, and took a carload of stuff to recycling at the end of the day. I am beginning to become excited by the possibilities of that space.   A roast chicken this evening, episodes of Foundation, and all well. A gorgeous clematis flower in our garden.

A nice breakfast, and speaking to Mum,  L off to Eastbourne to see the Wizard of Oz with Beth and Enzo, in a production done by Beth's theatrical pals. The show greatly enjoyed, and Beth got to introduce Enzo to lots of friends. I made off to Brighton, and spent the afternoon with Anton playing dominoes and catching up on events since February, when we saw each other last. Wheelbarrow loads of news, and some of it difficult such as his Uncle John being seriously ill.  Anton's few days away in Spain with Camino very stressful due to worrying about the family, surviving the downsizing at work and so on. Thankfully my godbairns Klaudia and Oskar doing well. Also during the course of the afternoon learned about Anton's new craze, which is a sort of leather writing folder, and going to sit in quiet corners of pubs writing thoughtful and intriguing letters to Camino.  We met in the garden of the Battle of Trafalgar. This old favourite of ours, now a ghost ship under new owners....

To London this morning. Set off in sunshine and arrived in Edgware flitting between shadows as it seemed really hot to me. Two jewish men in Golders Green were stabbed in the street  earlier in the week, described as a terrorist attack by Government and media.  I wondered how people were feeling in Edgware, just a bus ride away, with a large jewish population. So much fear in the world. I found Mum in good spirits. We took a look at her filing, tax affairs etc.  It was soon clear that I need to with Mum overnight and spend a day filing and weeding out her bazillion documents as they make her heart sink.  This agreed, we slid off to the Waggon and Horses. Men were touching up the paint on the outside of the pub, and in the iconic waggon by the roadside. The pub smelt of paint a bit, and there was a new dartboard installed in the corner. Perhaps darts will make a comeback there. Had a light lunch and enjoyed a chat with Mum and some Guinness. Steve and a friend of his ...

Up and another blessed night of sleeping. I feel so much better for it. Lorraine zoomed off to Beth's house early. I bent over in the bathroom and felt my bloody back go into a nasty spasm, but I was able to walk it off. To drawing class in the Women's Institute. Melissa called me Peter Kenny today which made me smile. Lovely graceful model named Carys. Enjoyed drawing a little more today, but don't feel I'm drawing at my best. After the class I made off to the exhibition in the Crypt, where Adele, who had been in my drawing class, and Mandy were overseeing. Palo and Martin happened to be there. Had not seen Palo for ages, and I had a nice chat with her and Martin, who has been writing a novel for months, and talked to me more than he has ever done. Nice to see them both.  Then home. Lorraine arrived with Enzo. Soon Dawn arrived, and we all spent the afternoon together. Dawn is about to be a grandmother too, so was very excited about that. Lovely to see her. She's b...

Noticeable how much more I can focus than a week or so ago. The brain fog is abating I hope. I sent some questions to Will Harris ahead of next week's interview, and later did a little editing of the never ending Kansas story. Also made time to watch King Charles's speech to Congress. I'm not a royalist, but even I have to admit it was a good speech and he delivered it well. The speech cast things in historical perspectives, which seemed to suggest that the Trump idiocracy will soon be just another historical period.   Off this afternoon for an eye test. Fortunately my eye health is good. I've ordered a bifocal pair for intermediate and reading, and a longer distance pair for watching TV at night when my eyes are tired. After this, off for a walk, after no rain in April, the ground is cracking, which I find a bit shocking. When I was a young lad, April was a month of showers.   Home and a bit of time with Lorraine before she left for her class. I snuck off and got mysel...

Lorraine off to her personal trainer, and then met up with the walking heads, a group of ex-heads who meet up and walk. For me a productive day. Up and after breakfast finished the two books, Rendang and Brother Poem , by Will Harris, and began to form questions for him in my mind. For me it's all about setting small targets and achieving them.  Then off on a walk around Tide Mills, pushing back against the anxiety of open spaces, and did a circular walk today I'd not managed before. The thing I've learned recently from revisiting CBT is that avoiding what unnerves you is the worst thing you can do. As long as I feel in control and stepping up in gradual increments I will get there. Home and a bit of writing, and chatted to Mum. Lorraine back having done loads of exercise. We had an early dinner, I fixed a hinge in the glasshouse, then we went around the corner to see a local art exhibition in the Crypt, where saw arty friends such as Adele and Mandy and Eileen, and bought...

Still bleary after sleeping on my pile of pillows, and of course doing some coughing, which filled me with despair at 1:30am but I got to sleep soon after. A better night's sleep. Up and editing an interview Robin had done. Also emails with Will Harris, an excellent poet I will interview next week. And a chat with Mum, and arranging to go to see her at the end of the week. Lorraine up early and spent the day with Maureen, and arrived home later with three chilli plants and a big lamp stand bought in a charity shop for £10. Just what we needed. Off early this afternoon to get my eyes tested. Luckily my eyes are healthy, and the close work hasn't deteriorated. Distance is a smidge worse, and I have bought some distance glasses for watching TV and films etc. I also bought super-readers, these combine my close reading lenses with my arms-length focus, so when I'm working I can look at the screen and scraps of paper and books with the same glasses.  A walk along the sea back, fe...

A day to spark up the first barbecue of the year. I cooked a whole chicken and some sausages, and the barbecue behaved itself excellently. Beth and James and Enzo arrived first, then Rosie and Innis. Rosie had bought salad, and Beth potato wedges and Lorraine made a lovely roulade. Sat outside eating and enjoying several drinks in the sun.  Rosie's car however had problems and the alarm kept going off and the electrics had malfunctioned. Luckily Rosie eventually realised she had RAC membership and a man came around to fix it. They also bought Pippi the dog, and a bubble machine.  I enjoyed myself, but again feeling a veil of weariness between myself and events. Good to see everyone. A relaxed evening. Chelsea won the FA Cup semifinal, so are in the FA cup final again this year. Having deposed their 'supply teacher' manager, they remembered to play today, edging it against dirty Leeds. Below Rosie and Pippi and Beth and Enzo and lots of bubbles. Enjoyed playing with Enzo. H...

Off to see the Sassarini at Brighton Marina today. Plan A was to bus there, but the buses were oddly doomed today, so we had to drive. We met Mike outside Asda and went on a ramble around the Marina with him, walking through area's I'd never noticed before. Mike in good shape, apart from having had sciatica in his leg, which precipitated a fall on his knee, so he was hobbling about somewhat. Mike recovering from a ghastly period of work difficulties, and people reneging on payments and so on.  They had a really nice apartment, and it was lovely to see Zina again. Back from Russia after her first visit to see relatives in many years. I asked her about the Russian perspective on Ukrainians, given that her family is partly Ukrainian. She said the Russians think they are cheeky, which made me laugh. While we were together, Toby called me, and of course he wished he was with us. Zina laid on an amazing spread of food, and cooked delicious chicken wings, coated in special rubs with e...