under another sun

A busy morning of getting things done. Lorraine doing school work. Me mainly doing lots of irritating admin. Lorraine, Beth and I off to Kent this afternoon to see Pat and Maureen on the occasion of their 59th wedding anniversary. We all went to the Blacksmith's Arms for supper, where Pat plays his darts on Fridays, and had a good meal and a throat soothing pint or two. A cheery evening. The woman who runs the pub no-nonsense and cheery, and knows Pat well. Later Pat gave me a metal storage box, and Maureen poured me a spoon of cough mixture into me very quickly and surprisingly. They also sent us away with a clematis. Below Maureen and Pat. Fifty nine years married today. They are an excellent example.

So back to work of sorts. Sitting in the garden trying to write bits on the centaur project. Also writing to Richard, he and Jane are off to Italy again soon.  Spoke to Mum, then waited for information so I could start a flea-based job, but this never arrived. Feeling very sore throated as the day progressed and slept in the afternoon on the sofa. Have been listening as an audiobook to David Hepworth's 1971 - Never a dull moment , which is quite good fun. Lorraine and I watched the remaining four episodes of Stranger Things before bed on Netflix. Highly derivative of things like ET, Close Encounters, X Files, David Lynch and so on of course, but still hugely enjoyable, and well acted. And quite scary too. Liked the idea of the upside down world. Below a Stranger Things gif.

Sam's birthday today. When we all got up, (I felt a mite perkier) and Lorraine and I had packed, we taxied to a French cafe near Leeds Station and had a really nice brunch. Lorraine and I had savoury pancake galettes, very tasty, and teas. Then to another cafe by the station where Sam likes the coffee (Sam takes coffee quite seriously). Jade talking about gender in a very interesting way. It was a sunny day but there were lots of clumps of dried mud on the streets, and inside the station had a cordoned off area which was very muddy indeed. A straggle of Leeds open air festival types, looking muddy and exhausted, were in there.  Fond farewells with Sam and Jade. Despite feeling ill, I'd really enjoyed our visit, and Lorraine had loved seeing Sam of course. Into the train and off down to London. An uneventful journey, listening to audiobooks. Then St Pancras to Brighton, fairly painlessly too. Nice to be home, nevertheless. John was there with Beth. He'd just finished his...

Woke Lorraine up in the night to tell her I thought I might be dying as I was suddenly feeling very poor indeed. The sudden sniffles I'd had before mutated into a fairly horrid bug, suspiciously similar to the one the Tobster was sporting last weekend. Luckily I survived the night. And spent the rest of the day glued to Sam and Jade's sofa. Sleeping twice. Strangely though, I still enjoyed talking to Sam and Jade a good deal. Sam seemed quite pleased that I was able to be relaxed enough in their new flat just to simply crash out and not worry about it.  I like their flat, which is purpose built. They are on the top floor and it affords views of distant hills. In the back garden of a house nearby an Italian flag flying at half mast, possibly to do with the recent earthquake. They took Lorraine out for a long canal walk in the afternoon, which gave me a chance to sleep heavily. When they came back the ordered a delivery curry, which was rather nice. Lorraine and Sam got to pl...

Up to Leeds this morning. A cab to the station, and then up to St Pancras. Cheery to be travelling. Lorraine and I have spent quite a bit of time on trains together lately. At St Pancras a cheeky lunch of salad, then up to Leeds from Kings Cross. Noticing again great queue of people wanting to have a Harry Potter themed photograph with the luggage trolly disappearing into the wall at platform 13 and three quarters. Amazing that a work of fiction for children can be built into a station. You have to take your pointy hat off to J.K. Rowling. A pleasant journey to Leeds, where it was raining in proper Yorkshire fashion. Reached Sam and Jade's new flat fine by taxi as it is quite far out of the town centre. After a nice cup of tea, and a tour of the house, a walk uphill and a decent pun with food on the no-nonsense street name of Town Street, which rather tickled me. A few pints of Timothy Taylor Boltmaker, and some grub there. A celebration of Sam's imminent Birthday and also ...

Sat working in the under the lilac tree this morning, struggling with an inconsequential poem, then  replying to my French client's request for more flea work. Seems that September is going to be busy. Sat there in the sun, and then one of those rain showers from a blue sky. Listening to the rain spotting the leaves but unable to see rain, and still in full sunshine. Then one big drop bounced off the area of concern and I knew it was time to come indoors for a few minutes. Our tomatoes are starting to fruit now, and are really good. Nice to know that something has survived the gastropod ravages. We ate little corners of a few plums from our tiny plum trees. They would have been great, if they hadn't all be slimed and eaten. Lorraine had returned home with lovely hair from the hairdresser. Meanwhile Beth had a day off work and was sorting out my payment from the Theatre place.  John and his pal Matt and Matt's dad arrived, and took all John's stuff and the table and ...

After a slow breakfast, Toby still feeling rough. Lorraine and I walked him to the station. A very warm day for blighty. Had coffee and hung out chatting till it was time for him to go. Sad to see the Tobster off at Brighton station. They really need to sort Star Trek beaming out. To the shops then for a wee bit, before returning home. Excitingly collecting from neighbours two things that have been delivered: an amazon firestick which will let us watch net flicks, and a coffee maker like the one we used in France, and a bit like the one Anton has. It uses capsules, and delivers rather excellent coffee and of course is a tremendously middle class purchase. Early this evening much sorting of our dungeon, which is where everything is poked until its fate can be decided. John and his mate Matt are moving into a flat in Hove shortly, and we have donated my old Calliope scratched wooden table and two chairs. This activity gave us an opportunity to have a good sort out in there, well most...

Toby still hoarse and feeling rough with a nasty cold bug. Taking judicious lie downs during the day. Still we managed breakfast, and lots of chats, and after Beth had got back from work and the dentist with half a frozen face we all took a late afternoon drive to Steyning for delicious rhubarb scones, cream and rhubarb jam. Toby enjoyed the cream tea, and we were talking about how much Romy, as a connoisseur of the English cream tea, would definitely like this. After this, Toby and I had a fast cold drink in the Preston Park Tavern, then home again after half an hour or so, to let Toby crash out again.  Lorraine cooked supper (the days' meals apart from the aberration of the cream tea under the new healthy eating regime) eaten with a resurfaced Tobs watching Robot Wars on TV.  The fridge has a sheet of paper Beth printed out with meal suggestions plus a few motivational phrases, such as: 'You are not hungry, you are bored. Drink some water & learn the difference'. ...

Monday. Feeling a bit Mondayish and sprang up and sent off emails, and got to grips a little. Was offered a good chunk of freelance starting at the beginning of September, which is dead handy. Felt somewhat better. Lorraine and I then headed off into Brighton, received a poetry rejection email while out. Am on a poor streak at the moment with poems, stories etc. being widely rejected.  There are tides in the affairs of writers. Bah. However cheered up quickly, and had a fast haircut, while Lorraine waited in the cafe next door. We went off to look at coffee machines, having been inspired by the place in Collioure which had a coffee maker that produced some lovely coffee. An idea enthusiastically taken up by Betty. A spot more shopping, and Toby called, en route to Brighton. We met him at the station and cabbed home. Toby very hoarse of throat and feeling shattered. When Betty got home, and Toby had had a quick rest, we made off to the Shahi for a cheeky curry. Beth and Lorraine b...

A  restful night in my own bed without having to donate blood to mosquitos. Calliope woke me to get up and feed her and Brian. Cups of tea in bed. Then breakfast, finding out about what had happened to Beth in the last two weeks, speaking to Mum and gradually unpacking. A Maureen shaped fairy had visited my room, and left me a water bottle with a note about watering plants. Much discussion about diets. Lorraine joined the Slimming World site, and Beth and Lorraine spent much time poring over ingredients, cookery books and listing allowable foods. Gradually getting myself sorted out after our trip, catching up with this blog and a generally recovering from yesterday's epic journey, and freeing space in the spare room for Toby when he arrives. Last of the Olympics tonight. For me, the 2016 Olympic games will always be the French Olympics.

The ghastly ducks quacking on Lorraine's phone this morning, and I slumped down to make us tea before our epic journey back to Blighty. A last pack and clear out, and then to the car. Dropped our recycling off, then Lorraine drove us to Nîmes under a leaden sky. Made excellent time, and despite being a bit stressed by having to buy petrol (first find a petrol station, which was tricky) and ridiculous things like having to queue for ages for the men's loos at the station, and finding it hard to get onto the platform, we made our train in time, and headed off to Paris. France for the most part swathed in low cloud, skimming the hills and blocking the views. The train did not serve coffee today, so we had a breakfast of coke and small pieces of cake. Made Paris Gare de Lyon on time, and then caught the metro up to Gare du Nord. Eventually we found the left luggage place, dropped our cases off there fore a few hours and sauntered out into Paris.  Ended up on the Rue du Faub...

Last full day in Les Mages. Off to the village again this morning, and after buying some bread and more sausages, we had a coffee in the Tabac.  A day of squeezing as much out of our last poolside day as possible. Have really enjoyed swimming. Just enough to do about five or six strokes before you are at the other end, but repeat lots and you feel as if you have swum a little. Sitting about reading more Senghor poems in my bilingual edition. I really like his poetry now even more than the first time I read it. Plus games of scrabble, and ate a handsome sausagey repast in the evening. Then rushing about packing. Another nice chat with Lucy, a lovely person. Turns out her son is going to Stirling too, where Sam will be doing his PhD. More Jeux Olympiques on TV too. Also we put in a good effort at wine drinking, with a fair amount needing to be polished off before leaving, both pink and red. And a can of Heineken. Below a glimpse of the Tabac, a nice butterfly, which looked blac...

A chat to Lucy this morning, the owner of the place we are staying. Her son who has passed his A levels with flying colours, is now trying to work out which University to go to. In England or Scotland.    Later Lorraine bravely drove us off to St Jean du Gard , a wee town on the edge of the Cévennes National Park. It is one end of a Le Train à Vapeur des Cévennes as Lorraine is a lover of steam railways, and we drove along the twisty roads up into the hills. There had formerly been a large aquarium in St Jean du Gard, but sadly this was closed.  However we bought some snacks from a boulangerie, and had a quick picnic by the side of the river Gardon. Into the old steam train, and it was full of children as well as adults from lots of different places. It twisted about between forested hills, and stopped at three stations before reaching the town of Anduze which we drove through on the way. I particularly liked it when the train drove through the tunnels (all the w...

Into the local village of Les Mages this morning, walking under the tiny underpass, past the plopping frogs. A friendly little market there, where we bought vegetables and fruit, some sliced cured ham (which proved to be delicious). The lady we bought ham from was correcting my French in a friendly way, and when I paid her she told me words to the effect that she was charging me a few euros, but the heart of France is free.  Meanwhile, the butcher’s stand was fun, and he was a real performer. One of the locals was buying lots, and he routinely dropped in the odd extra sausage. We bought some sausages, and were given a really good extra slab of pate for nothing. Then we went into the Tabac, where Lorraine got us coffee, and the lady there remembered us. I really like being in this Tabac as it feels like you are glimpsing a completely everyday bit of French life. Men ordering their demis, and Pastis which changes colour with water, and coffees. There is a lot of gambling there a...

Lorraine drove us bravely to the nearby town of St Ambroix this morning. There was a sort of market there, but it was a typically French little town.  There was a market there, which we were hoping would sell food, however it mainly sold clothes and bric a brac. Brilliantly a chemist was open, and had a vast range of mosquito products. Spray at last. For these winged bastards would try the patience of a Jainist priest. We had coffee in a place with a rude waitress, then walked about and up a hill with lovely rooftop views of the town, where appalling things seem to have been done by ancient Celts (including beheadings) and a Protestant church was burned down. Speculated if the hill cast a dark shadow on the people of St Ambroix as we stood there.   We made our way down back into town and found a wee bistro, where we had a nice meal. I had mackerel stuffed with raisins and pine nuts and courgettes cooked in a creamy sauce, which was splendid. Lorraine had a good bu...

A bank holiday in France. A slow start to the day, and another saunter to Les Mages, with the idea of buying some mosquito spray, but the pharmacy was closed. Luckily we have are plug ins for the bedroom, so the atrocious insects are mainly confining their activities to poolside. In the village we popped into the Tabac, where we ordered coffee, and got two thimbles of the mind altering strength brew. Then deux demis of beer as it was past midday. We sat in a little booth, with an extremely large stuffed boar’s head above Lorraine’s. It was slaughtered on 31 st December 1959, coincidentally the year of the boar. Came back home, had a spot of lunch and went down to the pool. Me wearing my complete anti mosquito gear apart from when swimming. I went for an explore down by the side of the river and fell down the bank. The water only an inch deep there, and very shallow with lots of what I think are trout in it. Then I returned to the pool, read a little, and so on. We saunte...