under another sun

Tea and porridge in bed this morning, and Lorraine and I had breakfast together. The last day of the month, and I wanted to get a couple of poetry manuscripts sent off in time for the submission windows, just to play the game. Spent the morning doing this, and feeling I wasn't progressing the novel, the end is in sight, but there is still lots to be done. Meanwhile Richard in Guernsey is getting together another book's worth of poems. Off too see Helen this afternoon to work on the Centaur opera, walked over to her home in Hove, and arrived on time. She wasn't in. Phoned her and found I'd got the wrong day. Later Helen texted me to say she had double booked tomorrow anyway, and what are we like. At least it was a walk, and I worked better for it once home. While walking I listened to a podcast about the 'peasant poet' John Clare, who although I did once read some of his work am not as familiar with it as perhaps I should be. Interesting to compare, as the ...

A Monday gloom. A bit of a hangover in the morning, after injudicious amounts of wine on Sunday afternoon, followed by my insisting on beer watching Stewart Lee didn't help. However a nice chat with Mum and I have arranged to go up to see her later in the week. Also I pencilled in some freelance next week in London to be teamed up with my old mucker Keith. Otherwise progress was slow, and I was very happy to see Lorraine later.

A busy day today. Up fairly early, and preparing vegetables before Lorraine and I headed into town. Walking down London Road we bumped into Reuben and Claire and their two youngest bairns. Reuben had just run a half marathon for the charity Water Aid, which was really impressive. Reub said he was going home to a hot bath and around 6pm a large gin and tonic. Then to Kommedia, where we saw  Manchester by the sea with Rosie and Innis. Such a good film easily the best film I have seen for ages. As a study of grief and masculinity it was absolutely brilliant. And the central character's struggle with grief, guilt and depression was brilliantly portrayed by Casey Affleck. Quite a few people in tears at the end of the film. Emotionally gruelling film, but a must see. Then we walked back home. Innis and I discussing the film in great detail. Also Rosie telling us she had been invited to do some work in Brazil, and she was flying over soon, and taking Innis with her. Met Beth an...

A quiet day. Lorraine with a streaming cold, and me feeling achey too, so apart from going to Sainsbury's we pulled up the drawbridge. Beth popped in after teaching with James, and it was nice to chat to him again. When you are putting on a show you see people all the time. In the evening we watched the movie Birdman on Netflix, which was an enjoyably dark comedy. Then I watched Chelsea win at football. Something they've been doing a lot of lately.

Finished the spot of cattle plague work today for my French pals, and then some organising of various bits to do with Edinburgh and so on, and chatting to Sonia who was bemoaning the state of dentists, 'you open your mouth, and it costs you £20'. Lorraine working at school. I took myself off for an enjoyably long walk this afternoon, while listening to the C.S. Lewis book. A nice night indoors, although Lorraine feeling coldy. Spoke to First Matie today, talking about Andy, and a general catch up. Later getting texts from another former colleague Debs about Andy too, as she had just found out. An early night. Below Lorraine and I often look at the lovely shape of this copse.

Slept like a large baby. Got up and started working on cattle plague concepts. Still had the misty beasts of County Clare in my head. Worked on this all day, pausing only to go for a bit of a walk, while listening to and talk to Mum. Mason had woken up with a bleeding ear the other day, which because of his medications had resulted in him having bloody pillows, which understandably put the willies up everyone. It had to be cauterised. Storm Doris, a 'weather bomb' according to the news arrived today. Not at its fiercest in Brighton, it was still well blowy. One of the velux windows was open and banging from it. Lorraine and Beth out having a mother and daughter afternoon, which included shopping and the eating of afternoon tea at the Salt House, which sparked much critical debate. I meanwhile tried to avoid the googled images of cattle with pus streaming eyes. When the ladies returned, Lorraine had bought me a pair of new blue slippers, with strangely squidgy insoles. Par...

Rather wild and stormy overnight. Gradually got ourselves packed ate mushrooms on toast and Sue got the house sparkling clean. While far from clear today, the nearest of the Aran islands, Inisheer, was visible as a blurry dark line. John drove us a different route across the country to Dublin. This time we went through the local town called Ennistimon or Ennistymon depending where you look, where we glimpsed Nagle's Bar and Undertaker once more. A business that does both, which rather captured my imagination. Then down through Ennis the county town, and down to Limerick which was a solid looking purposeful port town, and from here it was only a short way to Tipperary.  Then across the middle of the country to Dublin, passing a poster alongside the M7 motorway at one point inviting people, rather surprisingly, to president Obama's ancestral village. While on route to Dublin I got a text from Pat, saying that Andy, a former art director partner of mine  and Pat's in the ...

Another misty day. The Aran islands are visible from Sue and John's house on a normal day, but it was another strangely misty one. John drove us to Lahinch where we walked along by the white sea, while John sat sensibly in the car. The sea white as anything. I bought Lady Gregory's Complete Irish Legends . Then we went off to The Cliffs of Moher , which were breathtaking. There is a sort of tourist centre nearby burrowed into the hillside. There was a very smart wind and then rain whipping off the sea, and it felt quite exposed. It is a massive tourist attraction, and I can see why. John was saying that people used to gather there to wave to the ships their relatives were on as they sailed off to America, never to be seen again. Then home, and reading a book John had lent me called Whoredom in Kimmage , a sort of travel book written by Rosemary Mahoney, which was rather funny. Also succumbed to the luxury of an afternoon snooze. In the evening, a bit of a wild night, off t...

Up and clear headed to take a business call at 10:00 this morning. Then another day of fog and damp rolling in from the sea. The cloud was a touch higher today, however, so when we were at sea level down in Doolin past O'Connors and the little river that rushes by it, down to the sea we had an inspiring view of the cliffs, with great Atlantic waves breaking against them. Climb up a few dozen metres and we were in the cloud again. John drove us around lots today, along the coastal road, which is such a weird science fictional place, with the sheets and curves of the limestone rock curving into a wild misty grey sea. Stolid cattle finding scraps to eat here and there, and farmers driving out to see them in jeeps. Along the coast, past tiny broken stone fishermen's cottages, through some villages and we stopped for a drink in a pub by a little harbour. Then we went off to visit Yeats' Tower, Thoor Ballylee, we were the only people there for some of the time. Yeats wrote ab...

A mysterious foggy day in County Clare. John and I drove to the nearby town, Ennistimon, to buy breakfast and food for the day. John pointing out an undertakers which also has a bar in it, which was rather marvellous and made me want to visit it. He drove us down narrow country roads with fields woods and a general Tolkeinesque fog on the barrow downs feel to it. There is a local claim that the Lord of The Rings was inspired by the nearby landscape . I'm certain Tolkien would have loved the landscape here. But the dates don't add up. He had already published the Hobbit in the 1930s Home and a lovely big breakfast, and then John drove us off to explore. We drove to a nearby ruined Church, the landscape is marvellously populated with evocative ruins of old stone houses, enormous stately houses, and churches (added atmosphere with the mist). There is a Lahiff family grave, a photo of that below. Also a Sheela na gig holding herself open invitingly above the ruined church door. ...

Up and nipping around the corner to buy breakfast to get the day started. Then a packing frenzy before Lorraine and I drove off to Gatwick. Nice to be back there, though on the Ryanair plane it was not cattle class, more factory farm class. I felt claustrophobic, far from a window, and only the migraine inducing yellow and blue colour scheme to look at. My ears are rubbish, lurching when the plane turns. Poor Lorraine crammed into a middle seat, while I go through the full Woody Allen on the isle seat.  However the price is attractive, and we made it to Dublin safely and in good time. Met by Sue, now sporting a blond cut, and still slim, and were taken outside to climb into a car with John. Then a long drive through Dublin then across the middle of Ireland to the west coast, chatting as we went. John a mine of information about Ireland's history, and also was taught the way to read Irish car number plates, which include the area they came from. Then we arrived at Doolin, having...

A day of various parts. Did work on the novel, then worked through a list of got-to-dos, including chasing up the door people, who are coming to replace our front door. After I said hello to Sonia, I headed off for a long walk in bright and sunny weather. Walked for two hours, listening to the book about C.S. Lewis as I went. In Preston park, which was part of the walk, saw these crocuses which made me feel happy and spring like, and paused to buy a cup of tea and a blueberry muffin to eat in the cafe. As I was doing this, I was offered yet another job for the days we are going to be in Ireland. Lorraine home and now on half term. She arrived frazzled, but much improved after being coaxed to the pub for a beer and a bite to eat. Below evidence of Spring.

More walking listening with some fascination to C.S. Lewis - A Life. And more writing, and wishing I could be half the writer Lewis was. Still I'm dragging the MS into shape. Suspiciously like hard work at the moment, but my happiness with the results is forcing me forwards. Beth off to be Gloria the Hippo. Her show is going really well. Also talking to my lovely French client, wanting to know if I was early next week, however I will be in Eire, so I won't be. Typical. A quick cross channel moan about politics. Val said she has always been an optimistic person, but is struggling to see hope at the moment with a Brexit precipitated crisis in Europe, and Trump. If Le Pen gets elected in France this year, she is going back to Canada. Watching Trump's antics in his press conference today. Monsters are always just a hair away from comedy. In a parallel universe this man is hilarious. Lorraine has one more day left at school before half term. She is like a runner straining fo...

Getting down to the MS again this morning, again feeling what a boon Scrivener is. A quick chat with Toby via messenger, a conversation with a colleague about tweets, but otherwise working fairly steadily. A walk in the afternoon off to see Janet and Ken, listening to the C.S. Lewis biography.   They are hoping to move house in a month or so. Janet had just found out the place they are moving to is in some need of electrical work, but she doesn't begrudge this too much as the house was had at a good price. Ken looked well, and cheery and sitting in his usual chair, much improved from a spell when he was prescribed antibiotics that didn't agree with him, nor proved necessary. Home and cooked, and spoke to Mum this evening. Beth home tonight, having done the first real show (which went down excellently) and pausing afterwards to drink some peach schnapps and lemonade with the cast afterwards in the trusty Crown and Anchor.  On the way to Janet and Ken, some scr...

Nose to the grindstone today, apart from an hour's walk to oxygenate and exercise. This blinking manuscript is hard work. But I want it actually to be good, so sticking with it. Off this evening to Eastbourne in the car with Lorraine and John to see Beth in the dress rehearsal of Madagascar where Beth plays an all-singing and dancing hippo, in fact she puts the hippo in the  Eastbourne Royal Hippodrome Theatre. Dress rehearsal seemed to go well, and it was actually a high-energy show that I enjoyed and I am sure the droves of children going to see it this half term will lap up too. Beth excellent as usual, and singing really well. Afterwards we went for a bite to eat in the Crown and Anchor and a couple of beers. A man sitting with a parrot on his shoulder at the bar. Perfectly acceptable provender there at a decent price too. Drove home, avoiding blocked motorways and dropped Betty and John off in Hove before going gratefully to bed. Below Betty being Gloria the hip hip hippo....

Almost no sleep after 2:30 last night for some reason. But lots of writing today and lots of walking too. At the top of the nearest down on the edge of town is an iron age Hollingbury Hillfort.  There doesn't seem to be much information about it. Anyway, much mooching about today listening to  C.S. Lewis - A Life by Alister E. McGrath, which I am quiet enjoying. Otherwise hard at work on the MS. Lorraine home late tonight, and Beth rehearsing, so I watched Son of Saul on Netflix. Absolutely brilliant, although utterly bleak, film of the experience of someone enslaved as a Sonderkommando in Auschwitz. Very pleased when Lorraine came home.

Up slowly, and had some breakfast, before Lorraine and I walked down to the Marwood where we met Sophie and Andros for a coffee and a good deal of talking too. Just really good fun to be hanging out with them again. Appropriately, we sat in the Naughty Corner. I drank three coffees. Good to hear about how Christof and Electra were doing, and talk to Andros about films and Sophie about life. Looking again at The Shining door they have there complete with a plastic Jack Nicholson face poking through it. Of course Andros worked on The Shining . Fond farewells, Sophie and Andros heading back off to London, and Lorraine and I went home by bus, and Lorraine worked on school things, and I did bits of my own work, cooked and so on.  Also did some sorting out of clothes, and our shared wardrobe. We threw out lots of my ratty teeshirts.

A businesslike Saturday. Off today to Eastbourne to have the Telltale AGM. Was driven over by Sarah, who insisted I put my bag in the boot instead of the back seat in case it went under one of the pedals. I really like Sarah. To Robin's new home, which is absolutely lovely, with huge, high-ceilinged rooms, and an immense garden. Discussed the future of Telltale with Sarah, Robin and Jess. I said I didn't want to continue with it and Robin said neither did she. I have agreed to do some bits this year, and hopefully we will have an anthology at the end of the year. If it continues in some shape or form will not be down to me. Rather mixed feelings about this, but I feel I have to focus. Drove home cheerily with Sarah, who dropped me at home. A long planned pleasant evening with John and Beth, and a delivery curry which I felt like wolfing down.

Quite excited that Lorraine was actually working from home today. Did a fair amount of work today, and in the afternoon worked on a potential new business opportunity, then went for a walk. Very cold today. To Hove with Lorraine on the bus in the evening to a Vegan restaurant called Rootcandi where we met Sophie and Andros and ate vegetables. Everyone liked the restaurant, although I have to admit that vegan is not my favourite way of eating, although it is pure in a Jainist way. I offset this with some Singha beer. Really happy to see Andros so well. Apparently he had an operation last year, that pretty much brought him back to life having been given five days to live. He now can walk faster than Sophie. Amazing. Much to catch up on.  Luckily we see them again in Sunday.

To London. Lorraine and I left early, she dropped me at Preston Park. I had left with bags of extra time, but the train was cancelled, the next one slow and delayed. At Victoria the District line so crowded that everyone was kept outside the station. Some days the travel gods are against you and there's nothing you can do about it. After about 25 minutes people, led by a particularly aggressive  woman, began hectoring the young woman on the gate. Then at last we were let in. Late, I still scraped in just before the big meeting with my chums in Chiswick. A new client, and quite a nice one. An interesting project; a lengthy brainstorm and a working lunch. I managed to shun Maltesers, M&Ms etc. that others were picking at during the morning. Nice to see my Chiswick pals again. And one particularly nice client. All done by early in the afternoon. A fairly smooth journey. Lorraine home on time having picked up a stomach bug from school. She spent the evening curled up on the sof...

Unwanted visuals and headache gone today. A bit of a wan post migraine day feeling glum and wanting to be springy and full of life but finding myself feeling old and creaky. However did plenty of work, and spoke to Mum who has had a welcome break from visiting hospitals on her own account and with Mas, and Janet who kindly offered me a chair she won't have any use for. I also went for a short walk. Passed a lad of about sixteen on the nice middle class streets hereabouts who, when I was about ten yards away from him, lit up his joint. This caused me to breathe an unwanted lungful as I passed. There is nothing furtive about smoking a joint these days as there was when I was a lad. People are literally happy to puff it in your tetchy old face as you walk past. Perhaps he thought he was doing me a favour.

A good start today, pressing on really well with the on the long MS. Looking out of my window I could see the windmill on the far horizon and a blue sunny sky. Next time I looked up the house was in the middle of a dense fog, which itself disappeared a bit later. Felt quite tired and underpowered again. Had a coffee to perk up, and an hour later at 1:30, and thinking about going for a short stroll, suddenly I couldn't see my screen properly. I went to the mirror and looked into my own eyes, and it is a sure sign of a migraine that when you can't see your own eyeball that it is a migraine. Soon the eye spangles started and it pretty much wrote off the rest of the day feeling wussy with a hurting head.  After a short sleep, I crawled back to my desk to join a teleconference, but mercifully this was only half an hour and I had to listen and not talk.

All yesterday I felt about to go down with a bad cold, tired and achey, and then no cold appears, but the tired and achey persists. Worked steadily through the day however, and took a short walk. I'm trying to focus on the MS at the moment to the exclusion of everything else. Although it is not easy trying to bring the thing into final shape, it is rewarding and I do have gleams of hope about it too. In the morning Janet called me, rather upset over Ken who has had a bladder infection, and since being put on antibiotics has been very unsteady on his feet, and has fallen over. I spoke to her later and the doctor had called by and a physiotherapist. The doctor had taken him off the antibiotics as he had no infection anyway. Hopefully this will help. Spoke to Mum at tea time, she was just back from the hospital saying she had self diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but the doctor at the Royal Free Hospital thought it was unlikely. Which was good to know, although she is going back ...

A fast journey to Ashford and we were there in an hour, listening to Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, with rugby referee Nigel Owens, in what turned out to be an inspiring show that had Lorraine and I glistening at the eyes as she drove. It was filled with passionate Welsh tunes, and ended with I am what I am . Before that was a really tense Archers omnibus. The Archers used to concern itself with chutney recipe controversies, to a backdrop of moos in the cowshed. Now its all mothers tearing stolen babies from the arms of psychotic kidnappers. Then we arrived at Pat and Maureen's for a cup of tea before Lorraine drove us to The Blacksmiths Arms, where we had some good quality soup and roast turkey, a great deal of vegetables, and the no-brainer choice of an excellent lemon meringue pie. Friendly in there, especially to Pat. Home and the luxury of a doze in the armchair. Having mentioned to Pat and Maureen about my desire to wear smarter clothes, and Pat offered me a pick from his...

Lorraine deciding not to do any work this weekend, which was great. We had breakfast then drove off to Lidl in Shoreham, and popped into B and Q to buy some sealant gel for the bathroom, and cat biscuits. Then we went for an hour's walk along the seafront in Hove. The stones from the beach on the walkway again, which often happens. Lorraine collecting empty mermaid's purses to take to school, as dozens of them had been washed up. We stopped at the meeting place for a cup of tea and an exemplary rock cake, looking out to sea. The horizon now dotted with the Rampion Wind Farm , while I am all in favour of sustainable energy, it does make me feel a bit nimbyish about the cluttering of Brighton's traditional view of an unbroken horizon. Then home, watching final score. I felt tired and achey and slept heavily, and woke up feeling very disoriented. Every time I think I am recovering from this virus I am ambushed again. Match of the Day enjoyable as Chelsea extended their le...

Good work on the novel this morning, then I mooched down to meet Catherine for papal audience in The Bath Arms, ate fish and chips and talked at Catherine till her ears wilted. Catherine with a day off from the University, really good to see her, although work has been hard, she's been off colour with a virus, and she was sad as one of her and Tanya's beloved cats died on Monday. Pet deaths are tough. One of unappealing characteristics is moaning. Once I have moaned wretchedly for a while, I feel cleansed, happy and optimistic. Weirdly the hearers of this moaning don't always feel the same way. Luckily Catherine is made of robust stuff, and endures a bit of moaning in good spirit. She is a most excellent person to talk to, funny and entertaining and inspiring. Perhaps my subconscious takes her Pope surname to heart, and I come away feeling absolved. Walked home afterwards in a good deal of rain, and felt suddenly very flat and tired. Spoke to Mum, in a flat and tired wa...

Another good working day, progressing with intensity and focus. Afterwards went for an hour and a half walk late in the afternoon. Finished listening to A Little History of Religion . As someone who is somewhere between being an agnostic and a theist, I found the book to be a dispassionate overview of how religions grew and added to one another's stories. Not a great deal in there that was new to me, but generally it confirmed my prejudices. Went for a long walk. I'm infuriatingly still low on physical energy, but I plodded along, finding little rewards as I went such as this late afternoon lovely light in Brighton. Energy or none, I still am focused on walking my 10k paces.

Fox in the garden today. A dog fox I think, which I have seen a few times now. It might explain the skittishness of the cats, and Brian who blatantly sprayed near the back door while I was standing there. He received a few of my opinions. Beth still not well, but heading gamely off into the world again, to do rehearsals. Otherwise a quiet and focused day of working on the story. Took myself for a long walk in the afternoon. Inventing a new circuit to the top of the nearest big hill, and through two parks. It does my ten thousand paces in one hit. A bit drizzly but satisfying nevertheless. At the end of it I passed a bakers selling strangely magnetic iced buns, and it took a good deal of willpower to overcome this bun struggle. Minimal lunches, in an effort to lose some weight, may explain it. I made a pork stew, in a home made chicken stock crammed with a multitude of vegetables for supper today, administered to my lovely wife after going to Pilates tonight.