under another sun

Lorraine gave me a lift to the station. But the trains cancelled, people held outside the platform at Victoria. But managed to get to work on time. Wandered by the canal at lunchtime, which seems to be a pattern now. It is lovely and a complete break and escape from the office. A solitary pleasure, and I always feel happy at lunchtime. Feeling a bit isolated at work but it is only for a few weeks and the money is welcome. Today I read Wildfire by Richard Ford, finishing it just before arriving in Brighton. Really enjoyed it. Below a view from the morning. I snapped the queue down to the platform. I didn't notice the girl looking back at me, which makes it rather a good photo I think. Something about the mood of the photo summed up the day. Happy to be home tonight.

Back to work, this time with Lorraine getting up at the crack of dawn too. Clocks went back last night, so the day seemed to be lagging all day. I was given a lot of novels for my birthday. Reading print is much faster than listening to audiobooks. Today I read My name is Lucy Barton , by Elizabeth Stroud. I really enjoyed this, an understated, rich and thoughtful novel. Also had a pleasant stroll at lunchtime.  along the canals listening to a podcast about how dinosaurs evolved into birds. I came upon a prehistoric looking cormorant, which let me get closer to it than to any cormorant I have met before. Pleased to be home, however. Watched Star Trek with Lorraine, which was something I'd been looking forward to as a Monday sweetener. And also spoke to Janet. Below the prehistoric looking cormorant.

A slow start to Sunday, and Lorraine grateful for the fact that the clocks went back. Roused ourselves eventually to drive off to Sainsbury's and buy some vegetables. Then Lorraine took her car to be mended. Thought I had lost my wallet for a while, but luckily I had dropped it in the car. Spoke to Mum, and later on called Janet, but I guess she was at the hospital. I also wrote a chasing email to the agent who has my children's novel. The process of trying to get people to look at your work requires a resolute spirit. Beth and John came around this afternoon, and Lorraine cooked the massive shoulder of lamb that she had been given by the head of governors at her school. Obviously with my orc foot, which red meat sparks off, I was only able to eat a small amount of it. What I tasted was delicious. Lorraine made an apple pie afterwards, which was splendid. I like it when Lorraine gets serious in the kitchen. The other three forking into it with great abandon, and Beth took b...

Calliope woke me up at seven, and once she and Brian were fed, I simply took cups of tea up to bed and caught up with this blog for a bit. Lorraine got up, went down the road and bought some bread and made us a bacon and egg sandwiches, and then simply came back to bed again. Eventually we got up and went into town. I asked the lady bus driver to wait for a pensioner who was struggling to catch the bus, and found myself being told off in no uncertain terms for telling people how to do their jobs. Pensioner boarded, however.  In town I bought three belts, and Lorraine and I mooched about for a bit before heading home again. I had a judicious afternoon snooze, and then we went out again. Bus this time to Hove where we bought a few beers and went to Beth and John's flat where we had pizzas. Really nice to see Beth and John again. Beth has secured work as a Christmas Elf. Looking forward to the elfies on Facebook already. Lorraine and I met John's brother Dan for the first time. ...

Happy to reach Friday. Commute was fine there and back, and the day passed quite quickly as I was given a fair amount to do. Was moved to another seat today, and found myself opposite a planner called Severine, and we worked out that we'd once been colleagues for about two weeks ten years ago. It was a gorgeous Indian Summer day, and spent my lunchtime walking by the canals looking at  golden leaves floating on the water, and the colourful barges. Spoke briefly to Lorraine too. Quite tired by the end of the day, and happy to be on the train to Brighton. Got off at Brighton station and walked home. Lorraine had cooked, and we were just happy to be at home together tonight. Below, views around Little Venice, and sunrise at Preston Park Station.

So today was our wedding anniversary. Getting married to Lorraine clearly the best thing I've done.  I took my snoozing lovely a cup of tea and a card, and then melted away somewhat regretfully into the mizzley morning. Journey to Victoria fine, despite leaving a little later. The circle line doomed at Victoria, however, so after failing to find another way to the office I had to get a taxi. I was late, but luckily there had been a fire drill, and staff were outside on the street, so I cleverly blended in with them and nobody was any the wiser. Work okay. I have realised that the way they want me to write for this project is in the tone of completely soulless corporate guff. Now I have understood this, the job should be fairly straightforward. The chief pain of it, will be as we get nearer the event, I will be called on at all hours to update copy and help with presentations and so on, which I think I can cope with. Home, at last, and Lorraine had prepared us a romantic three c...

To work again. At last some information about what they want me to be doing, and confirmation that I will have to go to Vienna at the end of November for four days. The American senior account woman, who is very chatty and bubbly, came and high-fived me at one point for writing a letter. Briefly mooching about at lunch, as today they had given me a long list of work that needed to be done. A bit of inter agency banter on Facebook today. The French Bloke posted a picture of his office again, looking out of the window onto the River and all its intriguing fowl at Sunbury. I stood up and photographed a nasty bit of Paddington, with a jealous Bah! Robbie snuck a photo of me hunched over my laptop, with a Bah! And Matty boy posted a photo of Bei Li standing at his desk in Chiswick. The big thing today was my poetry reading. Was fairly nervous about this all day. I felt underprepared. Also no chance to go through anything, or do any kind of rehearsal at all. Was even a bit twitchy about ...

Less twitchy going into work today. Little to do, other than read through things, and research the nature of the pharma company for whom I shall be writing copy. Sat through several conference speeches. It amazes me how these leaders of industry are a) so self congratulatory, and b) say so little in their speeches. It is full of business phrases but when you boil them down they say almost nothing. Fifteen minute speeches that can be boiled down to three or four sentences. It's a different world. Mooched about in a solitary way at lunchtime again. Found an area just around the corner a bit like an amphitheatre with shops. Bought some food there. Then called Mum for a chat and started walking along a canal side, which was pretty. Lorraine and Beth off at a spa day today being pampered together and getting some quality time together, which I was pleased about, as typically I got an in-house freelance job just as half term started. Have been reading Autumn , by Ali Smith, which J...

So off to the new job. No travel card, so had to pay full whack, over £50. The journey to Paddington fine, although getting up in the dark all of a sudden a bit of a shock to a delicate creature such as myself. Looking forward to getting the first day over, as my last in house job during the Spring was pretty vile and so my confidence wasn't sky high. Hoping I wasn't going to get my satchel kicked around the playground. However, was sat in a corner, given a laptop, and sent loads of background material to read, and get my head around. This took all day. One or two friendly conversations, and Robbie there too with Spore, who is someone I had once worked with slightly years ago. Went out for a walk at lunchtime around and about in Paddington, and ended up buying a disappointing sandwich. The loneliness of the new starter. Phoned Lorraine at lunchtime, and couldn't wait to be home again. Managed to get myself a new travel id card too, had to find a photobooth in Paddington...

Sunday afternoon and a walk along the seafront with Lorraine. The sea still rough but the sun was out and everything was colourful and nice. A few good lungfuls of fresh air to be had. Then a coffee in a cafe around the corner from where Beth and John live (they were in London). A man in his nineties on the next table with two younger women, bright as a button and squeezing the lady cafe owner somewhat on the way out, before boarding his mobility scooter and zooming off. Lorraine and I then went to Waitrose and did shopping, and we had roast chicken in the evening. Lorraine rather happy that no work to be done tomorrow. I managed to ruin the evening in a futile search for my travel card, with which I am able to buy weekly and monthly season tickets for the train commute I will start tomorrow. Lorraine helped me search for an hour, and I searched for an hour and a half on top of that. But it is nowhere to be found. Still we had a delicious supper, and I managed to talk to Mum and ...

Decided to do little of nothing today. A wild and blustery day. Lorraine tired and generally out of sorts today. But in the evening, wee drove us off to the Marina and we saw the Blade Runner sequel, Blade Runner 2049 , which we both really liked. There was something really interesting how all the characters in it were somehow yearning to be more human. It looked amazing too, really beautifully desolate. Out into the wild gale again afterwards, hearing the sea roaring and seeing sea foam in the car park was rather good.

Last day of freedom, trying to get various things sorted out.  This somewhat out of tune with Lorraine, whose last day of half term this was. Spoke to Janet this morning and she told me that Ken was in hospital having broken his hip earlier this week. He is in the hospital at Haywards Heath, and so I went with her to see Ken in the afternoon. She picked me up at home, and brought me a aloe vera plant, and a birthday card. Poor Janet doing well under all the stress of it. And Ken is fairly comfortable. It is quite a nice hospital at Haywards Heath, but sad to see my old friend there, but nice to be with Janet. We had tea in the little hospital cafe, and Janet bought me a Belgian bun with a cherry on the top, and we had quite a cheery chat. Late in the afternoon, Lorraine, now finished from school came to collect me from the hospital, and we drove off to Horsham where there was a local artists exhibition in the West Sussex council building. Lorraine's pal Carolyn was exhibiting h...

Properly hung over this morning. Went downstairs and discovered I was standing a few inches away from a dried up frog, brought in by one of the cats, probably Brian. Spent time clearing the scraped off wallpaper out of the big bedroom, although bending down repeatedly set my head throbbing. I don't think the dust agrees with me, making my sinuses sore straight after.  Otherwise, a quiet day. I had send lots of information off to Paddington. Ended up having to take photographs of the documents and then turn them into PDFs, rather than simply scanning them as which took a ridiculously long time. Today the person whose bicycle had been left on the road turned up. Lorraine's hairdresser Paul had put a message on a Brighton community page. The owner lived at number 111 on our road, and as we are 11 it was a bit strange. The thief had obviously cut through the lock, then cycled it a hundred yards or so and then got off it. Weird, and annoying.  Lorraine home late, so we m...

Off to London this afternoon. I'd been doing bits and pieces at home, but not very productively. I did some poetry and managed not to make things worse, which was nice. To Victoria, and I walked down to Tate Britain, which is becoming my new favourite gallery. There was an exhibition there by Rachel Whiteread , who I have liked for years. She makes invisible spaces concrete. I didn't have enough time to go into the exhibition, but I looked at the big piece outside, which was a hundred spaces under chairs she had cast in what may have been glass or some kind of plastic. They looked like big boiled sweets. The problem I am beginning to have with Whiteread is that everything she does is an expression of the same idea. I rashly snapped two of the Francis Bacon faces, and enjoyed it when I was looking at Jacob and the Angel by Epstien, which I absolutely love, a two women stopped and sniggered at it, and then one said, "ooh look he's got wings!" From there I walk...

Bowled a bit of googley this morning. Lovely French client has had to pull the job I was working on. Somewhat disconcerted by this. The job I have starting next week is all good to go, so I will just treat the rest of the week as an opportunity to get my ducks in a row. Instead, however, I found myself tidying up the house and then going for a long walk late this afternoon which made me feel far better about everything. Anton called around this afternoon too with a birthday gift for me, two packs of amazingly beautiful playing cards, called Requiem.  He had just been to his rehabilitation exercises, and is looking very healthy indeed. Lorraine home late tonight. I cooked and we chatted. To bed reasonably early. I am reading a book about stained glass that Lorraine bought me. I am reading it out to Lorraine at night, and it sends her to sleep in about 15 seconds. Amazing. Below  starlings on a mast in Hollingbury, which were looking rather beautiful, and the gorgeous play...

Disturbed, anxious dreams. Woke up early to a rejection from The Stockholm Review. Up and onto my French work, which was pinged back and forth across the English Channel all day. I went for a couple of short walks while waiting for everything to sort itself out. Dwelling in Facebook all day, lots of women I know using the #metoo hashtag, saying they had been sexually abused. Meanwhile, in the afternoon a weirdly orange darkness descended. Shortly before three I could not make out the numbers or letters on my keyboard, even though I was sitting by my window. Brian and I went outside to investigate, and the sky was thickly overcast, with a faint orange tinge and letting no light through. It was bizarre. The mix of Saharan sand and Portuguese wildfire smoke, and been dragged up by ex-hurricane Ophelia which was currently blowing the cobwebs off Eire. It was unnaturally warm too, for an October day. I sent a tweet out about it. Turned out my most popular tweet to date would be about th...

A happily slow start to the day, reading the Guardian in bed and drinking teas. Both L and I started the day with sore throats. Strangely warm day today, and we took advantage of this by weeding and mowing the hirsute lawn. Had coffee sitting outside, and discussed multifarious plans and schemes about what we want to do with the garden and house. The only thing preventing us is the absence of sacks of cash. Then Lorraine had to do lots of school work, and I tried to do some writing. While I do not believe in writer's blocks, the force is strangely absent. I feel like I am waiting for a sign. But bitter experience tells me that if you are hoping for a boost from Lady Fortune, it never comes. Good fortune sneaks up on you, often under the guise of hard work. On that miserablist thought, to bed and work tomorrow.

A happy day. Lorraine up with the larks and off to her hairdresser. I did a bit of this, and then a bit of that, and then jumped on a bus and went off into town to meet my lovely and splendidly coiffured wife. Today was a day of trouser buying. I bought several pairs. I seem to buy trousers in batches, and my trousers were all coming to an undignified end. Looked somewhat paunchy in the changing room mirrors. After an orgy of trouser buying, off to Gars, where my Lorraine bought me lunch to celebrate my birthday. Good to sit down and chopstick down some Singapore noodles. I always enjoy Gars. Home not long after this, and a quiet snooze on the gold sofa before Dawn came, and we three surged out into a taxi. This took us to The Bottom's Rest, which is a fine pub tucked away in Hove where Rosie had booked a section of the pub for us to celebrate our birthdays. Bottom being the midsummer night's dream character, and not just a place to rest your posterior. Rosie had ordered a ...

Up early this morning. Had a bit of an ah-ha moment about my forthcoming poetry readings. Simply to position myself not as the great bard giving forth my poems, but remembering the audience are fellow travellers (most of them will be poets) about 35 years of poems including the failed experiments and some of the cul-de-sacs I found myself lost in. On another lofty literary note, finished the Diary of Adrian Mole, which was very nicely done. I walked down to the gym this morning, but had to clamber off the cross trainer after a while as I was feeling tired and hot, and my leg hurt. Home feeling a bit ancient as a consequence. I also have a flare up of eczema in my groin. The tube of cream has to be kept in the fridge. Luckily I was done applying the unguents to my privates in the kitchen before Sonia let herself in. Began my period of gainful employment this afternoon, a few hours writing about comforting pheromones for dogs who are left home alone. Had another bout of juggling date...

My birthday. Lorraine gave me a book on stained glass, and is going to send me on a stained glass window course, which will be wonderful as I love them and have often talked about this, without actually doing anything about it. Now I shall do something about it. Dozens of messages today wishing me a happy birthday, most of them through Facebook, but e-cards and, actual cards from Janet and Ken, and Maureen and Pat, and emails and so on, calls from Mum and Beth. Felt very touched by these, and the affection they represented. And for my business conundrums, everything fell perfectly into place. The folks in Paddington did want me after all. This was reassuring as I was beginning to think I had completely misinterpreted everything. Plus they are happy for me to start once I have sorted out the work I need to do for my French clients. All in all, it couldn't have worked out better. Heard people discussing The diary of Adrian Mole on the radio the other day, which is a bit Pooteri...

Up later than the larks, as Lorraine had a meeting to attend first thing, which paradoxically meant she could get out of bed at 7 not 6. Spoke to her a couple of times during the day. A bit of a tough patch at school.  This morning my lovely French clients got in touch and offered me work next week. This left me with a dilemma. I told Val in Paris that I was waiting for a decision on the job in Paddington, and would get back to her by the end of the day. Val said she was only accepting this work, if she knew I could do it, and needed to know. I messaged the Paddington folks politely pressing them for their already overdue decision. While waiting for all this to sort itself out, I mooched into town buy some eczema cream, and then I mooched into the Art Gallery as there was a sudden downpour. I took the opportunity to see some paintings by Glyn Philpot, 1884-1937, some of which I quite liked. Including a portrait of a seated woman, called Portrait of Mrs Woolmer . I just loved the ...