under another sun

Woke up feeling hung over. Who would have thought that drinking beers with a migrainey head was a bad idea? Feeling wan and migrainey most of the day. And missed out on everyone else going to the beach and cavorting in the sea in Hove. I spent much of the afternoon asleep and felt somewhat better for it. When Sam and Jade came back home with Lorraine, she cooked the amazing vegan noodles we'd had with Sian. They may have been even better this time. Then Sam and Jade went out to meet Beth again, and go to the Basketmakers to meet Carrie, who Lorraine's ex had been going out with when I first met Lorraine. She is a nice woman, and fond of Beth and Sam. Lorraine and I, by now feeling almost human again, had a quiet night in. And lovely it was too.

Up early and off by bus and then a bit of a walk in the light rain to Hove Polyclinic where I was meeting Janet who had gone there for a blood test. I arrived before her, and cleverly secured a ticket from their ticket machine, so that when we arrived Janet could go straight through. The nurses very sympathetic there, and chatted kindly to Janet. Any medical encounter is triggering her at the moment. We drove from there to the Waitrose nearby where Janet bought a couple of bits, and we had coffee and talked quite a bit. Then she drove home, and I called Betty to see if she was ready to come with me on the bus to see Sam and Jade. She wasn't. The weather improving rapidly, I came home, and then we four walked down into Brighton. I asked Jade what she thought of Jordan B Petersen, and it wasn't good. Interesting to hear her opinions about him, as I have thought quite a bit about him having read his book when I was in Spain. Both Sam and Jade thought him a bad thing. Once in...

Woke up feeling fairly early, but then found myself while in bed having spangly migraine eyes, and feeling very tired. Simply went back to sleep again for some time. Had a dullish headache all day, and felt a bit out of things. Nevertheless Lorraine and I set about getting the house ready for Sam and Jade who arrived this afternoon. Jade has just submitted her PhD, and they were in holiday mood but both pretty tired. We caught a cab with them off to a vegan pizzeria Purezza on St James's Street in Kemptown.  It had been raining off and on most of the day. We got there and met up with John and Beth, who had bussed most of the way, but were utterly soaked to the skin just before they arrived. I quite liked the pizza, and Purezza is certainly somewhere I'd go again if I had a craving for something that was a bit like a pizza but not quite. Obviously ethically Purezza is spot on, and if this planet is to be saved if we all were vegans, this might help a good deal. We then nipp...

I got up and went down the road to buy a sliced chewy brown (20p more than the unsliced). A slow morning, as a consequence of going to bed ridiculously late. I brought us breakfast in bed, and then we only got up around midday. Then a bout of tidying up things gradually reclaiming our house, as the rain fell intermittently and gales blew. Sian came around and we had a lovely afternoon just hanging out. She brought us a heart she had bought in at Moulin Huet pottery, with Don't fret you're at Moulin Huet on it, which of course was lovely. She'd been visiting her sister Lin before she returns back to Blighty to live.  Lorraine and Sian did some cooking together, of a recipe from the Guardian, vegan clay pot noodles, with smoked tofu, which beetroot and walnuts and coriander, and rather delicious to boot. We drove Sian off to the station, and then collapsed onto the gold sofa, and happily vegged out, watching a couple of episodes of GLOW, which was great, and the end of a...

Up early because of Plumbers, who did not turn up immediately. Had breakfast with Toby who was now heading off to Aberystwyth, a bit of an epic rail journey via London and Birmingham.  Sad to see him go, but we will hook up next week. No water this morning, as there was a burst water main just down the road. Took a few hours to sort out. Plumbers arrived, and finally finished installing the shower. An electrician is coming next Friday, just for one or two bits, but it is done. It looks good too. Only took 'em four weeks. In the afternoon, once we were free of workmen, and Sonia had arrived, we made off to Hassocks garden centre and bought Lorraine the sun lounger she had been craving. Then home. The sky looking somewhat suspect, and a bit of a wind gathering. We took he sun lounger out onto the decking, and soon it was thundering and raining hard, for the first time in over 50 days. In the evening off to a drink to celebrate Innis's birthday, at the Bottom's Rest.  ...

Up fairly fresh, despite Calliope's best efforts. She managed to get out onto the roof in the night, and yowled through the velux windows till I got up and rescued her. As a thank you she went into he garden, and returned shortly after with a live frog which when I got out of bed to deal with it, it jumped wetly on my foot forcing me to yelp like the heroine of a Victorian melodrama. As the plumbing was coming to some kind of culmination. Toby and I suck to home for the morning and early afternoon. We sat outside drinking coffee and chatting. And when it was too sunny to sit outside, being the hottest day in recorded history, or something like it, we came inside where the plumber insisted on putting the radiators on to test the new radiator in the bathroom. Eventually the plumbing stopped with promises to actually finish it tomorrow. I till believe it when I see it. Toby and I free then to go for a walk, into Preston Park, and it was seriously warm. Mooching about chatting abou...

Another swelteringly hot day. Lorraine off to work, and out this evening seeing Carolyn. The plumber arrived this morning, and work recommenced on the bathroom. I managed to do some fairly good writing first thing despite this. Somewhat cheesed off by the fact that the house looked like a bomb had hit it just in time for Toby's arrival. The Tobster confirmed his imminent manifestation on the train from Victoria, so I happily left the banging and crashing stuff, and mooched down to Brighton. Great to see him, and we walked down to drink coffee and sweeter in a cafe on Trafalgar Street. Then we took a long walk around town and down alongside the sea. It was almost too hot to walk, so we dodged between what shadows there were, and settling briefly in the Lion and Lobster in Hove where we drank refreshing bitter shandies. Then after contacting Beth and John we made our way to Hove Place were we met them for a drink. We started with pints of soda and lime. Good to see Beth and John, w...

No plumbers today because: reasons. They will start tomorrow. I had a fairly good day's work, though the heat huge still. Apparently unusual conditions in the Atlantic and a sluggish jet stream, have combined to create conditions like 1976, exacerbated by global warming. Even parts of Scandinavia are aflame, and deadly fires have broken out near Athens. I think of Chad sometimes when I'm walking around on the edge of the sun-dried downs. This is not normal. A walk this afternoon just around sun-baked local parks to get to my 10k paces. Lorraine's last day at school (with school kids in) today. The leaver's service went well, and she returned home laden with gifts. Ate salad outside this evening, and drank a glass of Pimms in celebration.

The tiler came and simply tiled the bathroom. The job that started 20 days ago has made a step forward. I went out this afternoon for a late lunch with Rosie, Innis and their pal Julia. Most importantly for Rosie, was a puppy called Pippi. I was told off for referring to Pippi as 'it'. Pippi was a rather gorgeous little puppy as you can see from below. Interesting chats with everyone, and interested to hear about Julia's trips to Sri Lanka with charities, and the hideous aftermath of the tsunami there. Apparently, there was a 'second wave' an unrestrained outbreak of rapes and attacks that has left a legacy of orphaned children, and 'bad' girls. Having been to Sri Lanka and met some of the people there in the past, I find this second wave of brutality difficult to imagine. We left The Better Half, a lovely pub in Hove I'd not been to before, and it was clear that Pippi hadn't got the hang of walking yet, and needed a few drags to get her going...

Up late and Lorraine and I off to The Geese  (full of honkies) to meet Catherine and Tanya. Lovely to see them both. I always come away feeling uplifted and mentally stimulated by seeing them. We had a good Sunday lunch in the pub, and talked for several hours. Pleased to hear that Catherine and Alex, who I introduced, are doing great things together. Catherine is now a Yurt keeper, and has run courses. Catherine how has an office, jokingly known as CPHQ. Tanya has plenty of work now as an Indexer and Editor , having embarked on her business in the last year. Tanya and I were sat by the open window, with sun on our backs, and what with that and the music, and the large lunch washed down with a couple of beers, it felt a very good place to be. Lorraine and I walked back home, then unaccountably fell into a snooze. In the evening Beth and John, all glowing after being at the beach today, came around for supper, and a game of Euchre before running off for the 5b to take them home, j...

Up fairly early for a Saturday morning. Lorraine off to the gym, but dropped me off at the hospital, where I met Janet, and we went in together for an appointment she was having. She needed a CT scan and some blood tests, but it all turned into a Kafka/Samuel Beckett/Orwell style of nightmare and we were only done six and a half hours later. Most of the time was spent in waiting rooms, waiting for information that never came. We chatted lots, and I was pleased I could help Janet a little bit through this ordeal. It gave me a sort of business idea about waiting rooms which might be useful. Very stressful business for Janet. Ken was being looked after by a carer, but we were hours later than expected, so luckily Hus had been phoned and had gone around to look after Ken. We caught a cab back from the hospital, and I left the taxi in time to join Lorraine, Lynn and Malcolm who were in Riddle & Finns eating various sea creatures. We had a really cheerful evening, which I was ready for...

A really good day for me. Able to focus, I wrote a poem I really like this morning, among other stuff, then went for a three hour saunter with my boots on down to Stanmer House through the woods in the afternoon, which was good fun. Again very hot and somewhat overcast. I felt tiny spits of rain in the air without it actually raining. The land is parched. Home after four and a hot shower, and some reading of Psalms from the Old Testament. I've systematically looked at these before, and some of them are nasty and violent. In the evening, Lorraine was home early, and we shuffled off to the PPT for some surprisingly excellent fish and chips and some cold beer. Home again early, and we fell into watching on Netflix a series called Glow, about women's wrestling, which was surprisingly good. Walking by the side of a field, and a crow.

Thanks to Lorraine this morning calling up the plumbers, it turns out that work will resume next Monday. So a day of peace. Spoke to Mum today, and the neighbours next door with the concrete dogs, and increasingly mad wall building and cat shouting antics, have a sold sign on their for sale board outside their house. This a generally excellent thing. A strange day's work, false starts in my newly freed up morning, but I had a good idea in the late afternoon which turned it into quite a good day. Went for a walk into town, and picked up Lorraine's watch from having a new battery in it, and walked onto the pier, now with a new sign on it reverting to its original name, Brighton Palace Pier. Another scorcher of course. Loads of people in the water, many fully clothed oddly, and it put me in mind of an L.S. Lowry picture a bit.

No tiler still, but spent some of the day trying to get answers from plumbers. Filled with impotent frustration. Apparently the tiler will not answer the plumber's calls etc. However in the afternoon I took a long walk of exploration, found myself walking, and getting lost in, amazing woodland around and about Stanmer House. There are extensive woods and fields there and loads of walking to be done. However, I forgot my specs so couldn't read google maps, so had to do a bit of doubling back on myself. An amazing walk however, although I post no pictures of being in woods, as my woodland photos always just look like lots of trees. Went to a cafe in Stanmer village, and glugged tea and lemonade and a scone. The long walk helped me feel much happier, and my step counter app said I'd walked ten miles today. Below are photos taken just opposite Hollingbury Hillfort on the opposite side. The sky was really threatening, but there was no rain. There is something in the I Ching,...

Waiting for Alex the tiler who did not come today. In my mind I changed his name to Wat Tyler. Also chasing the plumber, who doesn't return my calls. Time-consuming and frustrating which, despite my best efforts, puts me into a bad mood. This not at all helpful for writing, although I did manage to fix some of the damage I had done to three new poems by reverting to their earlier versions, and I also cut the hedge. And did some reading. It's come to something when these things feel like your only accomplishments of the day. I have had a golden opportunity to write, since we returned from Spain, but on most days I've been disrupted, if not by noise and people, by having to wait at home for people who don't arrive. Lorraine working late tonight. I watched some TV, a documentary about Joan Didion on Netflix. I read her book about her bereavement, A Year of Magical Thinking, which I was a bit so-so about, but the documentary made me want to reconsider her. Tom arrived l...

Waiting for plumbers who arrived this afternoon, to install the second replacement of the shower tray.  This one duly inspected by me and seems to be fine. They went away, and now it is the turn of the tiler. Again, all this disruptive. When I do get the opportunity to think, I'm not working well at present. Still, I went for another pleasant walk this afternoon up around Hollingbury Hillfort. Spoke to Mum, and Ben was there looking at the computer virus software. Mason had given his credit card to a bogus Microsoft caller from India, and so they had to spend the day cancelling cards. The fraudsters tried to extract money from the bank, but luckily the bank would not release it. So no harm done in the end, thank goodness. Home and ate outside with Lorraine of salad and roast chicken of my own devising. Below on the ridge east of the Hollingbury golf course, and a view down into Brighton, with the i360 (iSore) and the Rampion wind farm on the horizon.

Up and doing things in the garden. The drought has done horrid things to it, and there is little point in planting anything at the moment, as it won't survive us going away on holiday. To B&Q where we bought a willow lattice that fits perfectly over the bars of our Juliette balcony. Which means that, once the bathroom is done, we can sleep with the doors open to the sky, without the danger of Brian flinging himself off onto the rooftop, only for me to have to rescue him. In the afternoon off to Eastbourne, for a summer garden party. It is great that Lorraine didn't have to work today, as she normally does on Sunday. We drove alongside the downs, which are unusually golden coloured and dry. Lovely party it was too, and catered, so there were smart young men opening the door and leading us to the garden, and handing out finger food and topping up your drinks. Robin and Nick have done amazing things with their garden, which is huge and has been elegantly designed. Had lo...

A really nice day today, spent with Lorraine. We walked into town where I got a new tan coloured watch strap, to compliment the green face of my nice watch, and Lorraine looked at clothes and shoes and so on. As we were mooching about, I kept noticing young women with botoxed faces to give them trout pouts. To me this intervention makes otherwise attractive people look a bit gormless. We went to giggling squid together for a lunchtime snack and there was a frozen faced woman in there, whose lips were so bloated that she could only eat without her mouth open. In the evening off to Bolney, to the village hall, where a charity evening had been set up on behalf of Hope House Haiti . Bolney has a strong link with this charity. A fun night, with tropical flavours, and about 150 people wearing garlands, and tropical clothes. Really nice Caribbean food too, such as goat curry, ('made with lamb because we couldn't catch the goats'), rice and peas, jerk chicken, and a chilli hot an...

Up early and to tell the plumbers we don't want plastic. The stuff should be here on Monday, and the installation can resume, I hope, now into its third week. As yesterday, trying to work with little avail, while waiting for plumbers to get back to me and so on. A nice chat with Sonia, and I went for a walk for an hour and three quarters, and felt a good deal better for that. Listening to The Painted Veil   by W. Somerset Maugham. For some reason I have never read Maugham before. Orwell admired him, and I can see why. There is a coldness and clarity about his writing. Nice to be out and about, but still very hot. Thunder here and there in Southern England, not not a spot of rain here. It is now clearly a drought. Meanwhile Trump is in England. Felt bad I did not go to the protests in London, in some ways. But keyboard warrior that I am I put something on facebook and twitter. The ignorant narcissistic Trump was a disgrace, contradicting himself, in his usual modus operandi, ...

While writing today, I skilfully make quite promising things much worse till I stopped. I am feeling stale, and easily put off my stroke. Tom came this morning, and went straight to sleep in the spare room. Luckily there was no crashing today, but the bathroom saga continues, plumbers on the phone suggesting a plastic shower tray, and talked me into this. By the end of the day, and talking this over with Lorraine and the internet, it was clear I'd made the wrong decision, so will have to reverse this tomorrow. Walked to Hove this afternoon, to call on Janet and Ken. Janet is feeling down for several understandable reasons, not least the recent death of her sister. She has seen the doctor recently too, who has suggested a scan on her liver. We ate the chocolate walnut brownies and chatted, and then went up a ladder to peer at various smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and track down one that was beeping, which (with my usual DIY talents) fell out of the ceiling Rawlplugs and all a...

Another nocturnal frog horror thanks to Calliope. Up early to let Alex the tiler in, who quickly found a chipped corner of the second shower tray, so the tray must be replaced yet again. This now pushes the whole job deep into next week, the disruption continues. Progress in any direction feels hard at the moment. I left home at five and walked up to Anton's house to watch England play Croatia. Anne very exercised by having sat through an endless Roger Federer game at Wimbledon, which Federer lost. Anton preparing food and excellent burgers with homemade salsa and blue cheese dip, which we ate in the second half of the game, which went on to extra time. Lorraine arrived shortly after England had scored their early goal by the consistently excellent Kieran Trippier. Sadly, however, football is not coming home. England lost a close match, after a promising start. Overall England had done well and played with heartening freedom and with more teamwork than has been since 1990. N...

Up early. A good night's sleep, and a cooler more comfortable day, with no frog incidents. Lorraine off to work, being very busy. I got down to some writing, wrote a new draft of a poem, which I was quite pleased with. Next door were having their TV fixed which meant a man was climbing overhead of my study roof for a bit. Sigh. Washed the kitchen windows, and my study window, which had a big  sunbaked streak of guano on it, and tidied up. If in doubt: tidy up. Early afternoon the plumbers arrived, and hammered out the shower tray with a hairline crack and replaced it. Meanwhile I settled into a good afternoon's work, and felt fairly productive. In the evening I walked to Hove to meet Innis for a drink. Met him in The Paris House, which was empty and the beer overpriced. We sloped down to The Bottom's Rest and sat outside eating wasabi peanuts drinking beer, chatting about books and photography, and toyed with potential projects and rejected them for good reasons. The...

Another hot and atrociously frog-filled night. Had to get up twice to deal with hopping frogs and a monomaniac Calliope in a ghastly nocturnal struggle. The tiler was ringing on the doorbell at seven thirty, just as Lorraine was leaving, and I had fallen asleep really heavily again. Bleary chats with Alex the tiler, who just as he was getting to work spotted a hairline fracture in the shower tray, so this must be replaced before tiling can begin. A delay, but better than a leaking shower. I enjoyed the hiatus of quiet when it resumed. Worked at my bits of poems, list making and so on, although feeling  bushed all day. A walk in the afternoon, but very hot. Finished listening to Down and Out in London and Paris today by George Orwell. The difference was there were a few clouds in the sky, some quite dark, but no rain. The land is crying out for rain now, and our garden is shrivelling. The Brexit disaster drags on. I've tried not to fill this blog with remoaning. But today two ...

Lorraine knee deep in writing school reports all day. After we'd got up, I wrote a bit, listened to music by Barry Mills   and went for a long walk in the heat, listening to Down and out in Paris and London, and skirting about on the edge of town. In the evening we got the bus to Hove and had a Greek meal with Betty and John to celebrate Beth having passed her driving test. A good meal it was too. We sat outside on a table in the street, as the evening was so warm, and tucked into some good Greek grub. Beth and John quite cheery, and Beth very pleased she has passed her test, although it won't seem quite real till they get the insurance sorted on Lorraine's old car. On the way home I sent Beth a picture of a slice of chewy brown bread with a heart shaped hole in it, framing Lorraine's face. And Beth sent me a clip of a woman doing ridiculous sneezes, rather like Lorraine. Below, Lorraine framed by chewy brown bread. Views from around Holingbury, down towards the f...

Lorraine somewhat worn out this morning. Another scorcher. I felt curiously invigorated, and got up and bought bread and took Lorraine breakfast, and then got up again and cleaned the kitchen, mopped floors and hoovered. Then the rest of the day was given over to sloth and football. Anton came around and we three ate salty snacks, drank some beer and watched England beat Sweden, to secure them a spot in the World Cup semi-finals, the first time since 1990. Weirdly, the English seemed to be having fun and expressing themselves, and had a comfortable 2-0 win. Gareth Southgate is an excellent manager. I really want Raheem Stirling to score a goal, because he went to my old school in Wembley, and his hesitancy in an England shirt in front of goal is so obviously a psychological glitch. He sends fear into the hearts of the opposing defence with dribbling and darting runs. One goal from him will unleash a torrent. Enjoyed having Anton round, and we seemed to drink quite a lot of beer, b...

A blissful morning, without labouring or drilling etc. overhead. Got to grips with some good work, and feel at the end of the week, that I have evolved a progress plan, have identified several weaknesses in what I've been doing, and know what my next steps are. I feel as if I have turned a corner somehow. Because not having to be at the house, I set off for a walk. But I got no further than about three yards, when I started to chat to Clem, and soon found myself up on the roof looking at tiles, and firewalls, and discussing what to do about the fact that the cheeky bastard who had fixed our TV a couple of years ago, had done so by simply legging across the roofs and sticking it onto Clem's chimney. Also looked at lead flashing etc which has split on our roof and may cause damp in our bedroom. Seems I am destined for domestic doings. Clem however, is expert in all these kind of things, which is good. After this done, I resumed my walk, and walked for a couple of hours or mor...

Hot and uncomfortable night. Just one plumber today, and so slightly easier to get some work done.  Really hot again, and sat on a little table out in the back garden.  The en suite bathroom is now taking shape, and ready for the tiler, who will come on Monday I think.

Poop poop! Beth passed her driving test today. She called me, extremely happy, shortly after. She did it with only two minors, which apparently is excellent. Very happy for her. Plumbers here all day. They turned up early this morning, (I'd been expecting them in the afternoon) and nice blokes. They are dismantling everything in our en suite, taking away the shower that doesn't work, the bath tub that you cannot have a bath in, the broken sink and the broken toilet. All is well. Obviously this is great to do, but completely disruptive. I was able to do some pretty good thinking once they'd left however. Cooked, and a short walk around the block and sat outside in the sun for a while. When Lorraine came back we sat outside, and ate in the sun. Very hot come bedtime, and Calliope woke us up shortly after we went to bed, with a live frog hopping about, and Calliope nastying it. Betty's excellent driving instructor Dawn took this snap of her newly qualified pupil. ...

Last day before the plumbers arrive. Email working today, as I will need to be on hand for workmen for the next few days, a long walk this morning. Then lots of tiny tasks such as proofing my poem War diary in 1/72 scale, replied to my accountants, chase an unpaid invoice and other tiny tasks. A longish call with Janet, understandably feeling sad after her sister's death. I arranged to go around to see her next week. Finished The Anatomy Lesson , and begrudgingly admire it. Next up  from Roth is  Portnoy's Complaint,  but only after I finish several other books. I consulted the I Ching this afternoon, which I have not done for some time. It gave me the most positive reading I have ever had from it over several decades. Irrational thought it is, I felt quite boosted by it. Just because something is irrational, doesn't mean it is meaningless. Football this evening, England taking on Colombia, and amazingly enough beating them in the penalty shoot out. It was a...

Hot again, blue cloudless sky. Resumed my Monday desk with a song on my lips, but the melody quickly snatched away by BT internet. I could send or receive no email till the evening, and wasted time on futile conversations with people at BT, too time-consuming and dreary to go into.   Ordered tiles for the bathroom. And was watchful of Brian who had I think been in a nasty fight the night before, and was moping about but seems to be not physically harmed. Perhaps it is just his pride. More Philip Roth. The Anatomy Lesson  is full of kvetching* and not thought of as his best, and quite amazingly self-indulgent. It is one of three semi-autobiographical novels about the consequence of having written a semi-autobiographical novel. It did make me laugh when the main character, Nathan Zukerman, (an author of a famous semi-autobiographical novel) is on a plane talking to the man next to him, and telling him that he is a pornographer, and going into incredible detail about his imag...

A pinch and a punch for the first of the month. Lorraine somewhat frazzled by the week, and working yesterday doing things for the school in the village day, needed a quiet day today, and I was more than happy to oblige. Breakfast in bed, and when we did get up it was only to drink coffee on our new decking, and discuss the garden, only to decide it was too hot, and the ground too dry to actually do anything to it. We measured the bathroom area that needed tiling. We half watched the world cup, penalty shoot outs and all. A quiet and virtuous day. Lorraine chatted to Maureen, as they were back from their holiday in Finland. Also to Beth who is taking her driving test this week. Ken sent us this picture of Pat, with a two-seater Spitfire amongst other planes behind him. Great shot.