under another sun

Happy start to my day, with a note read in bed (sent a little after midnight) from Matthew at the Horla website saying he would use my post on horror for his site. Otherwise, a productive morning although constantly plagued by the cats, getting back in the saddle with the long story currently called Nothing compares to you . In the afternoon I went to the gym and felt pretty good afterwards. Finished listening to Rosemary's Baby on the walk home. It was very much of its time, but nicely done by Ira Levin. Liked how a mother's love trumps the fact her baby has hooves, horn buds and golden eyes at the end. Home and some more work before Lorraine arrived having had a trickier day. Maureen phoned to say she was cycling on a machine to keep her legs good. An early night.

Up early and reviewing the story I had written yesterday, called Little Horrors , which I am very pleased with. I think this story, and the one I wrote immediately before it called The Dream Home are the best short stories I have written. I feel as if I have made a breakthrough. They are both very short, just a thousand and a half words each, but there's a lot in them. Otherwise a day at home, working on bits and pieces. In the afternoon a jaunt into town. Had some coffee and worked on my pad making lists and prioritising stuff. Then home via Sainsbury's and made some food for Lorraine when she got back home. Below , I read something online about how quickly the world would return to something like normal if all humans suddenly vanished. I have long enjoyed this fantasy, and seen glimpses of this otherworld in tumbled overgrown greenhouses in Guernsey. A derelict building at the bottom of Preston Park gave me another couple of snaps to add to this thought.

Woke up feeling somewhat hungover. Unusually, I had the idea for a complete short story, which, after feeding the cats, I simply wrote in bed for a couple of hours. It is called Little Horrors . Got up feeling seedy and hungover, Lorraine and I were soon collected by Beth and John, Beth having hired a car, and we drove off to Stanmer Park, and had a nice long walk through the woods. Which proved the perfect way to recover. John and Beth charging about picking up the biggest fallen branches to menace each other and Lorraine and I with. Lots of dogs, which Beth and John are all goggle eyed over, having to give back Pippi now Rosie and Innis have returned. John showed me a film of Pippi greeting Rosie and Innis, and the little hound was ecstatic. Very sweet. After we stopped off at a cafe for a cup of coffee and sat outside. We were attended to by tame robins who hopped onto the table to eat crumbs. Beth then drove us expertly home again. Lorraine and I home and snoozed happily in t

A fairly peaceful start to the day, up fairly late. Pottering about doing things in the house. Lorraine out this evening to a ball for school. No other teachers were bringing their partners, so I was given a pass for the evening.  Lorraine looked very glamorous in a black dress and her red shoes from our wedding. I told her not to speak to any strange men. Anton and I sloped off to have drinks in Brighton and Hove instead. Went to a variety of bars and a new burger place, where I had an admirable chicken burger and rosemary fries. We popped into a ghastly venue on Western Road, to see Bossa Love. We shouldered our way through security, to find we were the only punters. A beer, and sat at a table right infront of Richard and Silvana. It was all nice enough. We left after about half an hour, not a great feeling to be the entire audience walking out. Ended up at the out of the way Crescent, where some stag party folks talked to us, and at one point hoped to recruit us in their evening

Lorraine up early and off, astonishingly, to the gym. I was up early too and began work on a sort of   horror essay for my other site, which I am hoping might be taken up by Horla. Writing it was helpful as it clarified a few ideas for me too. Tom arrived, at 8 am after his nightshift, and I had already been going for an hour. Spent all day writing or reading. Still entangled in sorting out the pub for the 16th. Feeling a bit hot and slightly under the weather, but I went for two walks one up to Hollingbury, the other around Preston Park to make sure I got to 10k -- listening to Rosemary's Baby , which is efficiently crafted and nicely unpleasant. Lorraine home and we simply went for an enjoyable fast drink at The Park View, and carried home a curry from Red Chillies. A bit of a brain dead TV for a while and then a fairly early night.

A poor night's sleep and rather tired. Getting on with my writing, although my concentration not at its best. Spoke to Mum who said that the neighbours next door, the ones with a phobia of life on earth and with concrete dogs in their garden, have apologised to Mum for being weird. This is good news, and makes her and Mas feel much happier at home. Into town, popping in at the North Laine Brewhouse and The Eagle to ask about booking a space for people after the event which is happening on 16th May to celebrate Janet's work and achievements. It seems to have defaulted to me to sort this out reactivating feelings associated with being taken for granted which is pressing a few buttons. Then I bought a padlock and went to the gym. Got sweaty on the cross trainer. Sainsbury's. Then home to sit int he garden in the sun, although it was much colder than last weekend. Feeling like I am missing Lorraine, and pleased when she got home. We ate an excellent salad, and watched the

Breakfast of a boiled egg. Anton had bought Lorraine a boiled egg maker that you pour in a wee bit of water, and it steams your eggs, to your perfect consistency. I used it today too. A nice egg. Otherwise rain and sitting at my desk working uninterrupted for most of the day. Lorraine went to pilates before coming home. I cooked. The day ended without incident.

Up early. A heatwave induced pesky mosquito lurking around our heads all night. I biffed against the wall in the morning, and it exploded in a bright splash of blood. My blood as it turned out. Bastard. Lorraine cheerily off to school, looking forward to seeing the children's little faces. I started work early, but soon heard a knock on the door. To my surprise there was Ken, armed with a card from Lorraine, having recently driven a great dane over from Ireland. A swift cuppa before he had to set off for work. Resuming I was phoned by Anton for a chat, which I did while searching for my new ink pen. Thank God found it after ransacking the house in the pocket of my dressing gown. Somewhat put off my stroke by emails relating to Janet later. Good news is that Matthew the editor of Horla has been in touch and was very complementary about The Dark Fish,   which he had published last year, and wondered if I would write some stuff about horror on their site, an offer I am delighted t

Lorraine's birthday. Got up early and wrapped a couple of presents for her, and took her cards and pressies up with a cup of tea, followed by breakfast. I got her the CD version of Recomposed , by Max Richter and we lay in bed listening to it with the Juliette windows open on what was the warmest ever Easter Monday. Up and a cup of coffee and we sat outside playing scrabble then Beth and John arrived, and Beth drove us off to The Royal Oak at Wineham . She was a bit nervous about driving everyone, but actually drove extremely well. We arrived safely at the Royal Oak. Beth had phoned for a table, but we found this one was in a gallery of leering taxidermy. We relocated and found a nook, where only Lorraine could see a stuffed weasel in a case if she peered. Once our eating was done, ploughman's for Beth and I, sausage and mash for John, and Chicken Caesar for Lorraine, we sat outside in the sun playing euchre. Lorraine and I able to enjoy Harveys straight from the barrel,

A beautiful Easter Sunday today. Lorraine and I working in the garden this morning, generally tidying and sorting things. Also assembling the table in what will be our craft room, and moving things about in there. I managed to drop a concrete paving slab on my ankle, giving my leg a scrape on the way down. No real damage done, although it hurt a lot and my anklebone ached afterwards. Showered and off in a taxi to Anton's house as it was Oskar's birthday today. He is thirteen. Did the usual reeling at the thought that my godbairns are now both teenagers. Good to see Anne too, who had been cooking up a storm. Anna there too, which was nice as I had not seen her for a while, and caught up a bit with her. Gave Oskar his pressie, and found him on fine form, and has recently joined the Army Cadets, which he seems to like a lot. It was entirely his own idea. He said he'd been learning hand signals for silent communication, and marching among other things. He is now noticeably

A sweltering day, lapped up by beachgoers, while the  Extinction Rebellion gathers force up in London. Up and off into town fairly early as Lorraine had a haircut with Paul, for whom she can never be late. I bought Lorraine a birthday jigsaw in C&H fabrics. A woman in late middle age was choosing half a dozen jigsaws when I was there and was virtually body checking me to block me from choosing one in case it was one that she wanted. Puzzling behaviour. Then off to my usual Caffè Nero where I had a free coffee thanks to my full loyalty card, and spent an hour or so completing the edit on my new horror short story, called The Dream House. Had showed it to Lorraine this morning, and she liked it. I think it works really well. Collected Lorraine, with neat and sunny hair, from the hairdresser and sauntered back into town, and we went for a stroll down by the sea. Sam called and chatted to Lorraine for half an hour as we did so, and I dawdled about keeping out of the sun. The beac

Gorgeous weather on Good Friday. Lorraine and I went off to our usual woods to look at bluebells.  We were never sure what this bit of wood was called, but its name is actually Bluebell Woods. Sauntered about happily in the fragrant pepperiness of the bluebells for a while, feeling lucky to be alive. Then a drive in the country, pausing at a garden centre, but buying nothing.  In the evening off to the Duke of York's Picture House. We saw the advert for Sky with Beth's bestie Olivia in it (as well as Idris Elba) then watched a movie called Wild Rose with Julie Walters utterly convincing as a Scottish grandma and Irish actress Jessie Buckley putting in a great job as a Glaswegian country singer. An entertaining film, bleakly dream crushing till the last reel when everything goes right. Noticed the sign outside the Duke of York's Picture House afterwards, that there is a claim that this cinema is the oldest cinema in constant use in the country. They have been showing

Back working in the garden again today, Lorraine and I decided to move some of the pebbles around, as it was all looking a bit too busy. These tweaks done, suddenly the design began to look really nice, and the garden suddenly looked much better. Also watered the plants today, felt like a magician, whenever I sprayed the stones they went from dusty white to all kinds of colours.  Carried two pots with acers in them onto the pebbles, and redistributed pots in the gardens. Tom here today too, and he helped me carry up the glass top to the table we had in the garden, to put into what will be our craft room.

Woke up not feeling sure about the cobbles and pebbles this morning. It all looked a bit busy, but Lorraine and I decided to let it lie for a day. Partly to give our bodies a rest too, after days of carrying heavy things. Lorraine did a bit of school work, and I did some writing. In the evening off to Steyning to see Dawn. Lorraine cooked an upside down cake for pudding. Had a lovely evening with Dawn, sitting outside the back of her house in the field looking up at the Downs round a little fire, with a full moon in the sky.  I found it very relaxing as usual, drinking a bit of beer and tucking into a fisherman's pie. Looked at the picture that Dawn had found a while ago, and liked as it reminded her of Cornwall. Lorraine had been over there recently and spotted it -- it is a picture of  Guernsey cliffs with the the Dog and Lion from above Saints Bay. I snapped it, as it made me feel homesick. So strange that Dawn has this.

So girding our loins today for the arrival of 75 20kg bags of pebbles and cobbles. These arrived on palettes outside our house late in the morning, ferried across the road by a nice man with a powered pump truck. Lorraine and I carried a few bags through hugging them to ourselves like babies, I was feeling a bit weak and feeble having carried dozens of sacks of topsoil over the last couple of days. Luckily I evolved a technique of slaloming down through the house with a wheelbarrow and a sack in it, enabling me to steadily shiftbags without killing myself. More of a bonus was the arrival of Beth and John. John carrying bags through like a trooper,  he said this was just like being the drum at a gig. Both of them being extremely helpful. Huge volumes of stones emptied over what used to be our lawn. All quite dusty and white. John had to go to do a drum lesson and then a practice session. Betty stayed with us for dinner. I was very much relieved that we had got the bazillion cobbles

Another day of honest labour. Although slightly less arduous today. Lorraine and I got up early, and drove off to Burgess Hill where we recycled bags of soil, and then went to Dorton reclaim, reclamation yard by the station festooned with various bits of architectural salvage. A fascinating place. Lorraine and I bought large pieces of broken slabs there to use in the great garden design. Amazing photos to be taken there, if you weren't on a mission. Then home again, and carried the slabs down into the garden. Then the last of the black bags of soil off to the recycling by the racecourse, and then down to Lidl to do some shopping. It is definitely cheaper there, and there are things you can buy that aren't in sainsbury's. Then home, a feed, and then the complex business of laying the pieces on the membrane with sand under them, in preparation to be surrounded by a river of cobbles and pebbles. This done, tired at the end of the day, we simply sat on our patio and drank

Another day of outside work. Feel like I am in beginning training for the World's Strongest Man competition. Gardeners are the toughest people on earth. Carrying twenty bags of soil up through the house to the front garden. Lorraine and I did more shovelling, raking, and potting of plants, taking down a raised bed and so on. All in pleasant sun. Then at the end of the day laying down membrane over what used to be the lawn, to accommodate a million stones. No trips to the dump today, as the Brighton marathon was being held, and there were ant lines of runners threading about, so many of the roads were closed. No skin off our noses however as we had loads to do. Quite enjoyable to be working out in the fresh air, and I felt better at carrying the heavy bags again today. No need to go to the gym. Sat on the top of the decking and drank a beer at the end of the day in the sunshine surveying the building site of our garden, and feeling fairly pleased with our progress. It is good fu

A day of work in the garden. Finished digging up the lawn. Finally perfecting my spade technique with the last row or so. Then dragging bags of earth up through the front of the house and into the car, and off to the recycling centre near the racecourse.  Hard work. Sacks of earth are not light. Who knew? Home and the main job finished, Lorraine and I had hot showers on our aching backs, and luxuriated in a bit of a doze. Spoke to Toby on facetime, who is in Boston joining Romy for the weekend, who is on a short and prestigious business course in Harvard. Lorraine and I then sauntered down to the Shahi where we had a cheeky curry there, for the first time in ages, and enjoyed a couple of lagers. Sabir gave us a warm welcome, and everyone still remembers our orders. Walked home then, for a spot of match of the day. Chelsea not playing today, but poor Brighton, the Seagulls, got thumped  0-5 by their visitors Bournemouth, and are now teetering near the relegation zone.

Zooming about the house in a tidy up this morning. Lorraine then off to school to pick up a wheelbarrow, and then go to meet her pal Penny for a stroll around some gardens. This gave me the opportunity to do some thinking and planning of my own. Although this is tempting fate, I have a clear plan at the moment. This includes self-publishing the children's book as a kindle thing, having read the highly-practical Going Digital , which has transformed how I think about these things. I am also pushing on with my horror story, Nothing Compares To You. Also finished reading H.P. Lovecraft's Supernatural Horror in Literature , and read  a horror story by E. Nesbit , who wrote the Railway Children , and children's classics like The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Story of the Amulet and  Five Children and It , which I loved as a kid. Turns out she was a dab hand at a bit of horror too. Lorraine home at tea time, and we then started our big garden plan. Part of this demands digging

Lorraine back to the dentist this morning, I did a smidge of work on my computer. Then we discussed and ordered 75 bags of stones. Then a still numb-faced Lorraine drove us to Newhaven in search of an architectural reclamation place we had been to before in search of stone slabs for the grand plan for the back garden. Although  Google maps etc. showing a location for it, but when you got there reclamation business was there none. We went to an enormous garden centre, however, and had a cup of tea and a cheese scone, which was a measure of compensation. Large plastic dinosaurs in the garden centre as it was also home to Paradise Park, an outdoor dinosaur park. Home and simply listened to music and chatted. Below some terrifying dinosaurs.

A day of recovery from our journey. I had slept like a baby. Email from Matty boy, and a poetry rejection first thing. I called Mum to chat with her this morning, and attended to a few emails I had put off while up in Scotland. Otherwise a day of doing little, although I felt a bit curiously twitchy and unrelaxed all day. Must be the stars. Walked with Lorraine down across the park to her dentist, and I sat in the café with a cup of tea and read a ghost story by M.R. James  in the sun. Collected  Lorraine who was delayed, then she went off pilates. A quiet night in eating the world's best vegetable lasagna that Lorraine made when she got home.

Time to come home today. A quiet morning, then we all made off to the local café where we had some fairly excellent breakfasts, ranging from vegan to my own, which included peppery breakfast haggis as part of the Scottish Breakfast mix. Then fond farewells with Sam, who may or may not come down to Brighton next week, and jumped in a cab with Jade to take us to Waverley station. Jade leaped out at the University, and we were in good time for our train. A fairly unremarkable journey home, although the weather was spectacular and sunny, and Scotland looked lovely as Edinburgh slipped away. An ant line of people climbing up the steep hill of Arthur's seat outside the city. Edinburgh definitely a place I could live. I finished The Conspiracy Against the Human Race , by Thomas Ligotti on the train. Lorraine listening to her Buddhism audiobook. A annoying elderly couple on the train we sat opposite, who tutted when we sat opposite them on our reserved seats. At King's Cross zoom

Hanging out in the flat this morning. Jade off to work this afternoon, and we walked to the University later, and found a café bar just opposite, called the Paradise Palms, where Lorraine and I had some vegetarian fare, a chilli bean on fries thing which was gorgeous. Then Lorraine and I went with Jade back to her office in the philosophy department, which I wanted to see. Felt odd for me to be lurking in a philosophy department again, a thing not witnessed for decades. Jade and her colleague Anna had decorated the door to their office with images of important women thinkers, which was good to see, and seemed quite a significant thing to have done in a bland looking area with the odd painting of gentlemen philosophers from former times at Edinburgh. Lovely views from there too. An inspiring place. Then a toddle across the meadows to a pub rejoicing in the name of The Royal Dick. This a strange place with bones of cattle on the walls, and medical tomes lining the walls. Then home

A rather beautiful walk although the weather not too lovely, alongside the Leith chatting lots. We went to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, which I liked, being a manageable size. Enjoyed a couple of paintings by  Gwen John  very much. We went from there to a wee basement bar called the Antiquary, where we played several hands of  euchre, and half watched Wolves versus Watford. Turns out that Jade comes from a family of Wolves fans, and her aunt and cousin were at the FA cup semifinal game at Wembley. When we arrived, Wolves were two nil up and all was well. We left after extra time, with Watford having prevailed. The Antiquary opposite a shop called Mr Purves, which made me smile. Then off to a curry house for a Nepalese curry, which I hungrily devoured as we had not eaten much. Then home where we simply watched some of the first season of Fleabag, as Sam had not seen it. A sensibly earlyish night. Below Lorraine and Jade, general loveliness and Jade, Sam and Lorr

Down to Brighton Station, where we caught our train with bags of time up to King's Cross. Brighton fans heading up to Wembley on the train. The best laugh of the day for me was seeing one emerge from the first class cabin, with a rubber seagull head covering the entirety of his own, bellowing Seagulls! Seagulls! (Brighton football club's nickname). Had time for a leisurely cup of coffee there looking down on the concourse. There was an flashmob style mini concert of children playing music. The fact they were all wearing bright orange sweatshirts meant the blending in part before they all showed themselves needed a little work. Then in the train, crossing many rivers heading north up to Edinburgh again. Lorraine had booked us tickets and we had a pleasant journey. England bright and clear, Scotland dreich and damp but beautiful nevertheless. Happy to be back in Edinburgh. We hopped into a cab and were soon in a street called Temple Park Crescent in an area of town called Mer

Just sorting out my last bits before we head off to Edinburgh tomorrow. Packed this evening, then Lorraine whose last day it was today and was very happy about it, zoomed off to the Station in Hove in a cab, and saw Betty and John and his band playing, which was fun. Then home on the bus. Below the band. Matt, new singer Amy, John and one of the two bassists they are playing with whose name I don't know.

Finally finished reading Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe two books collected in one Penguin Classics edition by Thomas Ligotti. Now straight onto his philosophical non-fiction book about pessimism called The Conspiracy Against The Human Race . I find him a very interesting writer.  Not an enormous amount going on. Bank accounts now at their lowest ebb, before my invoices start to get paid, with one due any day now. My brain not entirely focused today, for which I blame Anton.  I had a nice day writing and reading. Cooked, and then spent the evening chatting with Lorraine listening to Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon and other old singer songwriter types. Lorraine also negotiating with the neighbours to feed the cats when we are away. She has one day to go now before the end of term, I think I am looking forward to her being off work as much as she is.  

Weather has gone cold again. Frost this morning, and hail last night. First day without any freelance work for a while. I focused on Nothing compares to you , my horror story. Slight banging on the roof of my study at 7:45, which caused me to swear, but after this initial noise they all left.  Worked on the story, went for a walk in the park, worked on the story and watched the lunchtime news and worked on the story again. An interlude of an hour struggling with my Apple ID. Had to enter my password, which no longer seemed to work, and I was being sent pictures of Cardiff saying someone was trying to sign on there. I think the location was erroneous, and it was me signing in triggered this. But I ended up having to get in touch with Apple support to make sure I wasn't being compromised. Gah. A pleasant evening out with Anton, a few bars, an enormous amount of chat as we hadn't caught up for some time and several beers that needed drinking. He'd been to Romania for wor

Only a poltergeist-lite scraping on the roof this morning, and the sound of a burner as new roofing was laid meant that I did not have to abandon my own office. Picking up the threads of my horror story, currently called Nothing compares to you . A note from Val in Paris wanting me to urgently look at something, but she sent the wrong file and then was uncontactable for a few hours. The right file arrived just as I was stepping into the gym, so I sloped down to my favourite morally unsound Starbucks and worked there till it was done, and I was able to return to the gym. A good session in there. Home and a bit more work before I cooked. Spoke to Kevin as he delivered our Share of the Crop tray, and said I had met Sam and Eva last night. Lorraine late tonight, but I cooked a large chicken and veggie stew, which we ate happily, watching Fleabag , and Star Trek before boofing off to bed. Brexit an endlessly depressing background. Since the shameful day this country voted for Brexit,  i

Sat at my desk with a sigh of satisfaction this morning, able to work on exactly what I wanted. April Fool! Workmen instantly started hammering on the roof next door, a matter of feet from my study ceiling, so cue stamping, the dropping of bricks just over my head, shovelling etc. Sometimes I think there is a conspiracy against me. Worked downstairs on my laptop, and this was much better. Off then to London to meet Shaila by the Tate Modern. We sat in the cafe and chatted for hours. Lots going on in her life, including the death of her uncle who brought her up. Good to see her though. Seeing someone you have known since you were a spotty herbert at school is quite grounding. Then we walked around Southbank and around Waterloo, I was on the hunt for a bookmark featuring London that I had promised Maureen I would find. Unable to find one, so I have resorted to the internet and have ordered one there. Had a quick drink with Shaila in Vaulty Towers, where I have been with Anton