under another sun

Toby and Romy off to the sea late this afternoon. Lorraine and I stayed happily bobbing in the pool. We'd all spent the day eating the leftovers from yesterday's feast, reading and swimming. At one point too, I stole down the track and picked a lemon off a tree where several had fallen, and later on Romy cut it into our sundown gin and tonic. Another utter feast made by Tina tonight. Mortadella and various cheeses and homemade jams and honey from their own hives with bread to start, and then pork loin cooked in marsala wine, with potatoes with parsley and an arab inflected crunchy sweet and sour dish of roasted red peppers, breadcrumbs and capers, with sugar and vinegar, which Romy pointed out was almost like a chutney for the pork. Then turning the light on outside, we watched the theatre of geckoes, as one big bruiser with a regrowing tail, sat near the light and snacked on various insects drawn in by the light. At one point Toby and I sat by the pool looking up at the st...

The alarm on Lorraine's phone got us up early this morning, and Lorraine volunteered to drive us to meet our guide for the guided tour of ancient and modern Noto. We were to meet him in Noto Antica, the remains of a hilltop walled town destroyed by devastating earthquake in 1693. Getting there proved an adventure, particularly for Lorraine. Guided by google, we were taken down a road that became narrower, and when we began driving across shallow rivers flowing across the road, alarm bells began to ring. We began climbing up the mountain in our little hired Renault Clio, on untracked roads of white rubble, some of which, to Lorraine's horror, had sheer drops on one side. At one point, as the track ahead proved almost impassable, we stopped. Romy ran off and found two women ahead, and discovered the road improved a little. With just Lorraine in the car, we got over the bad patch, and then progressed up to the top of the hill. We had reached the ancient ruined town by the donkey r...

A Monday to dream about. Up gradually having slept really well. Breakfast and then a day of lounging reading books, swimming in the pool and chatting, and gradually wandering around the grounds, which flick with lizards. I'm reading a book by Yoko Ogawa, which is excellent blend of the literary in the style of Murakami, with a nice dash of horror. At tea time I sat in one of two chairs looking across the olive groves, and lemon trees and others, and Romy brought me out a glass of gin and tonic and we sat looking down on the land, which at that time of the day gets golden green and resembles a renaissance Italian painting. Utterly gorgeous. By prearrangement Tina arrived. She is a Sicilian who lived in Toronto as a child, she said she moved back here when she got married, thinking it was safer to bring up children here. I wondered why bringing children up in the birthplace of the Mafia was safer than Toronto, but did not ask. With a helper, she prepared us an amazing dinner. T...

So just the 12 hours sleep then. Lorraine and I got out of bed pretty refreshed and had breakfast with Toby and Romy. The house is gorgeous, with high ceilings, and decorations made in black metal. There are two triangular spell-like words on the wall over the sink, as well as pottery pineapples, and pottery owls. The floor is sone in slabs with circles of shell fossils in. Outside is a veranda with tables and chairs, and a long thin salt water swimming pool, in which we all swam. Spent the day reading, and lounging and swimming, and chatting in an unhurried way. Lovely to catch up with Romy who we haven't seen in too long, hearing about her recent short course at Harvard. Returned to the bedroom to sleep a bit more, for I am surprised at how, having let myself relax a bit, just how tiredness and stress is releasing itself in bubbles. I had a gorgeous swim in the late afternoon, however this was slightly truncated by a suicidal bee, landing on my back and jabbing me as I swam. ...

Up at ten past three after a despicable night's sleep, and L and stumbled around getting dressed. Out into the heavy rain in Zombie mode and drove off to Gatwick airport's summer special car park. L handed over the key to the car, and correcting the number of our numberplate for their records. Then to the Easy Jet check in, mostly automated. We got to the automated check-in, and the computer said no. Wranging a check in staff member, who allowed us to check in, but said the aircraft that had been supplied was smaller than the original one, and there were too many passengers.This led to hellish scenes standing in queues for hours not sure if we would be able to fly, and then sitting on the plane for hours while they finally got the chosen ones on board, and took all the luggage out of the plane and sorted through it for the bits belonging to the losers. Lorraine and I were not sat next to one another either, and both in middles of rows. Flight a bit choppy but not too bad. I h...

The temperature far more manageable. A humid and rainy preparation and packing day, hampered slightly by the men from BT replacing a telephone pole outside our house. Laundry to be done. Lorraine and I took the stuff over to the laundrette to dry, as we had so much of it. I abandoned her there and then went down to the gym to have a good session there. Repacking and weighing our case so that it came in a smidge under 22 kilos. Home and Pat and Maureen arrived in the evening to cats and have a holiday break of their own in Brighton. Chatted to Mum and Lorraine talked to Sam, who is considering picking up the threads of his PhD again, which is good news. L and I crept off to bed fairly early, in a futile attempt to sleep before getting up a few hours later.

Bloody hot. In fact the hottest day in the UK ever, 38.7 recorded in Cambridge, that is 101.6 F  in old money.   Lorraine working from home for a bit, before taking time off to proof What You Look For for me, and she made a couple of useful suggestions, before I sent the thing off to Bloodbath magazine. I was then officially done. We bussed over to Beth and John this evening and were fed roast chicken and veggies and couscous and played Euchure. Lorraine also took a bottle of champagne she had been saving, as now her Ofsted inspection success is official, and her school is officially 'good'. Bussed home and home, happy to not have to get up tomorrow. Boris the evil clown no forging a cabinet of the maddest and most far right politicians on offer, looking to drive Brexit through even on a self-immolating no deal basis. Meanwhile THE CLIMATE. Christ. I made this nonsense a few months ago, below, but it seems more appropriate than ever. The other guy is Nero.

Lorraine not having to get up at the crack of dawn this morning, I got up made her tea, and worked on my short story, which is now almost ready to send off to a magazine whose deadline is closing in a few days. Lorraine then off to school, to talk to plumbers and do last minute work before returning, having done pilates. I went out this evening to meet Anton and Christian, over from Australia, in the Evening Star. They had already drank a few beers and had a curry. Not seen him for some years, and it was great to drink some halves, as they were drinking halves, with them. Christian done very well in marketing in Australia, and is now working for a big bank there. Same mix of Aussie down to earthness, with a streak of astute sensitivity. Nice to reminisce about old times. We went back to sit in Anton's garden, it being warm still, and had an absolute bloody final before I walked home. This being a dark day when the evil clown Boris Johnson was elected to be prime minister of thi...

A sweltering day today, one of the UK's hottest ever. Lorraine's last day at school with kiddies in it, as part of the leaver's ceremony they all climb up to the top of the church tower, and this year Lorraine did it too. She arrived home very tired, but burdened with flowers and plants that she had been given by grateful parents. Then she had to go out again with the staff for a party. She was driving though so did not drink. I worked at What You Look For lots. It has fallen into a really good shape right away, and as I was tweaking the end, I felt a frisson of fear. If I am scaring myself, surely it a good sign. Tom arrived this morning, and left gin for us again. In the evening, after I had done a few bits of admin, I went off to the gym, mooching across the park to get there. Inside was a great deal cooler than the outside world, and got home again at 9:20. When Lorraine finally got home, I made her a large gin and tonic, and then we went to bed. We had our Juliett...

Had a new idea for a new short story this morning. Sat in the kitchen this morning and wrote it, and  by the end of the day I had a complete first draft. It is horror, and I am very pleased with it. I seem to be mining experiences I had in my early twenties for material. I spent the whole day working on it, apart from a trip to the gym. It is called What You Look For, a nd based on the layout of a house I shared on Tatchbrook Road in Leamington Spa, with added horror of course. Below meanwhile, in Leeds, Jade was becoming a Doctor, here with Sam.

Shopping today with Lorraine. I bought some gym shoes that didn't bite my ankles, and some teeshirts. Into Specsavers to pick up Lorraine's new specs, chosen by a computer to suit her face shape. We also went into Marks and Sparks for about an hour, trying on things like teeshirt bras. We chatted to the woman at the till about lightning, and I showed her my lightning app. Lorraine out with Dawn going up to Bermondsey to see Sarah and JD's new home. I went to the gym, walking through the park where there were dozens of police gathered to monitor a pro cannabis 'protestival'. There was a bit of music, and several stalls selling cannabis oil and so on. Later I read, several people had their weed confiscated, and there were two arrests. It all seemed a bit heavy handed to me. and texted Anton who invited me to go around to his house and we sat about in his garden shooting the breeze as he barbecued some bratwurst, which we had with sauerkraut and mustard. Then out...

Up and working on the new story this morning. But it is not quite in focus yet. However, no matter as I went down to Preston Park and travelled up to London to meet Toby and Mum. A woman followed me up the platform to give me the tickets I had left in the machine at Preston Park. I told her she was my guardian angel. After plenty of nice weather, a deluge, luckily I was wearing an anorak as I walked up Tottenham Court Road and went to the Waterstones on Gower Street. I met them in The Dillon's cafe.The Tobster looking well, as was Mum. Coffee there, and then to The Hope round the back of Goodge Street tube where they served rather excellent pies, which I accompanied with a pint of Guinness, while explaining about my diet. Mum declined pie, having eaten a salmon bagel in the cafe, but accepted a pint of cider. Then we sauntered about in London streets simply looking at things and shooting the breeze, before stopping off in a French place where Tobs and Mum had pan aux raisins near...

Worked on a new story this morning, then went to the gym this afternoon. Did a rough scamp for the Bolney school tapestry banner. Lorraine had asked me to amalgamate several of the children's designs into one. Cooked a chicken tonight, and L and I fell on it like wild animals.

Vivid dream just before we got out of bed this morning. I was trying to stop a child from falling, held onto his Guernsey jumper, but he slipped out of it and tumbled onto a harbour floor at low tide and was horribly injured. I blame Anton for banging on about Guernsey jumpers the other day. Feel like Frasier Crane this morning. What did the little boy represent? Me? My inner child? Something precious I was unable to hold onto, and if so what? Or did it mean absolutely nothing? A chat with the Tobster this morning, now safely at Mum's place, and having tramped about in Hampstead with Mum yesterday afternoon. I am meeting Mum and Toby up in London on Friday, which I am really looking forward to. I sketched out a new idea for a short story, but far more seductive was the idea of slipping off the surly manacles of work and walking about in the sun, a spot of 'if in doubt tidy' tidying, reading and watching Apollo documentaries. Too much of this sort of thing, however,...

Absolute bloody final edit of Magnificent Grace completed. But I will read it through again a couple of times before it is uploaded in September just to be sure. One of those moments, of no importance to anyone else, but nevertheless feels significant. I feel excited at the prospect of being able to think about something else tomorrow. After this was done I made off to the gym in London road and walked back through the park. I feel emptied out and uninspired. Home, and disinclined to stare at any more pages, blank or otherwise, I watched documentaries about space travel, what with it being 50 years since Apollo 11 blasted off for the moon. An entirely psychological tiredness over me this evening, and Lorraine, who was late due to the school show, drained too. To bed early.

Editing and housework. A Sainsbury's delivery, including a broken bottle of wine that ruined things and made the house smell of booze. Searching for a lens that popped out of my glasses cannot be found despite me Pooterishly creeping about on hands and knees in various rooms. No gym. No French work. Nothing happening but editing. Gah. Happy to see Lorraine.

Lorraine working on school reports all day. I walked down to the gym, and then had a relaxed day, reading and listening to the This is Horror podcast which I dip into from time to time. Also saw the last few overs of a truly remarkable ODI world cup final between England and New Zealand, which England won in fluky nail-biting style. Long gone are the days when you could watch cricket on TV without subscribing to Sky but today's match was on C4. I have been looking at photographs on the Nasa website about the first lunar landing. In the evening watched a documentary about Neil Armstrong. Can't get enough of this Apollo stuff at the moment. I was nine when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, and remember the space race and The Vietnam War as being a constant news backdrop. I have an idea the family were on a  boat in the Hamble the day they touched down, but I may be mistaken. Below Brian waiting to biff people through the bannisters, and Neil Armstrong inside the lunar module hav...

Up and Lorraine off to Specsavers for an eye test, that ended up dragging on and on. I went back to the London Road gym again, and did another modest workout. Then home, and once Lorraine was back, having had to pay out for new specs, we drove off to Bolney where the village day was in full throttle. We have been to this a few years on the trot now, and find I quite enjoy it. Was in full Dennis Thatcher mode as people chatted to Lorraine. However a few know me too. Dan, Sarah's husband called me over, and invited me to play a game where you have to hurl boules onto a stump with an egg held in it. The idea is to smash the egg. I managed this and won a bottle of wine, which pleased me a disproportionate amount. Then much mooching about with L talking to a variety of parents and village worthies as children periodically ran up to her, some wanting hugs. Dogs being shown in the middle of the field when we arrived. I availed myself of a beer in the beer tent and chatted to various fo...

Made good progress today on the editing. Two, maybe three days work left on this absolutely bloody final edit. A chat with Sonia, before pushing off to the London Road branch of my gym, which I found I could simply enter with my pin. A spacious well equipped gym on two floors and, above all, pleasingly cool. However did a couple of exercises and stepped on the cross trainer and felt a bit shaky and odd. Simply got off and got changed and left. Once outside I felt more myself again, as I had drunk lots of water. I bought a banana ate it, and simply went back to the gym and completed what I wanted to do without an issue. This was good for my self respect.  A second note from Thomas Krecht in Hamburg today, who L and I met in La Barbarie. I had mentioned that I had been listening to King Crimson now its all on Spotify, and he said he had been listening to the track Starless and Bible Black , which he said is the saddest of their songs, and in my opinion the best of them too.  ...

More editing. More calorie counting. Took delivery of new scales. Walked. A sense of plodding on relentlessly and feeling a bit bored with it -- but the end is in sight. Lorraine and I both looking forward to her finishing school again. Not long now. Watching some video links that Ben sent me on Transhumanism and NeoDarwinism and mankind's striving towards immortality. I surely can't be alone in thinking the idea of having to be, say for example, Peter Kenny for millennia is a bit dispiriting. Meanwhile a snap of the meadow flowers part of Preston Park. The bees love it.

Back to my own work today, editing the children's book and still finding various imperfections. Made off to the gym in the afternoon, which was sweltering as the air con is being repaired. I overheated, and was happy to step back into the breeze outside. Met Anton at six in The Batty, and having exercised all day and eaten little, I was able to imbibe many of the day's calories in a sparkling, lagery form. I have read that The Battle of Trafalgar is going to be refurbished, and the interior changed under new hands soon. This will be a great shame as the Batty, once the nearest pub to my front door in the Twitten, reminds me of first coming to Brighton. Not seen Anton for some time, as he had been away with work in Hungary, and then on a few days walking break. He was full of excitement about a Sherlock Holmes style game he had been playing. We drifted to a few other pubs, dropping in at The Caxton and the Sun and Moon and Stars and The Foundry before going our own ways. Wal...

Pootering on unremarkably. Slipped on the desk manacles at 7:30 and worked on the rabies stuff, (known in France as la rage ) sending concepts off to Paris at lunchtime. Heard back that they were happy, and they will get back to me in a few days. Went for a couple of brisk walks to exceed 10k. Had scales delivered to replace the others which speak with forked tongue. Chatted to Anton, who I will see tomorrow. Started doing final edit of the Children's book, but found I was in the wrong headspace for it and mucking it up a bit, so I simply stopped and will start freshly tomorrow morning. At a loose end late this afternoon I watched The Sky at Night , the monthly astronomy show, which was talking about efforts to return to the moon, of which there are many going on now. I find my interest in astronomy rekindled lately, and The Sky at Night has always been pitched in the right way, clear and not condescending or slow. The programme has been going since 1957. Lorraine home tired a...

Up early and making my weekly list. Then I was sent a brief about rabies, and spent the day looking attempting to come up with a campaign. Unlike poor rabid dogs the job has yet to have me foaming at the mouth with excitement. There is a target to eliminate rabies from the planet by 2030. Two walks, to keep the cobwebs off and do my 10k. Raging at the bathroom scales. Wildly different readings within seconds. The important thing is that I am now used to counting calories and have kept under the required amount for two and a half weeks, and it is becoming a habit. I don't feel underfed or hungry but am definitely eating less, so this has to be good. Sent off for new scales. Otherwise Mum called to talk about the ghost goat of Guernsey, which they were talking about on Facebook. And when Lorraine got home we ate, and then did some gardening. Clem handed us a bottle of pink elderflower wine they had made next door from the tree in the garden, which was kind. Later we watched an ...

Up fairly early for a Sunday. I scamped up two designs for the banner for Lorraine's school, sitting at my desk in the craft room. Then L and I zoomed out to a garden centre, where we bought a few flowering plants, including a  chocolate cosmos which smells strikingly of chocolate. Then into the Lorraine's gym, which is a lot posher than mine. Trouble is that it is out in the sticks and hard for me to get to without a car. We spoke to them about joint membership, which they do not have. Amusingly, they call their joining fee an 'integration programme', and you get some slight discount if you complete their 'integration journey' (i.e. allow them to pitch various courses etc. while they show you the ropes).  The place itself, Wickwoods, is lovely. The people in the changing rooms were all around my age or even older. Usually I feel like some kind of coelacanth in the changing room of my own gym. We did a good gym session, then had a swim and we bobbed and bubb...

Lorraine in recovery mode today, however we did squeeze out to buy another little garden table and chairs, plus a power jet cleaner to clean our decking. Lorraine recovering on her lounger and I put the table and power jet thing together.  Started to clean the decking which was rather fun. We really need to have an outside tap for that kind of thing, as we have a weird kitchen tap which the hose keeps slipping off. I did the spraying and Lorraine got periodically drenched and furious in the kitchen. Still the decking looked lots better afterwards. Lorraine smoothed, we had dinner and happily watched a cop show on TV. I have decided that black and white is the future. Look at this one I took in Guernsey.

Lorraine off and out to work extra early as it was a big day for her school. She was waking up in the night and making notes. As a consequence I was at my desk a smidge before seven, and finished the major edits on my children's book. Very pleased with how much better going this extra mile has made the story. Next job is to go line by line through it with a fine tooth comb for fresh errors that may have slipped in during the reworking, using Charlotte's editing style as a template. I have decided on a name for it too, which is Magnificent Grace, with a subtitle T he Witch Grace Brown Adventures #1. Now all that's left to do is get the cover design sorted and I am ready to launch it, as a 'back to school' offering in September. So a big day for me too. This done by 1pm, I decided to not flog the horses this afternoon. Chatted to Sonia, and took two short walks which added up to 10k. My French clients also requested some of my time next week, which is pleasing. ...

Working well on the story this morning. Went off to the gym at lunch and had arranged to meet Innis for a coffee afterwards. Instead, however, he picked me up and we drove to Stanmer House where we had a coffee outside in the little cafe, while listening to some kind of meeting with a P.G.Wodehouse Aunt type on a nearby table hectoring on about conserving woodland and talking about bats and trees and birds. I agreed with everything she was saying, but the way she was saying it was a bit trying. She had an extinction rebellion sticker on her notebook, I noticed when we walked past. Then a bit of a walk in the woods with Innis chatting about things, and he took lots of photos. I like watching him take photos. Then he drove me home, and I got back to work. As Lorraine was very late home tonight I worked till nine then watched episodes of Tales from the City, and drank a gin and tonic till she was safely home. I'm liking snapping in black and white at the moment. This dead tree l...

A couple of walks this afternoon, the second of them in and around the hill fort. A glorious day. While doing so I was sliding back and forth in time while listening to the end of  The Time Machine , which I had first read it when I was about twelve. I'm not sure if I have read it much after that. Lots I had forgotten, an interesting and influential story. Worked otherwise endlessly editing my own story. I have accepted this is going to take a while, but I feel certain now I am improving the story as I work, which is a good feeling. Based on comments from the editor, I have looked for similar problems in the text and have found them. Fixing these is really making the story sing. Slow but good work. Broke off to watch the second half of a documentary about the rise of NeoCon Fascism in the USA, and those who oppose it. My story -- against that sort of thing -- is well timed I think. Salad tonight. I weighed myself and am still losing weight which is good. Lorraine having a trick...

More self discipline today, and made discernible progress on the editing. Gah. In the afternoon off to the gym. En route I stopped off at two pubs, as I am still trying to find a location for my birthday bash. The Joker, where the manager couldn't be bothered to speak to me until I insisted, and the Nelson. My two favoured venues having already gone. Neither of these today were right. A good session in the gym. Home and showered and worked more. Chatted to Mum who was going out with Mas to a country pub tonight, and Toby who had a major health MOT today in Canada, and all is well. Watched Netflix tonight, as Lorraine has gone into reading mode, with J.K. Rowling's detective novels. I watched two episodes of Tales of the City, based on Armistead Maupin's stories of the same name. I read some of these in the eighties when I was living with Janet and Ken.   Briefly enraged today thinking how the idiots in the Brexit party turned their back on Ode To Joy in the Euro...

Another gorgeous day -- and frighteningly we've now started the second half of the year. Got up had muesli and made a short list and got working on the children's book. In the afternoon I mooched about around Hollingbury Hill and bits of woodland there. There is something healing to the soul about walking in woods. It is certainly an antidote to editing the same text for the 100th time. Listening to The Time Machine for part of my walk. I had to give up on First Men on the Moon, as I found it strangely unlistenable. TTM far better. But there were big sections of  the walk, especially in the woods, where I just pulled out my ears and listened instead to the wind in the trees and the birds, and thought that life is sweet. Home and back to work. Salmon and salad tonight. L and I press on. This is not a diet, it is a way of life. L and I reading in bed tonight -- I'm on Arthur Machen still.  Below, the pond near the hill fort.  I had completely forgotten its existen...