under another sun

Hurrah! Off to Guernsey for the first time in three years. Trundled down to Preston Park station and caught the train to Gatwick. We were fearing delays and difficulties, but apart from our plane being delayed by an hour we were through security really quickly, having checked in online before. We were only carrying hand luggage which meant that there would be no hanging around. I felt twitchy generally and the vertigo I get from time to time was quite bad this morning. I tried to buy a couple of cups of tea from Pret but left in disgust after waiting at the front of the queue for twenty minutes. The flight however, was fine  on the Auringy twin engined prop. The weather in Guernsey gorgeous when we arrived (it being overcast in Blighty). Straight through security with our hand luggage and into a taxi with a loquacious woman driver from Madeira. Back to La Barbarie and a warm welcome from Sally there. Into our usual upgraded room. Lovely stuff.  Then after a cheeky glass of Lib...

Pouring with rain this morning, when they buyer's surveyor came around to check out the house. He stood peering at the house from the back garden and the front in his waterproofs. When he came in I made him a cup of coffee, and then he went around banging on the walls and peering the kind of places that nobody wants to be looked at. An ominous business. Jade down to see Sam and come to the party this afternoon. Once Lorraine got home, she and I jumped in a cab and began setting up.  I forgot a special adaptor for the music, which Sam was able to bring, Nick arrived and he worked out how to plug amplifiers into the desk there. There were strange decorations letters that you blow into with a straw to inflate, but poking the straw in was the devil's own work. Finally able to plug my iPhone in for music, but then hadn't downloaded the playlist and then couldn't get onto the wifi etc. etc. However it all worked out, the food and venue was great and once I had correctly commu...

Today I had arranged to meet Matty Boy for lunch in Chiswick after a scoot to the dentist. Great to see him, looking suave and shaven headed. Things going well with his agency, but mainly we shot the breeze about our many mutual pals, and houses too. He is moving East to the countryside soon, to be in a beautiful old house with grounds big enough for a horse to run in. Matt particularly pleased that it had an outside bar. Also saw Isy for a chat briefly as Matt had to zoom back to the office. Met young master William Walter Hunt who, although I am no expert in these things, looked to be a baby of distinction and excellence. We repaired to another pub after popping briefly back into the office. For more of the same, then fond farewells with Matt. It did my heart good to see him. Then I tubed over to London Bridge station to head home, but got off at London Bridge and went to Borough Market where I met Keith in meatspace for the first time in years, having a drink with Fitz and Maurizio....

More chats with Keith today. Phone calls about the survey we are going to have done on our house by our buyers. Generally feeling a bit edgy and finding concentration a bit hard. Worrying about lots of thing simultaneously at present.  Dusty dolls this lunchtime. They may not be the best cleaners in the world, but I very much how cheery they are. A walk this afternoon just up to the hillfort. Finished the novel Heaven , by Mieko Kawakami, which Toby had told me to read. Excellent book. Sam off to see his Dad and stay in London with Jade this evening. Lorraine at a Governors meeting, so I ate pasta and watched Star Trek The Next Generation, which seems even more dated than the first series but is great fun. Lorraine home from her meetings, and we enjoyed being together. Lively thunder storm tonight. Loved it. I happened to be wearing my teeshirt with a lightning strike on it for the first time in ages, and showed this to Lorraine claiming to be a thunder god. Snapped these two snaps...

A meeting with Keith first thing that lasted some time, discussing where our next job might be coming from, and made a bit of an action plan. Otherwise I am not feeling energetic. Did bits and pieces of writing and work. Spoke to Anton and Mum, and went for an afternoon stroll up to the hillfort. A bit low on energy. Cooked noodles and a stir fry which included water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and bok choy and mushrooms, and chicken (veggie version for Sam) and then chilled out with Lorraine who had been to her personal trainer after work.  Saw this sleepy fox in the garden, and snapped it from my study window.

Into Brighton this afternoon. Lorraine and I went into Churchill Square where we went to a wellness exhibition that Beth was involved in running. Lorraine and I went in there and attended a meditation. Rather a nice interlude to sit on a beanbag and unplug for a while. My brain took me to Moulin Huet where I was looking at worm casts.  Then Lorraine and I did some shopping, and then found ourselves drifting into The Basketmakers Arms for a beer. Then to Wahaca restaurant where we had a decent bite of Mexican food. Lorraine and a cocktail too and it all felt like a bit of a celebration.   Brighton at its best today. Thronging with liveliness thanks to the festival. Massed drummers in New Road, singers here and there and the feeling there was music and fun everywhere. As we walked down Gardiner Street a mob of people wearing headphones, streaming towards us, all breaking out to sing 'Everybody dance... Clap your hands clap your hands' the Chic song, which was great but slightly...

Confirmation today from Michael that Angie and Richard, the likeable couple in the house we want to buy, have accepted our offer on the Seaford property. Sent off solicitor details and so on. Finished doing my accounts and sent these off to my accountant David.  A lot has happened this week.  Decided to go for a long walk this afternoon, as the weather was good for it. Good to process everything that has happened this week. Ended up doing 17 thousand paces during the day, which is the most I have done in a while, certainly since I had covid. Took my camera and took snaps in the woods and edges of town listening to an audiobook called Heaven, by Mieko Kawakami, which Toby recommended as he and Romy had both enjoyed it. It is about bullied teenagers, and is quite fascinating and strangely philosophical. Went on a roundabout walk ending up in Stanmer Woods and back home. Sat in the garden afterwards sipping a beer.  Lorraine home and Sam went out and collected a Friday curry...

So a big day. Accepted the offer made yesterday on our house, actually did this in person by dropping in on Brand Vaughn. Then I called Michael the estate agent in Seaford, and confirmed our offer on the house in Salisbury Road. Eek! Very exciting stuff. Chats with Lorraine when she was out of  meetings. Very happy about it. Then I caught a train up to West Hampstead Thameslink station, and walked up to Hampstead to meet Toby and Mum. I was early so found myself in The Flask for half an hour. Sent a message to Carl from there, as it was one of our old haunts.  Then met the Tobster and Mum in the cafe in Waterstones. Great to see Toby. A bit of a weird place as the people in the cafe sat working on it in silence, and seemed to resent us chatting -- or maybe I was imagining it. Eventually we mooched down the road and went into Côte where we had a good meal and a glass of wine. Mum said that Mason wanted to pay for it, which was very kind of him. Nice for us three to be together,...

A second viewer for the house coming around this morning. Took myself off this morning to a local cafe and had a cheese and tomato toastie and coffee, while doing a bit of work. Luckily, Sam had to go to Lewes for an assessment at the same time.   Home and fielding more calls, for more people to see the house. However, at the end of the day I had received an offer on the house above our asking price, on condition that the house is taken off the market.  Obviously I had to discuss this with Lorraine this evening. As this is a bit of a result, and is perfectly timed to make an offer on our Seaford house, we will accept it tomorrow morning. All a bit nerve wracking, but very exciting. 

Toing and fro-ing setting up viewings for the house this coming Friday and Saturday. Trying to squeeze in other stuff too -- a planning session with Keith this morning. As everything is a bit in giro for me at the moment, what with the Tobster over and house stuff, we arranged a No Excuses Monday for next week, where we get down to some serious business. Back to Seaford to second view the house on Salisbury Road. Met Michael the estate agent, and then were shown around by him. Absolutely love it. Afterwards we were offered tea and biscuits by Angie and Richard who live there and had a long talk with them. Lovely friendly people. We told them our intention was to make a firm offer as soon as we had a buyer for our place. We were helped by the fact that the last person to view the place went around snootily and not even looking at them. Home in the car, Lorraine and I clear that this is the place to progress with. It ticks our boxes (as we never tire of saying) in that it is five minute...

I found it hard to concentrate... Several Estate Agents calls adding to a general background twitchiness which wasn't conducive to my own writing, or completing my accounts. Seems there is one strong lead from the weekend for our own house, and the interested party will visit again on Wednesday. I told them to go live with the property from tomorrow, and have another open day this Saturday. Other conversations I had about Seaford properties and so on. Lorraine and I having conversations about patience and steadiness. Mercury is retrograde too, which certain astrologers slows and confuses negotiations.  Spoke to the vet. Calliope's thyroid level seems to be right now, thanks to the stuff they gave me to squirt down her throat. All being well now she won't need to be seen for three months. A chat with a cheerful Anton. And a walk late this afternoon around my usual places. Home and cooked, after sitting outside in the sunshine for a few moments. Spoke to Mum this evening, exp...

Up early and rushing about straightening the house for the open house day. Then nabbing Calliope and taking her to the vet, paid for more thyroid stuff and another blood test.Very pricey. She is not putting on any weight. The vet hinted at other issues.  Home and a frenzy of tidying, and then I showed the lady from the estate agent around. Sam, after quite a bit to drink last night, being extremely helpful, but he found having to rush off stressful. He went to stay with Beth for the day.  Lorraine and I went to the tip to drop off some rubbish. Also a few unsold Clameur CDs. We were quizzed about these, was it a business thing? Were we dumping commercial waste. But it was all okay thanks to Lorraine's persuasive charms.  Then back to Osborne Road to drop the car off and we went to a nearby cafe, Tilt, and we enjoyed a vegetarian brunch and looked at houses on our phones and made another appointment in Seaford. Mooched down to London Road station to catch the train, and on...

Tax: doing books as methodically as possible. Made more complicated of course by last year's Natwestisögur screwing up my business bank accounts. Looking at spreadsheets and tracing payments etc. There is something weird in and unloved corner of my brain that enjoys the tidiness of a spreadsheet. But nothing like Beth who positively loves them. Plumbing: a the dripping towel rail. Young Luke the plumber came around again, said we'd have to replace the valve but he could stop it dripping before tomorrows house viewings. He went away and it commenced dripping again. Much wrangling with the business, but Luke came back and replaced valve and stopped the dripping. Expensive. Estate agents: conversations off and on during the day. Otherwise tidying for the great viewing onslaught tomorrow. I trained to Seaford and met Lorraine at the station, and we saw two houses late this afternoon. The second one was very nice and ticked all our boxes and we were quite excited about it, discussin...

Many small tasks today, and none of them paying. Up early and sent a speculative MS off to a magazine, then podcast business, getting our new episode uploaded and publicised on social meeja with my interview with J.O. Morgan .  Got Sam out of bed to go to a meeting in town. Syringed thyroid medication down Calliope's throat. Conversations with Estate agents during the day. Now well over a dozen viewings scheduled for our house for our open day on Saturday. Also chasing ones in Seaford, including about the complicated house we love. Worrying about tax a bit when Keith reminded me that as I have reverted to being self employed, I will effectively be double taxed in for the first year. As my first year was good, it means I am going to have to find a lots of money.  No problem if I keep earning, but slightly alarming now I have gone very quiet very quiet.  I have saved money but the idea of handing it all over is a bit galling after slogging so hard. Keith and I  getting...

Recording bits with Robin and spending a few hours editing the podcast into final shape, and then taking a small but significant first step on getting my accounts ready. Lorraine working from home first thing. Viewing bookings for our open house pouring in today. Long chat with Mum, and then off in the evening down to The Batty to meet up with Anton, returned from a brief business trip to Spain and sporting an excellent Guernsey jumper he had bought from Le Tricolour on the island. Just lurked about very local pubs gossiping. At one point drifting into the Evening Star where I had a nice pint of stout, despite still being barred from entry and The Lord Nelson, where we had a pint of pilsner made by fine local brewer Harveys. Surprisingly, the pilsner was an affront to the tastebuds, but we struggled one down nevertheless before leaving for home.  Fond farewells with Anton, then I jumped on a bus and was able to watch a bit of Masterchef on TV with Lorraine, before we sloped off to ...

Slight trepidation at the start of the week. A fairly dispiriting list for the remainder of the week... Trying to drum up some freelance, editing podcasts, talking to estate agents, starting to sort my tax out and so on.  However, a nice note from Jeremy this morning, accepting one of my new poems about memory,  The House With Blue Curtains , for the one hundredth issue of The Frogmore Papers. In the afternoon off to Seaford...  by train. A nice journey from London Road, through the countryside and ending up going through the less lovely dockside of Newhaven and into Seaford. I met Lorraine outside a beautiful grade II listed building, with sloping floors but lots of uneven stairs with sloping treads that were a bit death trappy. The other house was beautifully presented (in estate agent's parlance) but we found it curiously soulless despite a big tidy garden. 

Lorraine and I happily pottering about in the garden. Rain dotting off and on Bank Holiday weekend style.  I had a gossip with Clem next door. We drove off to the recycling centre to drop off some sacks of garden waste and stack a broken microwave in the microwave area.  Calliope is barely eating and sleeping lots, despite initially responding well to her medication. I fear she is nearing the end of her story, which is very sad. I spoke to Mum who was bored, and whose tooth had broken again, but was patched up. She is looking forward to the Tobster coming over.  Rosie and Innis are both down with Covid. It is rife at the moment. Herd immunity time it seems. Both Lorraine and I are beginning to regain taste and smell now. Which is good as it was just in time for our delayed family meal to celebrate Loraine's birthday. Sam Lorraine and I met James and Beth in Hotel du Vin where we had some cocktails. Lorraine drank two passion fruit martinis. I had a fancy gin and tonic cal...