under another sun

The clocks fell back, and I took advantage of wakefulness and a lovely morning to go for a walk by the sea before I started work. Just as I reached the sea, Jane one of my new Seaford friends pulled up in her car and sprang out. Another nice moment. Then I mooched along the coast towards Newhaven and then found a way of doubling back home. Just a half an hour or so, but bracing. Then a briefing with my old chums Keith, the French Bloke, Pat and John Perkins -- and Keith and I spend the rest of the day thinking about stuff. I had a short walk at lunchtime walking away from he sea, up some nearby streets for half an hour. First time I have had the opportunity to do that. Curious feeling to leave home, and then almost immediately begin walking along streets you have never seen before. Below the view towards Newhaven, and the view towards the noble profile of Seaford Head from the same spot. 

A day of just being at home. Obviously this entailed carrying bookcases up and down stairs, and using the trolley that Lorraine had bought to move things in and out of the workhouse (pronounced workahhhse) which is what we are calling the double garage at the end of the garden. With Lorraine's help, as I am impatient, sorted out a wifi extender so that my study gets the full benefit. Otherwise, I spent hours trying to sort things out in my study, too many books and not enough room for the bookcases as they are at the moment, even though the space is larger than my previous study. Happy doing this.  Spoke to Mum and gave her a virtual tour of the house, which she liked a lot. I would love her to see the place. I popped out to buy a few bits in Morrisons before we cooked. Lorraine busy all day in the other room sorting clothes out steadily -- plus doing magical temperature dependent things with sour dough mother culture, and ending the day baking bread and courgette bread in the same...

Saturday. Glorious not to have to work. Obviously earning money is admirable and manly, but having to sit manacled to my precariously balanced desk all week instead of doing new house stuff, and roaming about in the new town was a bit trying. This morning, loved having the time to feel waves of excitement surging through me just being in my home and garden.   Lorraine and I had a happy mooch off to the shops.We looked at wardrobes and other bits in a deceptively large furniture shop nearby VR Flowers and Sons, as well as popping into the Seaford Home hardware and -- inevitably -- into Morrisons for some provisions.  At a little before two I sauntered back to Seaford Station to meet Anton, now sporting only the one crutch after his knee operation, and looking forward to ditching it completely soon. Seemed ages since we saw each other. He too had been a bit peaky this week, but had rallied magnificently to come here.  Walked him to the new home, narrowly avoiding an evil wh...

I spelt fairly well again last night, sleeping most of the night for the first time in a couple of weeks. It is Friday... Keith and I finished one job with Pat and the French Bloke, and Perky today, and will be doing another next week. Everything went well however, and people pleased with what had been done. Lovely to be working with such old pals. Very drained by the end of the day.  After work Lorraine -- who had been heroically sorting stuff out in the house all day, and I hurried off to Trawlers to meet Yvonne and Brian where we had a meal of very nice fish and chips again, but this time with a bottle of beer. Really enjoyed seeing them, and after we paid (some confusion here as I paid for everything and Yvonne assumed I had just paid for Lorraine and I and gave the man some cash who gladly accepted it as a humongous tip.  We walked back to our place, with a woman opening a door of the pub to kiss Brian through it. Brian (and I) were quite tempted to go in, as it look...

Lorraine and I so happy that there was no major ordeal today. Great to have slept in our own bed, but I was awake lots with this pesky cough that we both got from Pat. Beth and James this morning. Beth burst into tears not long after being here, seeing how happy it had made Lorraine feel, which of course made it all feel more real for us too. They loved it -- Beth already envisaging what Christmases would be like here.  After they went -- Beth having to work away from home for seven days starting tomorrow, Lorraine and I spent the afternoon unpacking steadily and taking frequent rests and working out what went where and so on. A knock on the door and our next door neighbour, a friendly strong looking man called David who has a building company, introduced himself. Nice guy. We sloped off to Morrison's, the nearby supermarket, and bought food, cooking a roast chicken  and trying out our oven for the first time.  Even going to the supermarket feels like a bit of an adventur...

So up early, in our amazing new house, braced to receive lots of movers. We prepared ourselves to receive all our belongings, and were ready at nine. The delivery was delayed, however, and the removals people didn't arrive till 12:20 as they had staff issues. Friendly bunch as before, one talking lots to Lorraine, who sat outside on a chair in the street and told them which room to put everything in and discussed trading an aquarium for a fridge freezer with one of the movers. I faffed about indoors, unpacking kitchen stuff, and pointing and so on. They were finally done at five-ish and the cats were allowed out of the utility room, and we finally closed the door on the day. Marvellous, and bloody tiring. We are now surrounded by innumerable boxes and objects in the what feels like the world's largest Tetris puzzle.  Dawn popped by -- a very welcome distraction, and our first guest. She brought us a happy new home card, a vase and some roses, and also a birthday card and a pres...

So the big Friday! A sense of tiredness and unreality, this morning, even a strange twitchiness even though we were contacted early by the solicitor to say everything had gone through. Lorraine and I pottered about packing the car, and then locking everything up, as Pat and Maureen were in Devon for the wedding of Louise and Will and cramming the cats into the car. Brian in the back, and Calliope on my lap. We set off at about one pm, and then ignored the sat nav and drove the route we always thought would be the best along the motorways. However, this proved to be a bit of a mistake. All a bit stressful with Calliope howling continually for two hours on my lap. We pulled up Paradise Park garden centre where Lorraine nipped out to get some cat litter, and treats of new bowls and a catnip toys each. Then to Seaford, where Lorraine parked near the estate agent, and passing the hot potato of Calliope over to Lorraine, I legged out and got the keys. From there a one minute drive to park ou...

A bad night's sleep, then a bit of plotting and scheming with Keith this morning, then a bit of work and admin... billing mes amis in Paris. While Lorraine went with Maureen to get her other ankle injected. A smidge of planning with Robin. Then Lorraine and I drove back to Canterbury to try to exchange Maureen's new trousers for another size (a failure), and did a smidge of other shopping. We had fun just driving along and going shopping though. We are counting the hours till our homelessness is over. Home again, feeling excitable about everything. Mum called Maureen, and it was odd to hear Mum chatting to Maureen and not be involved. Lorraine and I cooked a cheeky curry for our evening meal. Otherwise a quiet but cheerful night -- Pat and Maureen having packed for their granddaughter Louise's wedding near Plymouth.  I became sucked in by the political dramas of the day. The odious Suella Braverman quit her job as Home Secretary today, following a breach of ministerial code...

Off today to Mill Hill to see Mum and Mas. The journey from Ashford on the high speed train into St Pancras -- around 35 minutes -- is revolutionary compared to the journey of over an hour and a half from Brighton to St Pancras on Thameslink. Mooched to The Jolly Badger in good time.  Lovely to see Mum and Mas, although the Jolly Badger has slipped a bit. Where once it was deeply average it is now nudging dire.  An irritating manager type running about when I arrived. Have you booked? he said as we asked for a table. Literally three other people in the restaurant of about 80 covers. Our server the familiar silent one, who speaks  only with deep reluctance. Meanwhile some kind of power tool carpentry project going on around the corner in the restaurant. Mason, quite chatty, however, about a plan he has for Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Ukraine, and the Waggon and Horses, before wondering off to chat with other Jolly Badger patrons.   Mum and Mas kindly gave me a hedge st...

A fun day... Chats with Keith first thing, then all of us off in the car to Canterbury. I have never been to the centre of Canterbury before. I liked it lots, and as Pat and Maureen melted slowly away to do some shopping, Lorraine and I went to visit the Cathedral. A lovely place, and photogenic. I took my camera out, but the most interesting shots were to be had down in the Crypt, but here photos were not allowed. We mooched about there, looking at the tomb of the Black Prince, and where Thomas Becket was given a good stabbing in 1170, and so on. Also mooching about in the grounds, where privileged school children from the private school walked. Back out of the grounds. Passed a statue of Chaucer, and saw a ducking stool and had a light lunch and a cup of tea before catching up with Pat and Maureen again and driving home. At tea time Lorraine drove us into the country a little to visit Matt and Isy and their three excellent bairns. We arrived before it was dark, and Matt showed us aro...

A short drive to Appledore, a village nearby, where we went into an antique shop by Appledore station called Station Antiques. Very pricey but solid furniture there. We drove into the village proper, and having parked behind the village hall, noticing an old howitzer shell awarded to the village in thanks for war bond purchases in 1914-1919. However it is now a memorial. Walked along a street called The Street, and into The Black Lion where we had a very decent lunch, and I had a pint of rather nice dark beer called -- I think -- Marsh Midnight from the Romy Marsh brewery, to wash down my delicious chicken and ham pie with lots of vegetables. Lorraine ate a halloumi burger with sweet potato fries washed down with cranberry juice and soda.  From then drove to the centre of Ashford, and had a wee mooch about. The bones of what must have been a lovely market town still poking through occasionally. Lorraine walking about reminiscing a little. She had a troubling dream about a sinister ...

Lorraine lying low with a chesty cold, although rallied magnificently to prepare a gorgeous vegetable lasagne.  I went to the pharmacy to collect Pat's medications. They are hopelessly disorganised and I had to wait an hour for them to be ready. Told to sit on the wall outside for 15 minutes (this is after having queued for 20 mins already, and that someone would come out to let us know it was ready. Chatted to two people who were in the same boat... Turns out that they did not come out to call us, and that the names of the prescription were simply muttered behind the counter. When I barged in with the woman I had been talking to half an hour or so later, they were still not ready. Okay for me because I had nothing else to do, but I pity the poor old folk who are treated like this. Then to the post office where a bloke was telling the owners about secret shoppers who were doing the rounds asking which was the cheapest packet of fags. I finally made the woman there smile, when I ask...

My birthday. First thing I saw was an ecard from Mum and Mas, involving a cute cat. Then our own cute cats... Lorraine brought me not one but two cups of tea in bed. Feeling a bit ancient this morning. Lorraine began discussing wills, as we had been talking about them for a while. Nine days from Seaford now. The countdown continues apace. Pat still coughing, and Maureen and Lorraine coughing now too. They all tested for covid but nobody was positive. Cards from Lorraine, and Pat and Maureen -- a recorded piano and voice rendition of Happy birthday from Robin and Nick, and from Dawn and Paul who had Maureen's address plus messages from Toby and Romy and Betty and James and Sam and Jade plus dozens of kind and lovely messages from friends during the day. A recording session with Robin at 10:30 this morning, which was fun. Lorraine made me a delicious sourdough bacon and egg sandwich. I spoke to Mum, and Anton. As did Bob, however this was during the big excitement of the day. The dra...

A good night's sleep, and much refreshed. Woke up with my lightning tracker going off. It thought it was still in Corfu, and apparently there was thunder there this morning. As soon as I opened the app it realised it was in Ashford.  I was determined to get on with getting to grips on work for a while. Spent a few hours editing interviews for the podcast, and doing a recording session with Robin. Fun to be chatting again. A gorgeous day. Lorraine took Maureen out shopping this morning, and in the afternoon out to see an old pal called Wenda. I was working and broke off to hang some washing out on the line, Maureen schooling me on the correct way to peg socks to the line... By their toes is the only acceptable way. Pat still coughing and looking a bit peaky. He had his covid jab a week and a half ago, and tested negative this morning.  Calliope very clingy despite the fact both cats love Maureen and seem to be enjoying the garden, which is not densely populated with other cats ...

Up early in Kalami bay, in time to watch the sun creep over the Albanian mountains as we ate a small breakfast in the cool of the morning and then sauntered outside to be picked up and transferred to the airport. The eastern costal strip of Corfu quite built up, but still very appealing. To the airport in good time, and shuffled through security and into a waiting hall. I realised my specs case which had been in an outside pocket had gone missing. Probably in the taxi, where everything was stowed in the boot. I returned to security and asked if they had noticed a pair, but met with an infuriating woman who, speaking to me as if I were an idiot, demanded where I had lost them. In your hotel? In the taxi? In the airport? Perhaps the word lost was lost in translation. They were not at the security gate however. I felt very stressed this morning, and so about an hour before takeoff took a diazepam, which did the trick and I felt able to cope.  An EasyJet flight home, unfortunately. Her...

Our last full day. Much like the others, breakfast on our balcony, in the warm sun, and then we mooched down to the beach, armed with a couple of spanakopitas and read, and cross-stitched and listened to podcasts. A last big swim, although just as I was about to start swimming I was ambushed by a panic attack. Typical scenario for me -- anxiety striking when I am at my most relaxed. However it was all over quickly, and Lorraine and I headed back into the water for a lovely swim.   We saw two octopuses. one hiding between rocks watchful of us, and subtly changing colour and the second, brilliantly, over a sandy bottom and swimming and crawling along the bottom on its eight legs and inserting itself into the long seagrass. It was fabulous and strangely exhilarating to see it.  Back on shore, an older local guy crept into the water with an evil tripod tipped spear gun. He emerged some time later with a dead octopus -- which we felt quite sad about -- and two or three fish all bou...

Another beautiful and restful day in Greece. Here are some snaps... Waking up on a beautiful morning; Lorraine's cross stitch; a view of The White House (Lawrence Durrell's old house); the moon rising; Lorraine and I in the Taverna; and the view of the one day short of full moon from our balcony.

More energetic today. Still did writing and lurked in the room, but in the afternoon Lorraine and I went back to the beach and snorkelled, and relaxed on sun loungers listening to podcasts and reading, and eating tasty spanakopita pies.  Beth and James arrived in Italy for a wedding today. I had another long swim a couple of hours later. Feel so happy drifting about with fish, who seem unconcerned about human presence. Loving their abundance here. For the first time I did not see an octopus, but I have already seen more here than anywhere else. In the evening we went to The White House, where Lawrence Durrell lived, which is now a fine dining restaurant with a formality about the staff. I thought about the great writer a bit, and his Alexandria Quartet, which I have not read since I was in my late teens. His novels and poetry was published by Faber. His star has waned a bit in the UK at least. I wonder what he would have made of the restaurant. His travel writing is amazing too. We...

A supremely lazy day mainly lounging on our balcony and looking at the view. I got some bread and water and then mainly loafed. The day slightly overcast, but the temperature still lovely. As Lorraine worked  cross-stitching tiny ornate squares and I fiddled with a new poem about moths. We both slept in the afternoon too.   In the evening we sauntered down the path where the little lizard zooms, down to Thomas's taverna. The sky tonight unbelievably pink in the east, and it turned the sea purple. People from the taverna, including the staff, popping out to photograph the phenomenon. Utterly beautiful. Thomas himself came and talked to us, saying he had his taverna for 37 years, and the sweet natured woman who served us was his daughter.  Lorraine and I shared a Greek salad, and Lorraine ate chicken souvlaki and I had spaghetti with a vegetable sauce and lots of grated cheese, and then we both had orange cake. Lovely stuff.  Happily sauntering home. Below the purple e...

More relaxed for parts of the day than I have felt in a long time. Lorraine and I after breakfast, sauntered down to the beach and rented a couple of sunbeds and based ourselves by the glassy sea for the day. We bought spanakopita pies for lunch, Lorraine brought a noodle for swimming, and I spent much of the afternoon snorkelling in what is probably the best place I have ever been for it. The bay's mix of sand, pebbles, stones, rocks and fields of seagrass create a perfect environment for a variety of fish. I saw yet another octopus today, slinking across the seabed, and probing a long tentacle into a crack before pulling itself in and the eyes and body exactly mimicking the rock it was hiding in. So many moments of beauty, and although the water is distinctly cooler (and there are streams of cold fresh water entering the bay under the surface that make the water look blurry). There are a few short wooden jetties, on metal legs, that poke into the water, and the one in deepest wat...

Oh the joy of not having to get up at a hideous hour, and not feeling utterly exhausted all day having slept  peacefully in our Greek beds -- apart from when I dropped a glass of water on the tiles in the middle of the night.  I bought some bread and water from a nearby shop at around nine, and Lorraine and I had a totally relaxed start with breakfast on the terrace, and then after faffing about a bit getting ready, down to the seaside for another swim. Although it is clearly not high summer here, we have a sense of winding time backwards and having a stolen slice of summer again. Utterly beautiful underwater. We swam along together along the north side of the bay, where there are cold streams running into the water which was cold on your skin. Everywhere are beautiful fish.  Unable to resist, I had a further swim while Lorraine got out, and met another octopus who boldly flared at me, before thinking better of things and melting away. It is genuinely like swimming in a v...