under another sun

 Another really cheerful day. Lorraine and I caught the train into Brighton, and did a spot of shopping. I bought sunglasses, as mine had given up the ghost -- or should I say shade -- a few days ago. Then after a spot of shopping, and witnessing the Police unsuccessfully chasing a sprinting villain  down the centre of North Street we mooched into The Ivy, where Lorraine had a voucher for a £100. We had a meal there, which was nice enough. Lorraine had a cocktail called a Passionate Spritz (apparently a bit like a Porn Star) and I had a fancy G&T and a decent meal. The Ivy, because it is expensive and snobby, attracts the idle rich. The staff were professional and pleasant however. Then into the old lanes where I bought Lorraine her long-promised eternity ring -- which was quite blingy and has pinky red rubies and little diamonds in it. We were able to get it resized and done within an hour or so. We did a bit more shopping and then dropped into The Cricketers where Lorrai...

Up to London today, meeting Bob in Trafalgar Square. Met up and had a quick coffee and a roll in a Prêt. We discussed exhibitions to see, as is our wont. The cafe was noisy and he reeled off a list of options, including a fascinatingly postmodern one called 'Debussy and Freud'. I mentioned this seemed very interesting but it turned out this was actually Lucian Freud, which we went to see. But not before having a single pint in the Salisbury.  Thence into the exhibition. Enjoyable without being life changing. Freud's penchant for repulsive looking flesh tones always makes me feel weird, despite their obvious skill. On only one occasion did Bob point at a painting with his finger hovering three or four millimetres over the priceless surface, a habit that makes me, and assorted staff nervous. Thought provoking stuff. Then we mooched off to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese a long time haunt. Today we were able to get a seat in the little bar, where a Welsh guy began chatting to us. Then...

Cheery day. Lorraine and I went off shopping this morning. In the market we bought some iron wall hooks in the shape of hearts, and I bought a bottle of locally produced sloe gin. We nosed in a print shop, and I went to collected new reading glasses to replace the ones I left in the back of a Corfiot taxi, while Lorraine had the arms on her specs tightened. Then on impulse into the Library to join up -- I had no ID so will need to return. Then into the dry cleaner's for Lorraine to continue her charm offensive.  In the evening Lorraine and I took ourselves off for a six o'clock nose bag at the Moon of India, apparently Seaford's oldest curry house. Initial impressions were favourable. I ordered a Gujarati chicken, a hot, sour and spicy village dish apparently. Very sugary unfortunately, and Lorraine's chicken rogan was sweet too. which was weird. Nevertheless sauntered home having had a good time. After a bit I felt extremely dehydrated with a racing pulse, and drank pi...

Feeling free today. At my desk doing lots of poetry related emails one to Live Cannon, following up about a meeting before Christmas after my recently shortlisted collection.  Finding the advice that Sarah Barnsley gave me last week continuously resonating with me at present: be on your own side. Looked at my phone as I mooched, and my emails were all from poets.  Lorraine out to join Penny and another head teacher for a walk around Ditchling.  I went for a walk of my own, and signed up at the nearby sports centre so I can use their gym. Got a Christmas deal so I got three months for the price of one. Friendly place, and I got chatting to an elderly lady at reception who was off to do Tai Chi. From there I walked about for a bit, listening to the In Our Time podcast about Wilfred Owen.Wandered over to a bit of Seaford Head, wind surging off the sea in a way that makes you feel a bit roughed up and buffeted, which I liked a lot..  Home and had a chat with Mum, and arr...

Finished off a job with Keith. Had the opportunity to zoom out at lunchtime for a bit of a walk. Beautiful day, and when I returned home there was a rainbow over our road. Lorraine off again to Ashford to see how Pat and Maureen were doing. Pat at home now thankfully, and slowly recovering.  She got home at seven. Lunchtime walk... on the beach looking towards the Martello tower and Seaford Head, St Leonard's Church in the centre of town, and a rainbow over our road.

Monday. A grey rainy day, and cold. Working online with Keith and feeling cold in my study. We put on the heating in two or three one hour bursts to keep off the penguins. A meeting with Pat today too, meeting background kept making his long hair disappear and reappear as if flapping in a high wind   Happy to have Lorraine busying herself around the house, doing things with sourdough and sorting bits and pieces, it being her first morning home since Friday. Once done with work, Lorraine and I assembled a bathroom cabinet. Surprising how warming screwdrivers can be. Lorraine, not having been here for a couple of days, getting flashes of unreality about this being her home -- and it is not a holiday from which we will have to return. Cocooned on the gold sofa tonight, eating a warming chicken and vegetable stew and catching up with Deep Space 9.  Meanwhile in an alternative universe the football world cup started in the UAE. England won their first game 6-2, which was rather imp...

A bit strange to wake up in my new house on my own. Lorraine staying with Maureen. The good news was that Pat was improved today, and feeling a bit better. He has pneumonia but hadn't had the stroke that certainly we had first feared. Good for Lorraine to be there, and we spoke several times over the day. Lorraine had arranged for a tree surgeon called Gary to arrive first thing, arrived with his boy Henry. He and backed into the bottom of the garden from the alley and proceeded to feed branches into the chewing machine, and took down the remainder of the bough of the sycamore, and stripped a ring in the bark around the other one, which we discovered was actually supporting the fence, and was full of screws and nails. We are going to kill what is effectively an overgrown stump. I take succour in the idea that we are going to be planting more trees. Gary a nice bloke who clearly knew lots about plants and trees, and Henry, who was I guess 12 or 13 a surprisingly hard little worker. ...

All plans went awry. Maureen phoned to say that Pat wasn't able to move this morning. Lorraine set off almost immediately -- we suspected he had had a stroke. The paramedics had arrived shortly after Lorraine arrived in Ashford. Pat had a strange rash. By the end of the evening they said that he had pneumonia, and they were continuing investigations, but put in a cannula for antibiotics and paracetamol. Obviously everyone rather shaken. I spoke to Lorraine and Maureen during the day -- but Pat apparently cracking jokes and in good spirits.  Before she left, Lorraine had been baking loaves and so on, and after she left talking to her on the phone we realised they had been on the wrong setting, so I had to put them back in and monitor. Miraculously the bread was fine at the end. I biffed any idea of doing some writing this morning, and also decided to cancel seeing Keith after the dentist in case I had to zoom off to Ashford.  After the excitements of the morning I had miscalcul...

Took a brief with Keith this morning, from the old FB, Pat and Perky. Keith and I spent the day batting bits back and forth as usual. This against a backdrop of breaking off to man&womanhandle metal bed frames downstairs and other bits that Lorraine was getting on with.  In the evening I made off to Lewes to the Needlewriters poetry, where I heard Antony Mair read, a lovely man, plus Beth Miller read some prose and Frances Presley gave us some selections from her collected works.  A bizarre interlude where one of the staff of the John Harvey Tavern poked her head in, as Beth Miller was reading and the audience were listening attentively, and said to Janet and Rachel sitting by the door that 'you do know it's a £50 charge for the room don't  you?' Something apparently not previously mentioned in the years the Needlewriters have been meeting there.  I sat on a table with SJB, Charlotte and Stephen Bone -- who were giving me encouragement with pursuing the collectio...

Got up earlyish this morning, to work on some writing, or at least think about writing -- and did some editing during the day on the podcast. More wild wind and rain. Later L and I scuttled into town and popped into Seaford's branch of supersavers to replace the pair I lost in Greece. Served by a young automaton. Also Lorraine and I took pair of duvets into the dry cleaner. Lorraine charming the man behind there with talk about maths, and how he couldn't be so bad at it because he has his own business. The smell of bean-based goodness permeating the house. Not without incident, as the haricot and butter beans I had soaked overnight and boiled were too old.  I replaced them with tinned beans of the same persuasion, and it worked a treat. Posted the pictures on Facebook. Jenny Kendall Tobias calling me out for off piste ingredients such as garlic, a touch of celery, a bit of cumin and turmeric.  More progress on the house today. Including drilling holes in walls again, which wen...

Up to make a cup of tea, pausing only to clean up a pool of cat urine next to the litter tray, and back into bed. Sipping tea in bed, I opened my email from Live Cannon to say my manuscript Man Up had not won the prize for which I was shortlisted. I had tried not got my hopes up over the last six months, but still a disappointment. All is not lost, however, as I was told they were big fans of my work and would I be up for meeting to discuss it? But it took me a while to reach this point of seeing this gleam of optimism. I have failed at the last fence so many times it is hard to bear.      Shortly after, Brian arrived with his chainsaw -- which he has been trained and licenced to use -- bright as a button having already been for a swim in the sea to help us out in  the garden. He proceeded to cut down the small dead conifer, the diseased crab apple tree, and pollarded the sycamores, which I learn are unwelcome trees. Although I had agreed all this with Lorraine, I fo...

A busy and social day. A chat with Keith this morning. Today's delivery a double mattress for the spare room. Then Lorraine and I made off to the little cafe called Baca by the station, where we met Yvonne and Brian for coffee and a chat, then made off to the Crypt to see an open artist's Christmas fare. We bought a coat rack and various other bits and pieces. Brian sitting it out, outside.  We went our separate ways then, Lorraine and I doing a spot of shopping, Lorraine brought a little whisk among other things, and popped into the sewing shop and bought some stuffing for Mabel the rabbit, Loraine's latests knitting project.  Home and we worked in house and then slumped for a bit, before it was time to push off to The Boot, where we met Steve at 5pm, who was there with his pal Sarah-Jane her friend Justin.  Both lovely folks, Sarah-Jane who radiated enthusiasms, wanted to talk about podcasts. Drank some Harvey's old and then Lorraine and I went to Osborne Fish and Chi...

Lorraine off this morning to Brighton, where she picked up more thyroid mix for Calliope and then went off to Hove to have her hair cut by Paul, and then, from there zoom off to be with Betty for the afternoon, with Laura going too. I meanwhile, did an edit on an interview Robin had done, finally completed editing my chat with Sarah Barnsley. I also spoke with Mimi Khalvati this morning who I was due to interview, but she has a recurring problem with losing her voice unpredictably, and was on a whispery morning so we decided to bump it. Nice to chat to her though, as I'd not spoken to her in about 25 years I think. Late afternoon I made off to Brighton, this time on the train. Train pass wasn't working however, as I have updated my phone but the train app transferred sans data which is a bit galling. Reading a book on the train about poetry, which coincidentally included a couple of paragraphs on Mimi. Went to my usual pharmacy, stocked up on my prescription -- now I have the p...

A good night's sleep but still feeling a tad out of sorts with the sore throat and persistent tiredness that has been hanging about since before we moved in. Lorraine and I up and had breakfast, then conversations about the jobs that needed doing, hopped into the car and drove to Eastbourne to get our covid booster jabs -- a brace of fresh Pfizers. We were done quickly even though our bookings, made simultaneously online, were for half an hour apart.  Beautiful drive there and back, and we stopped off at the Chalk Farm nursery where we looked at fruit tree saplings and other plants. The paths there a bit like being a pac man in that they were blocked here and there by blown over pots. Home and Lorraine and I did solid work in my study, dismantling the little desk we'd inherited, so I had space for mine. We discovered some superficial mould (barely any character at all) growing immediately behind it.  Lorraine used vinegar to clean it and cut some of the wall paper away. The st...

Woke up irritably this morning after stressful dreams. Then looked at my phone and realised after tracking the delivery of my new phone, they were about to deliver it to my old address despite having provided the new one. Gah. Up and sorted this out. Then did things like billing, arranging a dentist visit, writing to my accountant etc. Felt a bit better for doing these small things.  Then sorting things out in the house with Lorraine. Then Lorraine off to her personal trainer and I made off to Brighton for a haircut. As there was supposed to be a train strike today, but was recently revoked, trains were not running from the Seaford today.  I jumped on a 12 bus and it took me along the coastal road, through assorted havens and deans till we reached Brighton. Amazing colours over the stormy sea. Khaki with white foam near the shore, then green then steel blue towards the horizon.  First time in Brighton since the 27th September -- seven weeks. Stacy in a miserable mood, but...

Got up not too early, and had breakfast of scrambled eggs Lorraine's sourdough loaf, which despite being a bit burnt on top was something close to spectacular, and tasted brilliant. We did a bit of stuff around the house. I hung some pictures, and Lorraine and I emptied boxes and brought a smidgeon more order to chaos. We cooked a Sunday roast and berry crumble as Beth and James were coming around for a roast lunch. Much merriment made of passing food through the hatch into the dining room. Had our first meal in our dining room, which was fun. James abstained but the ladies drank wine and I nursed a couple of cans of lager.  Lorraine's former colleague from her last school Rebecca came around to get the tour. She liked it lots, and is pleased Lorraine is here as her Mum and Dad live in Seaford too. After chatting with Rebecca I joined Beth and James in the other room where James had downloaded a sports channel and was watching some muddy looking cycling in Belgium. Beth surpris...

Saturday, and raining heavily. Lorraine and I got up and started to potter about doing a few things. Steve came to the front door in waterproofs and a hat, bearing gifts as discussed at teatime in the pub yesterday.  Kefir  grains -- according to Wiki a symbiotic matrix of bacteria and yeasts, which is freak white alien life form that has to be fed. We fed it a bowl of milk and if left to its own devices will produce kefir drink in a few days. What with that and the mother sourdough culture that Lorraine has been growing in my study, I am beginning to wonder if I should be writing another horror story about this.  Steve also brought a bag of chard, and a Mirabelle plum jam he had made. We drank coffee and shot the breeze and showed him around the place, which he liked a lot. Eventually, as he had things to do, he forged back into the rain.  Lorraine and I had a quiet afternoon till, when the rain had stopped, we walked down to the sea, via The Crypt to dip in to see ...

A blessed morning of not having to spring out of bed and stare bleakly at Keith staring back at me.  Instead Lorraine and I had a cheery day making bits of progress on the house. Lorraine's pal Carolyn called around for lunch, and to offer all kinds of useful gardening advice. Carolyn is planning to move to Scotland to buy a place with her man Ron. In the afternoon off to a nearby garden centre to buy soil and so on, and we started to plant some of the 350 bulbs Lorraine has ordered. Meanwhile Anton called to talk about the ghastly week he had running a business event.  Lorraine and I hurried off to The Boot at 5pm to have a drink with Steve. It was full of folks, and Steve greeted us very cheerfully at the bar, and the staff all joined in asking when we had moved and so on. All very nice. Soon were quaffing pints of Harvey's Old ale from the tap. Bloody lovely, and very nice to see Steve again now that we are neighbours. Better still was actually having a beer in a pub with L...

Up at dawn this morning, and a quick shower and then finishing the first edit of the podcast, which I then sent to Robin to review. Much to my delight we managed to get the podcast up on time today, with Robin doing a final edit. Then at 8:30 back with Keith slogging till an afternoon presentation and a later meeting. However, the work was done, and Pat released me gently back into the wild. Enjoyed working with Pat and Michel again but at the end of the day I was mightily relieved to be done, the job finished satisfactorily, the podcast up, and finally a bit of time just to be in Seaford in my new home. Chatting with Mum after work. Ben was round helping them set up the new television they bought today in Borehamwood to replace the lightning-fried one. All rather dramatic but they are both okay, luckily.  Rosie and Innis came around today. Sadly, as I was working, I was only able to spend a bit of time with them -- they were liking the new house lots, and brought me a late birthd...

Another day manacled to the desk looking at Keith in a window on my screen and trying to come up with ideas -- and then discussing them with Pat last thing in the afternoon.  Recording with Robin immediately work was done. Lorraine and I drove off to our nearest Sainsbury's, in Newhaven. Not terribly exciting in itself but fun to be away from my desk. Lorraine working hard but happily in the new house. She found the bulk of the cutlery today which had the words Garage and other incriminating things written on the box in my hand.   Shocking news from Mum: a lightning strike that hit Kings Drive and knocked out their TV, and did the same to Ben's TV too. Mum's wifi is fried too -- as is Maheena's I think. Mum okay but having to organise BT people for the wifi and think about new televisions.   Back to my desk, and I almost finished editing the podcast by nine. Enough, and I came downstairs and sipped a single bottle of beer and watched some TV with my lovely wifey. Befor...

Lorraine off to Ashford to see Pat and Maureen, and go with them to see Lorraine's Auntie Doris -- she didn't get home till late in the evening, in a car full of houseplants, my shoes, our duvet filling, and other bits that Maureen had been taking care of for us. The cats missed Lorraine which meant Calliope plaguing me at my desk. One of the boons of having Lorraine at home is the cats get distracted by her.  Most of my day from 8:30 manacled to my desk, dreaming up concepts with Keith. A slightly surreal interlude with a piano carefully delivered by two taciturn Polish men at lunchtime. They were very efficient but despite that it reminded me of that Laurel and Hardy movie. The piano was Penny's but she didn't want it, and sold it to Lorraine at an attractive price. Later a lawn mower was also delivered. The outside world fairly uninviting with rain. After work I met Robin online and we recorded some banter for the podcast, which I then immediately edited. Robin in go...