under another sun

Up and packed, then after a chat with Jerome and Mogg, scampered through the rain into Wester Cottage, breakfast there while watching Frasier with half an eye, and fond farewells with Sam. Jade drove us to Leuchars. The fields immediately outside their village misty and wet. Rather lovely nevertheless. Drove through a grey St Andrews, and bade Jade farewell, and clambered over the bridge to the platforms in soaking rain.  Lorraine and I had an excellent time there, and I am looking forward to returning one day soon. My brain full of the colours of the East Neuk in all its moods. Someone in our seats when we got onto the coach, but they moved away despite claiming to have booked that ticket. Settled in. An easier journey back down to Kings Cross with nobody screaming. Hard bony seats though. A disappointing August day. We were lucky to have had some nice weather.  Leapt onto a train at St Pancras, and got to East Croydon quickly, but a 40 minute wait there for the train to Lewe...

 To nearby Crail, to look at some rather good local pottery, with a courtyard full of pots, and a shop indoors too. We came away with two dishes. There is a combination of colours that I am beginning to think of as very characteristic of. Some of which I have seen in the tartan shop Lorraine and I took Sam to in Stirling some time ago: these are gold, amber and pale green, and deep blue and purple. Some of this palette reflected in the work there.  Then down to Crail harbour, where I mooched about taking some snaps. Got talking to a wee boy and his family fishing for crabs at the end of the pier. He proudly showed me one of them, which was a photo I liked lots. Mooched about in Crail for a bit, before we drove off to Cambo Gardens . Had a lovely walk down a wooded valley with a stream running to the sea threading through some golfers at one point just at the end before the beach. Jade and Sam found a big body of a marine creature washed up on shore, which we did not look at, b...

Up not too early. Had a chat with Mog's parents Shelia and Peter, and into Wester Cottage to have coffee and a bit of breakfast with Sam and Jade. A bus day today. We caught the bus to St Monan and The East Pier Smokehouse . Gorgeous food, which I washed down with a glass of cider. Lorraine had a sea bass, head and all, Jade had half a lobster, and Sam had mackerel. Easily the best haddock I have ever tasted.  Then a walk along the coastal path towards Elie. Utterly gorgeous walk along a rugged coast, full of colours that changed as rapidly as the weather. One minute in full sun, the next cowering from rain. Lots of sea birds, of different species, butterflies, wildflowers, and the Firth of Forth looking gorgeous and brooding.  At one point, quite near the end of our walk, the rain started falling with a good deal of enthusiasm, so we mooched off the path into the Address Farm, where there was a farm shop where we had some soft drinks, from which Lorraine bought some garl...

Slept pretty well, and wandered downstairs and out of Mog and Jerome's house and into Sam and Jade's home. A strong Sam style cup of coffee and toast and Lorraine's seedy breakfast and all was well. Jade drove us to St Andrews, where she works. She was a great tour guide today. We looked at the amazing building Jade works in, and the castle ruin, and along the coast for a couple of hundred metres to a small harbour, where people were fishing for crabs with ground lines. Looming behind us were the remains of a medieval castle, framing sections of the sky. Next food. Went to eat on the pavement outside a cafe, and as the day was warm and fine, and the whole thing felt unexpectedly mediterranean. I ate an unbelievably healthy salady vegan style dish. Afterwards Jade became guided us through town through academic courtyards of mowed lawns and centuries old buildings and into a wonderful bookshop, where I bought Alasdair Gray's  The Ends of Our Tethers, 13 sorry stories , an...

Up and a busy before breaking off to leave for Scotland by train. Seaford to Lewes. Lewes to East Croydon. East Croydon to St Pancras. King's Cross to Leuchars in Fife. The train to Scotland was uncomfortable, with hard narrow seats. I was sat behind a two year old, who after wetting herself on the seat, lay on the floor and screamed until purple in the face in an epic tantrum. Writing and reading a bit hard under these circumstances. Crossing the Forth Railway bridge an experience, as if the train suddenly became a plane with views over the Firth of Forth.  Lovely to be in Scotland again. Jade all smiles as she collected us in her little red car at Leuchars station. Drove back through St Andrews, which looked very grand, with a ruined castle and ruined Medieval cathedral. It revolves around two things: the prestigious university, and the world-renowned golf course. Then we followed Jade's normal drive home back to Kilrenny, a little village just outside Anstruther, which is it...

To Eastbourne by bus, which is a beautiful journey in itself. Lorraine and I having been invited by Robin and Nick to have a lunchtime meal in the sun of their enormous back garden with their pals Jamie and Sarah -- who turned out to be very likeable. Returned five poetry books I had borrowed from Robin during the course of the last season. Lovely to be outside, strong sun, and butterflies, and dragonflies and a Spitfire overhead, in preparation for the Eastbourne Air Show next month. Sarah an old pal of Robin's is a piano teacher and an all round interesting and interested person. Jamie I liked too, quietly funny and characterful. I drank beer and then a glass of wine and sat outside, eating salmon and lovely veggies, followed by a summer fruit Pavlova, made by Nick. A cheery time, Lorraine having fun. We all walked down to the seafront, only a few minutes away.  Eastbourne seafront is new to me, and I enjoyed our mooch about before returning to their place for cups of tea. Really...

A day to myself. Lorraine off to see Pat and Maureen. I spent a blissfully monastic day working on my poetry MS and made some satisfying strides forward. Dare I whisper it... It is beginning to feel like a book now. I also went to The Crypt to talk to Palo Almond, about buying a print of one of her paintings Lorraine and I like lots. We talked about her work and the particular painting Lorraine and I wanted. Chatty and asking with genuine interest about my work too. In the afternoon I went out for a walk briefly into the gym and then along the seafront and round about to home, to make sure I'd done my 10k paces. More good writing in the afternoon too. Feeling happy about having time to think.  Lorraine home again this evening. I watched The War of The Worlds with Tom Cruise. The first half of that film I really like. Then we watched a bit of TV before bed.  Horrible climate news today, what with various places on fire, and a headline in the Guardian suggesting the Gulf Stream ...

Slightly thwarted day. Had to meet Keith and deal with a work job right away, which harshed my creative buzz. Still I managed a decent amount of my writing. Lorraine out to see her pal Kate this morning. And I spent an infuriating hour looking for my letter from the tax office, and it was hidden in plain sight on the kitchen table. Paid my tax. Did household chores. Went shopping for a few bits after dinner, couldn't find the furniture polish, and I asked a person in Morrisons. She was holding her arm strangely, as if attempting a fascist salute, but told me what aisle to look in. I asked her if she was okay, it seems her arm pops out of its socket from time to time, and she was off to find the colleague who knows where to press her to pop it back in its socket. Poor girl having to talk to a tetchy shopper, while her arm was hanging on by strings. She re-emerged bright as a button a few minutes later and found the polish for me.  A quick chat with Mum today. Neurotically monitoring...

A chilled Sunday, tomatoes on toast for breakfast.  Harvested was over a kilo of beans from the back garden (runner, French and dwarf) two heritage carrots. We ate lots of them as a side dish to fish pie, and the bulk Lorraine blanched and then were frozen.  Lorraine made a curtain, I caught up with my blog then tinkered with my poetry ms. Blood sugar alarm went off again, just as I was sitting down to eat -- having missed lunch. While no cause for alarm, interesting how your blood sugar reacts to not being fed.  Then hedge trimming as Lorraine had got our shears sharpened yesterday. Took me on a nostalgia trip back to clipping the hedges at my grandparents house. Spoke to Mum this evening, chatting about Gwen my grandmother. Seems strange she has been gone for 32 years. They are always with you though, somehow. Below the bounty of Kenny farm. Lorraine with heritage carrots (which are not the garish orange of newbie carrots) and a cross section of one. It was remarkably ...

Up late, and a hearty breakfast. Called Mum for a cheery chat. Lorraine and I mooching about in Seaford to pop into The Crypt to see an exhibition of works by folks in the Seaford Art club. A fairly decent standard. We spoke to Palo Almond who seems a lovely smily woman, whose work we like.  Kissed Lorraine and walked through the churchyard to head to the station. Had one of those moments of unexpected happiness. I like living here.  To Brighton to meet Anton for a cheeky afternoon beer. I worked at some poems on train and then scuttled through the rain to the Battle of Trafalgar where there was a bizarrely dressed stag do, lots of spangly cowboy stuff, including a beefy guy in a black hat who towered over me at the bar.  Anton arrived, but it was noisy due to noisy boys, so we sauntered in the rain down to the Evening Star, where I went unmolested, enjoyed good beer and played several games of highly contested bones with Anton, played on a bakelite made in the USSR in 1...

Up and writing well this morning, feeling rightly or wrongly that the  albatross manuscript is taking shape finally although its title is still undecided. I have found a way to weave together the strands of writing about memory with that of masculinity and have been enjoying a sudden burst of progress. I have to meet up with Keith and thrash out a few bullet points on Monday, but other than that free and clear now on the freelance business for a bit. Spoke to him this morning about the offer to work over the weekend, which I declined yesterday. Did some billing and sending in timesheets this afternoon. Off this afternoon to the gym, after a post lunch and nap after Lorraine and I had meditated. Dragged myself there to be honest. A bit concerned that I can do only half as much as I could a few weeks ago. I had a bit of a bug but I am really struggling on the cross trainer. Lorraine noticed this morning the same effect when she was at her personal trainer. Not feeling ill, just an u...

A great morning's writing. Also finally got some joy on the business of buying Tammy's book from her publisher Seren. I paid for it on June 1st, followed up with a query some weeks later. As I had heard absolutely nothing. Tammy chased it for me. And a nice apologetic note and offers to send me a used copy of her book, before the distributors get around to it etc. We will be discussing two books from their stable for the podcast. Poetry publishers are up against it in all kinds of ways, but sometimes they don't do themselves many favours.   Offered work through the weekend, which I spent 0.4 seconds considering before I rejected it.  Spoke to Anton today, and texted with Yvonne.  Ate cheese for breakfast too observe how there is no blood sugar peak at all if you only eat fat using my sensor.   However, and alarm went off today, just as I was about to eat dinner which said I had low blood sugar. The alarm was quite alarming. Scoffed potatoes and salad that Lorraine ha...

Day one of the Zoe thing today, and in many ways the most important. Ate three moderately unpleasant muffins for breakfast, and two muffins for lunch and then did a blood test two hours after the lunchtime muffins. Lorraine pricked my finger and I had to droplets of blood onto a testing card. Blood everywhere, and Lorraine shouting at me for being histrionic. Soon the job was complete and the blood had to dry off a bit before being sent off in its box. Also took a poo sample and sent this off to the poo doctors. All this will give me an idea of how I process blood fat and blood sugar.  As a hypochondriac I need another opportunity for hyper-vigilance like I need a hole in the head. Luckily my blood sugar peaks and troughs seem to stay within the acceptable zone.  When not doing this, I had a good morning's writing. And in the afternoon, we harvested four courgettes and did gardening things. Had an enjoyable long chat with Toby this evening. Luckily he was away in Argentina whe...

Woke up at an annoying 6am this morning, not helped by a lively Calliope and the pestiferous roof gulls. So I got up early and did my freelance work for a few hours before Lorraine got up. As I'd worked last evening too, I was done with the job fairly quickly. At lunchtime Lorraine drove me off to see the charming Chi in Newhaven, where I received a deep tissue massage. Lorraine kindly waited for me, taking the opportunity to catch up on Star Dew Valley. Massage was fine, until she started on my legs which made me yelp as they were so tight, particularly IT band muscles apparently. A weird, almost-stoned feeling afterwards. Lorraine drove us to the nearby dinosaur garden centre to buy some soil and some plants. Got out of the car, feeling my buns in wonder, for by backside is usually quite firm, now they feel like jelly, a fact I asked Lorraine to confirm.  Back to Seaford and we took a walk down by the sea, after popping into the Post Office. Feeling free and happy and lucky to be...

Up and two briefings the morning, one at 8:30, the other at 9:30. Both fairly cheerful affairs. Keith and I got on with the first one together during the day. Broke off for lunch, were I went with Lorraine, Maureen and Pat to a cafe called Church Lane tearoom, where the others had a delicious home made style ham and chicken pie. There wasn't enough for me, so I chose a vegetable quiche, but hung about gannet like till Maureen gave me half of hers too, having had enough. The food there really was excellent, and very decently priced. Quite a few older folk there, and the staff couldn't have been kinder. After eating we took a detour to drive by the sea. It was a gorgeous milky green in the sun. I went back to work, after fond farewells with Pat and Maureen, and Lorraine drove them home to Ashford. Alone, I finished work, and then had a walk up the local hill and down to the seaside. Beautiful just be able to walk so easily by the sea. Listening to my audiobook about Johnson at 10...

Somewhat delicate first thing and in need of much water. A peaceful day punctuated by popping into the garden to water things. There has been decent rain in the UK lately, but very little has reached Seaford. Lorraine and I harvested some large cucumbers and radishes bigger than golf balls today... Tasty too. Unusually, however, quite a bit of the day was given over to watching the Wimbledon Men's final with Pat and Maureen. It was quite an epic battle. By the fifth set, needed to move, I popped out to water the courgettes and add buckets of rainwater into the fishpond and other pressing tasks, but returned for the last few games where Djokovic who has won the tournament many times (and who Maureen wanted to win) was overcome by Alcaraz, a twenty year old Spanish pretender to his throne. An epic encounter.  Maureen had wanted Ons Jabeur to win the ladies yesterday, but as Jabeur was beaten by an unseeded whippersnapper, Maureen grumpy about both games. A peaceful evening, eating he...

No work, podcast to edit, and no travelling. So yay! It was, however, a barbecue day, as Beth and James were looking at a house in Seaford, and took Lorraine, and Julie, James's mum, with them. Beth sent me films of her tour afterwards. It does look a splendid place. I hope the stars align for them. I love the idea of them living nearby. It was very windy indeed this afternoon, so even in their special chimney the charcoal was superheating with the strong wind, and showering sparks everywhere, on me and the nearby wooden porches and so on. It took careful monitoring. And was all a bit stressful till the charcoal was safely inside the barbecue.  Beth and James came back, with both Mums. And Steve arrived clutching ales, and Pat and Maureen finished watching the ladies tennis final.  I bunged on assorted meats... a chicken, sausages, bits of pork on sticks, and a few burgers but we ate inside accompanied by delicious salads and so on and drank a good deal of beer with Steve. Enj...