under another sun

Feeling very cheery this morning, and reminded of my childhood Sunday mornings in Guernsey, as Lorraine and I dropped in on Pat and Maureen as they were getting their dinner ready. Like going off with my granddad Dave on his rounds of dropping in on family. P and M in good form, Maureen forthright about needing a new chair and pulling appalling faces when telling Lorraine and I how much she hated the current one. She also told me about going to Bingo the other day, and how she and Pat had won their first game first go. I told Pat I'd seen a seal up at splash point earlier in the year. He said he'd seen two through his binoculars yesterday.  A saunter back along the seafront with Lorraine, which was looking grey and lovely.  A bite to eat, and I prepared for the interview I am going to do on Tuesday, which took quite a bit of time. Also chatted to Mum and arranged to see her on Wednesday. A glorious evening of not drinking anything, after two lively nights I was very ready for a

Lorraine and I up early this morning, and drove off to Stanmer Park for a pottery workshop. I was slightly hungover but it was quite therapeutic pressing bits of plants into white earthenware clay so that they left an impression. Our efforts will be fired and will be collectible in a few weeks. There were about 16 of us on the course, and I was the only bloke. At one point I melted away to the gents where I fell into conversation with the man cheerily cleaning it, who told me he loved his job. He also told me about his passion for being a DJ playing Turkish Psychedelia aka Anatolian Rock. Back to the class lead by a smily woman called Sarah. After we finished, it was only a two and a half hour thing, which passed in a flash, we mooched about in a maker's market and Lorraine got talking to a woman about fabric and buttons. This woman said to me that buttons have history, and it was all I could do not to write a poem called A History of Buttons on the spot. Home for a mid afternoon p

Up with a desire to get on with things, and even made a surprisingly long list, but  managed to side-tracking myself from achieving much of it. Reset with a sunny walk this lunchtime. Lorraine off to get her hair cut in a glamorous fashion this afternoon in Hove and also to see Innis and Rosie. Innis sent me a Happy National Poetry Day text, which was nice of him. Personally I am a bit humbuggish about it. Every day is a blinking poetry day round these parts etc.  This afternoon two hours of the Understory Conversation, which never fails to be interesting. One of the poets, called Emma Jones has such a distinctly convincing voice in everything she writes that I'm greatly in admiration of her. Lorraine and I watched an abominable film called The Sphere . A-list cast in an underwater turkey. Spoke to the Toby for an hour this afternoon, also to Mum too.