under another sun

Betsy's got it covered One look at Calliope's reproachful face made me go shopping for prawns this morning. Spoilt weasel. Otherwise a busy day. Sent Matt an idea for the music piece, did some copy for the Guernsey literary festival to be held next year. I've suggested they call the festival Inspired by Guernsey , which they seem to have gone for. Also speaking to Betsy and to Richard, from whom I recieved a bag of Rwandan coffee in a complex joke that's best not gone into here for reasons of human decency. Richard also puffing having been running again. He is already a slim well-proportioned gentleman, and it's a good thing I've been going to the gym as we don't want to look like the Laurel and Hardy of Guernsey literature. Spent the rest of the day tweaking the book's innards, and fiddling with the last bastard poem which will not quite sit right. Still I have a few days before it goes to print, so why worry? My brain not functioning well. Below the ...

The countdown begins Was phoned by Catriona asking me to do some more work for the Guernsey Arts Commission, which is rather good, promoting Guernsey's first ever Literary Festival. Chats too with Richard and Betsy. Brilliantly, Richard has played a blinder, and secured a splendid venue The Glasshouse bang on the front in St Peter Port for our book launch. The official book launch day is 1st July, but we hope to have sold a few by then. All good. Meanwhile Betsy beavering on the book cover, and me still tinkering with one poem. But the countdown has definitely begun. Off to the gym again, feeling Butch and Manly on the hulklegs machine. After a while Butch and Manly asked me to stop (arf). Am definitely feeling better about my corporeal being for being back in the gym. A quiet night, Lorraine out with her girls watching Sex in the City 2 at the Duke of York Theatre. Apparently tripe, but they had fun anyway. Afterwards Lorraine came back to my place, and we went to bed amid hideou...

Cover story A beautiful day. However I had a frustrating few hours getting nowhere on the cover for A Guernsey Double . Late in the afternoon I called Betsy, who has to my relief agreed to contribute some starry and stripy design elegance, and a fresh set of eyes. Talking to Catriona in Guernsey this morning, who has asked me to do some copy for the literary festival next year. Otherwise, I sloped off to the gym where I had slightly more energetic workout than yesterday. And repaired one of the poems which had fallen apart after I'd been tinkering with it a couple of days ago. If the poems are like a set of teeth, one rotten one will ruin the whole smile, but I'm hoping I've fixed it. Calliope bit me hard this morning as I was taking too long to get ready. She jumped repeatedly onto forbidden kitchen surfaces, shredded a toilet roll, and crept into the drier and made a nest there for an hour, coating all my clean clothes in hair. This punctuated with her going outside and r...

Not getting out enough Finally got Skelton Yawngrave off to a new agent today. Have created what I call a snub-nosed version of the text which explodes into the action like a snub nosed bullet into a brain. Writing the covering letter and re-writing the synopsis a is lengthy and anxious procedure, like a job application. Feels good to have done it, and each time I go through this I think the package is getting stronger. Otherwise a nice note from Catriona in Guernsey who is liking the slow but steady progress on the Anthology of Guernsey site. Also Richard has been on the radio talking about it too. Meanwhile, in between feeling groggy, I have been writing new poems, which is a very good feeling. My murder my babies mood has actually been very productive. The week's tally is that I have started a new poem, finished another new poem, and fixed three old poems to the point that I like them again. For me this is speedy work indeed. It helps enormously to know that there is an actual p...

Doing it on purrpose Blearily waking to a sinister item on Radio 4 about how cats exploit humans by purring based on some research led by Dr Karen McComb at the nearby University of Sussex. Calliope was at that very moment purring impatiently in my face. Apparently when there is just one person and one cat living together the emotional blackmail is more intense. Manacled to my desk reading about rheumatoid arthritis and related ailments, my task is to humanise this into thirty something newsletter pages on the subject. I suppose moving from writing about the Skelton Yawngrave to writing about RA is not a big step. Spoke to Mum this evening who has now read Skelton and she liked it, which was pleasing. Lorraine has arranged for an actual tame child to read it next week. Heard from Catriona in Guernsey this morning, who has sent out a note of introduction to some Guernsey worthies. The BBC there says it will do an interview with me next time I wash up on the Gem of the Sea, which will b...

Two views of Sark Up early this morning and managed intermittently to wirelessly connect my laptop to the hotel’s network. Then mooching about the Parish, putting flowers on my grandparent's grave, and walking some of my favourite paths. Had a splendid meeting with Catriona this afternoon, who helped me sort out the next steps for the Anthology, and also to understand what was needed and not provided in the meeting yesterday. Soon I felt decidedly back on track with the project, and Catriona has given me a tremendously useful list of contacts. My approach is to clarify the concept, and find out what content there is, and only then make assessments about format. This I’m discovering is an agency way of thinking, rather than an arts organisation way of thinking. They are more pragmatic and focused on the object they are supporting, and how much it will cost. I need to get the project rolling, and create some media interest on the island and beyond. First step is to build an website, ...

Knitting a Ferrari Up early and off to Gatwick . Fairly trouble free journey. The Auringy two-engined prop lane bouncing slowly through great castles of cumulus clouds. Felt very happy to be back on the island, an immediate cheerful feeling. Auringy much better than Flybe . Went for a short walk to Icart point, pausing to eat a ham and mustard sandwich and slurp a cup of tea. The owner of the cafe an unusual gentleman, who once told me he had mercury poisoning. "Success," he said, sliding my ham sandwich over the counter towards me, "is knitting your own Ferrari". I mooched happily around the cliffs for a bit, which were bee-loud and bursting with flowers. Slightly cloudy, so that parts of the cliffs were suddenly brilliantly spotlit. Returned to the hotel and prepared to meet the Guernsey Arts Commission to the new performing arts centre. I was early, which gave me plenty of time to hang about drinking an execrable cup of tea from a vending machine. Met Catrion...