under another sun

Needed aid from Lorraine to get up in the middle of the night as my back had seized up and I couldn't move without whimpering. I took a diazepam when I woke up, which is a muscle relaxant and helped with the spasming, and made me feel nonchalant about being unable to put my socks on.   I gingerly got out of bed, Lorraine was dealing with Chris the plumber arrived first thing and began the business of replacing the boiler and water tank. He had to leave this afternoon, however, to get emergency dental treatment.   Lorraine, who is looking a tad slimmer these days, off to her personal trainer at lunch. She returned with canes for the raspberries and food from Morrisons.  Bob phoned walking his dog saying we should go to see Carl.  Shortly after, Anton called to tell me he had begun the construction of his glider tailplane. Some of the balsa pieces are a few millimetres thin, and breakable balsa apparently.   Delighted to receive email from MSR for the first time s...

A very happy new year to anyone who drops in here. This morning I had the 24 poems of my sequence Sin Cycle published in Eratio Poetry Journal . The editor Gregory is based in New York, and is rather an excellent person, and this is a fantastic start to the year for me. Great that the sequence is published, as I am proud of it. Felt another wave of gratitude to Robin, Charlotte and Sarah for their encouragement. Lorraine pleased for me. I woke up early, and decided I needed to make a decision. Either dwell on the symptoms of my hangover, or get up and start clearing up. As I crept out of bed, Anton texted to say he had already been for a healthy three mile walk. Lorraine crept downstairs too and we gradually made good, and had breakfast, after I had helped Lorraine get dressed. And then chatted to Mum who was about the task of struggling with Mason's hearing aids. A slow day. Jade up late this morning, Beth mid afternoon, and Sam at around 7pm.  Lorraine and I had a sho...

Up early and sent off two manuscripts, finished some work for my pals in Hampton, which then boomeranged back twice during the day. Ran to the post office, did laundry, including Beth's jeans. She and Lorraine had caught a cab back from Brighton last night after meeting Sam, and Beth had sat in some wee in the cab without realising it.  Into Brighton, bought a few xmas bits, collected a prescription and paid nowt for it, which still surprises me. Rain dodged generally, received vast Sainsbury's delivery, Amazon packages arriving, and found time to slump on the sofa to watch an episode of my guilty Netflix pleasure: Colony. Then cooked for Lorraine, and went around the corner to Rick's house to collect him and Ben and went to the Park View for a festive beer for a couple of hours. Nice time. In between various gossiping,  Ben saying he was about to start a course on Sacred Geometry and would use this to inform his own work. He said the flower of life, below was an example...

Very exciting news for me, as I dipped into my spam file and found a gobsmacking note from Gregory in New York accepting all 24 poems of my poetry sequence  Sin Cycle to be published by e ratio . Rather chuffed at this, to say the least. With very little poetry action this year, I thought my bardic days were behind me, but apparently one astute and independently minded editor in NYC thinks not. I really like Sin Cycle, but have not found anyone willing to take it on here. As its name suggests Sin Cycle is a bit sweaty, nasty, funny in parts, has fictional elements and is dealing with a version of masculinity not in tune with these sheepish, risk-averse times in publishing. Wrote to Robin, whose birthday it was today, and Sarah and Charlotte to thank them again for their help with this MS. Otherwise, Lorraine went into to work this morning, and spent a few hours with Beth having treatments in the health club. I tidied up my desk, literally and metaphorically, then mooc...

Much more positive today. Due to a) having a quiet word with myself and b) the fact that Lorraine was working from home. Actually a day with a smile on its face, and I got lots done, sent off the pamphlet MS to someone else, sent some poems off to a magazine, was sent a fascinating pdf of a book called The Wet Bicycle , by its author, Gregory Vincent St. Thomasino, the editor of e.ratio in New York. Also received two collections by Janet Sutherland. Strangely tired this afternoon and conked out for the best part of an hour. In the evening I sauntered down to The Joker, where I met Anton, and we ate some wings and curly fries, and shot a fair amount of breeze. We went then to the Great Eastern, and then somewhere else for a game of Flintstones-themed pinball while talking about books, which Anton won of course. Playing pinball is one of the first things I did with Anton. Then to the Batty for an absolutely bloody final beer. Not been in the Batty much recently, and it is no different ...

After I crept out to feed the cats and make tea this morning, Lorraine and I finally dragged ourselves out of bed at noon. Outside the rain raining on everything uninvitingly. Fairly purposeful during the day, reattaching the coat pegs that came away on Christmas day, and generally tidying and reorganising. Spoke to Mum who was about to watch Sherlock, like we were. Otherwise a quiet and pleasant night in with the lovely Mrs Kenny, eating leftover pie and the delicious Bulgarian Turkish Delight that Sonia had given us. And having a judicious afternoon snooze. No boozes today, only mineral water. An assortment of Kenny organs trembling with relief. I take a dim view of January. But it started unusually well on the poetic front. A poem here in the pleasingly austere postmodernist site E.Ratio which went live today. It was a companion piece for An Adumbration of the Light Age, which is in The Nightwork , and written about the same time. Also heard today from the editor of an interesti...