under another sun

Early again this morning. Lorraine zooming off to Beth's. Enzo having his first jabs today. I made off to the life drawing class. Again not quite feeling at the top of my game while drawing. Making lots of mistakes, and drawing lots of constructive comments from Melissa. Our model today was excellent, Lorraine Yu from Hong Kong who is also an actor.  Kate, one of the others who attends there, brought me in lots of coloured paper, as I was admiring her work, where she makes marks with coloured pastels directly onto coloured paper. I might have a go at that. Someone was handing out leaflets for a Poetry event in Ardingly, then began saying that when she taught poetry in schools they rhymed and had strict metre and so on. Everything else was -- and I am paraphrasing here -- degenerate rubbish. Luckily I took no bait. T.S.Eliot for example, published The Wasteland in 1922, which didn't wasn't in strict metre and didn't rhyme -- and that was over a 100 years ago.  Was feeli...

Lorraine off to Story Time this morning. Otherwise a homey day, and I did some writing. Birthday celebratory drinks in the Old Boot Inn with Pat and Maureen, Beth and James, Anton, Mark and Carol, Adele and Patrick, Brian and Yvonne, and Kate and Andrew. Steve was going to come but he was unwell, however Freja came and had a good time. I really enjoyed myself, receiving very thoughtful cards and pressies. Mark gave me an eraser, which harks back to 1971 when I sat next to him at Copland school on the first day and he wouldn't lend me his rubber. Perhaps 53 years later I should now forgive this. Anton gave me some immaculately wrapped pressies, two books I had coveted, and a fold away ink pen, which he uses all the time know, with beautiful green ink. A very cheery evening indeed, and I had lots of laughs and generally felt exceedingly lucky and happy. As if to mark the occasion, Harvey's Old Ale is now on tap in the Boot. Happy days. Most of us ate there too, perfectly decent f...

Lorraine tested negative this morning, thankfully. And much more cheerful as a result. I tested again, negative too. Despite starting similar symptoms a day before Lorraine, I never had a positive test. Maybe I imagined it all, although Lorraine insists I did, and my throat remains stubbornly sore. At lunchtime, after we'd potted about,  Lorraine dropped me at Osborne's fish and chips where I bought a pensioners fish and chips, two small pieces of fish and a tray of chips. Good value. Took this to Pat and Maureen who evidently enjoyed it. I sat in the window looking at the sea, Pat telling me to use the binoculars to look at everything. This is I can imagine endless fun, and Pat likes it.   In the evening, briefly to The Old Boot to see Steve and Freja who is briefly over. The pint of Harveys, my first pint for 11 days, smooth and soothing on my throat. Freja seemed in good spirits. Then we went home early and lay low. Still a long way to go before I feel my bounce returning.

A sociable day of guests. Catherine and Tanya came around for a long lunch. They are always splendid company. Catherine was recovering from shingles, and leaving a job with a toxic atmosphere, and so on. But things improving for her now, and they are settling nicely into their new home. Lorraine made a thali which was highly tasty.  Having fondly squeezed Catherine and Tanya goodbye, and run about tidying up, and watching a few minutes of Final Score. (Chelsea, astonishingly, winning again) Steve came around with Freja, who is off back to the States shortly. Freja and Lorraine have a lot to say to each other about plants among other things. A lovely woman, and a cheery evening sitting outside till ten, as it was so warm.  She's back to Sacramento in California this week. She was surprised when I told her the first time I had met her that I'd been there with Toby one time.