under another sun

Lorraine's last day of term, which ended with a passion play, a success apparently. Off to Lewes, after a stonking early morning's writing. Met Robin and had a great chat with her in Cafe Nero about the future of Telltale, and just a general catch up. We also went around town dropping of posters for the Telltale reading in Lewes next month, and knocking on doors of people who put posters in their windows. Also bumped into Jeremy Page, editor of the Frogmore Papers, and Catherine Smith. Showing that Lewes is a place where you can't move for writers. Trained back to London Road, and paused for a veggie burger in the Open House and a read of Charles Olsen poems, before going home. A bit later  Dawn collected me, and we drove off to Worthing Cemetery where we met Lorraine and Helen, to attend Jan's funeral. A good ceremony, and her son Matt is a writer and delivered a lovely speech. Her daughter Laura was there too with her partner, as was Jan's elderly mother.  A m...

Up and finishing the addition of luscious lime to our kitchen walls. Then a frenzy of moving things about in my study, and decisively hanging lots of pictures up in the house. All this seemed to take up a good deal of the day, and broken by popping out for some pies at lunchtime. I spent the afternoon and evening working in my office. Lorraine had Jan, Helen and Dawn round for dinner, and I left the ladies to it after squeezing them all hello. It was the first of their regular get togethers since Helen's son died, and I think the evening did them all good, and there was lots of laughter too. Dawn popped up to talk about the day with gifted and talented kids we are doing next month, which will be fun, and will necessitate going down into the air raid shelters in the school. I also sorted out my Golden Weasel birthday present night with Klaudia in April. When the ladies left I watched this week's episode of Wolf Hall, which has been done really well.  Lorraine sniffing a bi...

Up early on Saturday feeling the need to write something. Not much happening but the will is there. Returned to bed armed with tea later, and simply fell asleep again. A stormy night and morning in Brighton. The second story on my Guardian iPhone app after more on the Charlie Hebdo attacks, was that that two men had been swept out to sea at Brighton. At the end of the evening, Dawn contacted Lorraine to say that one of the men was their friend Helen's son Freddie. Lorraine extremely upset about this. Having met Helen several times I felt awful for her too. Freddie had gone into the sea to save a friend who was in trouble and they were both lost in what had been a force 9 gale. This a sad end to a nice day, Lorraine and I having returned from a date night locally in the Preston Park Tavern, having some food and a drink. I'd spent the morning pottering about, having slept fairly well and then went into town to meet Lorraine who'd got up early to have her hair done. As usual...

Up early for a Sunday, and Lorraine and I got ourselves ready for a stroll in the country. We picked up Anton and drove off to Dawn's place in Steyning, and then walked through the village to Helen's new flat, admired the flat, then all set off for a walk, steeply up through woods to the top of the Downs and followed the path which linked up with the South Downs Way, before threading through woods back into the village. The top of the downs is my least favourite walking, being too much sky and no cover but we were only up there for a while, and I managed this well. There were some lovely views through a fringe of trees down to the valleys below. An absolutely perfect day. Flawless blue sky, and very warm for March. We all mooched along chatting in twos and threes. Lorraine's boot fell apart and Anton cut a flappy bit off the sole with his penknife. Back down to the village and we had a really nice Sunday lunch and a couple of thirst quenching beers sitting outside in th...

Obama cut Off with Toby and Romy to meet Gillian and Anna who was a local guide. We went out towards where Obama's old area was, and passed his house guarded by police cars. It is next door to a Synagogue. We also saw Hyde Park, including a lovely Japanese garden. Past universities and so on. Paused at Robie House by Frank Lloyd Wright. And we took the tour, while Anna took a break. It does seem to have a discernible Japanese influence. Fascinating place, although I can't say I particularly warmed to it, for reasons that I find hard to pinpoint. I would love to see the exquisite Falling Water one day however. After much more walking we stopped off at Obama's barbers. We popped our heads in where various people were getting their hair cut as you would expect. You could get an Obama cut for, I think, $23. Behind perspex was the actual chair, and I dutifully snapped this for lovers of kitch everywhere. Back to the hotel to collect Lorraine who had been shopping and chilling ...