under another sun

No more needed from my French pals, so was able to dedicate the day to working on the play, the necessity to get it ready is now pressing. Spoke to Mum, and chatted with Sonia. Otherwise blasting through, and  We Three Kings now falling into place. Bought some fish and chips and ate them watched by Lorraine, who was going out for a meal with two of her pals. Read some poetry magazines, including The Long Poem magazine, to whom I am going to send A Long Poem. Also listened to John Lennon's first solo album, Plastic Ono Band , which I'd never heard before. It is rather amazing, a couple of tracks featuring full on screaming as he had been doing primal scream therapy. Feeling a bit tired and ratty by the end of the day, however. But this fixed by going out for a few cheeky beers with Anton tonight, meeting up with him in the Good Companions, near where he lives. Cheap beer there thanks to a loyalty card. Anton had got me one too, which is smart. However we needed a change of s...

No longer streaming with cold this morning, rather miraculously. Hard at work on the We Three Kings play and took a brief at lunch time from my french friends on a pitch. Even managed to go for a walk this afternoon in the sun, listening to my Beatles audiobook. John Lennon not in a good way when the book was being written, interested to hear him quoted on how all the people that read things into his work are all conning themselves, which is quite an egocentric way of looking at art. His self-loathing shines through from time to time. This was shortly before he met Yoko I think, who pepped him up one way or another. Cooked for Lorraine, who had set off for school early. We settled down to watch the traumatic last couple of episodes of Orange is the New Black. We have now watched all of them till they make a new series.  Lorraine and I shifting the furniture about this evening as we are about to take delivery of an Antonn, which is both a shelving unit and a source of quips for y...

Imagine My week began to take shape today. And by simply putting my computer into sleep mode, rather than turning it off, I have been able to use it. The Dell engineer is now booked, I re-read Betty the Spacegirl , which has a dark patch towards the end, and I have decided I want to retain this unless in rehearsal it gets too much. I also paid my musician amigos. Looking forward to being able to actually hear what we did. Not having done so or begun the edit feels anti-climactic. To the gym today, but feeling jaded and yearning to spread my wings. I need a holiday. Excellent TV tonight: an well-adapted The Night Watch by Sarah Waters on BBC, followed by Imagine , a film about John Lennon's last few years in New York. He was a mess, but he got his act together in the end and discovered a kind of peace before he was shot.

Cat in the doghouse Cat induced sleep deprivation is getting beyond a joke. Even if I boot Calliope from the bedroom, she unflaggingly scratches at the door like a demented poltergeist until I get up, even if this is two hours later. How a kitten can have this monomaniac intensity? Almost as testing is the fact that once she is absolutely satisfied I am unalterably awake, she nips off for a short nap. After a bit of admin, gardening in the Spring sun this morning, much to the delight of the cat who spent an hour and a half rushing me from all points of the compass. Hard frost may have done in my little tree, and possibly my arum lilies, but time will tell. Otherwise good to see daffodils. Was late for Steve the Chiropractor, and had a decent cracking. Apparently tension in my shoulders is creeping back, and my lower spine popped like a 21 gun salute, but I slinked home with a spine like a young grass snake, which was nice. Later I enjoyed speaking to Diane, who told me about her red no...