under another sun

Up at a hideous five thirty and dragged myself out of bed into a rainy world. We left at six thirty, but not before Lorraine had watered the cucumbers. Arrived at Newhaven a few minutes later, with James and Beth already in the line of cars.  Waited there for about an hour before we were allowed to drive into The Seven Sisters. I'd been a bit apprehensive as I knew the weather was a bit stormy, but the boat only rolled a little gently.  We all found ourselves a pleasant place to sit, and had a really enjoyable trans manche experience. I went outside as we left, standing on a piece of deck with one or two others, looking at Newhaven and the grey sea and sky. Nice to see Seaford Head and the Seven Sisters from the sea.  We had cups of tea and some food, but the game changer was a chocolate and coffee drink which suddenly made me feel perky. Also heard on the journey from Lou, who told me that First Matie was improved today, and the doctors were more optimistic, which made m...

Lorraine hopped off to the Library to deliver Rhyme Time. I hopped onto a bus to Tide Mills and walked along the off road cycle path for half an hour to Mamoosh, where I met Stephen Bone for a coffee. He looked well, though has his hands full as a full time carer. Chatted about everything from hypochondria to writing, the forest of pathetic half mast flags around Denton Corner. He gave me a handsomely reprinted copy of In The Cinema, with three quotes on the back, from Tom Compton, Robin and one from me.   Fond farewells with Stephen, and we shall meet again soon. Hopped on a bus and got off at Hill Rise and walked home a lengthy route from there, listening to Jeeves stories.  A reading afternoon. As writing seems a bit tricky at the moment. I finished Zygmunt Bauman's Liquid Times then  Bluets by Maggie Nelson. After a promising chapter or two Bauman's book, written in that achingly tedious style favoured by academics, made one or two obvious points. So it's a meh...

A disrupted day. The plasterers came this morning, and a quiet young man called Adam plastered the wall in the spare room. I worked in the kitchen. Did some admin things, including emailing the editor of Poetry Salzburg, and David Longhorn of Supernatural Tales.  Lorraine off to do Rhyme Time, then took Pat and Maureen shopping. With Pat and Maureen in tow, Lorraine drove me off early in the afternoon to Newhaven Polyclinic where I had my abdominal aortic aneurysm screening. Apparently my abdominal aorta is unlikely to explode like an appalling balloon. I arrived ten minutes early and was out in less than ten minutes. The women doing it, a nurse with a reassuring bedside manner, and someone from the vascular health department all good.    Then a long stand in the rain in Newhaven waiting for Lorraine, and Pat and Maureen to collected me.  Home, and I did a bit of writing, then we drove Pat and Maureen back to their flat, which had a carpet laid in the front room. Lor...

Up and writing early, breaking off to make breakfast as usual for us. Then off at noon to Newhaven where I met Reuben. Great to see him as we'd not met up for ages. Spent the next few hours wandering along the riverside to the harbour watching a herring gull attacking a crab, and lurking in the town, where we found a cafe in a little precinct and had a scone and a cup of tea each. In the precinct was some benches with four men sitting on them drinking booze out of cans. They would, I expect, have rather have been in the pub if they could have afforded it.  I am pleased we went there as I still don't know Newhaven that well. Reuben had read about an initiative to introduce colourful murals.  Newhaven is a place that could stand a bit of cheering up, there is definitely deprivation there, despite the fact it could be quite picturesque if someone threw some love and money at it. Mainly brilliant just to be chatting with Reuben, catching up with his news about his family and work ...

Another day without a cloud in the sky. Recording with Robin this morning, and then doing my writing, and also thinking about revamping my other site and it is tired and not simple enough.  Lorraine drove off to the gym, but events conspired against her, and she got stuck in assorted traffic jams and had to call it off, and returned back via the garden centre.  In the afternoon, I went to Newhaven by train to a place called Bodyhaven, where Lorraine had made an appointment for me to have a massage. The charming owner of the business, Chi, saw a spider on the floor, and pointed to it in horror. Spider, she said handing me a glass and a piece of card. I wrangled it, put it  outside, but it was a bit of an icebreaker. Excellent massage, even though my back was rigid to begin with.  Lorraine met me outside Newhaven station, and we walked home through the remains of Tide Mills and along the seafront, pausing in the heat to eat ice cream and a lemonade in the sailing club....

Up early this morning, and settling into a very happy routine. The first four hours of the day devoted to writing and editing,  as well as a recording with Robin -- these sessions increasingly relaxed and more like having a chat with a mate than doing recordings these days. I hope that's a good thing for how it sounds.  Then zooming around the house and garden for an hour or so tidying things, doing laundry, hanging out washing and so on had lunch, lorraine making chickpea flour pancake things stuffed with a mix of salady goodness.  Broke off at two to meditate -- with Lorraine. My friend Sarah Barnsley sent me a free month's link to a meditation app, and it has been a useful springboard this week to start to have a mindful interlude. Another bout of doing things, Lorraine lead a mission to put a small shelf in the airing cupboard where the boiler is. This accomplished, with a bit of help from me. Able then to tidy study. A gold sofa interlude. Lorraine reading, and I wro...

Up early and doing yet more editing on the podcast. Cheery that Lorraine was hopefully coming home today. Steve said that he would drop by this morning, as he was on the way to the fish market in Newhaven. This proved to just a generously sized fish shop, with lots of fresh fish. I contented myself with some kippers, and Steve predated on at least two species of marine life.  Then we drove up towards the harbour, a few seconds away. I have never seen such rough sea inside a harbour before. The waves were breaking over into the carpark showering hard gobs of seawater on the windscreen. A short drive afterwards with Sherpa Steve showing me a few local sights, and we ended up in the Plough and Harrow in Littlington, where Lorraine and I went late last year with Rosie, Innis and Gus. Simply had a pint of Long Man bitter there, as it seemed rude not to as the brewery was literally down the road. Dropped off shortly afterwards, my pocket full of kippers. Finished my editing, called Mum, ...

A bit of writing first thing -- having woken up with an idea about a poem that has been on the back burner for ages. Improved it, but not there yet. My brain a bit sluggish, and not really in a very creative space.  Lorraine drove us off to nearby Newhaven. Our way blocked by the shipping bridge going up at 10:30 and then the railway barriers going down. We parked up and went to the little old streets in the little town centre. Those shops and streets are in want of love. We found the Boots chemist where we had our flu jabs, and chatted to an older lady who hobbled over and had chat about the strangeness of modern life, much stranger than wartime with the bombs and everything (she said she was born in 1936). She said she had broken her leg recently and ended up being put in the maternity ward. She made remarks about the dim view she had of young mothers these days. Reading Robert Hamberger's book A Length of Road. Excellent.  Lorraine and I, jabbed and fine, back to the car, ...

Lorraine back to the dentist this morning, I did a smidge of work on my computer. Then we discussed and ordered 75 bags of stones. Then a still numb-faced Lorraine drove us to Newhaven in search of an architectural reclamation place we had been to before in search of stone slabs for the grand plan for the back garden. Although  Google maps etc. showing a location for it, but when you got there reclamation business was there none. We went to an enormous garden centre, however, and had a cup of tea and a cheese scone, which was a measure of compensation. Large plastic dinosaurs in the garden centre as it was also home to Paradise Park, an outdoor dinosaur park. Home and simply listened to music and chatted. Below some terrifying dinosaurs.