under another sun

Up and spent two hours tidying up the kitchen, and studio and making breakfast and so on. Then to my desk for the next three and a half hours talking to Mum and applying for insurance. Went with one of the leading comparison websites, and after filling out all the forms, being on facetime with Mum getting her driving liscence number and so on, and getting a very expensive quote from the cheapest provider,  the site would not process the transaction, and said we should phone. They said there was a problem with an unreported issue, and showed me to the government site. Finding this I found a lapsed speeding ticket from three years ago. I called back to say I had found the details. The quote was then increased by over a half, to three and a half thousand pounds. We discussed this, and Mum decided that it was too much to pay for car insurance.  This is very difficult, as it means mum's independence is compromised. But after hours of pursuing it, this seems the policy of insurers t...

The clocks went back last night. Maureen phoned to say that someone had been in her flat and tampered with all the clocks, and demanding to know what time it was. Meanwhile Mum had got up an hour early, and was wondering why Wynford wasn't ready to go to church. When I spoke to Mum in the evening it seems that George next door is in hospital, and that Wynford had gone to visit him. Wynford is something close to a saint. Texting with Anton today. Anne is still hanging in there. Unbelievably difficult time for him.  Beth and James both struggling with the bug we had, had a terrible night with a teething Enzo, so Lorraine zoomed around and collected the bairn. Breakfast with him, and lots of playing with trucks and so on. Later Beth and James came around, both shattered with the bug, and lack of sleep. Meanwhile Enzo on the cusp of walking, and saying words like yes, and bird, and car quite clearly now. It's like waiting for a present to be opened. Watching Enzo tottering between ...

Woken up first thing with an emergency call from Maureen.  Lorraine zoomed around and called an ambulance. When the paramedics arrived some time later, palpitations and drop in blood pressure had all steadied.  In a bit of a holding pattern, being in a state of readiness to zoom over and take care of Pat if Maureen and Lorraine went to hospital, I only managed to do a bit of work, and also have a long chat with Mum.   After two, I walked over to sea and met Lorraine, and we had a nice walk along the sea in the sunshine. Sitting on one of the fish seats at splash point, while an older woman was doing the plank on another of the benches, while getting what I guessed was her son to film her. This in between Lorraine explaining to me how to make the roux for a fisherman's pie. I made my way home. Feeling a tad weary. Later,  Lorraine, returned sniffing vigorously having succumbed to the inevitable and caught whatever has been ailing Pat and Maureen. I cooked th...

Lorraine again off to Pat and Maureen's place early.  I felt a bit discombobulated without Lorraine. I tided the house, and mucked about with my new pastime: zines. Because I was felt sluggish and a bit coldy, I went for long walk which helped lots. At lunchtime I popped into see Pat and Maureen, and take them fish and chips, make a cup of tea and hang out for a bit. Lorraine being marvellous as usual, and taking care of them cheerfully. Maureen up, but not looking well. Pat definitely better than he was earlier this week.  Lorraine spent the day with them. I left after an hour, and did a bit more walking. Had the idea of sanding and varnishing the upstairs exterior window cills on the front of the house, but because of the way the windows were they were impossible to reach other than in patches. I had started one before I made this discovery (the windows open in a different way to the rear ones). So gave up, after varnishing the bits I had sanded. Lorraine not home till 8:30,...

A phone call at 7am from Maureen, who was feeling unwell. Lorraine left immediately, to be with Pat while Maureen stayed in bed. This scuppered the get away to Dorset this afternoon to meet Innis and Rosie. Perhaps tomorrow. So I unexpectedly had the day to myself. Feeling annoyingly sluggish, with some cold symptoms. It rained lots which, though welcome, gave the day a dreary tinge. I spoke to Anton, who feels like he has a mountain to climb. Anne still in hospital and it does not seem that she'll be coming home anytime soon.  Checked in with Mum, who was going up the road to see her friend Gail. Also texted First Matie. Did a bit of creative work at my desk. Had a sleep. Bit of an in-between day. Fish and chips this evening. Lorraine not home till about twenty past eight. Then we watched Traitors and then went to bed. Look for the book you have already written. With this idea, I have been trawling through a stash of old bitmaps I'd mucked about with years ago, and have been l...

A rainy day, with puddles. In this year of drought quite a sight. It felt cold too, with seasonally normal temperatures. Lorraine busy all day, off to rhyme time, and being with Pat and Maureen. Pat still unwell. Weary, perhaps from a minor bug, I spent the day indoors, and worked up a small idea from the little drawing below I did years ago, into a little paper zine, called Rules of Thumb. Below is rule one. Other than that did little. Spoke to Mum, and cooked a chicken stew, and enjoyed being at home.    

Busy, despite feeling lethargic, but doing some stuff with zines, laundry and other tidying bits this morning. Heard from Anton, and Klaudia and Oskar have visited Anne in hospital.  Patrick unwell, with a chest infection. Lorraine sorting out a call with the doctor, and getting him antibiotics prescribed.  In the afternoon Lorraine and I drove off to Eastbourne, to a shop called the Aquarium and Reptile Centre, where Lorraine and I bought some plants for Maureen's aquarium. Lots of reptiles there, and some interesting tropical fish downstairs. The sound of chirruping crickets too, as there were boxes of them to take home to feed your reptiles with. I bought plants, and both Lorraine and I talked to the shy teenage boy who sat on a chair with a snake on his arm, like a large bracelet. I asked him if I could take his photo and he agreed. Lorraine went off to do her pottery course and I caught a 12 bus to Seaford, then collected Patrick's prescription and went around to Strathed...

Beth and Enzo around this morning, bringing sunshine with them. Mum enjoyed seeing Enzo and Beth. Beth on good form, and the baby impossibly cute, demonstrating his piano playing skills, and love of cars and trucks, but most of all being sung to by Beth and Lorraine and clapping along with the songs and doing little movements that go with them. Beth is so animated with him, he is full of delight at the world. Then we took Mum to see Pat and Maureen. Maureen very warm with Mum, and their sunny sea view was spectacular, with people sat about enjoying the unseasonal Sunday sun. She brought out a bag of plastic butterflies, and said she was thinking about sticking some of them to her wallpaper, which is a big woodland scene. Quite a novel way of thinking about it.  I popped into Morrisons on the way home, enjoying the walk. Mum and I just hung out in garden this afternoon, while Lorraine went off to the studio and did some pottery. Enjoyed chatting with her, while we sat outside, then ...

Enzo first thing, little lad has a cold but otherwise cheery as ever. He climbs stairs now. Lorraine had found a big yellow plastic tipping truck which she gave him this morning. At first he was a bit afraid of it. I sawing it eyeing it nervously as it rolled on the kitchen floor. By the end of the day he was playing with it happily. Lorraine cunningly used the small phase of Enzo being scared of it to good use, putting the truck on our stairs to stop the bairn climbing up them.   I made off to drawing class, where the model was a folk singing woman, fully clothed in a long dress, and a staff with a deer horn crook. Her having clothes on threw me somewhat, and I had to abandon my long drawing after twenty minutes as I had got all the proportions completely wrong. Very bad at drawing today, but I enjoyed it, and chatting to my fellow 'articipants' as Melissa calls us. After class chatting with Debbie and Melissa about the zine fair, which they are both participating in. Melissa ...

A bitty morning, achieving little. Sylwia here, who is loving the continuing heat.  Spoke to Mum late in the morning, before we drove off with Maureen and Lorraine to Paradise park to choose a small fishtank. I ended up selecting a small tank with a filter and heater, substrate for the plants to grow in, and gravel. Home for a bite to eat, then when Lorraine drove to Eastbourne to collect Pat, I slowly put the thing together, with Maureen impatiently wanting it all to be ready immediately. Wanting to double check the filter, I scanned the QR code which took you to a completely different product. I worked it out, then added substrate for the tropical plants and gravel and a large rock. Maureen said she didn't want the rock, and added that she'd always wanted cold water goldfish.  Lorraine back with Patrick, and then we left, and I promised to return tomorrow, as it needs extra gravel.  Pat said he wanted tropical fish, so Maureen firmly decided it was going to be a tropica...

Lorraine opened the door to see a Spiderman car with a man at the wheel dressed head to toe in a Spiderman costume. Lorraine called out for me to come and look. Very odd when he looked over at us, with his big Spiderman eyes. He told Lorraine that he was your friendly local Spiderman, and after a while drove off in his noisily powerful car.  We drove off less spectacularly to collect Pat and Maureen and went to the Tiger Inn at nearby East Dean. There we met Ken and Claire, over from Ireland, with their three Great Danes. A nice afternoon in the sun, chatting and having lunch, and soft drinks and puddings and so on. The dogs spent most of the time in the huge air conditioned van, but when out caused quite a stir. It was a complex modern ballet piece, for two people and three Great Danes, with their leads being skilfully being handed between Ken and Claire as the dogs tangled around them.  I let them smell my hand, and they seemed very benign. Not the greatest dog fan of course...

Up this morning and had coffee and breakfast with Claudia and Jonas. I think they've enjoyed picking tomatoes to have on their toast in the morning. We took them to the bus stop, and waited with them till they boarded the bus to begin their long journey home. I am very fond of them, and enjoy having them at Kenny Towers. Lorraine loves having time with them of course too, so lots of hugs as we released them back into the wild. A touch of Autumnal coolness at the bus stop. It was Pat and Maureen's 69th wedding anniversary today, so late this afternoon Lorraine cooked them dinner at their house, after having spent some time on pottery. Maureen didn't want a big fuss made, the visit to the Boot the other day being lots to deal with. Enjoyed a quiet day, as my batteries needed a recharge. Worked on a poem a little, then read some more of The Go Between by L.P. Hartley, as recommended by the Anton & Camino book club. I love it so far. Also watched highlights of Chelsea's...

Up reasonably early, at my desk for a short while before making breakfast. Spoke to Mum and this morning, who was going to see Robert. Chatted with Anton who was taking it fairly easy I was pleased to hear.  Pat's birthday today. Lorraine's uncle Steve having arrived at our place, Jonas and I went to collect Pat and Maureen and get them across to the Boot in the wheelchairs. I had to double back to fetch Maureen's hearing aid. Meanwhile Lorraine, Claudia, Beth, James, Enzo, and Delores and her granddaughter Azaria gathered in place. Plus there was a cake and the big balloons, one a heart, the other with nine, and the other with a three for Patrick's 93rd birthday. We all strapped on a preordered nosebag, and Lorraine phoned Sam and we sang happy birthday to him too. Enzo teething and not at his best today, and Beth and James took him home to give him some pain treatment. Otherwise a cheery gathering. I enjoyed chatting to Azaria, a bright girl who likes writing but had ...

Enzo this morning, then with Enzo, Lorraine and I went around to Pat and Maureen's where Handy Kate was going to do some work in their flat. Lorraine drove Pat and Maureen home, and I pushed the wee boy home. On the way back I saw that Melissa was doing her art installation from her window, so we stopped to see her. Enzo being shy. Melissa sitting by a sign she'd made saying The Department of Boundaries is now closed.  As were chatting a woman, with some kind of special needs came by and started going through her tray of things. I couldn't stay long as I we had to get back. A day of looking after folks, playing with Enzo, making Pat and Maureen teas and so on. I did have a little time to think here and there.  We took Pat and Maureen back, and spent an hour or so settling Pat down, as he'd had a toilet accident. The love and care Maureen and Lorraine give him is heartwarming.  Was able to call Mum too, to confirm I'm coming up tomorrow. Home and I cooked a curry fo...

A chilled day with Toby. Up and chilling in the back garden with coffee and breakfast. Then after Lorraine left for Pat and Maureen's place, Toby and I got ourselves together for a walk, down to the sea where we found Lorraine and Delores pushing Pat and Maureen.   I tormented Maureen by pushing her too fast and in tight circles, etc. on the way to the Sailing Club. She told me she had swapped one of her anxiety pills recently, and it hadn't agreed with her, making her feel sick as well as sad. Lorraine had already been in touch with the surgery this morning. Pat sporting an excellent sunhat sad little of course, but was enjoying being with people and sitting in the sun. Some of us had little baskets of scampi and fries, while others ate sandwiches, and drank some shandy. We pushed them back, Toby and Delores talking lots, she was keen to learn about Toby living next to a mass murderer in Sacramento. Delores also started a Substack, writing a very authentic piece about stopping...

Up early doors, and multitasking, doing laundry, preparing breakfast, carrying the oversized chair from my study down to the studio, while getting dogs abuse from the gulls. Looking at the absolutely bloody final poem from the full poetry collection and making some more final final tweaks. Lorraine off to Bolney to see her personal trainer.  Then spoke to Mum for a bit, before scampering to the bottom of the garden, where Rosie was bringing us some blankets. Rosie and Innis had hired a two men and a van who were dropping off furniture to Laura and Adrian from the back alley behind our house. I went to shoot the breeze with them, Innis and Rosie, and two of their neighbour friends.  The van also collected the bits of Rosie's Mum's furniture we had been storing. Rosie gave us a gorgeous chair and footstool which had been her mothers, and is exactly the right size for my study. Later, I sat on it and played a little guitar for the first time in ages, as it is perfect for that job...

Breakfast, and as Lorraine was drawing a little mind map of what we were planning for the day, an emergency call from Maureen. We zoomed around. The carers were already there, but Pat's urine bag had become detached from the overnight bag soaking the bedding, carpet and Maureen's sandals. She got very stressed about this and needed her spray a couple of times. However all was well after a bit, and we took the bedding home to wash, that the carers had stripped off the bed, and made teas and both were fine when we left. As we were already near the supermarket, we did a big shop in there, then home, to finish our coffees and plan the day. We made off to see a potter, who Lorraine was enthusing about, collecting Delores en route. The traffic was at standstill towards Newhaven due to a road traffic accident, so as the potter was having an open house tomorrow and next weekend so we cut our losses. Delores, Lorraine and I then walked to Gallery Uno, where Adele and Liza Morton were ha...

Up early again, and writing first thing. A gorgeous hot day. Sloped off to the gym where I finished listening to When You Are Engulfed In Flames another of collection of David Sedaris's stories. I enjoy his autobiographical anecdotes which seem polished to perfection. A man hogging the lat pull machine, who walked around the edge of the gym, before doing yet another set. I noticed, in a very Sedaris way, that he was bulky about the arms so I said nothing, even though that is the one machine that helps sort my back out.  Tried to arrange meeting up with Anton tomorrow, but he is unwell. Home, and a shower, off to Stratheden court with Lorraine, to pick up Pat and Maureen and meet Maxine and Simon just by Frankie's beach cafe.  Maureen rather critical of my wheelchair technique. Lovely to see Max and Simon again, and they were very affectionate with Maureen. Lorraine and Pat, sporting a nifty Spitfire cap, joined us shortly after and we had a quick drink then went for a saunter...

I got up early and joined drawingisfree.org to drawing people's faces in an online zoom call for the length of a song. Adele told me all about it and sent me the link. My drawings were a bit cartoon-like, but it was very good practice. The convener asks attendees to volunteer to sit, and there are dozens of attendees and people willingly agree. Up and then off to Stratheden Court, to collect Pat and Maureen and bring them round to ours for the day. Some logistics needed what with wheelchairs and walkers and so on, but fairly easily achieved. Maureen especially enjoying a change of scene. Beth came around with her little sunshine boy for a couple of hours, which delighted them. Pat was really smiling and happy to see hm.  Enzo with a bit of help is almost standing, and always on the verge of crawling. But he is so communicative and bright and is sung to so often, and is doing things like clapping at the right point in songs.  A delicious curry made by Lorraine, we took them hom...

A necessarily quiet day. We had to cry off from a night out at Sally and Marek's in Brighton tonight. Took Lorraine breakfast in bed, she is improved, though still in need of lots of rest. Wasn't worried about her like I was yesterday.  I spoke to Mum, who was off to meet Robert in the pub. Then I made off to see Pat and Maureen to take them some medications and a delivery of two summer blouses that had arrived at our place. Maureen full of dangerous ideas about panelling one of the walls in the living room, and she enlarged on her theory that Lorraine does too much, which is why she is ill.  Home after a short stroll by the greenish sea. Lorraine fed and watered, I did some writing for a substack post, and in the afternoon, popped out to buy tamari sauce for the stir fry I made later. Lorraine a tad brighter as the day wore on.  I finished reading The High Window , by Raymond Chandler, and we watched the last couple of episodes of Small Prophets , which was quirky and or...