under another sun

Lorraine and I had an excellent afternoon with Dawn and Paul in Bramber, having super healthy food in their back garden, under trees. I stuck to a single glass of wine. They are getting married at the beginning of September. There have been some difficult times due to health issues in the family, and with Paul, but they are strong now as a couple, and Dawn seems very happy. Some time ago she randomly bought a painting of a view in a charity shop. When I looked at it some years ago I realised it was of Saints Bay and the dog and lion in Guernsey. Dawn had this reframed and gave it to us, which was incredibly kind of her. Lorraine gave her some rose gold earrings, and Dawn said that they had chosen rose gold for their wedding rings. All lovely. Home and a frenzy of tidying up. As there had been a change of plan, and Toby was arriving early evening. I walked to Seaford and met him on the station, and trundled home. Great to see him. He was a bit shattered from travelling, and is getting o...

Decidedly cold again. A bit hungover and had a bacon and egg breakfast, then off to the outskirts of Steyning along Maudlin Lane to Paul and Dawn, who had looked after our garden plants for weeks.  We hefted most of them into the car including the two acers in big pots, and then were taken inside to be given cheese toasties and coffee, and sit near the fire for a bit. But as Paul was working, and Dawn had to go out, we were soon driving home, with the pots clinking and shifting about as we went round roundabouts and so on. Then home and more hefting, and then after a smidge of writing, with neither of us feeling particularly lively, we watched football, which I really enjoyed: Brasil losing to Croatia on penalties, and Argentina beating the Netherlands on penalties. The games looking great on our new TV.

A low impact sort of day, chatting with Lorraine and sauntered off with her to do a spot of shopping at one point. Nice to have the house to ourselves for the weekend too. Saturday evening was fun. Lorraine and I went out with Dawn and Paul who are going to get married next May. Certainly an eventful time, they've had, with a near death experience in a Scottish loch, a proposal in the grounds of Balmoral, and home to a bout of Covid. Really pleased to see Dawn so happy, and I find I am liking Paul more and more. He is full of ideas. They were keen to hear details of our house move and so on.  They seem very happy and this is really cheering. 

Having covid on her sixtieth birthday, wasn't ideal. All plans dashed. But we were able to laugh in bed this morning this would at least be memorable. We got up and showered and wore proper clothes. Still Lorraine had lots of lovely presents, and cards and calls and messages including Pat and Maureen singing happy birthday down the phone. I spoke to Kate and Ian as Lorraine was in the back garden. Beth had scampered through the house to sit in the back garden with Lorraine for a bit. Sam collected a curry for us later.  Adele also called around, dropping off a surprise pressie for Lorraine, and we had a distanced conversation.   Dawn called, saying that she and Paul had a near death experience on holiday yesterday, capsizing a canoe in a strong current in a loch. Both where shaken and extremely cold. They had to let the canoe go, and they managed to make the shore, where some angelic drivers gave them a lift into warmth and safety. The day was fine. Although I probably felt il...

A day without freelance work, which was good. Although I had some bits and pieces to do. Lorraine being careful, and taking daily PCR tests, in case she picked up anything nasty from school. A walk in the Knepp Estate with Dawn and Paul, and Rosie and Innis, staying outside by way of avoiding Omicron. Paul told me he had links to the place, and knew the ecologist there and gave talks with them. A long walk for Lorraine, but it was fun. It is a large farm that has been rewilded and has cranes and beavers and ancient looking cattle with meaningful horns. Also large lakes.  Ate food outside on a little wall, where Lorraine quietly scoffed all the cheesy biscuits Rosie had brought with her. Paul and Dawn getting on very well, which is good to see.  The estate has an old eel house, which made me think of a poem by Janet Sutherland from her collection Home Farm 'pools where eels still hide trapped in a storage well,/somersaulting, tumbling and unbalancing.'

An utter deluge first thing, then off this morning to Steyning, to have brunch with Dawn at her house. It had been her birthday a few days ago. Also invited where Dawn's old pals Mark and Jane and Denise, all of whom I have met several times. I bumped into Jane in the park the other day with Toby. Most newsworthy was that we also met Paul, Dawn's new man friend. He was well read open and chatty, and born the same year as me.  Everyone had bought assorted food with them, and Dawn had been making her famous quiche with a baked rice base. Lorraine and I brought a courgette loaf, which we had made yesterday.  Dawn often has good parties, and this one was featured lunchtime dancing in her wee front room, and Dawn stage diving from her sofa into everyone's arms. She is prone to this sort of thing from time to time. All very cheery. Dawn and I swapped birthday presents too and she gave me a book called All Art is Ecological by Timothy Morton, who the back jacket calls the philoso...

Up to London again. Settled into the train along with everyone else, but the driver never arrived. A pleasantly busy day at work once I got there. A rainy day which meant I could deploy my new Berghaus and watch with satisfaction the raindrops beading on its surface, rather than simply soaking in as my last coat, lost on the Brighton train, did. After work off to meet Paul, currently aka Dr Spacetoad at St Pancras. We settled into a pub and had a couple of pints and an interesting catch up. David Ryan, who had run the anarchic Troubadour poetry nights I used to religiously attend in the late 80s and early 90s had died, and he was going to his funeral. He is currently living up north, having moved back to Blighty from Paris. He speaks with some feeling about Paris, and says he is disillusioned with it. Noticed that Paul does the weird elbow thing I do, which I've not noticed in others before. Interesting to hear some of Paul's adventures as a modern Troubadour, and we parted...

Working on the New Idea again first thing this morning, then up off peak to London, Walking up from Embankment station, I found Villiers Street choked with chuggers collecting for Cancer Research UK. After being approached for the third time I said, probably in an tetchy way, 'I don't do chuggers, love' to which the angry response was 'I'm not a chugger, I am a charity fundraiser'. The people doing it are just doing their jobs, and are happy to have them, but I detest being guilt tripped in the street by complete strangers. On a happier note, I had a cheeky beer and a catch up with Keith in the Salisbury, who has now moved on from Tavistock Square. I often get pains in the back of my head when I am with Keith because I am grinning so much. I then hoofed in the rain to Victoria where I caught up with Paul in the station Weatherspoons, and travelled with him on the train as far as Croydon. Reprehensibly we sipped from a mid-afternoon can of beer on the train. ...

Up early to buy some green paint, for no Easter is complete without a spot of DIY. At lunchtime into town where we met Anton, Klaudia and Oskar. We did some milling about in the Brighton Food Fair, which was filling the air in New Road with sizzles and mouthwatering aromas. Curiously we didn't eat any. Went to the Pavilion Gardens, had a cup of tea and I played a good deal with my Godchildren, especially Klaudia who was demanding to be carried about a good deal. Then off to The Battle of Trafalgar , where we sat in the garden in the back and sipped a beer before Anton took the bairns home. A warm and lovely day, before the sun set. Lorraine and I waited for a short while before being joined by Paul and his son VJ. VJ being a reading prodigy at 7 or 8 and already an expert in train and tram stations. Then Betty and Amy arrived, to make for an eclectic gathering. But good to see Paul, who was his usual characterful self. After Paul left, Lorraine and I continu...

Let others set the pace Another gorgeous day. Lorraine leapt up to look at the marathon runners, thousands of whom were running in Brighton's second marathon, scamper past the end of her road which is close to their starting point in Preston Park. I instead slept like a large baby, but one dreaming of cups of tea. Drifted home after chatting to Beth and Sam. Later Lorraine and Beth shopping, while I met Paul and his son VJ by the seafront. This absolutely crammed as the finishing line was by the sea, and the freakishly hot day meant there were thousands on the beach too. Some runners looking like wet rags, others remarkably happy and springy. These people are like those of another species entirely. I heard one runner telling her family that many had succumbed to the heat during the 26 mile run. Paul sporting his black shirt with flames. Off to the Black Lion which has a beer garden, but where we sat was a bit more like a beer tunnel full of cigarette smoke and coldness. VJ happily ...

A splash of colour Lorraine and I took a holiday today, a day trip up to the smoke, and actually the first time we've ever been to central London together. I decided we should go to the Courtauld Gallery , which for some reason I had never visited. Simply a brilliant collection, in what was for me a perfectly-sized gallery, where you can have a really good look at most of its contents in a few hours. Nourished by a bowl of soup and a coffee in the cafe. It has a wide range of work from Renaissance to contemporary, but its fabulous impressionism collection is the jewel in its crown. There was Monet, Renoir, Seurat and Gauguin, van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Manet’s great last painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère plus several works by Cézanne. Found myself unexpectedly falling in love with Two Dancers on a Stage by Degas. Very interesting building too and found myself taking a few snaps of its interior. After we wandered through Covent Garden and nearby streets (me feel...

Who knows where the time goes Argh. The final line edit of Skelton Yawngrave will take several more weeks at this rate. The trouble is it can't be rushed. Am pleased with the results though. The pace is faster. Took myself to the gym just concentrating on cardio stuff today as my back is going through another bad phase. Still managed to work up quite a manly sweat. Returned to the gym again after ten minutes to retrieve phone and keys I left on a treadmill. Otherwise there was a smidge of business to do. I have been practicing talking for next Monday, as I want to be Brylcreem slick when I'm in Guernsey. Another drugs website may be on the horizon, which may pay some doubloons. Spoke to Bob who is coming to stay on Thursday, and Paul whose son is now reading splendidly even though he is still in nursery. Lorraine, who was yawning after a tough day, and got an email update from Kate on the farm she is starting at home. Otherwise-in the best possible way-a tumbleweed and crows d...

Flickr and fish soup Sluggish today. Sent off the French stuff this morning, and under Mex's influence tried to get to grips with Twitter and starting to upload some photos onto Flickr , including quite a few of my Japanese ones. At lunchtime I met Paul who was in Brighton doing some business with a Dentist, and he was wearing his pinstripe suit and looking slightly gangsterish. We shot the breeze over a couple of beers in the Battle of Trafalgar, where he helpfully outlined some of the principles of direct marketing, before I made my excuses and got back to work. Emergency goldfish advice for Reuben, who called this afternoon as his were going through a crisis. Especially one of them whose sole is now in heaven. I kept fish for many years so know the basics pretty well, despite my last episode of fishkeeping ending badly. Returning home to find a weird penetrating smell in the house, which I traced at last to the aquarium. The thermostat (from a very reputable dealer) had malfunct...

Jazz and head injuries Off to the City this evening to meet Paul in his jazz Svengali mode. He has been doing some sort of work with a Jazz group called Vox City 5. Went to a pub where they were playing, and there were three of the five there. It was one of those hard-to-resist parping trombone, electric piano and vocal groups. They were very accomplished but unfortunately my least favourite type of jazz. It was, however, an entertaining night. Turns out the pub we were drinking in, called the Watermark, was Paul's local. He had primed the barmaid to aggressively sell the band's badges and CDs. I found myself browbeaten into handing over one of the Queen's pounds for a badge with the band's name on it. A little known fact about Paul is that he is a kind of guardian angel to Dave who had a head injury many years ago. Paul sees Dave most weeks. Paul had invited Dave's retired dad Norman along for the jazz, and he and I companionably swapped anecdotes about jazz and he...

A dropped watch Downloaded Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury last night and began listening to it on the train this morning, standing all the way from Brighton. I loved this book as a kid and quite fun to hear it read, especially as it is set in October. Into work and had a swim at lunchtime, managed to drop my watch as I was getting changed. It fell face first and its glass shattered. After my swim went back into work and finally had the meeting where my resignation was accepted. All very amicable. I was pleased it is finally done, as the whole thing was dragging somewhat. Something about the watch and the forthcoming end of my time at the agency seemed apt. I will finish work in November... So I will need to get my act together for a fresh start in the new year: the old time is over. Spoke to Mum and Mase and also called Anton to see if Anna was okay. Fortunately she is improving after having a bad reaction to her anaesthetic after having her knees operated on. Met Pa...

The itchy and scratchy show Another swim today, which I'm loving. My skin is incredibly dry and itchy at the moment though, which means I can't go too often. It also necessitates the faintly homoerotic business of standing about rubbing moisturisers and unguents into myself in the often quite crowded changing room. Curiously Blogging seems to be flavour of the month at the moment, and I have been asked to write another one for work soon. In the evening met Paul, who I'd not seen for about six months. He is now creative director of his own starter agency, and was wearing his pinstripe suit and two tone shoes and generally looking gangsterish. He also had a mysterious Romanian woman called Diana in tow, who was having a difficult life crisis. She was interested that I wrote poetry, as she did too, and she had also studied philosophy. Paul had offered her a roof over her head while she gets things sorted out - typical of him as he is always helping people. They came to meet m...