under another sun

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 ...

A relaxed morning. I chatted with Mum. Then Lorraine and I zoomed down Laurel Road to buy some grub from M&S. Sam and Amy came around for a light lunch. Sam on much better form today, which was lucky as he had to go to work. Needless to say Lorraine enjoyed spending some quality time with her boy.   They left, and we had a quiet late afternoon just enjoying the flat. Met Amy at Partick station, and travelled the short hop to  Charing Cross station. Sam's pub is called The State, which is just around the corner from Amy's restaurant. A substantial proper pub, its atmosphere managing not ruined by the half a dozen  TV screens showing Premier League teams being thrashed by continental opponents. Sam recommended a bloody marvellous stout, which Lorraine and I both enjoyed. Interesting clientele -- a group of artists, the odd football watcher, a couple on what looked like a first date and an older group from Tampa, Florida, one of whom was wearing a hat with a feather in i...

A decent night's sleep. Eventually I walked down Laurel Street to the Sainsburys and bought some fixings for breakfast. Luckily Lorraine had brought a loaf of Kenny farm bread, and a bag of our breakfast mix of seeds, nuts etc. which mixed up with blueberries and live yoghurt was fibrous and fun. Later we went to Sam and Amy's place, and left there flat with the dramatic exit sign over the door. For some reason I experienced an ambush of panic as we walked along the street, but it was over in a minute. Because I am doing this CBT thing it also a useful case study. From that point I had a really nice day. We made off to meet Amy's mother Alison and grandmother Elizabeth, both of whom we  immediately liked. A nice snacky lunch washed down with some Guinness (it seemed rude not to on St Patrick's day). I was sitting next to Elizabeth, who was a lively conversationalist. Alison and Amy are like peas in a pod, and as like each other as Beth and Lorraine. Just lovely people....

To Glasgow, a long journey, made slightly more difficult due to a numpty unregulated vape seller near Glasgow Central Central Station, whose vapes started a massive fire, and have closed the station for days. This meant we travelled to Edinburgh Haymarket, and then had to catch a train there. The train we caught, however, stopped at Partick station, and so was close to Sam's flat, and the airbnb  where we are staying. We were supposed to have bought an extension ticket, from Glasgow to Partick, but the ticket collector let us off. We had caught the 10:25 train at Seaford, and arrived at Partick at 7:30, which is a lot of trains.  However some lovely views en route, and we passed along the edge of the Lake District heading north, and loved the glimpses of the wild and wet landscape. Lovely too to get a glimpse of high Scottish hills and mountains.  To Sam and Amy's flat. Sam has been a bit ill with a stomach bug, and had not been eating, and looked a bit pale. Plan A was t...

Up for a bit of writing, then out to pick pears to slice into our breakfast yoghurt and seeds and nuts. Beth also arrived with Enzo, who was very cute (see below). I squeezed in a bit of writing, and chatting to Luke who was grinding out mortar between bricks in preparation for repointing them. Later in the day I discovered that he had not brought his mask with him, and couldn't be bothered to get one. I shudder to think of him breathing that dust all day.  Fond farewells to Sam setting off for the great trek north. It had done us all good to see him. Lorraine, sad he had to go so soon, sped him to Lewes, and then spent the afternoon at Beth's house.  I did some more murdering of darlings on the shorter version of the collection. This against the background disruption of wall grinding, like the sound of having your teeth cleaned at the dentist. As for the collection, I still have not landed on a name that I am completely convinced about.  The weather turned cooler, though...

Awake at three and barely slept afterwards. Heard cats fighting outside, Sam getting up, a mosquito in my ear, and had a brilliant idea which the morning light revealed to be a dud. Feeling a bit wan this morning, however walking still a priority and did 15.5K paces listening to Tolkien's letters, he is now older than me in it, and had fallen out with C.S.Lewis, which is a shame. In my mind, they were a bit like Lennon and McCartney, friends and who spurred each other onto be better. Otherwise a day with Sam, Beth and Enzo came around to see him. Sam meeting his nephew for the first time, and then going with Lorraine to see Pat and Maureen. Also Luke came around to work on our wall, removing a brick and hooking out bits of damp sand and stuff that had gathered there from the cavity. This was one theory about the damp we have in that corner. There wasn't too much of it, but the bricks are going to be repointed  When not walking, or making tea for Luke, I decided my proposed coll...

Woke up having had a significant dream. I have had lots of work related dreams lately, but in this one I was happily handing over the job to a vague but pleasant newbie. My desk had two old and battered cupboards on it, one said Metaphor and the other Healthcare. I had a feeling of cheery release as I spoke to my replacement about what an interesting job it had been. Both Lorraine and I rather sluggish after last night's reggae shenanigans. We sat in bed sipping tea for some time. An early text from Sam arrived saying he was travelling down today from Glasgow put Lorraine in a state of excitement. I also discovered my trousers had called Toby amid the fiercest of the skanking. L and I had breakfast, and did Wordle, which we do every morning over a boiled egg, I got it in two goes for the second time this week. Lorraine also does Murdle which is a murdery logic problem.  Over breakfast I also learned I hadn't been placed in a recent tiny booklet competition by Hedgehog. I had co...

Surprisingly comfortable bed, and we slept well. Woke up and read more of Pastoralia , a short story collection by George Saunders that Innis lent me. Very inventive stuff. Lorraine and I up late and breakfasting, then mooched off to stand outside the Library on Dumbarton Road to meet Sam.  I popped into the library for a moment, very pleasant place. Outside again, and we watched a man cough up something disgusting into the gutter in the drizzle.  However we soon saw Sam striding along towards us and we met his friend Amy, and we all went for a coffee and cake. Amy seemed pleasant and friendly.  Back to the apartment, and Lorraine busy sewing and doing cross stitch. I had a sore throat and slept blissfully for an hour. Later, in his apartment, Sam made cocktails, with enormous precision. He made me a honey and ginger and lemon with a smidge of turmeric and from that point my throat felt great. Snuck down a few Scottish beers, Sam cooked an excellent chilli and made Lorrai...

A 4:50 alarm this morning. We were on the first train out of Seaford, a little before six. Lovely to see the pools of mist in the fields making everything look mysterious and pearly in the first light. A five minute wait at Lewes before we were en route to Victoria. Then Euston on the Victoria Line. Not been in the deep tunnels on the smaller trains for a while. I didn't enjoy it. Caught the Aviva train to Glasgow at 8:30 which was somewhat cramped, and the buffet car had only teas and coffees and sweets and crisps. Glasgow at 1.00pm, and after dragging our cases around a bit, went into a Pizza Hut. Not been to a Pizza Hut for decades. The pizza apparently made from donut dough. Yuk. Then to St Enoch's station, where we caught the circular Glasgow subway. Almost a miniature tube train notably smaller than the Victoria line. Off at Kelvinhall station and eventually found our way to the Airbnb rooms we were renting. A proper reddish Scottish tenement, hefted our cases up two floo...

Both of us up early, Lorraine had to take Pat the dentist and I had to prepare the interview for my latest victim, Peter Daniels. Once this was sent off, I chatted with Mum and Toby as they had a late breakfast, then did a bit of writing, and had a long walk down by the sea this afternoon.  Lorraine and I planning a trip to Inverness and tonight booked some accommodation.  Lorraine's pal Carolyn is getting married, and we thought we'd have a few days in Scotland, and also see Sam on the way up as he has recently moved to Glasgow after his relationship with Jade ended.  Lorraine cooked a new recipe from her Zoe cookbook today, which was rather delicious, with meatballs made from black beans and miso. Sadly the balls disintegrated into the sauce but it was still delicious. To bed early as Lorraine has to be up early to take Beth off to hospital in Brighton tomorrow for a gestational diabetes test.  Read another of my Everyman  The Stories of Ray Bradbury a 1000 pl...

Burnside Cottage is lovely, and the bed quite comfortable in a soft way, despite that I had a poor night's sleep. Lots of anxious dreams. A call first thing that one of Lorraine's aunts had died. So a bit of messaging, and Lorraine having to tell Maureen. We lifted the blinds shortly after dawn, which is later here, and opposite everything looked golden with lovely low light.  However improved once up and breakfasted. I spent the morning working on the Kenniad, Lorraine lurked with Sam.  I went for a bit of a walk with my camera but by then the sky was grey and all colour had leached away from the wee village of Kilrenny we were staying in. I went round to Sam's as he was leaving to gallop off to work and Lorraine and I walked to Anstruther. We passed Sam, visible for miles in his day glow uniform, talking to little children as they crossed. The job has quite a bit of responsibility on that busy road, Sam naturally takes his responsibilities entirely seriously. Lorraine try...

Sam and Pat's actual birthdays today. Lorraine went out for lunch with Pat and Maureen, and had a good chat with Sam, who although not doing birthdays, was in good spirits. Lorraine sent him one of her crocheted bags. A morning being able to focus, which was marvellous. Have a sense, which I hope is not an illusion, of making a large step forward with the poems, and refining what the project is all about.  In the afternoon off to Brighton to get my hair cut. As last time a the same bloke walked in and started talking insultingly to Stacy about when his appointment was and so on. By chance he appeared last time I went there. He is a client Stacy inherited called Barry the Nightmare, and is in his phone by that name, which Stacy said was awkward when Barrry the Nightmare looked at Stacy's phone the other day. Stacy also told me I wash my hair too much. Then to my traditional ideologically unsound Starbucks, which has had a bit of a refurbishment to make it slightly less welcomin...

 Farewell to Sam at the Cellardyke bus stop, and then off to St Andrews. We decided to go to Leuchars station, even though we were very early. This turned out to be a blessing, as they had cancelled our train, but we were able to get an earlier, slower train to take us to Edinburgh Waverley were our service was reinstated. The train at Waverley was almost empty when it left, and we had a very comfortable journey down to Kings Cross sprawled across four chairs. This compensated somewhat for the abysmal cancellations both there and back. Managed to get to Seaford fairly rapidly, by judiciously hopping off a train at Gatwick and catching the Lewes one.  Lorraine went home, and as it was late, I bought some fish and chips from Trawlers. Happy to be home, and rather tired too. The cats all in one piece and sitting on us all evening. From the Forth Bridge again... Going west this time towards Edinburgh.

I got up early, and learned that I had been highly commended in one of the a pamphlet competitions, but had not won. A bit like getting to the FA cup final and losing. Gah. But at least I will not have to explain myself now, should the other one win.  I put all this behind me as it was Lorraine's birthday turned my attention to having fun instead.  In Roger Road, Lorraine and I had tea in bed and Lorraine opened lots of cards and had some presents and had several messages coming in. After a leisurely breakfast, we jumped on a bus to St Andrews and Sam hopped on the same one down the road at Kilrenny. Jade of course, on her way to New York today. We had a gorgeous journey sitting upstairs at the front of the bus, next to us were a couple from New Mexico, who were entranced. The woman said she felt energised by the grey days, and everything was like a Disney film. Lovely countryside there, and I loved how the coastline looked so blue in the distance.  In St Andrews Sam came...

So up fairly early, and Sam came around and we wandered down to Antstruther Harbour, where we met Jade, and all boarded the Princess of May. Sat in the harbour almost fully boarded for at half an hour, chatting to each other and a couple with a boy armed with a bird book. Lorraine, who feels sick standing on a pontoon, leaning heavily on her pills for motion sickness. Sam thumbing through his pocket book of Scottish Birds.  Then The Princess of May bellied out into the blue. A long slow roll in the sea, and the old Scottish bath tub, rolling companionably along with it. Water on the deck every now and then. The journey against the tide was about forty minutes, and May looking very impressive as we neared it. Puffins in the water and flapping rapidly through the air, and Sam pointed out gannets from one of the other islands. The Isle of May has shags, guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, gulls, eider ducks, cormorants and more.  The entrance into the harbour was tight and fringe...

 To nearby Crail, to look at some rather good local pottery, with a courtyard full of pots, and a shop indoors too. We came away with two dishes. There is a combination of colours that I am beginning to think of as very characteristic of. Some of which I have seen in the tartan shop Lorraine and I took Sam to in Stirling some time ago: these are gold, amber and pale green, and deep blue and purple. Some of this palette reflected in the work there.  Then down to Crail harbour, where I mooched about taking some snaps. Got talking to a wee boy and his family fishing for crabs at the end of the pier. He proudly showed me one of them, which was a photo I liked lots. Mooched about in Crail for a bit, before we drove off to Cambo Gardens . Had a lovely walk down a wooded valley with a stream running to the sea threading through some golfers at one point just at the end before the beach. Jade and Sam found a big body of a marine creature washed up on shore, which we did not look at, b...