under another sun

So still with a temperature and the sore throat from hell. Luckily I have lots of work on. That is the boon of working from home: you don't have to exhaust yourself when you're ill, dragging you butt to another city before you start. A day of Balkan Dogs and work for a bit presentation on Tuesday to the charity. Lorraine working from home. Sonia here today saying, how can you write about my country (Bulgaria) without ever going there? And making Lorraine remove a pot she had brought in from outside. Beth popped in for ten minutes and was gone again. I was pleased to be finished for the day to flake out on the sofa. Someone sent Lorraine a noxious work email at the passive aggressive time of ten to six on the Friday afternoon, which upset her for the rest of the evening.

Up and off to having my fasting bloods done at 8:30. Lovely nurse at the surgery, and we shared stories of hypochondria and our deep love of flying, she's only got as far as Malta, which made me feel like a hairy chested adventurer. Then home to work on Balkan Dogs then I sauntered off to another medical centre to get my yellow fever jab. She asked me if I was well, and I confessed that I thought I had a temperature. She stuck a thermometer in my ear, and found I had a high one. You can't have a fever jab if you have a fever it seems so I slunk away unpricked, hoping the fever is over before Monday when I have another appointment. Feeling rather tired tonight, water, paracetamol and an early bed.

Although I had plenty of time this morning, I ended leaving just in the nick of time to leave to emergency renew my passport. Jumped on a bus, only for it to grind to a halt in a traffic jam. Made it to Brighton station in enough time. To the ticket office, where I found I simply had left my wallet at home. Gah! he second aborted London trip of the week. Had to rearrange the appointment for Monday then walk home feeling something of a chump. But cheered up by Lorraine, who was working at home, and lots of cups of tea. Much work to get on with at home, after talking to Matt and Steve, and was also given a lovely little job by my French pals, writing and storyboarding a wee comic about the plight of Balkan dogs. I have much to thank Balkan dogs for, bless their rabid little faces. Sonia back today from her holiday back home in Bulgaria, where she inevitably must have glimpsed some of my waggy tailed patrons. A nice evening with Lorraine, when  our work was done. A long week. We...

Doing some more work for my French clients this morning, radio adverts about the plight of Balkan dogs. Then off for a walk up to the top of the nearby hill, looking down on Brighton and the big pointless pole of the i360 . Everything has to be an iSomething these days. Then more of Lorraine's ghastly form, before taking myself off for jabs. Had a typhoid, a diphtheria polio and tetanus, and an MMR. Three jabs. I'm okay with jabs but the typhoid quite ouchy. The nurse very good, and sprang at me with a surprising wild speed and I was done in no time. Still a bit of discussion to be had about Chad, and assurances to be sought. However if it is green-lighted, I will have to have a yellow fever jab privately as well as malaria pills before we set off. Home to sit with Lorraine a bit more for the dreaded form, then scarfed down some food and made off for the poetry meeting. Arrived late, bought a pint and headed into the room only to realise that the meeting was in fact next Mo...

Inexplicably bad hangover this morning. Felt wan and sallow. Wrote radio advert about the plight of Balkan dogs then went into town for a papal audience with Catherine (Pope) in the Bath Arms. I sipped rueful sodas and coffees and ate comforting sausage and mash, and was cheered and inspired as usual by Catherine's conversation. Pleased to get a text from Helen, saying she had the all clear after her recent op. Developed a headache by the late afternoon and laid low, watched a fascinating Horizon documentary about Mesolithic man in Britain, also covering events such flooding of Doggerland in the North Sea. Apparently these people were far more sophisticated than simply being mere hunter gatherers. Read all about it here . It was the flooding of doggerland that made us an island, and created the Channel Islands too. The flooding was triggered it is thought by a tsunami, coming from a vast collapse of material in Norway into the north sea.

Up somewhat blearily. Lorraine up early and bringing tea and porridge back to the bedroom. A day of doing bits and pieces for me, including a spot of cow work for my French clients, and quoting on another job to do with the Plight of Balkan Dogs. To the gym too, to do half an hour on the cross trainer, a.k.a. the hulk legs machine, as I have noticed what with me tearing my thigh muscle and other afflictions my legs seem far more sparrowy than normal. Then Sainsburys to buy vegetables to complement the excellent tomato harvest from our back garden, plus a decent portion of green beans I wrested from the craven gastropods outside. Their name gives it away. They are walking stomachs and I bite my thumb at them. I cooked a rather nice vegetable and fish and rice meal tonight. Healthy stuff after the beery chip-based excesses of the weekend. Calliope punishing my absence by pointlessly hiding in the dungeon when I was doing laundry down there, plaguing me at my desk and finding things...

So what a difference a day makes. Hot night, but I was up and ready to make a difference. Set aside everything in search of a quick win. This was found in the shape of the short story Defenders of Guernsey I wrote for the Guernsey Literary Festival, which I am going to get kindle ready as an experiment, rather than have it languish on my hard drive, I began to fix a few of the problems and typos, and make a few slight rewrites, to republish it in a new kindle edition. Felt good to be tackling the Guernsey Goat again. This is also prompted by Amanda's new game which is in development, and was partly inspired by the story. So why not? Good news, the pitch I'd worked on concerning the fate of balkan dogs, was won with my creative work. This was a bit of a boost as the last three things I have worked on have all resulted in won pitches. My lovely French clients phoned from Paris and I have two new briefs to work on for next week. Also received a card from Richard bearing a like...