under another sun

Typically, the day of the week I had to work in London, was the day Lorraine's chesty cold got the better of her, and she worked from bed all day, getting up to make a delicious chicken and mushroom pie for my return. Also a rather beautiful and warm day. I set off at seven to travel to Hampton, on the Thames, to work for a day with The French Bloke, at the FB and Pat's agency. Pat is on hols in France at the moment, which is why I was needed. Keith was doing a spot of freelance there too, and it was good to see him. The FB and Pat working with John Perkins, another old pal of mine. Their new colleagues Joe and Carolyn too, both really nice. Carolyn grew up in Orkney. Their office is part of an old boat house, and so backs onto the river. A gorgeous view. Underneath them is a loquacious Kiwi artist , and at one point Joe, the FB and I walked down to the steep stairs to the little jetty. This is patrolled by all kinds of water fowl, swans, geese, ducks, cormorants and more. Th...

Blue Monday Off to London, pausing only to grip Calliope underneath my arm like bagpipes to eyedrop her. Today a candidate for the most depressing day of the year and the rain was certainly hosing down when I trudged from Hammersmith tube station. Once in the agency, however, things were tolerable and it helped to be briefed by Rick who is an old friend. There are far fewer people I know there now, which makes me feel more neutral about it as I worked on three websites for a pitch about a ghastly disease with a glum designer. A brisk solitary walk along the river at lunchtime, after my peck of hummus and tomato for lunch. Met another old colleague Helen for a coffee. She is leaving the agency soon, but persuaded me to write some brochures over the next couple of weeks. These, however, can be done from home and will boost the Kenny coffers. Longing on the train to be on the gold sofa scarfing a bowl of bean jar and watching Frasier. I don't ask for much in this world. Spoke to Lorr...

Full moon and foxes Woken up at an early hour by a crashing about and strange yelps in my front patch of garden. Calliope looking alarmed on the end of my bed. Leapt up as someone had recently kicked at some trellising. Imagine my surprise when I saw two urban* foxes on my doorstep. I lent out of my window clapping, and one made off through the, now clearly fox-made, hole in the trellising. I think the filthy beasts had the effrontery to be breeding too. On my doorstep. Needled three times this morning in an attempt to get blood. Nurse apologetic but kept on jabbin'. Luckily despite being a hysteric and a hypochondriac I seem to be okay about having blood taken. Then home working on my new poems for a bit before shooting off up to the smoke on a double mission. First off to the South Bank to drop of a brace of Guernsey Doubles into the National Poetry Library, and spend a couple of hours reading through the latest poetry magazines. Curiously heartened by the idea-free, emotionless...

Four kinds of English grey Challenged by this morning. In the night I had turned over in bed, and a minor tweak in my back suddenly became a sudden yikes!-inducing pain. Drifted back into sleep until Calliope thoughtfully rubbed her face into my open and drooling mouth at 6.00am. Up snuffling, and loping like an orc off to London to get fangs sorted. Off to Strand on the Green where, being early, I took the photos in the entry below. Then late into the agency. Curiously, nothing much to do once I was there. Had a fruit smoothie with Betsy at lunch, and sat about with my head full of Paul Klee images, longing to be released back into the wild. Doodled Paul Klee style pictures while attending an interminable meeting this afternoon, listening to a teleconference of clients giving their opinions about creative work. Home to a clingy cat who is balking at food in protest at my absence, and cold chicken sandwiches for me. And then a nice chat with Lorraine... Then bed... Bed calls me with it...

Bob and the river Little deathless prose and poetry produced today, although I had a fruitful chat with a magazine publisher Mex had kindly put me in touch with. Went into town late this afternoon to meet up with Bob. Had a jolly evening discussing among other things the imagined attractiveness to ladies of the more mature gentlemen (such as ourselves) and - at some length - religion. During the course of this we went for a walk along the Thames, which was looking particularly beautiful and popped into a Doggets where I played several games of pool with the old Mad dog, poking the butts of our cues into the elbows of disgruntled drinkers. Then across the river to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, where we sat in the small dark bar near an open fire. This is a fine pub and one of my all time favourites and with its dark wood panels and old paintings a place for confidential lurking. Then to The Temple Bar for a curry before zooming home listening to an audiobook. Below two views of the river. ...

Carpy Diem Friday! Into work and full of cheer. Bolted through meetings/tricky conversations etc to escape early in the afternoon. For the French Bloke and me were off to go fishing. Went to the FB's new house on the edge of Chertsey Meads, which is 170 acres of riverside land and a habitat for a wide variety of birds and wild life including deer. The FB was also selling a car to a windbag tirekicker, which dragged on somewhat. This gave me the opportunity to talk to Max, her pal Judith, Francesca (the FB's grown up daughter #2), Max's mum, and also hold the babies. Both very sweet - the new baby called Zemirah, and their adorable toddler called Tahlia, who made me wear a broad-brimmed lady's hat and spent fifteen minutes rubbing my cheeks and eyes with a wet wipe. Then off in the FB's big new land cruiser to Hatton Cross tube station to collect Matty. The three of us then saw to the necessaries of buying rod licences, bottles of cider, a writhing pint of mixed magg...

The dark river and the sparkling city Spent a few hours this evening on a small river boat floating through the centre of London on the Thames with a bunch of clients from a utility company. It is a beautiful city when seen from this perspective, floating down from Putney past all the landmarks such as the Battersea Power Station, The Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge and so on all the way down to Greenwich. Drifting past trees draped in lights, and the pretty brightly-lit bridges. Just lovely, although quite nippy on the top deck with the cool wind off the river. An art director called Si started talking about the bit in Heart of Darkness where Conrad talks about the Thames. This is the bit from that book which always sticks in my mind too. The idea that the Thames and England was once a wild place, full of unknown dangers. The client is not one I have dealt with much, but had been asked along to schmooze a bit. Spent a couple of hours appearing gripped,...