under another sun

Up early, a little after Lorraine. Getting over the hump day of the week. Worked on detailed but boring German stuff, sent that off to Munich, then chatted with Keith. US brief just after lunch, and then bounced ideas about with Keith and got to a point where we could stop by close of play. We have to present ideas at 7pm on Friday evening to the US guys, which is inconvenient. I am desperate to pick up the threads of my own writing. But money is money I suppose. Sam dragged the tree off to the recycling spot in Preston Park this morning while I was working. And the Dusty Dolls came. Went out for a series of short walks to get to my 10k paces. On the last one saw the big new moon, the hidden part clearly visible, and Jupiter gleaming near it. Home and made the plain meal of steamed peas and cabbage, boiled potatoes with a bit of grilled fish, which I found unaccountably tasty. Possibly because of Spartan Month. Horrifically, however, I weighed myself and seem to have added half a kilo...

Lorraine off to work. I hate seeing her go off to work at the moment. A day of working on my own stuff, and editing the Charlotte Gann interview. Also a tidy cell is a tidy mind so hoovered the house from top to bottom, washing the floors and bathrooms and kitchen and so on. An afternoon walk up to the usual places. A small military ship just off the coast, and police helicopter flying over central Brighton streets for ages. A car had accelerated through a police stopping point, and was being tracked. Finished listening to I wanna be yours. Eventually he straightened out, but another shining example of how rubbish heroin is, listening to how JCC spent years of his life wondering where he was going to get his next deal from. Home and a chat with Mum, who is fine post jab although still bored and George next door still doing bad things. And in the first world problems department, I started a campaign against Moleskine, from whom I have now been waiting 15 days for my diary's delivery...

Up early to do November billing, and get on with work. A bit of a strange day as Lorraine was home so it felt like a holiday, despite her being ill. Looked after her as best I could, taking her a porridge breakfast, and nipping out to buy medical chocolate and lemsips. Mes amis in Paris paid my invoice same day, which is rather brilliant. I walked into town, still somewhat drained of energy, and bought next year's diary. Was able to find the right coloured Moleskine Semainier in Waterstones, thank goodness. No busses home so I walked back too, collecting my first over 10k day for a while. Home and I talked to Mum. Mason planning an imminent business trip, which is worrying her.  Then I received some late French work which I did through till seven. Lorraine had struggled up off the sofa for long enough to cook, before wiping herself out again. Beth very cheerful about receiving some clothes in the post with dinosaurs on them. One with a fetching green glittery T Rex. Also, we ...

Woke up feeling stressed this morning, and my face was twitching. Perhaps this was due to Calliope again waking me at 3:30 and when I chucked her off the bed, vomited in protest a bit later. I felt like shaking her like a ginger stepchild. Meanwhile Lorraine had little voice, and was clearly going down with the evil cold Beth has had. She made off to work though. However, I found out first thing that mes amis in Paris where happy with the work I sent last night, so suddenly a day of capering about instead of slogging at my desk. A few bits to finish off this morning, and FaceTimed Mum before I scampered off into town to have a haircut. Nice chat in there, some of it around the notion of being Santa. Then to the Bath Arms to meet Catherine Pope, who as usual I found inspiring and today a great listener as I was, I am afraid to say, on broadcast mode, given to sharing my various opinions particularly about subjects in which my knowledge is sketchy. She forgave me though, and I came a...

Not much going on today. Fiddled with some poems first thing, and then chatted to Pat a couple of times about a job, which at the end of the day resulted in me having to go up to London tomorrow, for a day with my pals in Hampton. Otherwise a slightly limboish day waiting to find out what was happening with work. I walked into town to buy myself a moleskine diary. Not my normal scarlet one, but a sort of darker red with a bit of blue in it. This something of a revolution for me as my last nine years or so have all been the red ones. I half regret this breaking of the pattern, but there is something freeing about it on the other hand. Bizarre how much bandwidth the buying of a diary took up today. Nevertheless I enjoyed putting the first dates into the new year. 2018. What a science fiction year that seems. I think back to being a child and 2000 seeming to be unimaginably futuristic. Home again, and I cooked a pie, with a filling that Lorraine had previously made. She zoomed in and ...

Janet in hospital today, so got up early and went to the gym early too, but feeling drained and heavy. Luckily when I returned from the gym, Ken phoned to say that he and his son Nick were collecting Janet early as they had seen her quickly.. I spoke to her later, and she said they were going to give her a stent, but apparently this is something they can do by passing it up a vein rather than more drastic surgery. Amazing what they can do these days. Janet having the stent put in over the next couple of weeks and was pleased to have got the first hurdle over. After a bit of writing, I went for a haircut, always a good idea on a Monday as, apart from me and the four barbers, the place was full of tumbleweed and crows. Nice chat with the barber about Japan, and then the guy who cut my hair before the wedding, asked me how it went, which was nice. Otherwise bits and pieces of work, sent poems to a magazine, bought next year's diary an OCD-specified red Moleskine week per view and ...