under another sun

Friday, and still flare free, although wan and washed out. Working this morning, till picked up by Lorraine at 11:25 and into town and dodged through the rain to talk to HSBC about our small mortgage. A pleasant and helpful woman doing the mortgage stuff. We had to supply costings for how much we spent, she literally went through statements item by item, and threw in questions about what our interests were, for example, presumably to learn about our risk factors. Shame nobody did a similar audit on the banking sector a few years ago. Still after an hour and a half of this sort of thing, it seems we are set fair. Lorraine drove me home, before zooming off for her last work of the week. I worked quietly, and a chat with Janet on the phone. Lorraine home, the term almost done. A quiet evening in.

Another flare free day and I feel I am inching towards health, but still very tired and achy. Fixed up an appointment for the dentist too on Monday, to show her my broken tooth. Spoke to Janet for quite a while this morning, both Ken and Janet have had health challenges lately, and she is feeling the strain. Sonia here but galled due to the public sector workers strike and she said she had to walk. Lorraine anticipating having to cross picket lines, but there weren't any by the time she got there. Now feeling well enough to a bit stir crazy. Lorraine out bowling with her team tonight. Apparently she won her game, and nimbly side stepped the team curry on diet reasons. Once home we had the joyful task of preparing things to take to the mortgage meeting tomorrow.

Monday at home, and got on with some of the bazillion things that have mounted up. Plus an urgent scrap of copywriting for my French client. The orc foot somewhat better, though not yet fully recovered. Hobbled off to the bank and the post office, did things like filing and so on to make me feel organised too. After Lorraine got home from zooming about the county supporting head teachers we began the process of sorting a mortgage out on the phone. The detail needed these days is intense - down to how much you are paying on individual bills even though we are only wanting to borrow a fraction of the value of the house. L and I seem not to be allowing ourselves to get overexcited. And my last couple of experiences of buying and selling houses were sobering ordeals so I am not cavorting about wildly with my arms in the air. Lorraine being cautious too. Spoke to Tobster today via facebook messenger in a Chicago cafe called Intelligentsia in Lakeview Chicago even better than Creamer in ...

A slow start, feeling coldy and unwilling to spring about with customary sand flea vigour. Instead remained in bed till ten before getting up and going straight out to the bank. Here I paid off Lorraine's mortgage, having paid mine off last week. An amazing feeling to go into a bank sit at a desk, do some simple stuff on a screen and reemerge into the freedom of London Road having purged another tapeworm.  Lorraine and I completely own the Old Church Hall house now, and still have money in the bank for when we choose a new house in the next year or so. Amazingly fortunate. Like Borgs, Lorraine and I are stronger together. Celebrated this transaction with a Danish pastry and a cup of coffee at the Emporium.  Otherwise a restrained and quiet day, with only a limited amount of productivity, plus an afternoon snooze. Listening to Morton Feldman's sublime  Music for piano and string quartet , which Lorraine described as an annoying itch that you can't scratch when I played ...

The Smile of the Mortgage Gods So up early to complete a few tweaks to the HIV piece. It was written in academic language for a specialist review, and was very clear one. When I was a student I was so reverential I thought I was stupid for finding academic language so hard to understand. Now I realise that much of it was simply poorly written. Gah. If only I knew then what I know now... One of the eternal laments of humanity. Then off to the Laines to talk a man called Peter about carpets. I have selected - flawlessly (arf) - a durable and inoffensively biscuit-coloured one. Decided to renegotiate my mortgage having conducted a displacement activity masterclass for the last few weeks. After half an hour I was delighted to be told that, contrary to all previous advice, I could keep my existing mortgage. This means that I won't be stung hundreds of pounds in rearrangement fees, and that I just have to purchase a permission to let agreement from them for £100 and I am in business. I ...