under another sun

A lovely sunny day, and after getting up for breakfast and calling both mums, we plunged into the garden and spent the next eight hours outside. I mowed and strimmed the lawn edges, and with a spade and shears, cut back the overlapping grass back to the path, cut the big hedge, finished building bits of the pond, tidied up the fish pond, we moved one of the big plants  hefting sacks of earth around, and generally tidied and made good. Lorraine replanting, hefting rocks, digging up a suffering acer and re potting it, and wobbling precariously on the island rockery thing getting into the difficult nooks and crannies and doing a hundred other jobs in the greenhouse, clearing paths and so on. We broke for lunch. Lorraine brought some food out, and I was just finishing cutting a path through long grass and Lorraine popped in to get her drink, when Robert made off with the lump of cheese from my plate. Thieving wretch. Despite this, lunch was lovely, and we continued working till almost seve

Lorraine off for story time this morning. I was a little sluggish after last night, and mooched about tidying my office and the house after  putting in a lot of work podcasting this week. Walked this evening to Patrick's house. Lorraine and Beth went to book group, (slightly delayed by taking Micky the cat to the vet's). Bumped into Kate, Adele and a brown as a berry Brian, who gave me a manly hug, en route. Andrew arrived moments after me, and we went up to Patrick's studio where he played us three songs he had been working on. All quite different, one with a punkish energy, but more sophisticated, another slower song with a beautiful melody, and a dance track with rock guitars.  Andrew and I invited to listen and comment -- and we had a good deal of fun listening, and suggesting edits. One thing is clear Patrick has an amazing ability to write melody, and has mastery over all kinds of forms. And of course the technology is there, at one point Andrew suggested changing an

Sent Robin the episode this morning, and she returned it with a few tweaks, uploaded and so on, and a relief to get this one uploaded. In the evening off to Brighton. Reading The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Learner on the train. So far it's a meh from me.  To the Evening Star, where I met Mark and Peter, the Messrs H&H.  They were kind about Mason and Mum, and generally we put the world to rights over some enjoyable quaffs. I gave them each a copy of Snow . A cheeky pizza in Fatto a Mano in the North Laine, and after one in the Eagle, ended up in the Basketmakers. It hasn't changed, but though I keep expecting to recognise people in there, I didn't. A fine night. And nice to be meeting up with old school friends so regularly. Just missed the Seaford train, so hopped on a bus instead, drinking a much needed litre of water. 

May the first... Up and working at eight, recording with Robin, then spent much of the day editing. Nice to chat to her, and she was as ever, encouraging after my two shortlisting and getting nowhere. Still getting the time-lag problem, and I had to reboot wifi and computer halfway through.  Lorraine off to do Rhymetime, and then she spent the rest of the day with Beth, who had taken the day off. At the end of the day,  I walked across the back of Seaford to Beth's house, where I found her in the enormous back garden with a large net, scooping sludge up from the bottom of the koi pond. She had also been mowing the lawn. She is changing. Lorraine had been gardening with her too. They'd had a really fun time together. James on a cycling holiday around Spain. I met Micky, the cat, for the first time. A frisky little tabby, who is clearly besotted with Beth. Beth and I were standing outside when Lorraine and I were leaving, and Micky was looking at us, with what Beth says is look t

Editing this morning, finishing off the edit of my last interview with a poet called Ali Lewis. Time consuming, correcting the recordings after the pesky time delay.  Lorraine off to her personal trainer, then met Penny and was given some plants for Beth's garden. A horrible accident on the Seaford Bends, meant Lorraine was very delayed getting home. We had our financial review today, with our advisor. He is a lovely guy, and loves weaving the progress of our small savings into the fluctuation of world events. All good. Then Jim and Joy came round from next door for cups of tea and a biscuit. I like our neighbours very much. Jim borrowed a book from me, as he wanted to learn more about the Stoic philosophers, and I happened to have a book on the presocratics. After they left, having been indoors all day, I went for a long walk along the seafront. When I arrived at Splash Point I found people looking at a grey seal which was snoozing on the pebbles, and adjusting itself, looking com

 Lorraine off to Ashford today. A beautiful day, which I was supposed to be editing, and sat at my desk for hours, but one of those days where your brain goes off at tangents however hard you try. I met Palo for lunch, and we sat in Baca cafe signing copies of Snow , and making a few plans. Palo suggested we shoot down to Gallery Uno and sign the copies there, seeing as we had our signing boots on.  She suggested that maybe I could go to the private viewing of the art show next week, and read poems. She will check if this is okay.  I like Palo, and she is a can-do person, and this little collaboration is fun. Went for a long walk this afternoon, eventually, having been frustrated by my own lack of progress on the editing. A gorgeous evening, with blue skies. Mooched along the seafront. A murder of crows at one point.  Very blue and lovely. Home, and not long before Lorraine arrived home safely. We are watching The Orville all over again.  Below Palo and I in Gallery Uno, plus crows sun

Up and having avocado on toast with Mum. She had her covid jab yesterday, and her arm was a bit painful but otherwise okay. Mum had not been able to get the new carpet cleaner to work, and bits of a spring valve had fallen out when she tried to get it going. I was able to piece it together and thankfully the machine sprang back into life, and I set about the carpets. Certainly an improvement, but not a transformation. Then we looked at Mum's hideous tax things, but after finding all the stuff, the actual tax form to be completed was missing -- mum later called them and got them to resend. One good thing:  the parking fines mum had during the time her car was stolen -- and we disputed -- have finally been dropped. A little victory over jobsworth bastards. I texted Wynford, to say Mum and I were thinking of him, as he was taken to hospital recently. He replied saying he should be out on Monday. He has been very kind to Mum. After a while, off to The Jolly Badger. On our way in, we bu

So up and fiddling with photos and generally doing my stuff this morning.  Breakfast with Lorraine, who went off this afternoon to Rosie's mum Susan's celebration of life.  I sent my love to Rosie by text. I went to see Coílín my dentist. Was a tad early, so stood by the sea for a bit. The sun, breaking through briefly, was beautiful and compelled me to snap it. But another old school English April day, being cold and wet. I like her very much although I had to tell her that her root and branch cleaning had made one of my teeth very sensitive. She x-rayed it and pronounced it sound, and then later put fluoride on it which she said would help with the sensitivity. She deep cleaned the other side, which was much easier and by the end of the day, I felt generally much happier all round in the mouth department, and my sensitive tooth a lot less wince inducing, and my smile slightly brighter. Then to London to see Mum. At Lewes saw a bunch of rooks and a jackdaw on the edge of the p

Back to  desk early and preparing for a podcast interview, and sending a few other emails, and sorting out some domain hosting stuff, which luckily only took a couple of minutes. The interview dogged with a time lag, which made spontenaity impossible. Lorraine up and about this morning, doing rhyme time in the library, and then went off for an eye test. In the afternoon she drove off to see Rosie and collect Pippi dog, who is staying with Beth. I had a long walk, walking to the top of Bishopstone, to take a closer look at a barrow I fancied could see from East Blatchington. Nothing much to see in Bishopstone, it is just a housing estate, but with lots of nice houses, and in a field behind it I saw a very unimpressive mound and no way of getting close to it. Still it was a mini adventure. Later I discovered there are a six bowl barrows up there, Walked down to the sea again, and along the seafront home and completed my 10k paces with something to spare. Started editing the podcast and h

 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 with us t

Chilled morning, walked to Sam and Jade, and we all went to Kellie castle, where we had a cup of tea, and then left again as we had arrived a bit late to look at the interior, and it was hosing with rain which made the gardens a damp prospect.  Jade dropped us at Roger Street, and I had yet another long sleep. Felt a good deal brighter afterwards, and Lorraine and I mooched across to Sam and Jade's place. We had all been invited for a roast beef dinner with Mog and Jerome, and Mog's parents Peter and Shelia, and another 'communard' staying with Mog and Jerome, a historian of the Spanish civil war, Roseanna. Mog, Peter and Roseanna all wearing fetching green hats with tassels that Shelia had made. Mog looking particularly lovely in hers. A jolly time of it, in their amazing dining room, with a table that comfortably sat nine. Really liked everyone there, and had my first slice of roast beef for quite a while. Lovely it was too (all praise to Allopurinol the drug I take t

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 fringed either

Jade working. Sam also doing his two shifts. A slowish start for us in our Roger Street, Cellardyke. Went for a stroll around Cellardyke, passing a blue plaque for Peter Smith, known as Poetry Peter born in 1847. Eventually mooched up to Kilrenny to chat to Sam between shifts. I snuck in a sleep too, as I am still feeling drained from this heavy chest cold.  Also much exercised by a poetry dilemma. I entered two poetry MS into two competitions -- the same MS but under two different names. I find myself shortlisted in both competitions, and am now excruciated by the idea that they might both win and I would have to explain to one what I had done, and be expelled in ridicule from the poetry world, with too many penalties on my poetic licence and so on. I find out next week. Sod's law says it will be the same day.   Once Jade was done, we went outside a pub in the weak Scottish evening sunlight and drank some beer, then made off a few yards to the Anstruther Fish Bar. Here we had Fish

A long slow schlepp to Scotland. Went to Brighton (as there were no London trains at Lewes) then Kings Cross. The train was supposed to go from there to Leuchars, but instead terminated in Edinburgh. There was talk of a bus replacement service, but Lorraine would have hated that. So in the end we had to get a little local train from Edinburgh Waverley which chugged past the airport and Murrayfield rugby ground before crossing the Firth of Forth towards Kirkcaldy. Here we were met by Jade who had driven from work to collect us.  The big open countryside beautiful with the low sun turning everything orange. Things going well for Jade in her career at the moment, and she is off to New York next week to give a paper. She looked well and seemed full of energy.  Our lodgings were in Roger Street. We arrived at Roger Street in Astruther, but it turns out we wanted Roger Street in Cellardyke (the two little towns are joined). After Lorraine had clarified where we were, we let ourselves in, dum

Preparing for our trip to Scotland, lots of jobs done by Lorraine especially. Feeling okay, apart from my heavy cold. I popped out to the shops and got flour from the shops, and nosed about, and queued for Lorraine's prescription, which was not in yet. Into Gallery Uno, where I had a chat with two artists who were manning the shop. Palo and my Snow pamphlets stored there at floor level which is not ideal, but at least they are there. On the way home, spoke to a neighbour Jenny, and talk quickly turned to how to remove cat excrement and pee from carpets. Pee conversations seem inescapable at the moment. Had a nice chat with Mum, and Lorraine talked to Pat and Maureen recovering from the nasty stomach bug they probably got from Lorraine.  I saw I am on the shortlist for a pamphlet competition, but have decided not try not get excitable about it as I have been down this road many times before. It's hard not to have the odd gleam of optimism though. I also spent a couple of hours

Lorraine out to her personal trainer this morning, and then seeing Penny. I spent some of the morning, writing my new horror story, which is going fairly well, if slowly. I enjoyed allowing the story, which hasn't a name yet but features a rabbit suit,  to fall thought a new trapdoor of psychological disturbance.  I am still coughing like a docker and feeling a bit run down, and fancying a sleep most afternoons. Had a nice chat with Mum, who had decided to take herself off to The Waggon for lunch.  Heavy rain today. Went out for a walk, having been indoors, and a huge thundery cloud arrived as I got to the sea, but I made it back before a drenching. In the evening Lorraine and I crept off to The Crypt to see Janet Sutherland reading. It is a gorgeous venue for reading poetry. Nice to chat to Antony Mair who was there. Janet read from the new book she is starting, and the work seemed very good. Alex Josephy read with her. Her work wasn't for me, though I liked her and she read v

Lorraine off to Ashford this morning, as Pat and Maureen unwell. Weather foul. I didn't go to see Mum today, due to chesty cough and cold, and not fancying a six hour round trip. I was unable to contact her this morning, and ended up texting Wynford next door -- who told me her car was gone. Mum had been out shopping and going to the bank and so on.  Wrote some of my horror story. Otherwise had a bit of a walk in the afternoon, looking at the sun on the sea, making a brief appearance. In the evening to  Brighton, as I wanted to give Anton, Oskar's 18th birthday present, which was his mixed martial arts gloves for biffing people. Lorraine and I will be in Scotland then. Nice to see Anton, and have a judicious beer with him in the Evening Star, which mercifully seems to have changed managers, and play a game of bones which he enjoyed greatly, storming from behind to enjoy a flukey win. He was bracing himself for another ghastly work week. Did me good to get out. Home and Lorraine

Lorraine and Beth went to somewhere called The Range for shopping --  Beth buying some picture frames. Lorraine came back with cat food, and barbecue wood lighters. Nothing as eccentric as a whole cod, fortunately. I lay low, and did a bit of writing, but have little or no stamina. I'm having ideas but little actual drive. My mouth still painful. Chesty cold still in full flow. Lorraine and I went to Morrisons, a wild adventure for me, as I'd not been out in several days. I am the human embodiment of draggy.  Beth and James came around for a roast Sunday dinner. Afterwards we played the card game called golf at which I by chance triumphed. James exasperated and competitive which was amusing. Nice to do something a bit fun. Fun is in great demand.  Below a tulip, bluebells and honesty in our front garden.