Out and About...

Monday 30th October 2017

Awake around six-thirty. Usual morning pages then surfed net awhile. No new Jenni activity on Facebook so I reckon she wasn’t well enough for work. Did most of my session prep by mid afternoon then caught up on some typing. Looked at synopses of a number of novels and films I should know inside out anyway through repeated reads/views, but my memory… Oh well. Out around five-fifteen and reading the closing chapters of Widdershins by Helen Steadman on the way to Gateshead. Enjoyed Arch Remarks spoken word tonight. Good sets from Jeff Price, Ken Brady, Catherine Scott and Harry Gallagher. Good to chat with Sky Hawkins about poetry courses and see some comedy acts not encountered before. Lots of good open mic – including Aidan Clarke, Julian Lee and Sky. Finished around twenty to eleven. Walked into Newcastle over the high level bridge then chip shop. Now sitting on a cold black steel bench at Newcastle central station bus stop waiting for the last 45 to Consett. Half-twelve before I get home at the earliest. 11.13 pm.

Tuesday 31st October 2017

Bit of a lie in after a late one last night. Big run around getting my shit together. Took all the handouts and two days’ food for my Waddy meal breaks. Spent about forty minutes photocopying stuff for the session. We looked at the opening pages of Widdershins and some other sections of the novel. A couple of the group are now really keen to get the book. Looked at some scary poems for kids after the real horror and brutality of 17th Century Newcastle then wrote some blessings and curses. Had hassle in computer suite trying to upload last week’s blog – kept coming up with a white background, which pissed me off, so I didn’t post. Had a chicken rendang and rice for tea then off to Gateshead. Planned some exercises along the way for tomorrow’s Appletree workshop. Alison Moyet gig at The Sage was amazing. Real generous set of about one hour forty minutes. Plenty Yazoo hits, some classic solo singles, lots of recent electronica. Second tier west side seat, level with edge of stage, clear view of the whole band: best spot in the house. Cracking night! 11.17 pm.

Wednesday 1st November 2017

Upload to ‘Scribbles…’ worked fine on my computer. Good to pull session together for this afternoon. And evening worked out well. Only used half the exercises planned. Allowing time for read backs throws timings coz you never know how much will be written and how many people will wish to share. But plenty of fiction stuff in store for next week. I read Jessie Lynn McMains’ ‘Snapshots of Ghosts’ zine on the bus home. Loved the bit about Patti Smith and vignette about Jessie in the grocery store itching to compare tattoos with other punk parents. Missed my stop, ended up in Castleside. An elderly bloke got on, gave me a few double takes. Home to email checks, cheese on toast and a morning pages book hastily knocked up. Not doing NaNoWriMo. Not this month, anyway. OK. 11.36 pm.

Thursday 2nd November 2017

Long lie in. Needed it after the late night. Went to Consett for bank transactions and my fix of cakes and chocolate at Barry Bargain Supperstore. People queuing at the butter mountain. Three tubs of Lurpak for two quid. Marianne, one of the staff, shouts over to remind people that it’s ‘six tubs max per customer!’. I hate butter. Avoid margarine as well. Bought carrot cakes and Kettle chips. Tins of soup. Returned to cellar twelve for mince pie, peas, steamed potatoes and carrots… Less than four hours later I was eating free food – fried potato, mushrooms, bacon – at Waddy and planning notes for Poetry Jam. Guests all good. Richard Atkinson did stuff I’d enjoyed before. Julie Egdell was brilliant; her debut collection ‘Alice in Winterland’ is surreal and sharp. Harry Gallagher was on top form. Open floor had some nice surprises, including Alan Gillot from York and Diane Cockburn. Particularly liked Ian McGregor Hart’s ‘conspiracy theory’ list poem. Ride home c/o Fergus. More cake and blackcurrant juice. OK 11.36 pm.

Friday 3rd November 2017

Eleven o’clock before I got breakfast. Sick of porridge – had peanut butter and apricot jam on toast. Spent an hour on the assorted Poetry Jam pix for Waddy website. Uploaded last night’s pix to Facebook. Jenni phoned. Took me a while to get myself ready for Durham. Read a bit of Graham Masterton’s novel Garden of Evil on the bus, but fell asleep. Bus late. Met up with Jenni. We bought drinks and sweets at Tesco for the Phill Jupitus show. Brilliant night at the Gala Theatre. He did a 45 min set as Porky the Poet then spend the whole of the interval in the audience giving out badges and Tunnocks teacakes, and posing for selfies with fans. Second half opened with a song called Owls are Bastards. Then a Coldplay parody. Rest of the show pure stand-up. Really funny honorary degree ceremony story. And the Scottish cheesy chips with curry sauce in a polystyrene coffin sketch was hilarious. Jenni got the train back. I’m on the last 15 bus to Consett and it’s full, including loud kids drunk and annoying. Fuck you, shithead, sit down and shut the fuck up. Be good when this ride gets back. Alcohol: idiot juice. Driver has threatened to stop the bus and kick the pricks off. Hope that happens soon. 11.23 pm.

Saturday 4th November 2017

Stayed in bed till eleven. Went to Consett for a bank transaction. Read a few chapters of Garden of Evil. I’m trying out pulp horror stuff like I used to read back in my teens. Re-proofed first half of ‘Laughter to Split Glass’ this afternoon. Checked out top ten British horror authors. At least one book by each of them available from Durham Library Online. Particularly interested in reading the work of Gary McMahon. I'm now at Jen’s. Fell asleep on the bus here. TV and big discussion about political correctness / transgressions. Ate Halloween cakes, drank Britvic blackcurrant cordial. Overweight and struggling to button my jeans. Must do something about it. OK. 10.39 pm.

Sunday 5th November 2017

Another lie in. House really cold so double layers of clothes on. Went to Tesco for supplies. Then Jenni played lots of Sage Francis and B Dolan tracks. I like some of their stuff but not too struck on the music. Joined Sky Hawkins and Ben Dickenson for a meal with Lynda and Jeff Price. Lovely lamb and vegetables. Apple crumble and ice cream. Listened to very interesting conversations and eclectic music on the sound system. Not back in Gateshead for bus home so stayed over at Jen’s place. 

11.40 pm.