Aye, That'll Do

Monday 20th November 2017

Computer running slow a lot these days – pages not scrolling, text taking longer to appear onscreen when typing online… Did mega prep for this week’s memoir exercises. Whether I’ll be able to use for all the sessions is highly debatable: some people hate autobiographical writing; hate exploring anything that may reveal their inner selves – which does make for quite a challenge sometimes. Anyway, good to be sorted. Knocked off early and tried to read downstairs but fell asleep with the book in my hand. A frustratingly regular occurrence these days. Watched some recent Alison Moyet footage. Then La Cabina – Spanish horror short film that I first saw on BBC TV as a kid – slow burn, but worth it for the creepy ending. Posted it to a link about disused red telephone boxes. Bed could do with about four hot water bottles in it. Ten degrees, my arse. 10.49 pm.

Tuesday 21st November 2017

Got a blast of warm air when I opened the front door this morning. Carried a cardboard box full of books to the bus stop, stood in the rain cursing the wait. Attempted to take part in solving the lunchtime collaborative crossword at Waddy, but without the paper in hand found it difficult to retain sequences of letters and blank spaces; managed to give a few correct answers. Road tested a new programme of memoir-related activities with afternoon writing group – good warm-up for the full-on delivery with tomorrow’s evening group. Read some Sharon Olds poems from her selected ‘The Sign of Saturn’ that she signed for me at Durham Book Festival back in 2006. Amazing stuff… Too tired for much at home. Had eggs and grilled potato slices then lay down and listened to Alison Moyet’s The Minutes… Found out Michael Gira of Swans is playing The Boiler Room in Newcastle next February. Keyed in some Appletree poems then selected preliminary coloured sheets for standard ANOMALIES pages. Tricky getting colours to compliment complete longer pieces at both ends of the book using pamphlet fold, but coming along… Email not working, but Facebook is – strange. 11.19 pm.

Wednesday 22nd November 2017

Jeeezuzz!!! Streets like rivers in Durham City tonight. Every few seconds another shriek or cry of ‘Bastard!’ as someone steps into the deep or gets soaked by splashes. Haven’t seen sheets of rain coming down so hard and heavy for a while. North Road with pools of water up onto paths and spreading towards shop doorways. ‘Bet Consett’s lovely,’ I said to the bus driver. ‘Aye, but not as bad as this.’ – which was a relief. Ever since my place was flooded in 2009 I’ve hated torrential rain… Appletree was challenging due to resistant newcomers alongside advanced participants, but we did okay. Session at Waddy was good tonight. Told people not to feel obliged to read back on memoir. Expected some reluctance, so read examples of my own and other stuff… I’m loving ‘The Concrete Grove’ by Gary McMahon. Great characters, love the shifts in pace and tone, scene to scene. Some fucking bleak stuff in there, mind. Okay, bedtime. 10.51 pm.

Thursday 23rd November 2017

What a fucking bastard! Bed early last night to get a good rest but awake by quarter-past three till twenty-past seven, full of workshop ideas for next three evening sessions. Lay in till eleven, but it didn’t help much. Most of the afternoon deleting ‘ing’ verbs and replacing dashes with commas and semicolons. Got a bit if a headache around half six, had to knock off for a sleep then got chips and steak pie from the chippy on Derby Drive. Another sleep… Powered on with the proofreading. Got manuscript printed out by ten past eleven only to doubt/dislike my verb tweaks. Well, some of them, anyway. College offered me a January evening class. Enrolment fees considerably reduced, so fingers crossed there’s enough interest for it to go ahead. On the look out for more in the coming weeks. 11.45 pm.

Friday 24th November 2017

Pleased to have a lie in. Got the Poetry Jam event page up on Facebook. Computer running slow – very annoying. Took a break this afternoon for a walk into Consett for food and bank transactions. Poundland day per page 2018 diary for scribbles; used to use Paperchase, but a bit tight these days. Lush steak pie and veg dinner when I got back. Had a request for info on writing and publishing opportunities from an undergraduate writing student – daughter of an old schoolmate. Sent mainly poetry stuff, but hopefully some useful links. This evening a rip-roaring ride through the near finalized ‘Laughter to Split Glass’ – really enjoyed reading the entire book aloud and ironing out the last niggles. Be pleased to have a super-clean manuscript done and dusted before December. Then I suppose I’ll have to succumb to the festive cheer. Anyway, either I’m getting used to the cold at home or it’s actually getting a bit warmer. 11.19 pm.

Saturday 25th November 2017

Lie in. Really cold this morning. Did morning pages and notes towards a lesson plan. Listened to songs by Alison Moyet and Toyah. Auntie from Canada contacted me via Facebook. Had a walk into town and checked out music magazines. Slept on the bus over to Jenni’s place tonight. Chips and Fools and Horses. 10.56 pm.

Sunday 26th November 2017

Lazy morning at Jen’s. She cooked us dinner. I even had veggie sausages! Went to Sunderland for a pop-up poetry event near Park Lane. Readings and performances from Tony Gadd, Mark Smith, Patrick Shannon, Sharon Watson, Barrie West, Juli Watson, Jenni and a woman whose name I missed. Freezing cold but good gig. Drink in The Borough pub afterwards. Then back to Bensham. Watched Nigel Kennedy documentary, did book tweaks and admin. 11.43 pm.

Monday 27th November 2017

Half-ten/eleven before I was able to focus on workshop prep. So it’s been a full day of pulling stuff together and twelve hours later I’m still number-crunching to see how I’m going to get through the festive season and remain able to sustain ‘freelance’ status for another season. Sure it’ll come right but after eighteen years of not being in conventional employment I don’t want to go back to it. Looking for more sessions around Durham for January and February. Should really have been put in place last month, but had lots of little hassles and setbacks. Bit nippy today, but bearing up okay. Good to get workshop poems keyed in and invoice sent out. 11.10 pm.

Tuesday 28th November 2017

Session at Waddy was end of term recap and bits of road-testing for tomorrow. Good to meet Widdershins author Helen Steadman this afternoon at Books on Tyne Festival. She remembered me from nights in the Wheatsheaf pub in Consett when I was a teenager. Her book event was very interesting. She read a bit of the novel and gave an overview of the Newcastle witch trials… I went to eat4less afterwards. Dodged the rain to get a chicken and bacon baguette with fries and bottle of apple juice. Evening with old friend Stephen Clark talking about books and bands, work – the good old days. Then I nipped over to Jen’s place but she was asleep. Half-ten bus to Consett. Dodging sleet and torrential rain. Home by twenty to twelve. 11.46 pm.

Wednesday 29th November 2017

Seriously challenging afternoon. Pleased support worker was present to calm things down after disruption. Lost focus… Spent ages doing handouts for evening but bailed on some bits as there was too much theory and too many story examples. Did a group plot generator exercise for final half hour. Worked well. Bus home ok. Read more Gary McMahon. Grilled cheese baguette for supper. Scrolled Facebook for latest political disasters and checked work stuff. Cold upstairs. Day to myself tomorrow. 

11.40 pm.

Thursday 30th November 2017

Long lie in. Up around midday. Read the last story in Stephen Clark’s book ‘The Satyr and Other Tales’. Opening and setting gripped me. Must admit to getting a little lost within parts of narrative due to poor concentration, but lots of very strong description, lots of fantastic imagery – head and shoulders above the prose I usually content myself with. Good to have a day on the couch just reading. Jenni phoned a couple of times. No Rollins column in LA Weekly yet. Chuffed that Ross Noble’s ‘Off Road’ mototrials programme will be repeated in the run-up to Christmas. Weather bad today. Popped out to pay TV licence fee: Derby Drive covered in snow. People online saying over two hours to get home from Newcastle. Pleased I didn’t go far tonight. Watched a mint film by Sean Hagen called The Devil’s Business – dark, funny, compelling gangster thriller/horror set in London. Brilliant stuff. 11.29 pm.

Friday 1st December 2017

Done very little work done today. Wasn’t sure what the weather would be like so prepared to leave Moorside early for the Queen and Adam Lambert gig at Newcastle Arena. Got to Jen’s around half three, ironed some cargo pants, had soup. Jen home by five. Extreme clothing logistics – t-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, pullover hoodie and zipper hoodie – to avoid wearing proper coat. Wise decision of Jen to get taxi. Gig was mint. Lambert has the voice and energy to front the songs; Brian moved around a lot, Roger sang a couple. Staging, lighting and video projections were outstanding. It’s the 40th anniversary of News of the World so the robot image from the album cover featured heavily. Good song choices: a few real oldies – Stone Cold Crazy; Get Down, Make Love – but mainly the hits. Expensive tickets but show must’ve cost a fortune to put on. Great set, ending with Bo-Rap, then back for Rock You/Champions. Good Freddie moments too. Over two hours show. Really pleased we decided to go. Walked back across the Redheugh Bridge to Jen’s place around eleven. 

11.30 pm.

Saturday 2nd December 2017

Ears ringing more than usual and nose blocked when I woke. Jenni watched The Big Bang Theory, I did morning pages. Stayed in bed till twelve, watched Columbo. Out for food then Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar excerpts on YouTube. This evening a Books on Tyne event at the library: Val McDermid, Sophia Blackwell and others… Tesco for supplies then Guitar Heroes and a murder documentary. 10.50 pm.

Sunday 2nd December 2017

Not so cold today. Jenni started her new job this afternoon. Walked into Gateshead with her then bought stationary supplies for writing half-marathon. Walked through park near Bensham then back to Consett on the 46. Stayed downstairs on the couch at home reading more of Gary McMahon’s ‘The Concrete Grove’. Watched a horror film called The Conjuring – poor ending. Ears ringing. Warm in slanket. 11.17 pm.