Seven Days

Monday 4th December 2017

Seemed much colder than the forecast eight degrees. After putting on a third pair of socks then slippers I started to warm up. Or maybe that was just the steak pie and veg with gravy dinner. Spent a whole shift chewing my way through final paperwork for Waddy college course. Still a few things to check but hope to get it signed off by Thursday. Haven’t bought so much as a Christmas card yet. Presents can wait till the weekend. I still have Wednesday evening workshops up till 20th December. Slow and sluggish today. Pleased I don’t have to go out tomorrow. 

11.10 pm.

Tuesday 5th December 2017

Must’ve reheated a Lemsip four times this afternoon. Often forget to drink when busy. Paperwork ready for checks this week. Sorted out writing half-marathon prompts and booklets. Covers were a bastard; card I wanted to use wouldn’t go through the printer. Alternative stock a fraction smaller than pages, so had to trim by hand. Appletree session prepped. Keyed in previous week of notes. Cherry pie and custard for supper. Looking forward to day out tomorrow. Pleased my bag is packed. 11.06 pm.

Wednesday 6th December 2017

Bastard! I missed it. Two minutes sooner. And I’d be on it. If the lock wasn’t fucked. If I hadn’t forgotten my pies and cheese. If we’d finished a few minutes earlier. But no matter. I’m in a warm pub (The Bridge Hotel) in Durham with a pint of blackcurrant. Keane on the stereo, Xmas tree lights flickering. I can make the 10.25 pm to Stanley, then the 11.15 pm to Consett and walk to Moorside with my shopping… No problems at Appletree, and writing half-marathon went well. Deliberately overran the usual two hours to ensure everyone got to pick a prompt. All the writers came up with good words tonight. 10.05 pm.

Thursday 7th December 2017

Slow start. Reading lots of articles on the relevance of writing courses, book sales and the history of the writing profession, amateur authorship. Got ready for Poetry Jam. Read up to the last twenty pages of Gary McMahon’s ‘The Concrete Grove’ by the time I got to Durham. Casual hanging around in Waddy, checking updates on Brexit, more reading, then prep for the gig. Good open floor poems. Chuffed to see Marie Lightman read, generous set from Keith Parker, and Utterly Otterly author Kirsten Luckins was cracking as well. Thanks to Fergus for the lift home. Got the lush M&S free bread – so grilled cheese baguette for supper. Pleased to be home; pleased to be done, gig-wise, for the year. Xmas to focus on now. Haven’t bought a thing. OK. 11.44 pm.

Friday 8th December 2017

Zero degrees. How can that be? Eleven degrees two nights ago. Three pairs of joggers, 5 tops, three pairs of socks… This morning I looked through the entire catalogue of Portland, Oregon zine distro Antiquated Future. Seven titles total twenty dollars; the postage another seventeen. Maybe I’ll have to reduce the size of the order. Got the Poetry Jam pix up. Took about half an hour to upload initial sixty-odd edited stills. How long would video footage take? Watched Rick Wakeman’s ‘Tales from the Tour Bus’ on BBC4 tonight. Listened to some vintage Rollins Band from 1987 and ate my weight in grilled cheese baguettes and chocolate. OK. 10.55 pm.

Saturday 9th December 2017

Phoned Mam and Ernie this morning about festive logistics. Braved Saturday moshpit at Barry’s Bargain Superstore. Yay! They still have Sweet Freedom chocolate spread after all. Bought some presents and cards. Did some online shopping tonight, and griping to Antiquated Future zine distro about shipping costs. Keyed in notes whilst listening to ‘Queen Forever’- my favourite compilation. Apparently Brian May and Roger Taylor don’t like it. 10.49 pm.

Sunday 10th December 2017

Working on a session plan much of today for Wednesday night. Generated most of the ideas in morning pages last Thursday, but pulling it all together, sourcing exercises and typing up the poetry examples has taken a while. Tore through the storeroom in search of a writing marathon anthology from 2007. Minus two degrees in Moorside. Doing fine in my double hoodie fleece triple socks joggers cherry pie and custard hot chocolate cheese toasty bubble. Off to bed to read Ramsey Campbell. 10.40 pm.