Pleased to get Elaine Cusack’s next batch of pamphlets printed. And a decent turnout for Ways with Words at Waddington Street Centre. Enjoyed my chicken vindaloo for tea. And watching a bit of a Hellraiser documentary online. My hands haven’t been as sore today. But I’ve not done much writing. The college paid me and I think I will be financially stable for a while. I’m pleased I don’t have to go far tomorrow. I need a couple of poems for Thursday’s Poetry Jam. I’m looking forward to it. Might read a Bukowski story in bed. 9.47pm.
Wednesday 2nd November 2022
Pleased I went out this morning for a little bike ride. The narrow tyres of the Rockhopper were a bit sketchy on wet leaves after the 2.8-inch wide tyres of the Sonder Frontier on dry dirt all summer. Good to get the cranks turning. Pleased to get all of Elaine’s pamphlets made up and trimmed. Tried reading more ‘Tender is the Flesh’ by Agustina Bazterrica about consuming human meat but the prose in translation is a bit heavy. It thuds along and doesn’t really work as a novel. If anything, it’s the style that made me feel rough last week rather than subject matter. I’ll try again another day. 11.04pm.
Thursday 3rd November 2022
Awake at half four. Not much sleep afterwards. Went out on the Rockhopper bike again. Pulled together a workshop for Bullion Hall. Sorted my bag for Poetry Jam. Bank transactions. Spending way too much money of late. Seeing little for it. Got to Waddy at four. Wrote up some notes for this evening’s intros. Had a beef madras with rice. Watched ‘3600 Feet’ bike documentary in which Braydon Bringhurst rides UP ‘the whole enchilada’ downhill trail in Moab, Utah. Some sections were pure trials. Of course, its impossible to ‘clean’ the entire 28 miles but he did ride every bit of it and kept repeating the failed obstacles until he nailed them. Poetry Jam was ace. Lots of good open mic. Josephine Scott chose to read as first feature guest, Alistair Robinson went second, Pauline May’s set closed the night. Ten past ten bus got me all the way to Moorside. 11.10pm.
Friday 4th November 2022
Out on the bike at half nine for an hour. Encountered a class of school children in the wood and had to track stand till the teachers got them to make a gap for me to get through. “Thanks. Have a good day,” I said. ‘Thank You!’ a few replied. I did the same lap as two previous mornings: down to Allensford, along the gravel path by the river to the pump house, up the eroded gravel road to the slagheaps, by the new houses on Genesis Way and over to the ‘Cloudbusting’ statues and down the cycle path to Rowley, turn right onto Drovers Road to Castleside and back down the hill to Moorside. Shaved ten minutes off yesterday’s time. Bullion Hall workshop was Absurd Words, The Furniture Game and Personal Word Definitions exercise. Bought food at Gateshead Tesco. Had soup at Jen’s then back-to-back eighties Top of the Pops: Berlin, Shaky, Bon Jovi, Meatloaf, Dina Carrol, Madness, Donna Summer, Chris Rea, etc. There may be chips for supper. Been feeling a lot brighter since getting out on the bike. Aim to make it a daily occurrence, weather prevailing. But not at weekends. 10.56pm.
Saturday 5th November 2022
Big lie in after a chilly night. I checked out the latest issue of National Association of Writers in Education magazine. Then delivered a batch of pamphlets for Elaine Cusack. Good to chat about writing and performing. Chicken curry for tea. Me and Jenni went to see V for Vendetta in the (New) Castle Keep. Enjoyed the unusual setting and got a good view of the city when we briefly went up on the roof. Food haul at Tesco on the way home. 11.01pm.
Sunday 6th November 2022
Bit of a lie in and a total lazy time. Veg and sausage dinner. Watched “Weird – The Al Yankovic Story” which was an enjoyable spoof on the music biopic genre. This evening, One Foot in the Grave: the episode where some apathetic neighbours fail to prevent a burglary at the Meldrew’s; and the one where Margaret goes missing. 11.34pm.
Monday 7th November 2022
Late start. Forecast rain but stayed dry so I got out on the bike for an hour. Came home and did admin then made up some writing half marathon booklets and rejigged the selection of prompts for tomorrow’s session. This evening I listened to a Henry Rollins spoken word show from Montreal recorded in June. Bed soon. 10.47pm.
Tuesday 8th November 2022
A roofer quoted me £96 for the ridge tile and blocking up a couple of holes on the verge. He’s coming to do the job tomorrow. I’m not writing much at present. I did enough at Waddy this afternoon in the writing half marathon. Good session. The prompt about world leaders was possibly the strongest of the lot. We should use the pieces in a public reading. Peter printed me some business cards on the Waddy machine. I ate the leftover Quality Street on the bus home. Listened to a great Jarboe interview online this evening. Looking forward to seeing her in Newcastle this Friday. I listened to some of her more recent work. More experimental textured soundscapes with ambient vocals than narrative songs but a good listening experience. I keyed in some notes and had a little sleep. I’ll be cutting back on my spends after this week. Fingers crossed things are okay for next year. 10.41pm.
Wednesday 9th November 2022
Pleased to get out again after breakfast. Still a bit wary of going at moderate speed over the leaves for fear of what might be under them. And the first hill climb is a killer in chilly weather. Back home, the roofer sorted my ridge tile and cemented over some holes. Pleased to have it done before the brutal weather kicks in. Typed up some of the recent marathon writings this evening. Could probably do most of them on the mobile device. I read a Bukowski story from South of No North and a couple of fragments (he calls them ‘pomes’) from The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills. I preferred the latter. I looked at NAWE magazine and found much of it to be as dry as previous issues. I am no academic. I think early nights to save on resources are called for now. Hope I survive the winter. 9.45pm.
Thursday 10th November 2022
I didn’t get out on the bike today. Too wet early and too much work. I wrote a pitch for the Nort East Exchange artists event at the Fire Station on Monday. Dealt with some college issues and pulled together the session plan for tomorrow afternoon at Bullion Hall in Chester le Street. Tonight, I turned off the big PC and read some David Gaffney short stories and some Ghost Pine stories by Jeff Miller. Then a few flash fictions by Nik Perring. It’s windy out tonight, over twenty miles per hour. But the roof should be safe below 45mph. There were a couple of gigs tonight, but I’ve overspent and wasn’t sure how soon I’d finish my prep. Tomorrow is forecast to be a calmer day. Fingers crossed for a ride before getting ready to leave for Chester le Street. My ears are full-on tinnitus tonight. I’ve eaten half a bar of fruit and nut chocolate. 10.36pm.
Friday 11th November 2022
As my old friend rightly said, we had a true legend in the room tonight. Sat behind a decorating table, face lit only by a laptop, hands tapping away at the keyboard as if editing a word document, reciting a vignette or two, with occasional singing, while a guitarist took centre stage creating a soundtrack of ambient noise then proceeded to knock out a song himself. Classic reissue album on the merch table and not one track played from it. Forty minutes of soundscape whilst hidden in shadow. I’ve been a Jarboe fan for over thirty years and was so looking forward to seeing her perform on Tyneside, but was sorely disappointed.12.10am.
Saturday 12th November 2022
Watched ‘Two Doors Down’, starring Arabella Weir and Matt Burke, before venturing out for food supplies. Reduced price Heron Shop ham goes well with pease pudding in Tesco bread. Me and Jen went to Gateshead Little Theatre to see Constance Cox’s adaptation of an Oscar Wilde story. “Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime” was brilliant. Very funny play in a lovely venue. Great to see Sean Turner on stage. The show was quite long but the story didn’t seem laboured. Thanks to Jenni for taking me. Had another ham and pease pudding sandwich for supper. OK. 11.02pm.
Sunday 13th November 2022
Up around ten. Morning pages were a bit of a slog. I looked for some Jarboe reviews from the tour but found none so far. Had beef madras for dinner. Me and Jenni watched ‘In Bruges’ which was very funny and brutal. Then some game shows. Then another episode of ‘Two Doors Down’. Concerned about finances. Hope I can keep going next year. OK. 11.27pm.
Monday 14th November 2022
Eight hours forty minutes round trip for two minutes 40 secs at the lectern onstage in Sunderland Fire Station for Northeast Exchange creative networking event. Lovely venue, a bit like a mini-Sage Gateshead, but I knew when people started their three-minute pitches that it wasn’t the event for me. Mostly theatre practitioners. One dancer and spoken word person. A guy in a rock band. The pitches were split into two sections. Mine was last in the second section at the end of the event, so I didn’t get anyone approaching me. And it would have been pointless anyway – I spent most of the drinks and mingling mid-section hiding in the foyer coz it was all too excruciating. I only spoke to one person to confirm my name and another to ask about getting onstage… Oh, and due to a visit from those that shall not be named, the college is on high alert so full advance lesson plans and scheme of learning were requested, so a late night pulling all that stuff together. 11.52pm.
Tuesday 15th November 2022
Office was quiet this morning. Four of the staff off with covid. My session was a bit of a lowkey wind-down end of year review. Seems incredible to be done for the year at Waddy. I don’t know the start date for the next term but it’s going to be around seven weeks away at least. I still have some paperwork to complete, and I have my Friday session at Bullion Hall going ahead. I’d like to get a good couple of days editing their anthology. But tonight, I just wanted time off. I watched a 2018 Jarboe gig and it was brilliant. I have no idea how the current tour has turned out to be so limiting; a guitar and a laptop and Jarboe stuck behind a desk was not what I expected. Maybe the next tour will be a totally different and better thing altogether. I also watched The Public Image Is Rotten again. I like PIL but don’t know much about them, only the big tracks. Anyway, enough here. 11.23pm.
Wednesday 16th November 2022
Out on the bike just before dinner. Really cold downhill, difficult to breathe uphill. The latest Rollins book ‘Stay Fanatic Vol III’ arrived from America. Same format as the previous two. Large softback with black and white record sleeve/label repros and exhaustive collector info, diary entries and radio show notes. This one goes up to the end of 2017. The new one is apparently at the printers and due out soon, so that will be another heavy tome to acquire. I did some typing for Bullion Hall Writers this afternoon and had chicken vindaloo for tea. then listened to another Martin Atkins interview. I wish he was speaking in Newcastle this month. Hopefully next year. I have some days when I think I’m finished with writing and facilitating. Today felt like one of those days. My sessions at Bullion Hall aren’t going to be weekly for much longer. I hope I get a residency elsewhere next year. Do people have the money for a writing course? Maybe some lowkey marathons. Once a month. I’ll still need some other stuff to make up for what I’m set to lose in energy bills. 10.55pm.
Thursday 17th November 2022
Pissing down most of the day. Farthest I got was the local shop to shell out silver and copper for a bar of fruit and nut. I’ve run out of porridge and jam and tinned food and I’m going to need to do a big grocery shop tomorrow. I got quite a few poems edited for the Bullion Hall writers today and keyed in three pieces of my own. I read a Jarboe interview and listened to Public Image Limited. Then I watched Question Time. I don’t think they focused sufficiently on the impact the Autumn Statement will have on working families. I don’t know how people are going to cope. As far as I see it the apparatus is in place to price people out of their properties with huge energy bills and mortgage payments. Industrial scale foreclosure and land grab. Who does the government owe money to? Where did the Bank of England get it? Anyway, what do I know, a tenth-rate free verse hack living on subsistence allowance. 11.50pm.
Friday 18th November 2022
Six hours sleep. Morning pages came easy. Mainly work based. I was out by eleven. Bought supplies at Barry’s Bargain Superstore then got the bus to Bullion Hall in Chester le Street. We did some one-minute sentences. Played Friendly Folks and Foul word substitution, followed by compositions prompted by a Charles Simic vignette. We looked at some pieces by the Texan poet Albert Huffstickler. Broke a contemporary poem disguised as prose into free verse and compared it to the original. Group reflections on value of writing sessions. Tonight, I had fish fingers and chips, then back out for the rest of my shopping. By half-nine I was upstairs and sleeping, having tried yet again to read ‘Tender is the Flesh’. Humans bred like cattle and consumed as luxury meat when farm animals become infected and no longer edible. Some gruesome production-line slaughter moments but becoming a bit dull. I’ve been messaging Jenni who is away for an industrial/hip hop gig in Leeds this evening. 11.32pm.
Saturday 19th November 2022
Too horrible outside to ride today. Did initial publicity for Poetry Jam then keyed in some notes whilst listening to some music recommendations. Wolf Eyes sound pretty good. And I went back to God Hates Us All by Slayer. I watched a bike video of Jeff Lenosky and Lance Trappe showing a West Coast rider how to ride their favourite East Coast rocky woodland trails. Canny day at the computer. 10.04pm.
Sunday 20th November 2022
I read some of ‘Stay Fanatic Vol III’ this morning. Had porridge at twelve then went out on the bike. I did my recent route in reverse. It was cold and I could hardly breathe on the hill to Rowley. The cycle path towards the viaduct had lots of puddles on it. I rode for about an hour. Back home, I had mince and giant Yorkshire pudding with vegetables. Then read the rest of ‘Tender is the Flesh’. The second half was a lot more engaging. A dystopia not a million miles from where we appear to be headed. Quite disturbing. 10.05pm.
Monday 21st November 2022
Awake quite early. Did a first draft of publicity for a writing course, then went out on the bike. I feared the worst coz of the difficulty breathing yesterday, but it’s amazing the difference a beanie under the helmet and starting off uphill in a much lighter gear can make. I did the same route as yesterday. Up Drover Road to Rowley, along the cycle path to Consett, down Genesis Way, through the park and over the old slagheaps down to the main road, up round the gatepost without a foot down, then onto the eroded gravel path to the pump house and along by the River Derwent to Allensford, then back up the wood to the old Castleside Inn and back into Moorside. I read a bit more of ‘Stay Fanatic Vol III’. Edited and sent off some publicity, read ‘A Bit of the Dark’, a 19-part short story by horror writer Gary McMahon from his ‘How to Make Monsters’ collection. Think I’ll be turning in early these cold nights. Might spend some daytime in the library though, bit of reading and writing. 9.22pm.
Tuesday 22nd November 2022
Went into town for a new wristwatch coz the old cheapo is losing time. A new battery would be about four quid. and the strap was wrecked. So I just bought another cheapo watch for six quid at Boyes. Got some razors and a new grey beany hat for under the bike helmet. A ream of paper at almost double the cost it was two years ago. And a bag of frozen sausages. Spent about nineteen quid. Had a good ride on the old Specialized Rockhopper this afternoon. Added a little bit to the route near the roundabout up from Delves Lane and into Consett, then through the housing estate onto the footpath above Genesis Way. Sent off a batch of poems to The Black Light Engine Room magazine. I’m chuffed with it and hope something is suitable for publication. Bed now. 9.50pm.
Wednesday 23rd November 2022
The weather couldn’t make up its mind, so I stayed put. I could have been out on the bike, but my legs were aching yesterday so maybe I needed today off. And it’s forecast to be fine in the morning. Today I talked to Mam and Ernie on the phone. Ernie has flu. Mam had it for a month. But they are sure it isn’t covid. This cold weather, the dark nights, and not being able to afford electricity – for some people it will be more like a real lockdown than covid lockdown. This evening I tweaked ten poems for future publication. Either in a pamphlet or any magazines that will take them. I don’t like playing the waiting game. A couple of months for a reply, maybe a further six months before publication if the work is accepted. I’ve been sitting on them long enough before anyone else sees them. Maybe self-publishing is my thing now. Anyway, I feel like I’m back in the swing of it. OK. 11.35pm.
Thursday 24th November 2022
Enjoyed a short video overview of Charles Bukowski’s career. I got out on the bike again this morning. Read more of ‘Stay Fanatic Vol III’. Had a shave then worked on the booklet for Bullion Hall. Was good to make a little mini zine for one of the writers. I’m focusing on getting more books together for next year. And I have a pre-Xmas writing half marathon coming up with Consett writers on 5th December. Newsnight is on. When is someone going to ask why the WEF was given a platform at COP27? Let’s hear all about Central Bank Digital Currency on breakfast TV, shall we? Pleased I got some poems edited yesterday. 11.11pm.
Friday 25th November 2022
Up quite early but took me a while to get sorted. I got copies of the booklet proofs copied and the writing group did a readthrough. Session was great. Everyone was present. I got the bus to Jen’s afterwards. Had a bowl of lentil and bacon soup then read a crime story from an old Northern Blood anthology, in which a museum tour guide accidentally kills a schoolkid making a nuisance of himself. I checked out some of my self-published back catalogue to get inspired for next year. Jenni played some tracks by ‘Clipping’ and ‘Benefits’ on Spotify. The Last Leg is on but it’s mostly about football. 10.50pm.
Saturday 26th November 2022
Stayed in bed till mid-morning. Me and Jenni went for supplies and I started Xmas shopping. Had hotdogs, mash and peas for tea. then went to see Matilda the Musical at Vue Cinema. Loved it. Emma Thompson was horrible as headmistress. Tim Minchin songs were great. The little girl who took the lead role was brilliant. I haven’t read Dahl’s novel. Ate chocolates and bacon maple syrup corn rings. Bed soon. 11.34pm.
Sunday 27th November 2022
Went to bed at three this morning. Up again by half ten. Me and Jenni watched HMS Pinafore. Then the second series of Upright written by and starring Tim Minchin. Really enjoyed it. Each episode is only about 24 minutes long. And it’s pretty fast-paced narrative. He’s helping Meg find her mother and they end up being held captive at a spiritual cult retreat. Back home tonight, I ate the last of my ham and pease pudding sandwiches. 11.48pm.
Monday 28th November 2022
Mainly just offline admin today. Copying up missed bits and pieces. Number crunching to see if I can keep going. Read a few stories from ‘Not So Perfect’ by Nik Perring in bed this morning. These flash fictions make me think: Yes, I can do this. King Ink are after tiny poems for their mini zine. I’d like to have a crack at it but don’t think I have anything new that is small enough for the A7 page. This evening I went to get supplies and check out a few gift ideas. Saw the ex-Moorside postmaster and his wife at the checkout. The young Tesco cashier laughed at two old blokes discussing strategic winter mountain bike offroad hill climbs. It’s been quite warm this evening. Only one pair of trousers, no thermal sock upgrade. Good to stay off the big computer again. 9.49pm.
Tuesday 29th November 2022
Didn’t bike today coz I needed to get lots done at the desktop. I’ve corrected the Bullion Hall file and just need a verso page and mock-up of the cover to show at our content sequencing session on Friday. I submitted six small poems to King Ink mini zine. I hope one is suitable. I watched a Katie Kookaburra bike charity event video and a clip of Jeff Lenosky and friends riding in NYC. But they are much better on natural terrain. To be fair, Jeff is 52 years old. No-one is getting any younger. I read more Nik Perring stories as well. 10.40pm.
Wednesday 30th November 2022
Two degrees outside when I cleaned the bike this morning. I did my ride and got back at twelve. Put in an afternoon at the computer working on the cover layout for Bullion Hall’s anthology, and logistics for a larger than usual group I’m doing a half writing marathon with next week. This evening I listened to Professor Ian Plimer, author of Green Murder, being interviewed on climate change. I’m fucking freezing. Soon to bed. 9.40pm.
Pleased I went out this morning for a little bike ride. The narrow tyres of the Rockhopper were a bit sketchy on wet leaves after the 2.8-inch wide tyres of the Sonder Frontier on dry dirt all summer. Good to get the cranks turning. Pleased to get all of Elaine’s pamphlets made up and trimmed. Tried reading more ‘Tender is the Flesh’ by Agustina Bazterrica about consuming human meat but the prose in translation is a bit heavy. It thuds along and doesn’t really work as a novel. If anything, it’s the style that made me feel rough last week rather than subject matter. I’ll try again another day. 11.04pm.
Thursday 3rd November 2022
Awake at half four. Not much sleep afterwards. Went out on the Rockhopper bike again. Pulled together a workshop for Bullion Hall. Sorted my bag for Poetry Jam. Bank transactions. Spending way too much money of late. Seeing little for it. Got to Waddy at four. Wrote up some notes for this evening’s intros. Had a beef madras with rice. Watched ‘3600 Feet’ bike documentary in which Braydon Bringhurst rides UP ‘the whole enchilada’ downhill trail in Moab, Utah. Some sections were pure trials. Of course, its impossible to ‘clean’ the entire 28 miles but he did ride every bit of it and kept repeating the failed obstacles until he nailed them. Poetry Jam was ace. Lots of good open mic. Josephine Scott chose to read as first feature guest, Alistair Robinson went second, Pauline May’s set closed the night. Ten past ten bus got me all the way to Moorside. 11.10pm.
Friday 4th November 2022
Out on the bike at half nine for an hour. Encountered a class of school children in the wood and had to track stand till the teachers got them to make a gap for me to get through. “Thanks. Have a good day,” I said. ‘Thank You!’ a few replied. I did the same lap as two previous mornings: down to Allensford, along the gravel path by the river to the pump house, up the eroded gravel road to the slagheaps, by the new houses on Genesis Way and over to the ‘Cloudbusting’ statues and down the cycle path to Rowley, turn right onto Drovers Road to Castleside and back down the hill to Moorside. Shaved ten minutes off yesterday’s time. Bullion Hall workshop was Absurd Words, The Furniture Game and Personal Word Definitions exercise. Bought food at Gateshead Tesco. Had soup at Jen’s then back-to-back eighties Top of the Pops: Berlin, Shaky, Bon Jovi, Meatloaf, Dina Carrol, Madness, Donna Summer, Chris Rea, etc. There may be chips for supper. Been feeling a lot brighter since getting out on the bike. Aim to make it a daily occurrence, weather prevailing. But not at weekends. 10.56pm.
Saturday 5th November 2022
Big lie in after a chilly night. I checked out the latest issue of National Association of Writers in Education magazine. Then delivered a batch of pamphlets for Elaine Cusack. Good to chat about writing and performing. Chicken curry for tea. Me and Jenni went to see V for Vendetta in the (New) Castle Keep. Enjoyed the unusual setting and got a good view of the city when we briefly went up on the roof. Food haul at Tesco on the way home. 11.01pm.
Sunday 6th November 2022
Bit of a lie in and a total lazy time. Veg and sausage dinner. Watched “Weird – The Al Yankovic Story” which was an enjoyable spoof on the music biopic genre. This evening, One Foot in the Grave: the episode where some apathetic neighbours fail to prevent a burglary at the Meldrew’s; and the one where Margaret goes missing. 11.34pm.
Monday 7th November 2022
Late start. Forecast rain but stayed dry so I got out on the bike for an hour. Came home and did admin then made up some writing half marathon booklets and rejigged the selection of prompts for tomorrow’s session. This evening I listened to a Henry Rollins spoken word show from Montreal recorded in June. Bed soon. 10.47pm.
Tuesday 8th November 2022
A roofer quoted me £96 for the ridge tile and blocking up a couple of holes on the verge. He’s coming to do the job tomorrow. I’m not writing much at present. I did enough at Waddy this afternoon in the writing half marathon. Good session. The prompt about world leaders was possibly the strongest of the lot. We should use the pieces in a public reading. Peter printed me some business cards on the Waddy machine. I ate the leftover Quality Street on the bus home. Listened to a great Jarboe interview online this evening. Looking forward to seeing her in Newcastle this Friday. I listened to some of her more recent work. More experimental textured soundscapes with ambient vocals than narrative songs but a good listening experience. I keyed in some notes and had a little sleep. I’ll be cutting back on my spends after this week. Fingers crossed things are okay for next year. 10.41pm.
Wednesday 9th November 2022
Pleased to get out again after breakfast. Still a bit wary of going at moderate speed over the leaves for fear of what might be under them. And the first hill climb is a killer in chilly weather. Back home, the roofer sorted my ridge tile and cemented over some holes. Pleased to have it done before the brutal weather kicks in. Typed up some of the recent marathon writings this evening. Could probably do most of them on the mobile device. I read a Bukowski story from South of No North and a couple of fragments (he calls them ‘pomes’) from The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills. I preferred the latter. I looked at NAWE magazine and found much of it to be as dry as previous issues. I am no academic. I think early nights to save on resources are called for now. Hope I survive the winter. 9.45pm.
Thursday 10th November 2022
I didn’t get out on the bike today. Too wet early and too much work. I wrote a pitch for the Nort East Exchange artists event at the Fire Station on Monday. Dealt with some college issues and pulled together the session plan for tomorrow afternoon at Bullion Hall in Chester le Street. Tonight, I turned off the big PC and read some David Gaffney short stories and some Ghost Pine stories by Jeff Miller. Then a few flash fictions by Nik Perring. It’s windy out tonight, over twenty miles per hour. But the roof should be safe below 45mph. There were a couple of gigs tonight, but I’ve overspent and wasn’t sure how soon I’d finish my prep. Tomorrow is forecast to be a calmer day. Fingers crossed for a ride before getting ready to leave for Chester le Street. My ears are full-on tinnitus tonight. I’ve eaten half a bar of fruit and nut chocolate. 10.36pm.
Friday 11th November 2022
As my old friend rightly said, we had a true legend in the room tonight. Sat behind a decorating table, face lit only by a laptop, hands tapping away at the keyboard as if editing a word document, reciting a vignette or two, with occasional singing, while a guitarist took centre stage creating a soundtrack of ambient noise then proceeded to knock out a song himself. Classic reissue album on the merch table and not one track played from it. Forty minutes of soundscape whilst hidden in shadow. I’ve been a Jarboe fan for over thirty years and was so looking forward to seeing her perform on Tyneside, but was sorely disappointed.12.10am.
Saturday 12th November 2022
Watched ‘Two Doors Down’, starring Arabella Weir and Matt Burke, before venturing out for food supplies. Reduced price Heron Shop ham goes well with pease pudding in Tesco bread. Me and Jen went to Gateshead Little Theatre to see Constance Cox’s adaptation of an Oscar Wilde story. “Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime” was brilliant. Very funny play in a lovely venue. Great to see Sean Turner on stage. The show was quite long but the story didn’t seem laboured. Thanks to Jenni for taking me. Had another ham and pease pudding sandwich for supper. OK. 11.02pm.
Sunday 13th November 2022
Up around ten. Morning pages were a bit of a slog. I looked for some Jarboe reviews from the tour but found none so far. Had beef madras for dinner. Me and Jenni watched ‘In Bruges’ which was very funny and brutal. Then some game shows. Then another episode of ‘Two Doors Down’. Concerned about finances. Hope I can keep going next year. OK. 11.27pm.
Monday 14th November 2022
Eight hours forty minutes round trip for two minutes 40 secs at the lectern onstage in Sunderland Fire Station for Northeast Exchange creative networking event. Lovely venue, a bit like a mini-Sage Gateshead, but I knew when people started their three-minute pitches that it wasn’t the event for me. Mostly theatre practitioners. One dancer and spoken word person. A guy in a rock band. The pitches were split into two sections. Mine was last in the second section at the end of the event, so I didn’t get anyone approaching me. And it would have been pointless anyway – I spent most of the drinks and mingling mid-section hiding in the foyer coz it was all too excruciating. I only spoke to one person to confirm my name and another to ask about getting onstage… Oh, and due to a visit from those that shall not be named, the college is on high alert so full advance lesson plans and scheme of learning were requested, so a late night pulling all that stuff together. 11.52pm.
Tuesday 15th November 2022
Office was quiet this morning. Four of the staff off with covid. My session was a bit of a lowkey wind-down end of year review. Seems incredible to be done for the year at Waddy. I don’t know the start date for the next term but it’s going to be around seven weeks away at least. I still have some paperwork to complete, and I have my Friday session at Bullion Hall going ahead. I’d like to get a good couple of days editing their anthology. But tonight, I just wanted time off. I watched a 2018 Jarboe gig and it was brilliant. I have no idea how the current tour has turned out to be so limiting; a guitar and a laptop and Jarboe stuck behind a desk was not what I expected. Maybe the next tour will be a totally different and better thing altogether. I also watched The Public Image Is Rotten again. I like PIL but don’t know much about them, only the big tracks. Anyway, enough here. 11.23pm.
Wednesday 16th November 2022
Out on the bike just before dinner. Really cold downhill, difficult to breathe uphill. The latest Rollins book ‘Stay Fanatic Vol III’ arrived from America. Same format as the previous two. Large softback with black and white record sleeve/label repros and exhaustive collector info, diary entries and radio show notes. This one goes up to the end of 2017. The new one is apparently at the printers and due out soon, so that will be another heavy tome to acquire. I did some typing for Bullion Hall Writers this afternoon and had chicken vindaloo for tea. then listened to another Martin Atkins interview. I wish he was speaking in Newcastle this month. Hopefully next year. I have some days when I think I’m finished with writing and facilitating. Today felt like one of those days. My sessions at Bullion Hall aren’t going to be weekly for much longer. I hope I get a residency elsewhere next year. Do people have the money for a writing course? Maybe some lowkey marathons. Once a month. I’ll still need some other stuff to make up for what I’m set to lose in energy bills. 10.55pm.
Thursday 17th November 2022
Pissing down most of the day. Farthest I got was the local shop to shell out silver and copper for a bar of fruit and nut. I’ve run out of porridge and jam and tinned food and I’m going to need to do a big grocery shop tomorrow. I got quite a few poems edited for the Bullion Hall writers today and keyed in three pieces of my own. I read a Jarboe interview and listened to Public Image Limited. Then I watched Question Time. I don’t think they focused sufficiently on the impact the Autumn Statement will have on working families. I don’t know how people are going to cope. As far as I see it the apparatus is in place to price people out of their properties with huge energy bills and mortgage payments. Industrial scale foreclosure and land grab. Who does the government owe money to? Where did the Bank of England get it? Anyway, what do I know, a tenth-rate free verse hack living on subsistence allowance. 11.50pm.
Friday 18th November 2022
Six hours sleep. Morning pages came easy. Mainly work based. I was out by eleven. Bought supplies at Barry’s Bargain Superstore then got the bus to Bullion Hall in Chester le Street. We did some one-minute sentences. Played Friendly Folks and Foul word substitution, followed by compositions prompted by a Charles Simic vignette. We looked at some pieces by the Texan poet Albert Huffstickler. Broke a contemporary poem disguised as prose into free verse and compared it to the original. Group reflections on value of writing sessions. Tonight, I had fish fingers and chips, then back out for the rest of my shopping. By half-nine I was upstairs and sleeping, having tried yet again to read ‘Tender is the Flesh’. Humans bred like cattle and consumed as luxury meat when farm animals become infected and no longer edible. Some gruesome production-line slaughter moments but becoming a bit dull. I’ve been messaging Jenni who is away for an industrial/hip hop gig in Leeds this evening. 11.32pm.
Saturday 19th November 2022
Too horrible outside to ride today. Did initial publicity for Poetry Jam then keyed in some notes whilst listening to some music recommendations. Wolf Eyes sound pretty good. And I went back to God Hates Us All by Slayer. I watched a bike video of Jeff Lenosky and Lance Trappe showing a West Coast rider how to ride their favourite East Coast rocky woodland trails. Canny day at the computer. 10.04pm.
Sunday 20th November 2022
I read some of ‘Stay Fanatic Vol III’ this morning. Had porridge at twelve then went out on the bike. I did my recent route in reverse. It was cold and I could hardly breathe on the hill to Rowley. The cycle path towards the viaduct had lots of puddles on it. I rode for about an hour. Back home, I had mince and giant Yorkshire pudding with vegetables. Then read the rest of ‘Tender is the Flesh’. The second half was a lot more engaging. A dystopia not a million miles from where we appear to be headed. Quite disturbing. 10.05pm.
Monday 21st November 2022
Awake quite early. Did a first draft of publicity for a writing course, then went out on the bike. I feared the worst coz of the difficulty breathing yesterday, but it’s amazing the difference a beanie under the helmet and starting off uphill in a much lighter gear can make. I did the same route as yesterday. Up Drover Road to Rowley, along the cycle path to Consett, down Genesis Way, through the park and over the old slagheaps down to the main road, up round the gatepost without a foot down, then onto the eroded gravel path to the pump house and along by the River Derwent to Allensford, then back up the wood to the old Castleside Inn and back into Moorside. I read a bit more of ‘Stay Fanatic Vol III’. Edited and sent off some publicity, read ‘A Bit of the Dark’, a 19-part short story by horror writer Gary McMahon from his ‘How to Make Monsters’ collection. Think I’ll be turning in early these cold nights. Might spend some daytime in the library though, bit of reading and writing. 9.22pm.
Tuesday 22nd November 2022
Went into town for a new wristwatch coz the old cheapo is losing time. A new battery would be about four quid. and the strap was wrecked. So I just bought another cheapo watch for six quid at Boyes. Got some razors and a new grey beany hat for under the bike helmet. A ream of paper at almost double the cost it was two years ago. And a bag of frozen sausages. Spent about nineteen quid. Had a good ride on the old Specialized Rockhopper this afternoon. Added a little bit to the route near the roundabout up from Delves Lane and into Consett, then through the housing estate onto the footpath above Genesis Way. Sent off a batch of poems to The Black Light Engine Room magazine. I’m chuffed with it and hope something is suitable for publication. Bed now. 9.50pm.
Wednesday 23rd November 2022
The weather couldn’t make up its mind, so I stayed put. I could have been out on the bike, but my legs were aching yesterday so maybe I needed today off. And it’s forecast to be fine in the morning. Today I talked to Mam and Ernie on the phone. Ernie has flu. Mam had it for a month. But they are sure it isn’t covid. This cold weather, the dark nights, and not being able to afford electricity – for some people it will be more like a real lockdown than covid lockdown. This evening I tweaked ten poems for future publication. Either in a pamphlet or any magazines that will take them. I don’t like playing the waiting game. A couple of months for a reply, maybe a further six months before publication if the work is accepted. I’ve been sitting on them long enough before anyone else sees them. Maybe self-publishing is my thing now. Anyway, I feel like I’m back in the swing of it. OK. 11.35pm.
Thursday 24th November 2022
Enjoyed a short video overview of Charles Bukowski’s career. I got out on the bike again this morning. Read more of ‘Stay Fanatic Vol III’. Had a shave then worked on the booklet for Bullion Hall. Was good to make a little mini zine for one of the writers. I’m focusing on getting more books together for next year. And I have a pre-Xmas writing half marathon coming up with Consett writers on 5th December. Newsnight is on. When is someone going to ask why the WEF was given a platform at COP27? Let’s hear all about Central Bank Digital Currency on breakfast TV, shall we? Pleased I got some poems edited yesterday. 11.11pm.
Friday 25th November 2022
Up quite early but took me a while to get sorted. I got copies of the booklet proofs copied and the writing group did a readthrough. Session was great. Everyone was present. I got the bus to Jen’s afterwards. Had a bowl of lentil and bacon soup then read a crime story from an old Northern Blood anthology, in which a museum tour guide accidentally kills a schoolkid making a nuisance of himself. I checked out some of my self-published back catalogue to get inspired for next year. Jenni played some tracks by ‘Clipping’ and ‘Benefits’ on Spotify. The Last Leg is on but it’s mostly about football. 10.50pm.
Saturday 26th November 2022
Stayed in bed till mid-morning. Me and Jenni went for supplies and I started Xmas shopping. Had hotdogs, mash and peas for tea. then went to see Matilda the Musical at Vue Cinema. Loved it. Emma Thompson was horrible as headmistress. Tim Minchin songs were great. The little girl who took the lead role was brilliant. I haven’t read Dahl’s novel. Ate chocolates and bacon maple syrup corn rings. Bed soon. 11.34pm.
Sunday 27th November 2022
Went to bed at three this morning. Up again by half ten. Me and Jenni watched HMS Pinafore. Then the second series of Upright written by and starring Tim Minchin. Really enjoyed it. Each episode is only about 24 minutes long. And it’s pretty fast-paced narrative. He’s helping Meg find her mother and they end up being held captive at a spiritual cult retreat. Back home tonight, I ate the last of my ham and pease pudding sandwiches. 11.48pm.
Monday 28th November 2022
Mainly just offline admin today. Copying up missed bits and pieces. Number crunching to see if I can keep going. Read a few stories from ‘Not So Perfect’ by Nik Perring in bed this morning. These flash fictions make me think: Yes, I can do this. King Ink are after tiny poems for their mini zine. I’d like to have a crack at it but don’t think I have anything new that is small enough for the A7 page. This evening I went to get supplies and check out a few gift ideas. Saw the ex-Moorside postmaster and his wife at the checkout. The young Tesco cashier laughed at two old blokes discussing strategic winter mountain bike offroad hill climbs. It’s been quite warm this evening. Only one pair of trousers, no thermal sock upgrade. Good to stay off the big computer again. 9.49pm.
Tuesday 29th November 2022
Didn’t bike today coz I needed to get lots done at the desktop. I’ve corrected the Bullion Hall file and just need a verso page and mock-up of the cover to show at our content sequencing session on Friday. I submitted six small poems to King Ink mini zine. I hope one is suitable. I watched a Katie Kookaburra bike charity event video and a clip of Jeff Lenosky and friends riding in NYC. But they are much better on natural terrain. To be fair, Jeff is 52 years old. No-one is getting any younger. I read more Nik Perring stories as well. 10.40pm.
Wednesday 30th November 2022
Two degrees outside when I cleaned the bike this morning. I did my ride and got back at twelve. Put in an afternoon at the computer working on the cover layout for Bullion Hall’s anthology, and logistics for a larger than usual group I’m doing a half writing marathon with next week. This evening I listened to Professor Ian Plimer, author of Green Murder, being interviewed on climate change. I’m fucking freezing. Soon to bed. 9.40pm.
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