Big lie in. Dreamt that John Lyndon moved in over the road from me. Mainly just watched TV. Good Paul O'Grady documentary, Diagnosis Murder, and top music videos of 1991 – REM, Seal, Kylie, Nirvana, Erasure, etc. Oh the irony of Pete Waterman sitting in a room full of guitars. Me and Jenni had egg and chips. I keyed in some journal stuff and wrote a NaPoWriMo poem. OK. 11.06pm.
Sunday 2nd April 2023
NaPoWriMo was a key words and questions exercise. The piece I wrote was very brief. I keyed in the rest of last month’s journal. Read a bit of the Charles Bukowski biography by Barry Miles. Me and Jenni watched Starstruck and some gameshows. She laughed at Lucy’s cake on Celebrity bake off. OK. 11.35pm.
Monday 3rd April 2023
NaPoWriMo was a key words and questions exercise. The piece I wrote was very brief. I keyed in the rest of last month’s journal. Read a bit of the Charles Bukowski biography by Barry Miles. Me and Jenni watched Starstruck and some gameshows. She laughed at Lucy’s cake on Celebrity bake off. OK. 11.35pm.
Monday 3rd April 2023
I spent ages looking over the bus timetables for tomorrow’s visit to Washington Arts Centre. Spent much of the day keying in material. I’ve prepped some stuff for the meeting. I usually take a couple of pamphlets, read a few pieces, go over some lesson plans in these informal chats. This evening I did my NaPoWriMo poem. It only took a few minutes. I chose the shortest sci-fi poem from Brian Maycock’s ‘Waiting for the Feast’ to use as a template. I reread some of Rob Walton’s poems. Chuffed to turn the big machine off by ten tonight. 10.07pm.
Tuesday 4th April 2023
Up at half six for pages, poem, and to get ready for the trek to Washington. Took me over three hours, including pitstops at Consett and Chester le Street. Had the meeting early coz I reached Washington by quarter to three. I chatted with staff for twenty minutes or so. Showed them some books, made a mini zine. Read a student poem from 2008. They said they’d let me know, but as I was packing my things away, one of them came back out and said, "We’re happy with what we’ve seen, do you want the work?" I said yes. So I start facilitating writing workshops there in just over a fortnight. Home at quarter to seven. Spent the evening transferring Poetry Jam footage to my hard drive and listening to a great band from Manchester called Ist Ist. Reminded me of Joy Division. Ist Ist play The Cluny on 14th April. I’m very tempted. I think they’ll be superb. 11.22pm.
Wednesday 5th April 2023
Morning pages was mostly waffle but I finally got round to putting a cover on the notebook to distinguish it from last month’s efforts. Then I photocopied the new ‘Tiny Tales’ mini book and made up ten copies. I was a bit knackered, so I took my time. I sewed the final two. I’ll send one as a legal deposit with ‘A Warm Space’ and ‘This Story Isn’t About an Octopus’ in due course. Copied up stray notes tonight. Did a piece about the fridge freezer. The writing and domestic appliance both need more work. 10.50pm.
Thursday 6th April 2023
Chuffed to reach Waddy by half two. Too tired to do much. Only perked up at about half six. Poetry Jam went really well. All the guests well received. Lorraine Weightman, Colin Waterman and Jo Colley. Good open floor readers too. Thanks to Steve May for the bike books. Thanks to all the people who came and Fergus for setting up. Mint gig. Bus home was good. I’ve had a headache for a while. Need sleep soon. 11.38pm.
Friday 7th April 2023
Up early for pages including a draft for NaPoWriMo after the James Tate poem about hats. Then I took the Rockhopper out into the garden and gave it a wash. The front derailleur wouldn’t drop the chain to the smallest ring. I thoroughly cleaned it but conceded that after seventeen years maybe the spring is broken. I went out for a ride this afternoon. The main riverside trail wasn’t bad, but the smaller routes were still hellish muddy. I came off doing a manoeuvre I’ve been doing fine for over a year. As per usual when I have a spill, I landed on my head. I cut my right leg and pulled my right shoulder. Think I need a couple of weeks just trundling round till the deck firms up. This evening I reread 75 pages of one of my oldest surviving journals (January 1994). It contains full narratives, dialogues, prose poems and essays. I’m tempted to print some of it. Two hours and I only read half of it. There are two or three more volumes from the same year. God help us all. 11.17pm.
Saturday 8th April 2023
Woke with a few aches and pains but felt okay. Had a crack at the mammoth 20-point NaPoWriMo prompt. It wasn’t great. Then I made a bacon sandwich. Then edited and uploaded Poetry Jam stills from video clips. Mince and veg dinner with eight small Yorkshire puddings. Then out to Consett for a few supplies. Chatted briefly to an old workmate in the bus station. Jen played a concert by Punk Rock Factory. Then we watched the Saturday night gameshows and music TV. Lots of chocolate consumption. 10.25pm.
Sunday 9th April 2023
Stayed in bed till well after eleven. Wrote a rather silly Easter sonnet and posted it online as a NaPoWriMo poem. Me and Jenni had chip butties with gravy, listened to a bit of Jo Carley and the Old Dry Bones – but Willy and the Bandits were better. Then an episode of Redbull Soapbox Challenge 2017 from Alexandra Palace. Tonight, a Paul O’Grady Special and Bake Off. 10.08pm.
Monday 10th April 2023
Lazy day at Jen’s. NaPoWriMo poem was a sea shanty. Jeni laughed coz I said I wanted to eliminate expletives from my poems this year but I thought Friggin’ in the Riggin’ would be a good template. The piece I wrote was based on weather predictions for the week, so I called it Shit till Next Sunday but used the tune from Portland Bill as a starting point instead of the Pistols. I haven’t taken NaPoWriMo seriously for about a decade. Me and Jenni watched the Lewis Capaldi documentary. A guy goes from gigging at Glasgow King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut and ends up at the O2 in London with second album syndrome manifesting as body shakes and anxiety eventually diagnosed as Tourette’s. Pleased he had a good team and family to support him through it and was able to get back onstage after lockdown. My ride home tonight was quiet. Big work week ahead. 11.34pm.
Tuesday 11th April 2023
Keyed in a bunch of NaPoWriMo poems and tweaked them. I only like three out of the eleven so far. Some of them I’d like to riff on a bit longer. Listened to Michael Monroe, Lewis Capaldi, Peter Hook and the Light, Interpol, Slow Readers Club and Creeper. And all three albums by Ist Ist – I might go see them at The Cluny on Friday night. Checked out photos of early Bukowski book ‘It Catches My Heart in its Hands’. Subsisted on toast and fish finger sandwiches. 10.35pm.
Wednesday 12th April 2023
The weather is toilet, but I don’t think the temperature is down to four degrees. My toes would be hurting if it was. I wrote a poem I’m quite pleased with this morning. I have nearly a hundred pieces that I can set aside for possible inclusion in a new collection, but I need to test them in small press magazines. Defrosted the freezer. No hairdryer, but very careful with the screwdriver (ice pick substitute) and pliers (hammer substitute) so as not to damage the pipes. Found a bag of frozen chips nearly nine months out of date. Sent off electronic college paperwork this evening. 10.50pm.
Thursday 13th April 2023
Washed some clothes. Took stock of writing success to date. Over two hundred poems in mags and anthologies. As well as reprinted in my official books. Wrote a bit of stuff this afternoon. Found a lot of old poems from about fifteen years ago. Some I’d quite like to publish. Good to have some online chat with Jenni tonight. Subsisting on beans, soup and bread this week. 10.18pm.
Friday 14th April 2023
Woke about half six. Up for breakfast and out to Consett, got some cheap grub from the Heron shop and Barry’s Bargain Superstore. Bought a ream of A4 and the rest of my stuff at Tesco. Home by half ten then pasted up some notebook pages. Shaved, then cooked some sausages and veg. Wrote a poem after dinner inspired by Selima Hill’s HOME, then back out to Consett. Checked out some charity shops. Saw brand new boxed industrial DM shoes for £30. Pity they were a size twelve. I slept on the bus to Newcastle. Looked round HMV. Then Waterstones: Bukowski and Brautigan books. Ist Ist at the Cluny were ace tonight. I’m not familiar with their catalogue yet but recognized all the songs as they played. Afterwards the whole band came out to the merch table. They signed my cassette copy of their new album Protagonists. I scribbled lots today, hope some is usable. Eldon Square Bus Station. 11.06pm.
Saturday 15th April 2023
Didn’t go to bed till after two this morning so was a bit slow today. I don’t think I’m going to get a pamphlet done this month. Need to switch focus to workshop prep for a few days. I’d like to get out on the bike but I’m too busy. I watched the Ian Curtis biopic CONTROL again tonight. Great but obviously quite bleak. Sam Riley and Samantha Morton both ace. I’m home all weekend. 11.06pm.
Sunday 16th April 2023
Got out on the bike for a while. Watched Joy Division documentary DVD tonight. Wrote a NaPoWriMo poem and read a Charles Bukowski story about boxing. 11.00pm.
Monday 17th April 2023
Think I’ve got the format for another pamphlet. It’s a bullet your whole day exercise that I first did in 2016. I might have a crack at recording my thoughts and movements for the whole of tomorrow. Got the dates for Arts Centre Washington workshops today. And a generous write-up from Ann Porro for my two most recent pamphlets. I cut the grass. Well, chewed. The right lens fell out of my glasses coz a screw was loose. Managed to fix using a snapped-off Stanley blade tip as screwdriver. Prepped first new Waddy session tonight. 10.58pm.
Tuesday 18th April 2023
Woke early and decided to try Bullet Your Whole Day. Did an Abecedary poem for NaNoWriMo and packed for the workshop. Bus was okay but recently top deck has made me feel quite sick if I try to read or write. I wrote bullet points throughout the morning. The workshop was a struggle for some. What I prepped as an intro exercise was meant to last 20 minutes but took up most of the session. I ran the questions by the Centre manager, and she thought what I’d offered was reasonable. Felt a bit wrecked this evening so mostly lying down. Read a few poems from Paper and Ink ‘Best of the First Ten Years’. 9.50pm.
Wednesday 19th April 2023
Two minutes into today’s bike ride I started wheezing on the hill climb. Delivered a book order to Jane Burn’s house. Took my Rockhopper into Tesco (no bike lock) while I bought a bottle of blackcurrant squash. Read more ‘Paper and Ink’ and keyed in half of the ‘Bullet…’ monograph. Listened to The Struts and knocked off around half ten. 10.57pm.
Thursday 20th April 2023
All sorted for the first Washington workshop. Went out for beans and chocolate then did the Poetry Jam event page. Took a few hours to get it right. Shaved, had my beans on toast with fish fingers then a little bit of local history research. Printed a proof copy of ‘Bullet…’ I want to prune lines right back to the minimum. I’d like to print some copies on sturdy stock coz it’s only going to be 16 pages, but maybe later. Listened to Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’. And ‘Live at the Factory’ which is amazing. 10.33pm.
Friday 21st April 2023
Up around half six for morning pages. Packed up and out to Washington at half eight. Didn’t want to risk being late should there be any bus hassles. Got there at twenty to eleven. Did a standard first week session. The group is quite experienced. All seemed keen to be published and interested in the process. Two hours flew by. I got the 78-bus back from Chester le Street to Consett with a load of schoolkids. I was out nearly nine hours. Too tired to do much tonight. Watched some Joy Division and a Peter Hook interview. 11.06pm.
Saturday 22nd April 2023
Did another edit on ‘Bullet…’ monograph. It’s almost there now. Got the page margins sorted. I was supposed to be going to Jen’s tonight, but she suggested tomorrow instead. Bookmaking is very time consuming. 9.46pm.
Sunday 23rd April 2023
Up quite early, wrote a NaPoWriMo poem, out to Jen’s place. Chilli and rice then the first series of Psychoville from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Then some gameshows, Bake Off and Father Ted. 10.35pm.
Monday 24th April 2023
NaPoWriMo poem was a review of yesterday’s bus journey. Me and Jenni listened to Abba, Rush, Fury and other rock music for a while. Chip butties with curry sauce for dinner. More gameshows. Then I went out for the Red Squirrel Press book launches at the Lit and Phil. Ric Hool: Since I Last Wrote; Ian Davidson: The Matter of the Heart; Ellen Phethean: Shedding the Niceties. Good to hear the readings. Chatted with Tom Kelly. Big Thanks to Sheila Wakefield for copies of the books and Postbox magazine. Back at the big house, me and Jenni watched two new episodes of The Cleaner. One about a conspiracy theorist and one about a shaman. Chilly weather. Going to be June before the trails are firm, I reckon. 10.40pm.
Tuesday 25th April 2023
Jenni helped with the talktalk broadband package this morning. Ditched unlimited calls coz I only make a couple a month. Then I discovered standard calls are charged at 24p a minute. Bugger. Workshop was slow. Had to bail on some stuff. Too hard for some. More differentiation required. Did some basic absurd words compositions and a free verse line break exercise. Listened to The Suicide Twins (Andy McCoy and Jan Stenfors) album ‘Silver Missiles and Nightingales’ from 1986. My health isn’t great: breathing trouble and backache. Way behind on everything. 10.58pm.
Wednesday 26th April 2023
Today was better. Copied up stray pages and poems whilst listening to eighties alt rock. I proofed and tweaked my little monograph. Wrote a lesson plan in ten minutes that I intend to use three times in quick succession. Got all my ‘NaPoWriMo 2023’ poems into one document. Chuffed with some of them. I’d like to do some more little pamphlets this year if possible. 11.35pm.
Thursday 27th April 2023
Spent much of today printing, assembling, and trimming copies of BULLET YOUR WHOLE DAY. The pamphlet is mainly a way of offering an example of the writing exercise to workshop participants, and is now available from Talking Pen. I submitted a bunch of poems to a magazine. I’ve done a fifteen-hour day and my head is splitting. Need to be up early tomorrow for a workshop. 10.50pm.
Up at half six for pages, poem, and to get ready for the trek to Washington. Took me over three hours, including pitstops at Consett and Chester le Street. Had the meeting early coz I reached Washington by quarter to three. I chatted with staff for twenty minutes or so. Showed them some books, made a mini zine. Read a student poem from 2008. They said they’d let me know, but as I was packing my things away, one of them came back out and said, "We’re happy with what we’ve seen, do you want the work?" I said yes. So I start facilitating writing workshops there in just over a fortnight. Home at quarter to seven. Spent the evening transferring Poetry Jam footage to my hard drive and listening to a great band from Manchester called Ist Ist. Reminded me of Joy Division. Ist Ist play The Cluny on 14th April. I’m very tempted. I think they’ll be superb. 11.22pm.
Wednesday 5th April 2023
Morning pages was mostly waffle but I finally got round to putting a cover on the notebook to distinguish it from last month’s efforts. Then I photocopied the new ‘Tiny Tales’ mini book and made up ten copies. I was a bit knackered, so I took my time. I sewed the final two. I’ll send one as a legal deposit with ‘A Warm Space’ and ‘This Story Isn’t About an Octopus’ in due course. Copied up stray notes tonight. Did a piece about the fridge freezer. The writing and domestic appliance both need more work. 10.50pm.
Thursday 6th April 2023
Chuffed to reach Waddy by half two. Too tired to do much. Only perked up at about half six. Poetry Jam went really well. All the guests well received. Lorraine Weightman, Colin Waterman and Jo Colley. Good open floor readers too. Thanks to Steve May for the bike books. Thanks to all the people who came and Fergus for setting up. Mint gig. Bus home was good. I’ve had a headache for a while. Need sleep soon. 11.38pm.
Friday 7th April 2023
Up early for pages including a draft for NaPoWriMo after the James Tate poem about hats. Then I took the Rockhopper out into the garden and gave it a wash. The front derailleur wouldn’t drop the chain to the smallest ring. I thoroughly cleaned it but conceded that after seventeen years maybe the spring is broken. I went out for a ride this afternoon. The main riverside trail wasn’t bad, but the smaller routes were still hellish muddy. I came off doing a manoeuvre I’ve been doing fine for over a year. As per usual when I have a spill, I landed on my head. I cut my right leg and pulled my right shoulder. Think I need a couple of weeks just trundling round till the deck firms up. This evening I reread 75 pages of one of my oldest surviving journals (January 1994). It contains full narratives, dialogues, prose poems and essays. I’m tempted to print some of it. Two hours and I only read half of it. There are two or three more volumes from the same year. God help us all. 11.17pm.
Saturday 8th April 2023
Woke with a few aches and pains but felt okay. Had a crack at the mammoth 20-point NaPoWriMo prompt. It wasn’t great. Then I made a bacon sandwich. Then edited and uploaded Poetry Jam stills from video clips. Mince and veg dinner with eight small Yorkshire puddings. Then out to Consett for a few supplies. Chatted briefly to an old workmate in the bus station. Jen played a concert by Punk Rock Factory. Then we watched the Saturday night gameshows and music TV. Lots of chocolate consumption. 10.25pm.
Sunday 9th April 2023
Stayed in bed till well after eleven. Wrote a rather silly Easter sonnet and posted it online as a NaPoWriMo poem. Me and Jenni had chip butties with gravy, listened to a bit of Jo Carley and the Old Dry Bones – but Willy and the Bandits were better. Then an episode of Redbull Soapbox Challenge 2017 from Alexandra Palace. Tonight, a Paul O’Grady Special and Bake Off. 10.08pm.
Monday 10th April 2023
Lazy day at Jen’s. NaPoWriMo poem was a sea shanty. Jeni laughed coz I said I wanted to eliminate expletives from my poems this year but I thought Friggin’ in the Riggin’ would be a good template. The piece I wrote was based on weather predictions for the week, so I called it Shit till Next Sunday but used the tune from Portland Bill as a starting point instead of the Pistols. I haven’t taken NaPoWriMo seriously for about a decade. Me and Jenni watched the Lewis Capaldi documentary. A guy goes from gigging at Glasgow King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut and ends up at the O2 in London with second album syndrome manifesting as body shakes and anxiety eventually diagnosed as Tourette’s. Pleased he had a good team and family to support him through it and was able to get back onstage after lockdown. My ride home tonight was quiet. Big work week ahead. 11.34pm.
Tuesday 11th April 2023
Keyed in a bunch of NaPoWriMo poems and tweaked them. I only like three out of the eleven so far. Some of them I’d like to riff on a bit longer. Listened to Michael Monroe, Lewis Capaldi, Peter Hook and the Light, Interpol, Slow Readers Club and Creeper. And all three albums by Ist Ist – I might go see them at The Cluny on Friday night. Checked out photos of early Bukowski book ‘It Catches My Heart in its Hands’. Subsisted on toast and fish finger sandwiches. 10.35pm.
Wednesday 12th April 2023
The weather is toilet, but I don’t think the temperature is down to four degrees. My toes would be hurting if it was. I wrote a poem I’m quite pleased with this morning. I have nearly a hundred pieces that I can set aside for possible inclusion in a new collection, but I need to test them in small press magazines. Defrosted the freezer. No hairdryer, but very careful with the screwdriver (ice pick substitute) and pliers (hammer substitute) so as not to damage the pipes. Found a bag of frozen chips nearly nine months out of date. Sent off electronic college paperwork this evening. 10.50pm.
Thursday 13th April 2023
Washed some clothes. Took stock of writing success to date. Over two hundred poems in mags and anthologies. As well as reprinted in my official books. Wrote a bit of stuff this afternoon. Found a lot of old poems from about fifteen years ago. Some I’d quite like to publish. Good to have some online chat with Jenni tonight. Subsisting on beans, soup and bread this week. 10.18pm.
Friday 14th April 2023
Woke about half six. Up for breakfast and out to Consett, got some cheap grub from the Heron shop and Barry’s Bargain Superstore. Bought a ream of A4 and the rest of my stuff at Tesco. Home by half ten then pasted up some notebook pages. Shaved, then cooked some sausages and veg. Wrote a poem after dinner inspired by Selima Hill’s HOME, then back out to Consett. Checked out some charity shops. Saw brand new boxed industrial DM shoes for £30. Pity they were a size twelve. I slept on the bus to Newcastle. Looked round HMV. Then Waterstones: Bukowski and Brautigan books. Ist Ist at the Cluny were ace tonight. I’m not familiar with their catalogue yet but recognized all the songs as they played. Afterwards the whole band came out to the merch table. They signed my cassette copy of their new album Protagonists. I scribbled lots today, hope some is usable. Eldon Square Bus Station. 11.06pm.
Saturday 15th April 2023
Didn’t go to bed till after two this morning so was a bit slow today. I don’t think I’m going to get a pamphlet done this month. Need to switch focus to workshop prep for a few days. I’d like to get out on the bike but I’m too busy. I watched the Ian Curtis biopic CONTROL again tonight. Great but obviously quite bleak. Sam Riley and Samantha Morton both ace. I’m home all weekend. 11.06pm.
Sunday 16th April 2023
Got out on the bike for a while. Watched Joy Division documentary DVD tonight. Wrote a NaPoWriMo poem and read a Charles Bukowski story about boxing. 11.00pm.
Monday 17th April 2023
Think I’ve got the format for another pamphlet. It’s a bullet your whole day exercise that I first did in 2016. I might have a crack at recording my thoughts and movements for the whole of tomorrow. Got the dates for Arts Centre Washington workshops today. And a generous write-up from Ann Porro for my two most recent pamphlets. I cut the grass. Well, chewed. The right lens fell out of my glasses coz a screw was loose. Managed to fix using a snapped-off Stanley blade tip as screwdriver. Prepped first new Waddy session tonight. 10.58pm.
Tuesday 18th April 2023
Woke early and decided to try Bullet Your Whole Day. Did an Abecedary poem for NaNoWriMo and packed for the workshop. Bus was okay but recently top deck has made me feel quite sick if I try to read or write. I wrote bullet points throughout the morning. The workshop was a struggle for some. What I prepped as an intro exercise was meant to last 20 minutes but took up most of the session. I ran the questions by the Centre manager, and she thought what I’d offered was reasonable. Felt a bit wrecked this evening so mostly lying down. Read a few poems from Paper and Ink ‘Best of the First Ten Years’. 9.50pm.
Wednesday 19th April 2023
Two minutes into today’s bike ride I started wheezing on the hill climb. Delivered a book order to Jane Burn’s house. Took my Rockhopper into Tesco (no bike lock) while I bought a bottle of blackcurrant squash. Read more ‘Paper and Ink’ and keyed in half of the ‘Bullet…’ monograph. Listened to The Struts and knocked off around half ten. 10.57pm.
Thursday 20th April 2023
All sorted for the first Washington workshop. Went out for beans and chocolate then did the Poetry Jam event page. Took a few hours to get it right. Shaved, had my beans on toast with fish fingers then a little bit of local history research. Printed a proof copy of ‘Bullet…’ I want to prune lines right back to the minimum. I’d like to print some copies on sturdy stock coz it’s only going to be 16 pages, but maybe later. Listened to Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’. And ‘Live at the Factory’ which is amazing. 10.33pm.
Friday 21st April 2023
Up around half six for morning pages. Packed up and out to Washington at half eight. Didn’t want to risk being late should there be any bus hassles. Got there at twenty to eleven. Did a standard first week session. The group is quite experienced. All seemed keen to be published and interested in the process. Two hours flew by. I got the 78-bus back from Chester le Street to Consett with a load of schoolkids. I was out nearly nine hours. Too tired to do much tonight. Watched some Joy Division and a Peter Hook interview. 11.06pm.
Saturday 22nd April 2023
Did another edit on ‘Bullet…’ monograph. It’s almost there now. Got the page margins sorted. I was supposed to be going to Jen’s tonight, but she suggested tomorrow instead. Bookmaking is very time consuming. 9.46pm.
Sunday 23rd April 2023
Up quite early, wrote a NaPoWriMo poem, out to Jen’s place. Chilli and rice then the first series of Psychoville from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Then some gameshows, Bake Off and Father Ted. 10.35pm.
Monday 24th April 2023
NaPoWriMo poem was a review of yesterday’s bus journey. Me and Jenni listened to Abba, Rush, Fury and other rock music for a while. Chip butties with curry sauce for dinner. More gameshows. Then I went out for the Red Squirrel Press book launches at the Lit and Phil. Ric Hool: Since I Last Wrote; Ian Davidson: The Matter of the Heart; Ellen Phethean: Shedding the Niceties. Good to hear the readings. Chatted with Tom Kelly. Big Thanks to Sheila Wakefield for copies of the books and Postbox magazine. Back at the big house, me and Jenni watched two new episodes of The Cleaner. One about a conspiracy theorist and one about a shaman. Chilly weather. Going to be June before the trails are firm, I reckon. 10.40pm.
Tuesday 25th April 2023
Jenni helped with the talktalk broadband package this morning. Ditched unlimited calls coz I only make a couple a month. Then I discovered standard calls are charged at 24p a minute. Bugger. Workshop was slow. Had to bail on some stuff. Too hard for some. More differentiation required. Did some basic absurd words compositions and a free verse line break exercise. Listened to The Suicide Twins (Andy McCoy and Jan Stenfors) album ‘Silver Missiles and Nightingales’ from 1986. My health isn’t great: breathing trouble and backache. Way behind on everything. 10.58pm.
Wednesday 26th April 2023
Today was better. Copied up stray pages and poems whilst listening to eighties alt rock. I proofed and tweaked my little monograph. Wrote a lesson plan in ten minutes that I intend to use three times in quick succession. Got all my ‘NaPoWriMo 2023’ poems into one document. Chuffed with some of them. I’d like to do some more little pamphlets this year if possible. 11.35pm.
Thursday 27th April 2023
Spent much of today printing, assembling, and trimming copies of BULLET YOUR WHOLE DAY. The pamphlet is mainly a way of offering an example of the writing exercise to workshop participants, and is now available from Talking Pen. I submitted a bunch of poems to a magazine. I’ve done a fifteen-hour day and my head is splitting. Need to be up early tomorrow for a workshop. 10.50pm.
Friday 28th April 2023
Awake at half six. Did morning pages. NaPoWriMo was an index poem, so I cheekily used the ‘index of first lines’ from my book Shades of Grey. Shaved, had porridge. Pleased I left early coz 78-bus got held up due to mechanical issues. My session prepped in ten minutes went well this afternoon. Bought some supplies in Chester le Street for Jenni. I’ve mainly been eating Scotch eggs, chocolate cakes and fudge. 11.15pm.
Saturday 29th April 2023
Wrote a poem about Bread. Washed up. Made dinner for me and Jenni. Watched second series of Psychoville. Mr Jelly is still my favourite character. Read a Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith interview. I got knocked out of 1% Club much earlier than Jenni tonight. Consoled myself with toast and hot chocolate. 11.25pm.
Sunday 30th April 2023
Almost May and still wearing my woolly hat indoors. Jen made a lush beans, egg and mushrooms on toast brunch. I went out for more supplies. We watched a two-part Bradley Walsh documentary. I did sausage and mash with peas and gravy for tea. Watched Family ‘Four Chins’ and The Chase. Wrote my final NaPoWriMo poem of 2023 on the bus back to Consett. 11.23pm.
Awake at half six. Did morning pages. NaPoWriMo was an index poem, so I cheekily used the ‘index of first lines’ from my book Shades of Grey. Shaved, had porridge. Pleased I left early coz 78-bus got held up due to mechanical issues. My session prepped in ten minutes went well this afternoon. Bought some supplies in Chester le Street for Jenni. I’ve mainly been eating Scotch eggs, chocolate cakes and fudge. 11.15pm.
Saturday 29th April 2023
Wrote a poem about Bread. Washed up. Made dinner for me and Jenni. Watched second series of Psychoville. Mr Jelly is still my favourite character. Read a Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith interview. I got knocked out of 1% Club much earlier than Jenni tonight. Consoled myself with toast and hot chocolate. 11.25pm.
Sunday 30th April 2023
Almost May and still wearing my woolly hat indoors. Jen made a lush beans, egg and mushrooms on toast brunch. I went out for more supplies. We watched a two-part Bradley Walsh documentary. I did sausage and mash with peas and gravy for tea. Watched Family ‘Four Chins’ and The Chase. Wrote my final NaPoWriMo poem of 2023 on the bus back to Consett. 11.23pm.
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