Monday 1st May 2023
Fell asleep downstairs and woke up shivering this afternoon. I’ve started on my late spring clean. Got quite a bit of junk out of the living room. But still a lot to go. I’ve started a new notebook in hopes I can pull a zine together by the end of the month. But might ditch my notes and do another little monograph. It’s always good to have a plan but if something better comes along then go with it. Listened to The Struts while typing. I started in on indoor physical exercises today. They nearly killed me. 11.02pm.Tuesday 2nd May 2023
Read a bit of Writing Magazine on the bus to Durham. The Waddy office photocopier was out of toner. I did poorly at the lunchtime general knowledge quiz. The workshop went well: senses, likes and dislikes, noun diary… Bus was late back. I had to stop off in Consett. Got extra cash. Read bits of 'Peaked at Paper' tonight. 10.51pm.
Wednesday 3rd May 2023
Bike ride wasn’t great. Trails are muddy, water level in streams higher than this time last year. Fitness level poor. On the plus side I got the grass cut and had online chats with Jenni. Read a couple of short stories from the beautifully produced POSTBOX magazine and some articles on everyday gothic and self-publishing from Writing Magazine. I listened to Lou Reed and John Cale. Read about fifteen-minute cities. Hopefully they won’t happen. We need to keep cash in circulation. Once that goes, we are screwed. I am staying up a bit later than I’d like to while camcorder batteries complete their charge for tomorrow’s Poetry Jam. Another half hour to go. 11.10pm.
Thursday 4th May 2023
Printed more copies of Bullet Your Whole Day and packed up for Waddy. I baulked at the cost of paper in Durham. £5.00 for four hundred sheets. And the price of Red Leicester has doubled in just over a year. I found some NaPoWriMo poems from a few years back that I really like. Poetry Jam was ace. Big thanks to Mike Treasure, Helen Wilko – who totally stormed it, book her if you can – and top headline set from Harry Gallagher with new book ‘there is an england’. Open floor very good too. Bus home was hassle free. 11.15pm.
Printed more copies of Bullet Your Whole Day and packed up for Waddy. I baulked at the cost of paper in Durham. £5.00 for four hundred sheets. And the price of Red Leicester has doubled in just over a year. I found some NaPoWriMo poems from a few years back that I really like. Poetry Jam was ace. Big thanks to Mike Treasure, Helen Wilko – who totally stormed it, book her if you can – and top headline set from Harry Gallagher with new book ‘there is an england’. Open floor very good too. Bus home was hassle free. 11.15pm.
Friday 5th May 2023
Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night coz late to bed after Poetry Jam and up early for Washington workshop. Two hours to reach the arts centre from my place. Set-up was okay. The new room is good but a little chilly for some. I did some physical stretching exercises before people arrived. The session was mainly a readback of questionnaires about creativity. Next session will be full-on writing with optional readbacks. The bus from Galleries to Gateshead was swift. Much better than trying to get home to Consett. Food prices in Tesco are getting worse. I’ll be living on baked beans and digestive biscuits before long. Me and Jenni watched Inside Number Nine. Jen is watching a Lin-Manuel Miranda video on YouTube. I’m tired and will be off to bed soon. 10.44pm.
Saturday 6th May 2023
Abdominal exercises before breakfast. Mobile updates. Jen made me a spicey beanburger then I went out to Cycle Hub for a meeting with the Talk of the Town team to discuss their next show for which I’m a guest. Good to chat with Rob, Steve and Elaine. Good weather. Bought some supplies then back for TV with Jenni. Chip Butties with curry sauce. BGT. The Chase. 1% Club. OK. 11.15pm.
Sunday 7th May 2023
Big lie in. Morning pages took a while. I washed up and read a bit of a Bukowski biography about his Open Press column Notes of a Dirty Old Man. Me and Jenni had veggie sausages with mash, peas, and gravy. Out this evening for supplies. We watched The Fast Show. I’m staying over an extra night. 11.05pm.
Monday 8th May 2023
Chest hurting whilst walking with a few bags of books and clothes. Got the bus from Newcastle. Nipped into Consett Tesco then walked home. Beans and fish fingers on toast. Watched an ace Ali Clarkson trials video. He was riding a twenty-year-old 20-inch Monty. I did excruciating type-ups for three lesson plans. They are more like workshops than college lessons. I need a week at home to catch up. I need to see a doctor about my breathing. I have a constant feeling that something isn’t right. Hope it’s nothing serious. Was good to listen to New Order and Joy Division songs tonight.11.07pm.
Tuesday 9th May 2023
Was up till half one this morning working on the setlist for Gateshead reading. Knock-on effect left me feeling knackered most of the day. We did fiction exercises at Waddington Street Centre this afternoon. I rang Mam and Ernie this evening. I’m pleased Ernie’s operation went well. I tried to work but was too tired. 11.00pm.
Wednesday 10th May 2023
Got a batch of Bullet printed and assembled. Made up a setlist pamphlet for Monday’s gig at Gateshead Central Library. And a few copies of So Much for the Sunshine. This afternoon I went to the docs to be on the safe side as I’m having breathing trouble when I do anything slightly more physical than walking on flat ground. Doc says it doesn’t appear to be anything serious but has given me prescription for a precautionary inhaler. Haven’t used one since summer 2014, I think. I went out on the Rockhopper bike. I went up to the old waste ground past Castleside and managed to get up a few of the dirt mounds. I’m lowering my expectations and taking it all very slowly. I did an hour then back home. Trimmed a copy of So Much for the Sunshine. Read a bit of ‘We Peaked at Paper’ and listened to debut Pathos single. 10.15pm.
Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night coz late to bed after Poetry Jam and up early for Washington workshop. Two hours to reach the arts centre from my place. Set-up was okay. The new room is good but a little chilly for some. I did some physical stretching exercises before people arrived. The session was mainly a readback of questionnaires about creativity. Next session will be full-on writing with optional readbacks. The bus from Galleries to Gateshead was swift. Much better than trying to get home to Consett. Food prices in Tesco are getting worse. I’ll be living on baked beans and digestive biscuits before long. Me and Jenni watched Inside Number Nine. Jen is watching a Lin-Manuel Miranda video on YouTube. I’m tired and will be off to bed soon. 10.44pm.
Saturday 6th May 2023
Abdominal exercises before breakfast. Mobile updates. Jen made me a spicey beanburger then I went out to Cycle Hub for a meeting with the Talk of the Town team to discuss their next show for which I’m a guest. Good to chat with Rob, Steve and Elaine. Good weather. Bought some supplies then back for TV with Jenni. Chip Butties with curry sauce. BGT. The Chase. 1% Club. OK. 11.15pm.
Sunday 7th May 2023
Big lie in. Morning pages took a while. I washed up and read a bit of a Bukowski biography about his Open Press column Notes of a Dirty Old Man. Me and Jenni had veggie sausages with mash, peas, and gravy. Out this evening for supplies. We watched The Fast Show. I’m staying over an extra night. 11.05pm.
Monday 8th May 2023
Chest hurting whilst walking with a few bags of books and clothes. Got the bus from Newcastle. Nipped into Consett Tesco then walked home. Beans and fish fingers on toast. Watched an ace Ali Clarkson trials video. He was riding a twenty-year-old 20-inch Monty. I did excruciating type-ups for three lesson plans. They are more like workshops than college lessons. I need a week at home to catch up. I need to see a doctor about my breathing. I have a constant feeling that something isn’t right. Hope it’s nothing serious. Was good to listen to New Order and Joy Division songs tonight.11.07pm.
Tuesday 9th May 2023
Was up till half one this morning working on the setlist for Gateshead reading. Knock-on effect left me feeling knackered most of the day. We did fiction exercises at Waddington Street Centre this afternoon. I rang Mam and Ernie this evening. I’m pleased Ernie’s operation went well. I tried to work but was too tired. 11.00pm.
Wednesday 10th May 2023
Got a batch of Bullet printed and assembled. Made up a setlist pamphlet for Monday’s gig at Gateshead Central Library. And a few copies of So Much for the Sunshine. This afternoon I went to the docs to be on the safe side as I’m having breathing trouble when I do anything slightly more physical than walking on flat ground. Doc says it doesn’t appear to be anything serious but has given me prescription for a precautionary inhaler. Haven’t used one since summer 2014, I think. I went out on the Rockhopper bike. I went up to the old waste ground past Castleside and managed to get up a few of the dirt mounds. I’m lowering my expectations and taking it all very slowly. I did an hour then back home. Trimmed a copy of So Much for the Sunshine. Read a bit of ‘We Peaked at Paper’ and listened to debut Pathos single. 10.15pm.
Thursday 11th May 2023
I went to the pharmacy this morning for my inhaler and peak flow meter. My breathing is way better than the level set on the device by the doctor. I took a couple of puffs on the inhaler before exercise and have been fine since. Will be interesting to see how things go for the next bike ride. Would have been out tonight but was tired. Had some laundry to do in the sink and a bit more prep for upcoming activities. I might get my Sonder bike fitted with a Hope Pro 4 rear boost hub before the month is through. I made up a couple of copies of ‘Unruly Eyebrow’ today. Got all my stock packed up for Monday. Lots more than I need, probably – but if you don’t take it, you can’t sell it. Tried to watch a Cure DVD but it kept sticking. Tried to watch Queen and Adam Lambert but the vocals seemed way too low in the mix. Third time lucky: Wayne Hussey live at Leeds Trinity Church DVD. I could see myself in the audience. November 2014. How time flies. 11.42pm.
Friday 12th May 2023
Awake quite early. Only about five hours sleep. Did early pages then tried to sleep a bit more. Packed bags again for the big haul to Chester le Street. Consett pitstop for tins of curry and chilli for Jenni. The workshop at Bullion Hall didn’t happen. It became a meeting about funding. I felt uncomfortable sitting there while others talked about my fee and room hire. It went on for about an hour, so I just said we’ll skip today. I got to Jen’s with all my bags for half five. Had tea then out to Newcastle Poetry Festival. Born Lippy event hosted by Don Jenkins and Cooper Robson. The open mic people were great. And I liked the headliner. Zia Ahmed. Helen Wilko and Gary the Hat were mint again. I spotted David Almond talking to Gillian Alnutt in a corridor. Then saw Carol Ann Duffy signing books alongside Imtiaz Dharker. I said hello to Jane Burn. Helen Wilko gave me a lift back to Gateshead. I ate two Scotch eggs. Baulked at the cost of Ms Molly’s chocolate. It’s gone up three times in a year. And there’s a possibility the UK has pissed off Putin to the point of military action. But at last, I’ve got names for July’s Poetry Jam. OK. 11.41pm.
Saturday 13th May 2023
Bit of a lie in. Wrote up last night’s Born Lippy and booked a couple of guests for Poetry Jam. Had veggie soup for dinner then over to Waddington Street Centre for the Mudfog launch of Katheen Carroll’s pamphlet “strange known things”. Chatted to Mel McEvoy. Read the pamphlet on the way home. Me and Jenni watched Eurovision Song Contest. Estonia would be my choice. 11.25pm.
Sunday 14th May 2023
I went to the pharmacy this morning for my inhaler and peak flow meter. My breathing is way better than the level set on the device by the doctor. I took a couple of puffs on the inhaler before exercise and have been fine since. Will be interesting to see how things go for the next bike ride. Would have been out tonight but was tired. Had some laundry to do in the sink and a bit more prep for upcoming activities. I might get my Sonder bike fitted with a Hope Pro 4 rear boost hub before the month is through. I made up a couple of copies of ‘Unruly Eyebrow’ today. Got all my stock packed up for Monday. Lots more than I need, probably – but if you don’t take it, you can’t sell it. Tried to watch a Cure DVD but it kept sticking. Tried to watch Queen and Adam Lambert but the vocals seemed way too low in the mix. Third time lucky: Wayne Hussey live at Leeds Trinity Church DVD. I could see myself in the audience. November 2014. How time flies. 11.42pm.
Friday 12th May 2023
Awake quite early. Only about five hours sleep. Did early pages then tried to sleep a bit more. Packed bags again for the big haul to Chester le Street. Consett pitstop for tins of curry and chilli for Jenni. The workshop at Bullion Hall didn’t happen. It became a meeting about funding. I felt uncomfortable sitting there while others talked about my fee and room hire. It went on for about an hour, so I just said we’ll skip today. I got to Jen’s with all my bags for half five. Had tea then out to Newcastle Poetry Festival. Born Lippy event hosted by Don Jenkins and Cooper Robson. The open mic people were great. And I liked the headliner. Zia Ahmed. Helen Wilko and Gary the Hat were mint again. I spotted David Almond talking to Gillian Alnutt in a corridor. Then saw Carol Ann Duffy signing books alongside Imtiaz Dharker. I said hello to Jane Burn. Helen Wilko gave me a lift back to Gateshead. I ate two Scotch eggs. Baulked at the cost of Ms Molly’s chocolate. It’s gone up three times in a year. And there’s a possibility the UK has pissed off Putin to the point of military action. But at last, I’ve got names for July’s Poetry Jam. OK. 11.41pm.
Saturday 13th May 2023
Bit of a lie in. Wrote up last night’s Born Lippy and booked a couple of guests for Poetry Jam. Had veggie soup for dinner then over to Waddington Street Centre for the Mudfog launch of Katheen Carroll’s pamphlet “strange known things”. Chatted to Mel McEvoy. Read the pamphlet on the way home. Me and Jenni watched Eurovision Song Contest. Estonia would be my choice. 11.25pm.
Sunday 14th May 2023
Wrote a pretty good essay about my writing life since 1989 in morning pages. Listened to Emma Willis sitting in for Michael Ball on Radio 2. A guy called Steve Jones (not the ex-Pistol or the e-biker) was on talking about his debut novel Call Time. Me and Jenni went to South Shields to see Rowan McCabe’s Door to Door Poetry show at The Word. Great turn out and Rowan was on top form. Mix of funny and serious. About an hour of monologue with seven or eight poems included. There was an after show gathering in a nearby pub then Jenni went for a drink with Rowan in Newcastle. I went back to the attic and watched standard fare Sunday evening television. Jen was back by nine. Hot chocolate, peanuts, jelly sweets and Father Ted. 10.25pm.
Monday 15th May 2023
Lie in. Physical exercise. Porridge. Shower. Bag check and good clothes for my gig at Gateshead Central Library this afternoon. It went well. Mark Speeding gave a great introduction showing off my published work. I enjoyed reading cuts from the early books. I did a couple from Laughter to Split Glass. The new stuff got a good response, particularly Tiny Tales. I was chuffed to sell quite a lot of stock. Everything except Laughter was a fiver or less, including new pamphlets at two and three quid. Jenni was mentioned a few times. Afterwards we went back to the attic and watched an awesome set from singer Florence Welch at the Albert Hall on YouTube. Tonight, I bought some supplies at Tesco. Pulled out some exercises for tomorrow’s writing session at Waddington Street Centre. 11.28pm.
Tuesday 16th May 2023
Two carrots and two bananas. How much? £1.40 in a Durham grocer’s this morning. FFS! I nearly told the bloke where he could stick his fruit and veg. I had porridge for dinner. Then did a two-hour writing session with the Waddy people. Afterwards, I went for the bus but had to return to the Centre to borrow fifty pence (thanks Fergus) coz I’d left myself short – after leaving the house this morning with nearly ten quid in coins. Tonight, I listened to music from The Breathing Method and Dream Wife. Typed up a collaborative Waddy poem. Don’t think I’ll manage a new pamphlet of my stuff this month. 11.12pm.
Wednesday 17th May 2023
A shave, mowing the grass, and visit to docs for an ECG test took up best part of my day. This evening I just keyed in some notes. And watched a couple of Jeff Lenosky ‘trail boss’ uphill technical terrain mountain bike videos. Also a guy called James Barton doing a national biketrial event. I pumped up the tyres on the Sonder Frontier and aim to get out on it for an hour tomorrow morning. I am nowhere near doing a new zine/pamphlet. The electricity bill landed today. It was £131.81 and that’s with a government discount. I reckon if things don’t improve, I’ll be reduced to a manual typewriter and subsisting on porridge. Time to sleep off my bad vibes and try again tomorrow.
Thursday 18th May 2023
Finally got back on the Sonder bike and it was ace. Did about two hours. Some hill climbs, a bit of rock riding, woodland sections. This afternoon I prepped for Arts Centre Washington workshop. Got most of the Poetry Jam poster done, but still waiting on a bio note from one of the guests. Been trying to key in morning pages but a lot of it doesn’t work for me. Think I’ll revert to a mini book of dreams or just do a selection of pages from the last four months. So far this year I’ve produced one pamphlet a month. It’s a lot to dredge up out of yourself time after time. I might have a little breakthrough in a day or two. 10.10pm.
Friday 19th May 2023
The 10.21am Number 8 bus from Chester le Street to Arts Centre Washington didn’t turn up so, rather than waiting an hour for the next one, I got a Number 50 to the Galleries, then a Number 4 back out to Fatfield. Four buses from Moorside to Biddick Lane. I got there with forty minutes to spare. Set up quickly, had a steak slice then did a standard two-hour session of short taster exercises from midday till two. The group of five enjoyed it. Five exercises: Absurd Words, Adjective-noun-verb, A2Z steppingstones, Objects and Lies and “I Am” poems. Bus back to Chester le Street was swift. Bus to Consett super slow. I bought enough treats from Barry’s Bargain Superstore to see me into next week. Andy Rourke of The Smiths died. I was never a big fan but they crystalised a moment from my mid-teens and it was good to play a few tracks this evening. 11.30pm.
Saturday 20th May 2023
The ache in my right arm is returning but I’ll get it under control. I’ve started doing physio exercises again. The front tyre of my Sonder bike is flat. Need a new tube coz the valve is damaged. Copied up some notes then walked into Consett. Bought some new socks, got bus to Jen’s. We chatted and ate chilli with tortilla chips, watched a dodgy quiz show that turned out to be the latest episode of Inside Number 9. I mean, you don’t often see BBC quiz shows where the loser’s head literally explodes. Good stuff. 10.30pm.
Sunday 21st May 2023
Sat chatting most of the morning. Spicey beanburger then four-part drama ‘Without Sin’ starring Vicky McClure. I guessed who the murderer was in the final episode. Toasted crust with peanut butter and marmalade then a little apple pie. Tonight was ‘Four Chins’ and The Chase. Bus home okay after someone closed the window. Cheese crusty for supper. 11.25pm.
Monday 22nd May 2023
Read through four and a half months of morning pages and noted bits that might be useful for a future publication, but I don’t yet have what I need to make a pamphlet this month. The front tyre on my Sonder is still flat. I need to buy a new tube tomorrow when I’m out. Mainly selected dreams today. Read a few poems. Listened to Misery by Creeper, At the Dark End of the Street by Diamanda Galas, and Panic by The Smiths. 10.50pm.
Tuesday 23rd May 2023
Out early to Consett to pay the electricity bill, buy a new innertube for the bike then off to Gateshead to see Jenni before leaving to go to Washington for the Heritage talks. I was expecting myths and legends as billed, but none of that. Mainly history talks about upper class, poverty-stricken miners, under privileged kids and a couple of good philanthropists but not much I could comment on in any significant way. Some of the stuff overran and there were probably too many speakers to cram in and take in. Me and Jenni left at half four. It was good to walk around her old stomping ground. I’ve read quite a bit of ‘Denim and Leather – the New Wave of British Heavy Metal’ by Michael Hann. Me and Jen had margherita pizzas tonight. I managed to get home, on three buses, by eleven. Pins and needles, aggravation in joints. 11.40pm.
Wednesday 24th May 2023
Today was good. I managed to avoid too many distractions and got my little booklet started. I thought it might be a good idea to just put out a repro of one of my notebooks. The new volume is entirely handwritten. It contains some journal entries, a few prose poems from a Waddy workshop, a couple of strong morning pages entries in their entirety. A short story about a BMX street rider, some bits and pieces such as gratitude entries and the setlist from my recent Meet the Author gig, plus a full set of exercise examples from an Arts Centre Washington workshop. I still have about a dozen pages to tweak but I’m sure it will be done by the end of the month. Just found out this evening that Tina Turner has died. She was ace. RIP. 10.35pm.
Thursday 25th May 2023
The booklet needs some tweaks, and a few pages will need written out again. Ideally, I’d like it done by Saturday but would like a couple more pieces. Lost a bit of time mowing grass and going into Consett for supplies. I’m concerned about changes to financial arrangements coming down the line. I’ve had a good run for a couple of decades, but doubt I’ll be able to tolerate ordinary work after so long doing my own thing. Tinnitus is loud tonight. Headache. Dehydrated. Hope to feel better tomorrow. 11.10pm.
Friday 26th May 2023
Abdominal and back exercises. Photocopied new pamphlet. Still needs some tweaks and a title. Maybe it’s unwise to keep putting out these little publications in quick succession but I just want to get some physical copies of my recent stuff out there. I have no idea how things will be in the next twelve months. I’ll probably need to do more grunt work at some point. I got the Poetry Jam pix up at long last from earlier in the month. Less than a week before the next event takes place. I listened to Eurythmics. Found out that Creeper will be touring in November but not playing Newcastle. Ham and pease pudding sandwich for supper. I hope I can come up with a title and logo for the pamphlet over the weekend. 11.35pm.
Saturday 27th May 2023
Mostly a day off. I took the Sonder bike to the shop for measuring up. I’ve ordered a Hope Pro 4 Boost rear hub which should arrive sometime next week. I’ve been waiting almost a year to make this upgrade. Today I scooped the bike up onto a few pallets. But only about 20-inches high. That’s as good as old man Steve can manage these days. Rode down by the river this afternoon. Got the title for the next pamphlet. 11.13pm.
Sunday 28th May 2023
I aim to have copies of the pamphlet with me at Waddy on Tuesday and possibly at The Stanza on Wednesday. My hands are a bit sore. Maybe from my little bike ride yesterday. The Sonder has wider bars than the Rockhoppper and I was trying to do more physical stuff on it. Today has whizzed by. Lesson plans tomorrow. Then back outside. 10.36pm.
Monday 29th May 2023
Running off pamphlet pages took longer than anticipated. I’ve got some copies of “Thirteen Days In May” assembled, trimmed and hand inked, but I have a feeling it won’t print correctly on any other machine. I’ve DIY pasted some bits, used Sellotape in places as a quick fix. It just feels more fun and immersive to do stuff by hand instead of burning eyeballs out at a desktop computer all day. I sorted out a bunch of materials for tomorrow’s Waddy session and I think I’m okay for Friday at Washington too. I aim to run off more pamphlets tomorrow, but I think the Waddy machine will leave shadows on pasteups. I’d rather not have to buy more toner for my little laser printer so soon. Hands still very sore. 11.13pm.
Monday 15th May 2023
Lie in. Physical exercise. Porridge. Shower. Bag check and good clothes for my gig at Gateshead Central Library this afternoon. It went well. Mark Speeding gave a great introduction showing off my published work. I enjoyed reading cuts from the early books. I did a couple from Laughter to Split Glass. The new stuff got a good response, particularly Tiny Tales. I was chuffed to sell quite a lot of stock. Everything except Laughter was a fiver or less, including new pamphlets at two and three quid. Jenni was mentioned a few times. Afterwards we went back to the attic and watched an awesome set from singer Florence Welch at the Albert Hall on YouTube. Tonight, I bought some supplies at Tesco. Pulled out some exercises for tomorrow’s writing session at Waddington Street Centre. 11.28pm.
Tuesday 16th May 2023
Two carrots and two bananas. How much? £1.40 in a Durham grocer’s this morning. FFS! I nearly told the bloke where he could stick his fruit and veg. I had porridge for dinner. Then did a two-hour writing session with the Waddy people. Afterwards, I went for the bus but had to return to the Centre to borrow fifty pence (thanks Fergus) coz I’d left myself short – after leaving the house this morning with nearly ten quid in coins. Tonight, I listened to music from The Breathing Method and Dream Wife. Typed up a collaborative Waddy poem. Don’t think I’ll manage a new pamphlet of my stuff this month. 11.12pm.
Wednesday 17th May 2023
A shave, mowing the grass, and visit to docs for an ECG test took up best part of my day. This evening I just keyed in some notes. And watched a couple of Jeff Lenosky ‘trail boss’ uphill technical terrain mountain bike videos. Also a guy called James Barton doing a national biketrial event. I pumped up the tyres on the Sonder Frontier and aim to get out on it for an hour tomorrow morning. I am nowhere near doing a new zine/pamphlet. The electricity bill landed today. It was £131.81 and that’s with a government discount. I reckon if things don’t improve, I’ll be reduced to a manual typewriter and subsisting on porridge. Time to sleep off my bad vibes and try again tomorrow.
Thursday 18th May 2023
Finally got back on the Sonder bike and it was ace. Did about two hours. Some hill climbs, a bit of rock riding, woodland sections. This afternoon I prepped for Arts Centre Washington workshop. Got most of the Poetry Jam poster done, but still waiting on a bio note from one of the guests. Been trying to key in morning pages but a lot of it doesn’t work for me. Think I’ll revert to a mini book of dreams or just do a selection of pages from the last four months. So far this year I’ve produced one pamphlet a month. It’s a lot to dredge up out of yourself time after time. I might have a little breakthrough in a day or two. 10.10pm.
Friday 19th May 2023
The 10.21am Number 8 bus from Chester le Street to Arts Centre Washington didn’t turn up so, rather than waiting an hour for the next one, I got a Number 50 to the Galleries, then a Number 4 back out to Fatfield. Four buses from Moorside to Biddick Lane. I got there with forty minutes to spare. Set up quickly, had a steak slice then did a standard two-hour session of short taster exercises from midday till two. The group of five enjoyed it. Five exercises: Absurd Words, Adjective-noun-verb, A2Z steppingstones, Objects and Lies and “I Am” poems. Bus back to Chester le Street was swift. Bus to Consett super slow. I bought enough treats from Barry’s Bargain Superstore to see me into next week. Andy Rourke of The Smiths died. I was never a big fan but they crystalised a moment from my mid-teens and it was good to play a few tracks this evening. 11.30pm.
Saturday 20th May 2023
The ache in my right arm is returning but I’ll get it under control. I’ve started doing physio exercises again. The front tyre of my Sonder bike is flat. Need a new tube coz the valve is damaged. Copied up some notes then walked into Consett. Bought some new socks, got bus to Jen’s. We chatted and ate chilli with tortilla chips, watched a dodgy quiz show that turned out to be the latest episode of Inside Number 9. I mean, you don’t often see BBC quiz shows where the loser’s head literally explodes. Good stuff. 10.30pm.
Sunday 21st May 2023
Sat chatting most of the morning. Spicey beanburger then four-part drama ‘Without Sin’ starring Vicky McClure. I guessed who the murderer was in the final episode. Toasted crust with peanut butter and marmalade then a little apple pie. Tonight was ‘Four Chins’ and The Chase. Bus home okay after someone closed the window. Cheese crusty for supper. 11.25pm.
Monday 22nd May 2023
Read through four and a half months of morning pages and noted bits that might be useful for a future publication, but I don’t yet have what I need to make a pamphlet this month. The front tyre on my Sonder is still flat. I need to buy a new tube tomorrow when I’m out. Mainly selected dreams today. Read a few poems. Listened to Misery by Creeper, At the Dark End of the Street by Diamanda Galas, and Panic by The Smiths. 10.50pm.
Tuesday 23rd May 2023
Out early to Consett to pay the electricity bill, buy a new innertube for the bike then off to Gateshead to see Jenni before leaving to go to Washington for the Heritage talks. I was expecting myths and legends as billed, but none of that. Mainly history talks about upper class, poverty-stricken miners, under privileged kids and a couple of good philanthropists but not much I could comment on in any significant way. Some of the stuff overran and there were probably too many speakers to cram in and take in. Me and Jenni left at half four. It was good to walk around her old stomping ground. I’ve read quite a bit of ‘Denim and Leather – the New Wave of British Heavy Metal’ by Michael Hann. Me and Jen had margherita pizzas tonight. I managed to get home, on three buses, by eleven. Pins and needles, aggravation in joints. 11.40pm.
Wednesday 24th May 2023
Today was good. I managed to avoid too many distractions and got my little booklet started. I thought it might be a good idea to just put out a repro of one of my notebooks. The new volume is entirely handwritten. It contains some journal entries, a few prose poems from a Waddy workshop, a couple of strong morning pages entries in their entirety. A short story about a BMX street rider, some bits and pieces such as gratitude entries and the setlist from my recent Meet the Author gig, plus a full set of exercise examples from an Arts Centre Washington workshop. I still have about a dozen pages to tweak but I’m sure it will be done by the end of the month. Just found out this evening that Tina Turner has died. She was ace. RIP. 10.35pm.
Thursday 25th May 2023
The booklet needs some tweaks, and a few pages will need written out again. Ideally, I’d like it done by Saturday but would like a couple more pieces. Lost a bit of time mowing grass and going into Consett for supplies. I’m concerned about changes to financial arrangements coming down the line. I’ve had a good run for a couple of decades, but doubt I’ll be able to tolerate ordinary work after so long doing my own thing. Tinnitus is loud tonight. Headache. Dehydrated. Hope to feel better tomorrow. 11.10pm.
Friday 26th May 2023
Abdominal and back exercises. Photocopied new pamphlet. Still needs some tweaks and a title. Maybe it’s unwise to keep putting out these little publications in quick succession but I just want to get some physical copies of my recent stuff out there. I have no idea how things will be in the next twelve months. I’ll probably need to do more grunt work at some point. I got the Poetry Jam pix up at long last from earlier in the month. Less than a week before the next event takes place. I listened to Eurythmics. Found out that Creeper will be touring in November but not playing Newcastle. Ham and pease pudding sandwich for supper. I hope I can come up with a title and logo for the pamphlet over the weekend. 11.35pm.
Saturday 27th May 2023
Mostly a day off. I took the Sonder bike to the shop for measuring up. I’ve ordered a Hope Pro 4 Boost rear hub which should arrive sometime next week. I’ve been waiting almost a year to make this upgrade. Today I scooped the bike up onto a few pallets. But only about 20-inches high. That’s as good as old man Steve can manage these days. Rode down by the river this afternoon. Got the title for the next pamphlet. 11.13pm.
Sunday 28th May 2023
I aim to have copies of the pamphlet with me at Waddy on Tuesday and possibly at The Stanza on Wednesday. My hands are a bit sore. Maybe from my little bike ride yesterday. The Sonder has wider bars than the Rockhoppper and I was trying to do more physical stuff on it. Today has whizzed by. Lesson plans tomorrow. Then back outside. 10.36pm.
Monday 29th May 2023
Running off pamphlet pages took longer than anticipated. I’ve got some copies of “Thirteen Days In May” assembled, trimmed and hand inked, but I have a feeling it won’t print correctly on any other machine. I’ve DIY pasted some bits, used Sellotape in places as a quick fix. It just feels more fun and immersive to do stuff by hand instead of burning eyeballs out at a desktop computer all day. I sorted out a bunch of materials for tomorrow’s Waddy session and I think I’m okay for Friday at Washington too. I aim to run off more pamphlets tomorrow, but I think the Waddy machine will leave shadows on pasteups. I’d rather not have to buy more toner for my little laser printer so soon. Hands still very sore. 11.13pm.
Tuesday 30th May 2023
Canny workshop. The publishing discussion held people more than the writing exercises, I think. It’s been a while since anyone offered up copies of their material. The red card from multipacks for the pamphlet wasn’t enough. The new packs from the same outlet don’t contain any of the original colours except yellow, even though they’re sold as the same product. I’ll have to go to Details in Newcastle for whatever shade comes closest. I bought extortionate ‘rip off the students’ food supplies in Durham. Ran off twenty copies of ‘Thirteen Days In May’ at Waddy this afternoon. I’ll assemble as needed. I didn’t do much tonight. The buses let me down, so I didn’t get home till after eight. Veggie chilli then a bit of admin. Watched a Jeff Lenosky bike video. Think I need an early night. 10.30pm.
Wednesday 31st May 2023
Awake at half five. Thought a bit about workshops and books. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. I got more copies of ‘Thirteen…’ and ‘Tiny Tales’ made up today. The latter was a lot more time-consuming than expected. Didn’t leave Moorside till three. Got to Newcastle on the X71 at quarter to five, having slept most of the way. I legged it over to Details and bought some red card. Then got some black card from The Works. The metro was okay over to North Shields. The Stanza was ace. Hosted by Mandy Maxwell and Sharon Milley. Lots of great open mic; Aaron Wright did a funny piece about safety regulations at a poetry gig. And top-notch feature sets: David Roe, Bridget Gallagher, Renata Connors. Phillipa McDonald headlined: she rode a scooter to the stage, did an identity poem, one about Ofsted, one about glasses, one about an ‘unremarkable’ body part, and ended on a piece about North Shields that mentioned Greggs. I read two prose fragments from ‘Thirteen’ and three ‘Tiny Tales’. I did the Rubik’s Cube for Amber. I talked to Ross Punton before the gig and again on the Metro back to Newcastle. I ate Scotch eggs and Nutragrain apple bars. I’m at Eldon Square. Won’t get home till one. 11.21pm.
Canny workshop. The publishing discussion held people more than the writing exercises, I think. It’s been a while since anyone offered up copies of their material. The red card from multipacks for the pamphlet wasn’t enough. The new packs from the same outlet don’t contain any of the original colours except yellow, even though they’re sold as the same product. I’ll have to go to Details in Newcastle for whatever shade comes closest. I bought extortionate ‘rip off the students’ food supplies in Durham. Ran off twenty copies of ‘Thirteen Days In May’ at Waddy this afternoon. I’ll assemble as needed. I didn’t do much tonight. The buses let me down, so I didn’t get home till after eight. Veggie chilli then a bit of admin. Watched a Jeff Lenosky bike video. Think I need an early night. 10.30pm.
Wednesday 31st May 2023
Awake at half five. Thought a bit about workshops and books. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. I got more copies of ‘Thirteen…’ and ‘Tiny Tales’ made up today. The latter was a lot more time-consuming than expected. Didn’t leave Moorside till three. Got to Newcastle on the X71 at quarter to five, having slept most of the way. I legged it over to Details and bought some red card. Then got some black card from The Works. The metro was okay over to North Shields. The Stanza was ace. Hosted by Mandy Maxwell and Sharon Milley. Lots of great open mic; Aaron Wright did a funny piece about safety regulations at a poetry gig. And top-notch feature sets: David Roe, Bridget Gallagher, Renata Connors. Phillipa McDonald headlined: she rode a scooter to the stage, did an identity poem, one about Ofsted, one about glasses, one about an ‘unremarkable’ body part, and ended on a piece about North Shields that mentioned Greggs. I read two prose fragments from ‘Thirteen’ and three ‘Tiny Tales’. I did the Rubik’s Cube for Amber. I talked to Ross Punton before the gig and again on the Metro back to Newcastle. I ate Scotch eggs and Nutragrain apple bars. I’m at Eldon Square. Won’t get home till one. 11.21pm.
"Thirteen Days in May" available HERE
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