MAY

Friday 1st May 2026

Good session at Washington Arts Centre this afternoon. We got through a lot of reading for the anthology. Forty pieces with a few more to go in. I was supposed to be going to Waddington Street Centre to pick up another test proof of my pamphlet Failed Rock Star but I got an email from staff saying they hadn't received the PDF. Tonight I listened to the new Venom album Into Oblivion. It's not as raw as the early stuff. I had a chicken dinner and lots of peanuts. I'm in a foul mood because I am tired and have to be up early again tomorrow because buses are unreliable these days. I need to be at Waddy by ten o'clock. I aim to leave home before eight. OK. 10.50pm.


Saturday 2nd May 2026

Up around six. Wheelie case packed for eight o'clock bus to Durham. Peter was at Waddy very early and kindly ran me off a proof copy of Failed Rock Star before going for a haircut. This gave me time to assemble and check some margins on the pamphlet. Two hours later, with a few minor adjustments, everything was printed. A run of Failed Rock Star will be assembled midweek for next Saturday's gigs. Chuffed. 11.44pm.


Sunday 3rd May 2026

Prepped a workshop for Waddy this morning. Out this afternoon to Consett, then on to Jen's place. Watched Britain's Got Talent, ate hot cross buns, watched House of Fools (Vic and Bob) and Still Game. Prepped poem sheets for tomorrow. 10.27pm.


Monday 4th May 2026

I rehearsed some poems this morning for The Cooking Pot open mic. Only used a couple of them. Very mild at the coast. Baba Yaga’s was packed. Lots of good readers. Aaron, Jen Wilson, Penny Blackburn, Martin Monasse, Christine Fowler, Peter Mortimer, Steve Lancaster… Lots of laughs and clever rhymes. A young child read a horror story. Jenni was on good form, enjoyed her set. The Metro back to Gateshead was good. We watched the snooker final on catch-up. Wu Yize beat Shaun Murphy. OK. 11.44pm.


Tuesday 5th May 2026

Final session for NaPoWriMo stuff at Waddy this afternoon. We are low on numbers. If I was still employed by the college there is no way I'd be able to justify the course. I'm pleased I got out. One of the tutors says I dodged a bullet. I wrote some one-minute sentences and some tiny prose pieces from topics on an A2Z list. Uploaded the Poetry Jam images tonight. Did a bit of physio and printed set lists for The Smoke Room. No work on the actual booklet assembly. I'll be doing that tomorrow. I don't need to be out again until Poetry Jam on Thursday. OK. 11.54pm.


Wednesday 6th May 2026

Up about eight for morning pages, which gave me some ideas for new projects, then a whole day at the drop-leaf table making up copies of Failed Rock Star whilst listening to audio recordings of my intros for the next gigs. Almost everything I used to say at my early gigs was scripted. I wondered if I'd be able to speed up memorisation of material by playing new recordings about sixty to one hundred times. My brain just doesn't let me retrieve info at will. Stuff goes in, and eventually will rise to the surface, but I never know when it will be retrievable. So I'll still need notes written on enlarged copies of my poems. Hope I do okay on Saturday. Hope people take my sets in the way they are intended. Hope I don't bore people. Failed Rock Star looks great. OK. 10.59pm.


Thursday 7th May 2026

Big rehearsals for The Smoke Room sets this morning. I had to cut some of the intros and links. I'm seeing more connections with each rehearsal. Chuffed. I didn't get to Waddy till quarter to four this afternoon. Massive headache. Felt sick. Luckily, it passed and I got set up for the Poetry Jam. It went well. All the guests did good. Pip MacDonald performed with a migraine. She was great. Renata Connors work is somewhat surreal and magical at the same time. David Farn was partly himself and partly Owen Brecon. It was a good night. Lots of heavy open floor poems and some humour. I waited till the end to mention seventeen years and Happy Birthday to us. Big tidy up. Big thanks to Mark Speeding for the lift home to Moorside. OK. 11.56pm.


Friday 8th May 2026

Keep waking up around five in the morning no matter how late I go to bed. I spent a lot of today sorting intros and links my Late Shows set. They need editing down a bit. I didn't get to Jen's place until after five. I went to three Greggs but none had spicy wedges. We went to see Captured Souls - the Graeme Humphreys documentary at the Tyneside Cinema with a Q&A but didn't check out the merch at the end. Went to Tesco for supplies. I feel a bit under the weather. Hope I get through the gigs okay tomorrow. I've rehearsed the evening set more today from the book. OK. 11.33pm.


Saturday 9th May 2026

Lazy morning then a big day at Station East in Gateshead. Great to do sets alongside Nev Clay, JonJo and Ade, Phil Tyler and Your Casket Or Mine. And there was some great stuff at The Late Shows open mic in the same venue tonight. Jenni is finishing her pint, then we're off. I'm taking things easy next week. OK. 10.50pm.


Sunday 10th May 2026

A bit deflated. Come down after the adrenaline of yesterday. But okay. I did a bit of admin while Jenni slept. This afternoon we watched The Day The World Stood Still, and a bit of snooker. Ate ham and pease pudding sandwiches. Was chuffed to get ace pics and feedback for yesterday. Columbo in London on TV then bus back to Consett. OK. 11.52pm.


Monday 11th May 2026

Pulled a workshop together for the Waddy writers. I read a bit of STAY FANATIC!!! Vol.3 by Henry Rollins. I can only manage short burts because it gets a bit much after a while. I checked out a couple of the bands raved about and wasn't impressed. I left my new Wilkinson razors at Jen's, so had to shave very carefully with an inferior brand. This evening I wanted to hear the new Darkthrone album Prehistoric Metal. I fell asleep after about five minutes. I have lots of plans for the next six months. But today I'm struggling to stay focused or motivated. Reading seems like being lazy. I have lots to edit and format. OK. 10.35pm.


Tuesday 12th May 2026

Morning pages. Then sewed buttons back onto my coat. Caught a bus to Durham. Printed some flyers for my nephew's men's health group. I hope they are okay. I think the text is too small on the A5 version. Writing session went well. A lot more discussion than usual. Two pro creatives with differing views on practice (novelist Paul Auster and record producer Rick Rubin). Some flash fiction prompts. And some character sketches. I went to Jen's place for a while afterwards, then out to Tyneside Cinema to see Hokum. Only about seven people in. The film is a folk horror set in Ireland. A hotel witch story. A bit like The Shining meets escape rooms. A bit long-winded in the middle, think I fell asleep a little. I'm on the X45 bus to Consett, hoping to catch the last to Moorside. OK. 10.58pm.


Wednesday 13th May 2026

Late rise after getting home from Newcastle at midnight. I trimmed Kyle's men's group leaflets, then went into town for a work meeting. This afternoon I got my supplies, then made a chicken dinner – first proper meal for a couple of days. Tonight I read two essays by Paul Auster: Pages for Kafka and The Art of Hunger from his Groundwork book. Then I listened to all the tracks that Jarboe will be playing on her UK dates next week. Nine songs. Only recognised one. I ate a chicken and cheese sandwich, then peshwari naan with banana. Read some political stuff on Facebook. If Farage gets in at the next general election, we are fucked, and over half of his voters will sob with regret within six months. 11.25pm.


Thursday 14th May 2026

Didn't get grass cut. Haven’t been on a bike for a month. The torrential downpours of late will probably have made the riverside trails all muddy. I've prepared a Washington workshop for tomorrow. Listened to quite a bit of Jarboe online. Her 2008 album Mahakali is magnificent. I spotted a digipak copy in near fine condition on Discogs for six quid including postage and ordered it. Still haven't got a Lydia Lunch ticket. I haven't had the big computer on recently. This evening I looked through my January notebooks. I'd like to publish a new volume of essays and journal entries later in the year. Nicky Hall was in touch this evening, referring to an ex-Waddy poet. I need to work on the next anthology. OK. 10.21pm.


Friday 15th May 2026

Long bus ride to Washington this morning. A quick setup for the workshop. It went okay. We did some finish-the-sentence warm-ups., used A2Z word banks to generate prose pieces, tried a few NaPoWriMo prompts, including Villanelle. Big thanks to Nicola Spain for lift to Chester-le-Street. I fell asleep on the 78 bus to Consett. All the chocolate moons have gone from Barry's Bargain Superstore. I got home and had a reduced-price chicken tikka and rice at half four. Then returned to Consett to buy a new kettle. My only source of hot water besides the microwave oven. I secured all the loose buttons on my black coat, then watched When Nirvana Came to Britain documentary, but fell asleep at the end. I'm tired and way behind on my editing. No bike rides yet. OK. 10.37pm.


Saturday 16th May 2026

Big lie-in then up to open a letter from NHS. I have a preliminary appointment on Monday for a hernia operation. I took advantage of the fine weather and got the grass cut. Took about three hours because it's so long since last time. Tonight I'm at Jen's place. I have eaten some reheated chips and survived the Eurovision song contest entries. OK. 10.31pm.


Sunday 17th May 2026

Big lie in. Left arm aching badly. Read some reviews of the essay anthology Bread Alone edited by Prudhoe-born writer Kate Pasola. It’s all about working-class struggles and the glass ceiling of careers in literature. Tesco this afternoon for supplies. Some TV game shows – The Chase and Tipping Point - then the horror film Possum starring Alun Armstrong. Enjoyed it. Chicken sandwiches, chocolate. OK. 11.03pm.


Monday 18th May 2026

I went to Durham from Jen's, had soup at Waddy and printed more flyers for Kyle's men's health group, then went to the hospital for hernia medical. They didn't tell me anything new about it – so I've waited nine months to be told my operation will be a further three months. I missed two buses. Didn't get home until six this evening. I've worked on the new Waddy anthology. Thirty-six pages formatted, and only a few bits to move around. OK. 11.36pm.


Tuesday 19th May 2026

Tired all day. Think yesterday took a lot out of me. But we had a good edit session on the Waddy booklet this afternoon. It's always a long process getting pieces polished for publication. With my own stuff, I usually select material from folders and notebooks from a few years back. I rarely use things just recently created. Tonight I tried to read but fell asleep. I listened to a bit more of a recent Jarboe interview relating to her new Sightings album. She also talked about touring with Swans back in the day. She is in Newcastle on Friday. Her 2023 show was disappointing. But I really enjoyed seeing her in Leicester back in 2017. And before that, 2005, with her full band at Scala Cinema in London. OK. 10.37pm.


Wednesday 20th May 2026

Sluggish. Dull. Unmotivated. Hard to concentrate. Took most of the day just to catch up with stray notebook entries. I'm struggling to read for more than about 10 minutes at a time. A little bit of STAY FANATIC!!! Vol.3 by Henry Rollins. A bit of the big Behemoth biography. I watched most of the long Jarboe interview. Lots of info on living conditions with the band Swans and tech issues playing gigs with dodgy equipment. I listened to a few Swans and solo Jarboe tracks, also watched a bit of Mantas and Abbadon (Venom) footage from Keep it True festival. I stained my brain with more shit about the state of the world. I try to keep my opinions to myself. I'm currently watching Jarboe onstage with Italian duo Father Murphy. I saw this show in Leicester. It was brilliant. OK. 10.52pm.


Thursday 21st May 2026

First time out on a bike for about six weeks. I used the old Specialized Rockhopper, with only a couple of short stretches of tarmac between home and Chopwell Woods. I discovered some amazing trails but didn't have time to ride any of them. I was merely checking the place out. You could spend a week there and wouldn't get through it all. I tried to ride one route before I left but missed a turning from the main path. A lot of the stuff isn't signposted. I will give myself a couple of months to get fit and maybe go back with my Sonder Frontier adventure bike to ride on some technical downhill stuff. But four hours was a bit long to be out on my first proper ride in months. Tonight was a total head-mash: stupidly slow desktop computer, but I got the Poetry Jam publicity sorted. I bought a Lydia Lunch ticket. OK. 11.38pm.


Friday 22nd May 2026

Chicken jalfrezi and rice for dinner. Bus to Gateshead. Gave Jenni some chocolate. Had a 10p tin of Heinz butternut squash soup with bread rolls. Then off to Heaton to meet Stephen Clark. We saw Jarboe and Joy Von Spain play at The Star and Shadow. They were ace. I moved to a better vantage point halfway through the show for a clear view of Jarboe's facial expressions. After the gig, I walked back to Jen's place. OK. 11.37pm.


Saturday 23rd May 2026

About six hours sleep. I've read some interesting pieces about an actress with bipolar disorder, some stuff about bogus well-being cults, and a bunch of Meg Pokrass flash fiction pieces. I've eaten too many pork pies. OK. 9.46pm.


Sunday 24th May 2026

Morning pages gave me three workshop plans, then Jenni screened a load of Tiny Desk concerts, including Robert Plant, Clipping, Kronos Quartet and Foo Fighters. Had a nice chicken dinner with veg and some lush Ben and Jerry's chocolate ice cream. Tonight we saw the three-part Kylie documentary and a few episodes of crime series Slow Horses. OK. 11.38pm.


Monday 25th May 2026

A warm morning and a scorching hot afternoon this Spring Bank Holiday Monday. Jenni didn't want to stay in because her room would be too hot by evening, so she went out to the pub, and I got a bus back to Consett. Doomscrolling punishment: loads of Israel/Gaza stuff that infuriated me. Read a few chapters of Antony Bray's VENOM book. OK. 11.00pm.


Tuesday 26th May 2026

Better sleep than expected. I got to Waddy about twenty to twelve. The session didn’t require paper handouts. Enough fiction exercises to last two hours. Afterwards, I read a couple of Meg Pokrass interviews and some of her flash fiction. I stayed at Waddy until twenty past five. Then checked four of my pieces selected for open mic. I went to the library because the pub was awful. I borrowed a copy of Slough House by Mick Herron, off the back of seeing a few episodes of Slow Horses at the weekend. Colpitts Poetry event was great. Jenni did a mint feature set. The Darlington takeover group were engaging. And some class Durham turns too. Poem of the night had to be Pink Slice by Tony Gadd. Thanks to Andy Willoughby for organising and hosting. I felt chilly in Durham but really warm now at home. OK. 11.45pm.


Wednesday 27th May 2026

Today was a wasted day. Besides a few copy-ups I've achieved little. I wanted to ride a bike this afternoon but fell asleep. When I woke up, my stomach was totally bloated; looked like I'd put on two stone in about an hour. No way would I have been able to ride the bike tonight. I watched an interesting interview in which Glen Matlock of Sex Pistols talked about being in the band in the mid-seventies. I also saw a short film about psychobilly band The Cramps. I’ve only heard one best-of compilation but used to see their logo on shirts and jackets all over the place in my teens. Hope I have a productive day tomorrow. And a bike ride. Fingers crossed. OK. 10.40pm.


Thursday 28th May 2026

Good little ride on my Sonder Frontier bike after breakfast. Did some standing hill-climbs and rode my favourite trail from Shotley Bridge to Allensford. This afternoon, at long last, I finished reading STAY FANATIC Vol.3 by Henry Rollins. Vol.4 is close to hand but will probably take till about October to get through all 334 A4 pages. Had a steak and veg dinner. Cut my scalp whilst shaving and had to use a piece of folded toilet roll secured with black electrical tape to stem the blood. I watched some live footage of The Cramps from The Tube in 1986. I'd like to check out more of their music. OK. 10.27pm.


Friday 29th May 2026

I read about twenty pages of Slough House on the bus to Chester-le-Street today. The fiction workshop went well at Arts Centre Washington with six participants. Big thanks to Alwyn Bathan for a lift to Gateshead. I tried to read again on the bus to Consett but fell asleep. I bought loads of naan and cheese crackers from Barry's Bargain Superstore then went to get fresh meat and veg at Lidl. Tonight's For Better or Verse at Blackhill Club was superb: Caitlin Kendall, John Swinton and James Thoroughgood. Loads of great open floor readers. Over forty people in the room. Afterwards, I went to Tesco for a ream of copier paper then walked home. OK. 11.47pm.


Saturday 30th May 2026

Productive day. An hour cutting grass and thirty minutes tidying edges. Poetry Jam pictures uploaded. But the computer is being super slow. I fear I need a new one before the year is through. I listened to Toyah Willcox’s album Prostitute this evening and a young artist called Mimi Barks. Tuesday’s Waddy session ideas are listed. It’s a freebie, so I don’t need a load of printed exercises. I might read for a while. 10.13pm.


Sunday 31st May 2026

I thought I wasn’t going to be able to complete the blog today. Computer took an hour from original boot up to restart for updates before finally allowing me onto my home screen. I know someone who is very good with computers who, if I ask nicely, might pay me a visit to give it an annual check-up. I had a good little ride down by the River Derwent on the Sonder Frontier adventure bike first thing. Did a few decent hill climbs and some technical trails, but some major fails as well. Feet down more than usual on trails I’ve cleaned easily in the past. I’ve put on nearly a stone in weight since last autumn. Need to hit the tuna and chicken salads again. Hope next month is a good one. Thanks for reading. 12.20pm.

CRUELLEST MONTH

Wednesday 1st April 2026

I started in on the new book today. The page margins are the same as Laughter To Split Glass. I've pulled about 40 pages of poems into a file and have a load more to gather up. Then I'll do a big printout and see if I can arrange them into a preliminary running order. I could only manage about four hours because my head started to hurt. I watched some ace bike trials videos this evening. I didn't even get the rider's name, but he was using an old Onza T-Rex bike, pretty much the same set-up as brother Mark had two decades ago. Then another video, in which he was using a thirty-year-old Giant mountain bike. I nipped out for supplies, then watched Queen Live at the Rainbow while doing physio. 10.35pm.


Thursday 2nd April 2026

I was in Consett early this morning for a bank transaction and to get food supplies. I did a bit of work on Ann Porro's pamphlet this afternoon and prepped for Poetry Jam. We had a full house tonight. All the guests were ace. James Whitman took a hilarious swipe at Reform UK Limited and read a few dog-stained haiku, plus four poems about teenagers and parents. Helen Alexandra read heartfelt and hard-hitting poems about domestic abuse and survival. Bob Beagrie treated us to a phenomenal forty-minute set, including a preview of his 'Hand of Glory: A Biography' book show. The open floor jam was packed with talent, some new and familiar faces. Two of the Waddy writers read, and Helen's daughter read a poem about a soldier. Hester, Rosemary, Ivy, Kevin, lots of people, including a newcomer from one of my library events. OK. 11.14pm.


Friday 3rd April 2026

I did a couple of this year's NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) prompts – but not today's, which was to write about an unconventional perception of a job or vocation. I'll try it in Morning Pages tomorrow. I wanted to get out on the bike, but the high wind this afternoon wasn't appealing. And the risk of rain wasn’t great either. I tried to read 'STAY FANATIC Vol. 3' by Henry Rollins but fell asleep. Chuffed to get the downstairs carpets looking a bit better. The rest of the house is a shithole. My priorities are probably all wrong. OK. 10.50pm.


Saturday 4th April 2026

Morning pages gave me two drafts from NaPoWriMo. I read a few pages of STAY FANATIC Vol. 3 by Henry Rollins, then did bicep physio with additional shoulder exercises. I wrote a new NaPoWriMo draft on the bus to Gateshead, picked up essential supplies, and went to Jen's place. Watched standard Saturday TV, then Whitechapel. It's very windy. Hope my place is okay. 11.13pm.


Sunday 5th April 2026

Up around eight. Wrote some fast-flowing prose in morning pages. Keyed in a recent NaPoWriMo poem and posted one on Facebook. Jenni and I spent a couple of hours with John and Hilary this afternoon. Then back to the attic for the snooker final – but it was too slow, not very engaging. We watched The Imitation Game. OK. 10.40pm.


Monday 6th April 2026

Morning pages are good for NaPoWriMo first drafts this year. Chuffed with my piece again today. Posted it straight to Facebook. I won't be posting every day because I want to keep some back for possible magazine submissions. A flash fiction site called Paragraph Planet popped up on Facebook today. I'd like to submit some prose fragments to that. Jenni and I went to Whitley Bay this afternoon. Got fish and chips then went to the Cooking Pot at Baba Yaga. Our first time at this spoken word night. Been wanting to get there for two years! Jenny Scott's event attracted a good variety of performers – poetry, prose and oral storytelling. Steve Lancaster read a great poem about his dislike of craft fairs and one about digital technology. Hannah, a visitor from London, did a great poem about avoiding school PE, and one about her disdain for flag shaggers. Jenni read some playful NaPoWriMo pieces. I did 'And What Do You Do For A Living?', 'Skip Rat', then 'Madge And Me And The Slippery Digits Disc Jockey'. Great night. We have both been kindly asked to headline. 0K. 11.11pm.


Tuesday 7th April 2026

So, the US Prezza is threatening to wipe out a whole civilisation tonight – and no one in American government has taken the dumb fucker out yet? Failed businessman and proven sexual abuser. Get in the fucking sea! Not fit to serve coffee, much less run a country... I had a canny NaPoWriMo-based workshop with Waddy Writers this afternoon. Only three people in, but we got through six prompts and started a seventh. I already had drafts for each day, but it was good to try again and tidy up some rough stuff. I came straight home after the workshop. I bought a steak pie in Moorside and had it with steamed veg and gravy. Tonight I've done very little. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow. And even if Donny doesn't do as he threatens - after all the noise around the world in opposition - he should still be taken out anyway. What total fuck-up! OK. 9.52pm.


Wednesday 8th April 2026

Warmest day of the year so far. And an opportunity to get out on the Sonder Frontier bike. I didn't clean as many sections as last time. On a stream crossing, my front wheel clipped a rock. I lost balance, resulting in a wet right foot for an hour or two. I'm limited now as to how much hopping and shunting I can do since the torn bicep but still managed to get up ledges and do the rooty hill climbs. Back home, I got my NaPoWriMo poems copied up into a notebook, most of them also typed. I wrote three poems from today's prompt. I hope I can keep going for the full month. It will give me a few more good ones as contenders for the next official poetry book. Tonight I watched Twisted Sister: Live at Wacken Metal Fest from 2004. Great stuff! Saw the band with Alice Cooper in 2005. OK. 11.46pm.


Thursday 9th April 2026

Bit of a lie-in and rusty response to the NaPoWriMo prompt; I don't have much interest in animals or plants but managed to write about a mouse. I went to Consett for groceries. Had a chicken dinner, did physio, then an early Sunderland bus to King Ink. Intended to read on the way, but fell asleep. Had a Ginsters steak bake with Greggs' spicy wedges. Then looked at DVDs and CDs in HMV in The Bridges till six o'clock. King Ink was mint tonight. I enjoyed the open mic stuff. Some really stood out for me: Pip MacDonald, David Hodgson, Steve May. There were gothic pieces, anti-war poems, stuff about hated vegetables. And of course, Aaron Wright with Erasmus Croc and Shmuck; a great headline set to launch their story collection BARK SIDE OF THE MOON. Aaron gave me a lift back to Chester-le-Street. I'm now on the 78-bus to Consett. OK. 10.49pm.


Friday 10th April 2026

Up quite late. I did today's NaPoWriMo prompt in rough in the Morning Pages. Read a bit of STAY FANATIC!!! Vol.3 by Henry Rollins. Then went out to cut the grass. It was quite an ordeal with the damaged left arm and the lawn mower that overheats and cuts out every twenty minutes or so. The grass was really long. During one of the rests, I got a private message from Ann Porro saying her son Luke has died. Such terribly sad news. Understandably, she has put her creativity on hold. It was difficult to finish the grass. Later, I tweaked some NaPoWriMo edits and made a steak and steamed veg dinner. This evening, I tried to read, but my body opted for sleep. Later, I watched Cobain - Montage of Heck and managed to stay awake all the way through. Bed soon. 10.29pm.


Saturday 11th April 2026

The NaPoWriMo prompt today was for Erasure (aka blackout) poetry. I just took lines and individual words from a bunch of songs by an 80s pop duo and tried to make something with them. I'll finish it tomorrow. Jenni is a bit under the weather today and wasn't up for Greg Chapman's Discovery of Witchcraft show at Heddon on the Wall Memorial Hall this afternoon. It was brilliant. Informative, funny, thought-provoking, and very well performed. I've eaten too much chocolate. 10.03pm.


Sunday 12th April 2026

Bit of a lie in. A bit warmer this morning. I wrote a new poem for NaPoWriMo and posted it to Facebook. Then went out to Gateshead for groceries. Lots of reduced-price bread and cold cuts. The radio was on in the attic quite a bit today, but I don't remember much of it. Tonight, the Olivier Awards were on TV. Then Krapp's Last Tape starring Harold Pinter, followed by Aidan Dunbar in a Beckett documentary. Great stuff. 10.57pm.


Monday 13th April 2026

Chilly start. Hard to get comfortable sitting on the attic floor, but I got all my pages done, including another NaPoWriMo new draft. Jenni and I watched some episodes of Inside No 9 and a bit of The League of Gentlemen. I've always found the latter quite grotesque. I walk down to Team Valley for the bus. Didn't get home until after five. I've done quite a bit of prep for the week and some number-crunching. Increased the physio weight load slightly for the first time in a while. I'm at Waddy tomorrow. 10.47pm.


Tuesday 14th April 2026

Chuffed to produce a NaPoWriMo poem without having to use a pen or key in the words – spoken directly into Messenger from my pillow, posted online by 8.30am. Felt pretty good about it all day. The session at Waddy went well. It's a freebie from me, so I'm basically running through all the NaPoWriMo prompts, seven per session for the month, to get the writers a pamphlet's worth of material each, in thirty days. Some really great drafts this afternoon. Hope I'm able to sustain momentum. I could have gone out tonight for supplies, but I wanted to stay in and have a lazy evening. I watched the Kurt Cobain documentary 'Soaked in Bleach' again. And a few more recent ones about his death. I'm not doing physio tonight. I want to turn in quite early to get a good start again tomorrow. OK. 10.17pm.


Wednesday 15th April 2026

NaPoWriMo prompt: a love poem, but not about a romantic relationship. I just riffed on generational views of popular music for a page and a half. Then out to Consett for bank transactions and supplies. I picked up a pair of black trainers in great condition for a fiver. Then bought a '200 best goth albums' magazine. It's okay but could have been better. I've heard nearly a quarter of the 200 albums. This afternoon I got a preliminary sequence of poems ready for The Smoke Room gig. I aim to make an expanded edition of a very limited-run pamphlet I did in 2015. It will contain one or two new pieces. Tonight I listened to the Nirvana album Nevermind whilst doing physio and other exercises. Rain prevented a bike ride. OK. 10.26pm.


Thursday 16th April 2026

Productive day. I got my sets pretty much sequenced for readings at The Smoke Room and was writing intros when the lineup was announced on Facebook. I'm chuffed to be doing a gig with Bedsit Manor, Your Casket or Mine, Phil Tyler and Nev Clay. I'm chuffed to have enough music-related poems to expand the Failed Rock Star pamphlet. I'll have a few runs through the sets just to be sure and will hopefully be able to reformat all the poems in a pamphlet for 9th May. This will function as a sampler in much the same way as the Prohibition pamphlet did in 2024. Tonight I listened to Lodger by David Bowie. I only recognised the single Boys Keep Swinging. There aren't enough hours in the day to go through the full back catalogues of musical legends. I'm off to bed early so I can be up sharp for Washington. OK. 10.14pm.


Friday 17th April 2026

Session at Washington went well. Five of the regulars and two newcomers. We warmed up with Absurd Words, then did a picture half-marathon. The darker images seemed to work best for most people. Big thanks to Alwyn Bathan for the lift to Gateshead. I went to Jen's place for a while, then got the X20 bus to Alnwick. A longer journey than the recommended X18, but I enjoyed the route through Amble in the early evening sunshine. I got to Alnwick Playhouse by 7.000pm. Toyah Willcox was brilliant. More stories than songs. Some of the covers were abbreviated versions, including School's Out and Enter Sandman. She answered my question about obsessive fans, the most recent being a septuagenarian who took loads of paper to sign at a Meet and Greet in Scarborough last night. I spoke briefly to technician John Greenacre afterwards. Got to Alnmouth train station okay, but my train is delayed by almost an hour. Jenni has kept me updated via mobile from the attic. I'm now due onboard at two minutes to midnight. Hey, Iron Maiden song. OK. 11:52pm.

 
NaPoWriMo 2026 Day Twenty-Six

WELL NOW, PHILIP

Rhyme time
A few complaints
One poem in particular
Not exactly Incy Wincy Spider
Anti-family lectures
Down the student union, perhaps

But not the sort of thing we
Encourage for toddlers
We want Wheels on the Bus
We want Jack and Jill
Not some cod psychology

The language from the outset
Mrs Thompson nearly had a coronary
We thought a proper poet would be a treat
But not this crude misery
And rumour has it
You're also a bit of a racist

As far as this library is concerned
Keep your mean-spirited
Verse away from decent folk
Go on, that's all
Cheque's in the post


Saturday 18th April 2026

Not much done today. I listened to some Toyah tracks. My ears are okay. I went to Gateshead for supplies. Then tried to attend a writing workshop, but the venue was deserted. Must have been cancelled. Banana on peshwari naan for tea. I wrote up my trip to Alnwick as an antiquated epic poem for National Poetry Writing Month. Checked out the new Toyah book, Meteorite, but it's very expensive. Washed a load of crockery whilst Jenni was out. Scrolled and slept. 0K. 10.17pm.


Sunday 19th April 2026

Big lie in. Jenni and I had a huge Sunday dinner delivered from Toby Carvery. A bit too expensive for my liking, but the meal was nice. We watched a horror film called Never Let Go starring Halle Berry. Then a bizarrely entertaining 'It Couldn't Happen Here' starring The Pet Shop Boys. I got the 47-bus via Chopwell back to Consett tonight and walked down to Moorside, narrowly avoiding a toilet accident. 0K. 11.50pm.


Monday 20th April 2026

Long day, mostly working downstairs at the drop-leaf table on copy-ups and edits of recent NaPoWriMo efforts. Some of the prompts and examples are stupidly long and really fucking annoying. But I've attempted them – albeit with a rather cavalier approach to the flower dictionary request and anything involving animals. This evening I made a mock-up pamphlet of my forthcoming sets for The Smoke Room, but I don't think the font is right. It was great for Letting The Minimalism Slip, but maybe the next one should look less like a seventies small press pamphlet. Maybe something glossy. Computer updates slowed me down, but I got the Waddy paperwork done. OK. 11.53pm.


Tuesday 21st April 2026

Great day. The Waddy session went well. Just another NaPoWriMo freebie workshop with a couple of the regular participants, but a good opportunity for those without internet access to have a crack at prompts from the last seven days. Afterwards, I tweaked the sampler pamphlet for the upcoming gigs. Had some lush bacon and mushroom sandwiches for tea at Waddy, watched a few Brian May clips online, then walked up to Redhills Hall with Jenni, Hilary and David (Rutherford). Bob Beagrie's Hand of Glory poetry show was brilliant. Musical backing, great performance. Will need to check the book to jog my memory. Strong open mic from a bunch of top North East talent. Fell asleep on the bus back to Moorside. OK. 11.46pm.


Wednesday 22nd April 2026

Lights blazing towards midnight. Cup of squash untouched. Ears fizzing. Computer whirring, whirring, whirring. Feet numb. Stuck to the spot. Eyes glued to the screen, fingers tapping keys, shifting shapes, moving words and images. It can only mean... I'm busy on a book cover. Really chuffed with tonight's design for FAILED ROCK STAR. I think I'm going to run with it. I reckon it could be good to go next week. 0K. 11.57pm.


Thursday 23rd April 2026

It's all trial and error. It's good to get the buzz from a white-heat first draft and want to push it to completion. But rarely do you complete it straight away. Still, it doesn't stop you some days thinking a piece of work is ready and okay to post online. Then five minutes later, you spot a glaring error. You fix it, hoping no one saw. Then repost. And an hour later, another line needs attention. The fear of being called incompetent makes you revise stuff. In the old days, these drafts would go in an envelope, sit in a slush pile for weeks. Then, understandably get rejected. More from that idiot in County Durham! But putting a piece on social media makes you conscientious. It's good to trial and error. No one wants to look incompetent. Letting others see works-in-progress often makes you work harder. Well, it does with me anyway. 11.55pm.


Friday 24th April 2026

Didn't get to Waddy till one o'clock. I sorted a copy of my little sampler pamphlet. It could do with a sharper font, but I should be able to fix it. I got a 21-bus to Newcastle and slept most of the way. Got a steak pie from Tesco and spicy wedges from Greggs for tea. Then the 10-bus to Hexham. Had a great time at Quillseekers. Cat Bell was brilliant. Two sets with a mix of hilarious and hard-hitting poems. And lots of great open floor readings, including Steve Wood. Aaron Wright. James Oates, David Rutherford, amongst others. It was great. I read four pieces: The Dark House, Macy Gray, Villanelle? and Kate Bush. Many thanks to Aaron Wright for the lift back to Gateshead. 11.27pm.


Saturday 25th April 2026 

Slow start. My device wouldn't let me look at today’s NaPoWriMo example poem, so I struggled. I hate being asked to write metaphors on demand. Jenni and I went to see The Ballad of Wallis Island at Tyneside Cinema with a Q&A from Tim Key. Great afternoon. Supplies in Tesco. Then BGT and The Madness of King George. Chicken, hot cross buns. Ordered an out-of-print Behemoth book that is often listed for over one hundred pounds, but mine was twenty plus postage from a Liverpool Oxfam shop. OK. 10.44pm.


Sunday 26th April 2026

NaPoWriMo 2026 Day Twenty-Six

ANOTHER STAB AT A PROSE POEM IN SEARCH OF A DEFINITION OF ITSELF
(With Apologies to Brian Patten for vaguely recalling his title)

Once again, the daily National Poetry Writing Month prompt seems to be chosen deliberately to match a poem I've recently written or read from my back catalogue, thus making it impossible to write another of equal calibre. The same water doesn't flow in the same stretch of river twice over. Any subsequent attempt on my part will be but a pale imitation of the first.

Ars Poetica? What is poetry? Why, to me poetry is whatever it wants to be. Of course this includes chopped-up prose, lacking rhythm, metaphor, simile, imagery. A three-line joke, an excuse to poke and pry, hang dirty linen out to the astonished eye, put a little bit of life under the microscope, but hopefully without paraphrasing a former self or god forbid anyone else...

The journal extract I performed last in the first round of open floor at Quillseekers on Friday night - about listening to poignant popular music on a quiet afternoon - comes close to why I try to capture fleeting thought and feeling. But I personally no longer give a fig if people deem my poetry merely prose. I've been chopping lines and sharing serendipity for nearly four decades. Poetry is just a few scrambled letters away from poverty. Ritual scribbles and personal introspective communion let loose on a mostly indifferent universe. Wax lyrical all you like about metre and scansion. Stack sentences, trim experiences and scatter at the feet of gatekeepers. Shout out loud on small stages, or wait ages for names to be printed down the slim spines of short-run paperbacks. From late teens to mid- thirties for me that was the real deal...

Quite a few of this month's NaPoWriMo prompts could be met with previous moments when my pen hit a good groove alone in my room, at a workshop, or on the upper deck of an X15 bus.

Ars Poetica? I don't care these days about how sacred the artform should be. About how it's a disgrace to share half-baked verse within an echo chamber. I write for myself and anyone else who wants to read it.

Sure, words have weight, carry meaning and responsibility. But what do I care if someone who only allows rarefied, agonised, carefully-considered-for-half-a-decade stanzas to see the light of day takes offence at tongue-in-cheek diaristic output. It's not compulsory to read everything. Or criticise it.

Writing saved my life. I'll do it wherever, whenever and however I like. And until fascists kill our modern methods of publication, I'll continue to spew my innards and document chosen moments to the best of my ability, however mediocre to others that may be.

And that, dear reader, is how it's always been. The talking pen provides the means. Diary, memory, anxiety. Poetry? I'm just a failed rock star wannabe living my own writing dream. Shoot me!


Monday 27th April 2026

Really productive day. I did a draft for the NaPoWriMo prompt and will have another look at it in the Waddy session tomorrow. Then I worked on my Failed Rock Star pamphlet for the upcoming gigs. Took a while to get the set together for the late show open mic but I think I'm there. I ditched an old chestnut in favour of a 2023 NaPoWriMo poem. I put the open mic set in between the two sets for The Smoke Room. I then did the prep for my Durham Carers workshop. It was mainly just replenishing the handouts and checking the files to see what I could I did in Bishop Auckland last time. This evening I reformatted the files for the pamphlet. I've had baked potato, tuna and curried beans. And oxtail soup. And Jacobs club mint biscuits. Still got physio to do. 0K. 11.45pm.


Tuesday 28th April 2026

Long, long day. Up super early to get more work done on the pamphlet, tweaking the page margins to compensate for the loss of print position on the Waddy machine. Thankfully, I've sussed how to do the spacing on fonts to get the left and right page poem titles and page numbers to print level on both sides of the paper. Waddy session was another bunch of NaPoWriMo stuff. I got more booklet covers printed and two test copies of pages on 120gsm paper. Tonight I tweaked the left and right margins to compensate for trimming. Hope to be able to print this weekend at Waddy. 0K. 11.10pm.


Wednesday 29th April 2026

A good workshop in Bishop Auckland this afternoon, overshadowed by printing hassles for the sampler pamphlet that I hope to have ready for the gigs at Station East on the 9th of May. Looks like the format and weight of stock I'd set my heart on might be in jeopardy because I can't get access to the computer I need to print the pages. Two computers in the same room, hooked up to the same printer using the same PDF from my USB stick, and they print it in different sizes. Peter the tech wizard is on holiday next week. If I can't get the job done on Saturday, I'm not going to have pamphlets in time for the gigs. I've not slept well or had decent food. It's not quite half nine. I need to be in bed as soon as possible. Knackered. 9.25pm.


Thursday 30th April 2026

The Behemoth book arrived this morning from Oxfam Books. Mint condition. I only like the band’s recent albums, but an opportunity to grab a copy of their out-of-print illustrated biography for twenty quid was just too good to let pass. I spoke to Waddy staff on the phone. If I can’t get the pamphlet sorted on Saturday, I will be given access to Peter’s computer to finish the job while he is on holiday. I’ve prepped my session for Washington and feel surprisingly chipper considering I’ve been going for thirteen-and-a-half hours with a couple more to go. Cheers for reading. OK. 8.37pm.

MARCH

Sunday 1st March 2026

Initially, I felt a bit anxious, but I’ve been doing okay without my mobile device. I won't see it again until I get home from Jen’s place tomorrow evening. We watched a good Victoria Wood documentary. Ate mixed veg with chicken nuggets. I'm very tired and should be in bed soon. OK. 11.33pm.

Monday 2nd March 2026

I haven't really missed not being online. I read a very short book about Bukowski. Most of it I knew from reading his work since I was nineteen years old. Got Greggs’ spicy wedges and a reduced to 72p Ginsters steak bake from Heron Foods. Went down to the post office at the other side of Gateshead with Jenni, then to an antique shop. They had a Toyah album, a Twisted Sister album, a big pile of ‘Vive le Rock’ magazines, and a pile of NMEs from the early eighties. I got one with Black Flag in it. Jenni bought three 12-inch storage boxes for fifteen quid. She cleaned them up pretty good. I had chicken curry, watched a couple of quiz shows, then headed home. Shaved, social media catch up. Pleased my workshop is already planned for tomorrow. 11.13pm.

Tuesday 3rd March 2026

Good workshop at Waddington Street Centre today. We did some adjective/noun/verb sentence stems. I read ‘In The Living Room of the Riled Poet’, which I wrote in 2010. We looked at ‘Write Anyplace’ by Natalie Goldberg. We talked about writer’s block. We used ‘How I Got Here’ as a simple five-minute prompt. Then I talked about morning pages. We read an essay called ‘Twelve Minutes’, then I set a stopwatch and told people to write what they liked. After readbacks, we wrote about what drives us. Tonight I went shopping. The buses were slow. Bed soon. 0K. 9.57pm.

Wednesday 4th March 2026

I've pretty much got a twenty-minute set for my headline gig at next Thursday’s King Ink in Sunderland. I've left a space for a new piece. I'm thinking of just taking a notebook and picking a work-in-progress on the day. I ran through the set a couple of times. I've done a bit of Poetry Jam publicity and spent about eight hours trawling through two years of Facebook posts for good photos to go in an album with poems for Mother's Day. I listened to Dog Man Star by Suede as I worked, then let Spotify do as it liked: Echo and the Bunnymen, Manic Street Preachers, House of Love, more Suede. Physio might have to wait until tomorrow. OK. 11.15pm.

Thursday 5th March 2026

Workmen were clattering and banging next door before eight. It didn't take them long to strip the roof. I edited a pile of photographs and hope to have a big album delivered from Amazon by tomorrow evening. I aim to be at Waddy on Saturday to do my printing. Poetry Jam was good. Lots of open floor readers. And great guests: Nicola Spain, Tony Gadd and Brogan Brannan. Waddy said it was okay not to return furniture to its regular layout after the gig, so I got home by eleven. It’s raining, and I've eaten too much cake. OK. 11.23pm.

Friday 6th March 2026

The workshop went well today. Ten people. Figurative language and more character sketches. The Furniture Game. We had a light-hearted beginning-middle-end mix-and-match story game to finish off. Had a chat with Alwyn Bathan afterwards about theatre and writing. Bought some food in Consett, then home to wait for the Amazon delivery. I unboxed the clothbound photo album this evening only to find dodgy streaks across the front and back. Amazon will issue a refund. Think I have another chest infection coming on. Bastard! 10.32pm.

Saturday 7th March 2026

Up at six. Did morning pages on the bus to Newcastle. Arrived at quarter to nine. Tried four shops before I found a decent photo album. Then got a bus to Durham to print the pics. Not sequenced yet, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. Feel a bit rough this evening. Been coughing a lot. Maybe I shouldn't go to the Rob Auton show tomorrow. Damn! 8.44pm.


Sunday 8th March 2026

Put a couple of pics in Mam's photo album this morning. Then found out she doesn't want any more books as presents. Felt rough until dinner time, then much better. Rob Auton’s CAN show was brilliant at The Stand in Newcastle this afternoon. Tony Gadd kindly gave me a lift home. Oxtail soup, then early to bed. OK. 9.45pm.

Monday 9th March 2026

Thirteen hours making up a run of fifty pages for a photo album to give to Mam for Mother's Day. Lots of good images and a bunch of cartoons Jenni made over a decade ago. Also, a few of Jenni's poems, a bunch of mine, some photos of siblings and other family members. I will deliver the album by hand later this week. I’m quite tired now. Just as well that tomorrow's session ideas aren’t difficult to put into practice. I want to do a few more rehearsals for my gig in Sunderland. I have monthly earnings to calculate. The rest of the time, I'll be chipping away at some manuscripts. OK. 11.55pm.


Tuesday 10th March 2026

Waddy session: Flash titles as prompts. Readbacks, then a look at the original flash fictions. We wrote six-sentence paragraphs with a tough constraint. No repeat words. Then experimented with different ways to start stories. This evening I rehearsed my set for King Ink and rewrote three new fragments just to have something new to read. I’m almost falling asleep at the page now. Time for bed. 11.03pm.


Wednesday 11th March 2026

Did a Facebook post for tomorrow's King Ink event, then printed out a dozen NaPoWriMo poems from a few different years that might be usable at some point. I got ready to visit Mam and Ernie. The one o'clock bus didn't show up – surprise, surprise! – so I didn't get to Durham till quarter to three. Then there wasn't a bus to Newton Aycliffe until half past three. I reached Woodham Village around half past four. It was good to have the day away and chat for a couple of hours. Ernie made a nice fry-up with bacon, eggs and sausage. I spoke briefly to Brother Mark on the phone. Then, when it was time to leave, Ernie insisted on giving me a lift home. Forty-five minutes. OK. 9.40pm.


Thursday 12th March 2026

Two hours and thirty-five minutes from my door to Park Lane Interchange, Sunderland. Pepperoni pizza and spicy fries for tea. In Greggs to get warm because the bus was freezing. Now drinking blackcurrant and soda in a pub opposite Pop Recs Ltd. Organiser Helen Wilko is here but hasn't seen me yet. The music playing is ELO and other standard 70s fare. The doctor this morning told me there's no way to measure the severity of my tinnitus. But I've seen several websites that have sound simulators designed to do just that. 5.55pm.

Later: a great night at Pop Recs Ltd for King Ink. Consistently good open floor. Very chuffed to do my 20-minute set and sell some books. Big thanks to Helen and James for inviting me. And people who braved horrid weather to be there. Big thanks to Aaron Wright for the ride to Chester-le-Street. Caught the 78 bus and now on my way to Consett. Big rest tomorrow. OK. 11.12pm.


Friday 13th March 2026

As anticipated, just too tired to do much today. Comedown from last night's gig. I put book stock away, then went food shopping. Chicken tikka masala and rice with naan and spicy wedges for tea. I've been asleep on the settee and have woken up with very cold legs. Think I'm done for the day. Still have lots to do. But no energy. So I'm going to turn in, I think. Tinnitus is very bad tonight. This morning I had an ace dream about a bunch of eccentric university students who all did really good side hustles and were ace at parkour, cake baking, stilt-walking, and generally looking like extras in an Emilie Autumn video or Alice in Wonderland. Great stuff. OK. 8.59pm.


Saturday 14th March 2026

Listened to a good edition of The Verb today: Alistair McGowan, Simon Armitage, and Joelle Taylor. Then voiced in some entries and made up a new morning pages notebook. Went to Newcastle for paper supplies, then to Jen's place. Very sleepy this evening. And cold. Ate lots of chicken and some oaty biscuits. OK. 10.25pm.


Sunday 15th March 2026

Big lie in then rambling morning pages. Jenni and I went out for supplies. Phone our mams, visited John and Hillary this afternoon. I’ve eaten a lot more chicken today. I ordered a pair of Phantom black ten-eyelet boots from EMP. Tonight we watched The Ballad of Wallis Island, a comedy starring Tim Key as a lottery-winner who pays his favourite musicians to play a private gig on a remote beach. Enjoyed it. OK. 11.30pm.


Monday 16th March 2026

Woke up with a tendon strain in my right leg. I was supposed to be going home this morning, but Jenni and I decided to go see Aaron Wright perform at Gateshead Library this afternoon. Then we went to a Helix Arts workshop. I’ve decided to stay another night. Jenni kindly took photos of my rarely worn Grinder boots and will try to sell the massive footwear on Vinted. I went through some of the writing exercises I'm setting at MAKING TRACKS in Newcastle on Thursday. The heating is on in the attic tonight. OK. 10.25pm.


THE REASON I DON’T WANT TO
SWITCH FROM TALKTALK TO BT

The man said it was easy-peasy
Just a few details and an engineer
Would come and rig me up to British Telecom
Said I'd save fortune without a landline
Super-fast high-fibre broadband

But I like the landline, I said
I like my bulky phone and large keypad
I don't want people ringing me on a mobile
I don't want to get a new router
I don't want to lose my email archive
Or pay a monstrous sum to retain it
I don't want to change my TalkTalk address
Or pay a monstrous sum to retain it
I like my landline, it's perfectly fine

GOD, he says, WHY DO PEOPLE HATE BT?

I don't hate British Telecom
I just hate change, even for the better
I'm a fuddy-duddy, set in my ways
Anxious enough without another headmash
Don't give me any more to worry about
I don't want your special offers
I don't want to use a mobile number
I don’t want to give it to anyone and everyone

Do you know how few calls I make?
I don't even know my own mobile number
And I don't want to get a new router
I'm not changing on your say-so
I want to stay with TalkTalk
Even though the broadband is crap

And with that, the sales rep left
Furious to be still working overtime
Trying to persuade this cantankerous sod
And getting absolutely nowhere


Tuesday 17th March 2026

Up and out very early this morning to get stuff for the workshop and dinner before catching the X21 bus from Gateshead to Durham. Spent two hours preparing for the Waddy session, then had lentil and bacon soup. I road-tested the MAKING TRACKS session that I'll be doing on Thursday in Newcastle. And pleased I did. I'm ditching Kennings and A2Z characters. I got through the exercises in the allotted forty-five minutes. Then repeated some NaPoWriMo prompts in the second hour. The bus home was packed. I had a steak dinner with veg. Got a headache so had to lie down for an hour. My right leg seems a lot better. And I've done a bit of physio on my arm. OK. 10.17pm.


Wednesday 18th March 2026

The computer was awfully slow for most of the evening, even after a big update from Microsoft, but I finally got Poetry Jam publicity out on Facebook. I've eaten a steak sandwich and a chicken sandwich. I’ve tweaked the MAKING TRACKS workshop a little and prepared material for Friday’s Arts Centre Washington session. Fingers crossed. 10.40pm.


Thursday 19th March 2026

Ten young participants for MAKING TRACKS today. Exercises fitted the allotted timeframe nicely. Some of the participants were a little reluctant, initially, but most put pen to paper. I read out words from some of the shy ones. The buses back from Newcastle to Moorside took ages. Almost two hours from Central Station to my house. Another steak and veg dinner, then songs by Twisted Sister. OK. 9.30pm.


Friday 20th March 2026

Today's workshop was good. I wasn't sure how it would go, but the journaling aspect seemed to work. Good feedback. Nicola Spain gave me a nice card saying thanks for asking her to read at Poetry Jam early this month. She says taking part helped her a lot. Had a good chat with Alwyn Bathan on the way back to Gateshead: dark farming literature and rowdy kids at the theatre. I had a great time at For Better or Verse. Sets from Tabitha McGowan and Cooper Robson were brilliant. Mint open floor people as well. I read ‘ScRaPs’ and ‘Family Anecdote’. Tesco shopping afterwards. OK. 11.52pm.


Saturday 21st March 2026

First trail ride down by the River Derwent on the Sonder Frontier adventure bike since I tore the bicep tendon in my left arm. I managed to tackle all the terrain I was riding there last year, but the left shoulder is aching this evening. I've slept quite a bit. Had another grilled beef steak and steamed veg dinner. Read some flash fiction and listen to eighties Queen. OK. 9.57pm.


Sunday 22nd March 2026

I'm at home in Moorside this weekend. Most of the day was spent going through NaPoWriMo files and recent notebooks in search of pieces to go in the next official full-length poetry collection. I now have over one hundred pieces to choose from. Yet another steak dinner and lots of peanuts. OK. 10.26pm.


Monday 23rd March 2026

Today was pretty good. I can't quite remember it all, but I seem to get a fair bit done. I enjoyed tweaking some of my poems for the next book. Chuffed to get a load of stuff sorted for the next couple of writing workshops. I enjoyed listening to an edition of The Verb from a couple of years ago featuring Jackie Kay, Amelia Coburn, Rowan McCabe, and oral storyteller Danyah Miller. The host, Ian McMillan, was on good form as usual, and the show was recorded live in Hebden Bridge. Amelia sang Wuthering Heights and her own Dublin Serenade. Tonight I watched the 'Until the Light Takes Us' black metal documentary. Then a twenty-minute Rollins Band live TV studio performance followed by the Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind documentary. Great stuff. OK. 11.43pm.


Tuesday 24th March 2024

Today’s session at Waddy was good. Take Three Nouns. An episode of The Verb, another look at submissions for our next anthology, plus Guilty Pleasures to finish off. I put up Poetry Jam posters around the building. Back home for chicken dinner, Facebook reels, then physio and supper. OK. 10.20pm.


Wednesday 25th March 2026

My new Phantom boots arrived. Much better fitting than the Grinders from 2023 which Jenni sold on Vinted last week. Canny turnout at the Red Squirrel Press 20th Anniversary event at Newcastle Lit and Phil. Edwin Stockdale read from his new collection Winter Wolf. Pauline Plummer was launching Each Man is a Half-Open Door, a new collection of short stories. David Costello had strong poems about bereavement. Tom Kelly read from his new poetry and prose collection These Are My Bounds. Nice to see fellow Red Squirrel Press poets and of course Sheila Wakefield. Jenni stayed back long after the main event, but I caught the ten past ten X45 back to Consett. OK. 11.59pm.


Thursday 26th March 2026

Today, I will put comfy insoles into my brand-new Phantom boots because they are wide and high, unlike my work boots or Doc Martens from 2017. Today I will eat more dry-roasted peanuts and risk a weight increase that makes yesterday's black jeans redundant. Today I will use toilet paper to stem the flow of water from my nose, because although it's April next week, we aren't out of the woods yet.

Today I will have curried butternut squash soup and a tuna and red pepper sandwich for lunch. Today I will try to complete the current round of anthology updates on the big computer. Today I will probably fail to achieve much of what I set out to do. Today I will try to break down the contents of a book published seven years ago to help me sequence my next official poetry paperback. Today I will try to read more and scroll less.

My machine is on charge. I want to see Fury play at Trillians tonight, but I know my ears will not forgive me for the punishment.

It's a nice blue sky morning, but the temperature is low. I feel like I'm treading water at present. I'm almost at the point where I consider giving up on the morning pages, but I know that I won't.

I made a big list a few days ago of all the stuff I have to do to stay on track. It's getting harder and harder every year. You have to put the effort in.

I talked to Tom Kelly last night about my knackered left arm. How much physio is too much? When does healthy motion become obsession? Tom said in later life his parents sat in armchairs and found it difficult to move.

I am becoming more stationary. Dull. Uninspired. Ready to say: fuck it all.

Creativity sometimes feels like a treadwheel to me. Will my next triumph fulfil me? There is an obsession with logging the moment, creating content good or bad, to feel relevant, to feel active, to feel productive, to justify existence and forward motion.

It just seems like there's always a cycle of struggle to produce good material, anxiety over its development and publication, and slog to make it land with impact. Only to crave another success when the buzz wears off.

Of course, creativity should be play, but so much of it feels like slog. I'm never content for long. Trying to do good feels like wading through sludge. A lot of the time, I just want to say: No, stop! And be able to just potter on without the nagging anxiety of obligation. Of course, I could take a week off to do housework, wash clothes and go for walks - but would soon get the fear that some important commitment was falling by the wayside.

People often tell me that I do a lot and that my output is quite remarkable. But a lot of the time I feel like I'm just faking it and worrying about stuff. I feel the need to reside in a bubble without external influences on my autonomy. If I get involved with lots of people for too long, I feel like I'm starting to suffocate.

These pages every morning are a chore; a lack of bright ideas forces me to double down on my dark stultification and ruminate, expressing thoughts and feelings that otherwise might just come and go without too much trouble.

Putting words on paper makes you focus. Sometimes there is exaggeration or just repetition. Sometimes I get too meta. I waffle for a few sentences. I ramble and often think, For Fuck's Sake, not another blank page – was the quarter of a million words of shit last year not enough?

Today I will eat steak with fresh veg. Today I will get annoyed about not going to see the heavy rock band Fury play in Newcastle. Today I will try to read some of Tom Kelly's poems and maybe one of Pauline Plummer's short stories.

Last night I didn't feel like I had much to say at the 20th anniversary Red Squirrel Press event. There was a good turnout. And 20 years and over 300 books published by Sheila Wakefield is an amazing achievement – she has helped so many poets over the years.

People are always nice and ask me what I'm up to. But often I don’t feel very sociable. I tend to switch off a lot. I notice myself doing it, but sometimes lack the energy or maybe the social skills to be present with people.

I am tired. I didn't get home until midnight. I didn't turn out the bedside light until after one o'clock. I was awake before eight.

Today I will sit at the desktop computer. Today I will consider cleaning the gunk out of my bike bag on the handlebar of the old Specialized Rockhopper. Today I will wash some underwear.

Today I will eat oranges, bananas, tuna, shallots, and sultanas. Today I will pine for a full-length paperback of my best journal extracts. Today, today, today... Time is ticking. I'm getting irritable and irritating.

Jenni is going to a poetry Salon event in Tynemouth tonight. She's going to Washington tomorrow to look at the moon.

 
Could I go to see Fury tonight?
Could I go to Quillseekers in Hexham tomorrow?

I don't have to plan a workshop for next week.
But still feel up against it all. OK. 9.45am.

LATER: So today turned out okay. I did most of what I said I do. And I went to see Fury at Trillians tonight. They were blistering. Really good. I knew most of the songs. And they played a bunch of my favourites, including Breakdown and Road Warrior. Bass player Becky Baldwin was at the admission desk when I arrived. I gave her the thumbs up. Later, I bought a skeletal patch of her face. I got a really good nook to the left side of the stage where the sound wasn't too overpowering. A lot of the crowd were into it. I got the new album, Interceptor, and a DVD, and another patch. I'm now on the x45 bus approaching Ebchester. The bus voice was really loud and high-pitched right above my head. I had to move to another seat. Now the engine drone is in my left ear. Hopefully, I'll be okay tomorrow. 11.22pm.


Friday 27th March 2026

Major tinnitus spike in my right ear this morning. A headwind made this afternoon’s ninety minutes on the Rockhopper bike somewhat arduous. ‘Quillseekers’ spoken word night isn't on this week. So this evening, I tried to stir myself to work, but I've done nothing. I will go to bed early and hopefully get a better start tomorrow. The tinnitus is about equal in both ears at present, but louder than before the Fury gig. I ate steak sandwiches and oxtail soup. Lethargic. 8.45pm.


Saturday 28th March 2026

Got quite a bit of work done for Ann Porro's pamphlet. Sorted some anthology stuff as well. I listened to Fury and did some quick checks of various Darkthrone album track-listings. Walked to Consett and got supplies, then bused to Jen's place. Read some of Tom Kelly's new book. These Are My Bounds. Watched Britain's Got Talent. Played Jen some Queen cover versions by Marc Marcel. Ate cold hot cross buns and a corned beef and potato pasty. OK. 10.50pm.


Sunday 29th March 2026

Big write-up in morning pages of latest book shenanigans after being awake until three. Out to Gateshead for supplies. Read up on the whereabouts of musician Emilie Autumn, which was quite sad. Tonight, at Tyneside Cinema, Jenni and I saw ‘Orwell 2+2=5’. It uses extracts from his writings narrated by Damien Lewis, with footage, old and recent, showing the accuracy of his 1984 speculations. OK. 11.24pm.


Monday 30th March 2026

I had toast and cake and chatted with Jenni, then went to Newcastle to buy cardstock for Ann Porro’s pamphlet. Looked round the revamped HMV then fell asleep on the bus to Consett. The Poetry Jam pics are up on Facebook. I’ve listened to a couple of Darkthrone albums. Ate cold hot cross buns then a Red Leicester and tomato sandwich. OK. 10.57pm.


Tuesday 31st March 2026

Today’s workshop at Waddy was A2Z word banks from which we made prose trinkets. Then we did a Poetry Jam style readaround of anthology submissions in hopes of discovering connections and were pleasantly surprised with the results. I showed the group a few sonnets at the end and let them have a go at their own. Tonight another steak dinner. No music. No doom scrolling. NaPoWriMo starts tomorrow. Will I take up the challenge? I stuck with it a few years ago. But bailed after a few days in 2024. I aim to have this blog online by midnight. OK. 10.26pm.

FEBRUARY

Sunday 1st February 2026

Strange being in Consett on a Sunday. I pulled together ideas for the next Waddy session, had lentil and bacon soup, then attended Lorraine Weightman's “Good Company” book launch. She introduced herself and the novel very well. The cafe was packed. I read twenty or thirty pages this evening. If the temperature is okay tomorrow I might get out on the bike. 11.42pm.


Monday 2nd February 2026

Productive day. Sorted my set lists for the Meet the Author gigs coming up mid-month. I prepped a visual translation exercise for Waddington Street Centre and gathered materials for a visual display of recent writing in Carmen’s and Josie’s “Change the Story” sessions for Wednesday. I've read a little bit more of Lorraine's “Good Company”. I'm a bit tired because I stayed up till one this morning reading “The Glorious Heresies” by Lisa McInerney. This evening the Loop Experience 2 earplugs arrived. Fingers crossed they are good enough to prevent further tinnitus damage at the Suede concert next weekend. I've done physio, had my chicken dinner, and doom scrolled. Maybe I should have called Tuppenny Chinwag DOOM SCROLLER. Anyway, I'm almost done. OK. 10.37pm.


Tuesday 3rd February 2026

Missed my chance on Sunday to get a bike ride. I'm busy pretty much all this week. Really enjoyed the workshop today. Did thumbs down and thumbs up, gratitude lists, love and hate, reshaping free verse, and visual translation of poems from a foreign language. Three people in with me. The bus to Gateshead was too loud. Too snotty. And a bit chilly. I bought some black jeans from a charity shop for a mere 75p. A few white specs on the left leg, which I blotted out with a marker pen, but otherwise okay. Me and Jenni went to see 'Is This Thing On?' at Vue Cinema tonight. It’s a comedy loosely based on the early stand-up journey of John Bishop. Quite good, but I would have preferred less on the relationship and more on the comedy. Steak pie and nuts. Watched Richmond the Goth in IT Crowd. Very warm in the attic. OK. 11.33pm.


Wednesday 4th February 2026

Up quite early. Jenni kindly sorted more updates on my mobile device. I got a £7.50 ticket and two buses to Durham. I replenished handouts and sorted stuff for Carmen’s and Josie’s “Change the Story” workshop. I made a few changes to my poem. But found the art room just too noisy to concentrate in. I’m not very good at working around chatter. I had a tiresome bus journey home. Baked potato with tuna and BBQ beans for tea. And a sweet mince pie. I found more colour images tonight for Friday’s workshop. Then I doom scrolled for a while. I’m concerned about work being carried out on the roof of the adjoining property. I can’t really afford to get a new roof. I wonder how bad mine is. I’ve been here over three decades. I listened to a bit of Jarboe tonight. OK. 10.21pm.


Thursday 5th February 2026

Didn't get much done this morning. Hung around waiting for someone to pick up a consent form for building work taking place next door that might affect my property. I got the 1.15pm bus to Waddy. Rehearsed all the poems for the two Meet the Author gigs I'm doing later this month. I've ditched a couple of pieces that are no longer needed for continuity. I'm adding Abracadabra to set two. I'm chuffed with the way it's going. I need to pull another workshop together for next Tuesday but I'm okay. Great Poetry Jam. Top open floor people and great sets from Ross Punton, Helen Wilko and Andy Willoughby. Andy asked five open floor poets to be backing vocalists on his final poem. Ross is getting more confident. Helen did well to overcome technical issues and read a poem about me. I'm still at Waddy. About to eat a Pot Noodle then run for the last bus. OK. 10.51pm.


Friday 6th February 2026

Hardly any sleep last night. Didn't get to bed till after twelve and woke again by half six. Quick pages then porridge. Out the house by twenty past eight. Roadworks in Stanley knocked me back by about fifteen minutes. So I was late getting to Chester-le-Street. Then I needed the toilet and had to buy something for lunch, so I missed a connection to Washington. The workshop went really well. Nine people in and the translation exercise was a winner. I asked Nicola Spain if she'd like to take the opening guest slot at Poetry Jam next month. I’m delighted she said yes. Thanks to Alwyn Bathan for the lift to Metro Centre. Me and Jenni watched Michael McIntyre show and Inside No 9. Jen made some spice bags for tea/supper. I read some Rachel Hewitt essays online. OK. 10.32pm.


Saturday 7th February 2026

Seventy-minute walk in the pissing rain looking for the Barbican Centre in York. Suede were great. I stood by the back wall for a while then moved forward. Great mix of old and new songs. No ‘Wild Ones’ but they played 'It Starts and Ends with You'. Also excellent 'She Still Leads Me On'. Brett Anderson is really energetic. Great crowd. Back at the train station by eleven. 11.17pm.


Sunday 8th February 2026

Slight increase in buzzing in ears this morning, which should go back to how it was before in due course. Great to see so much footage from last night’s gig on Facebook today. I’ve been back in Moorside since two this afternoon and haven’t felt able to do anything productive. But a very busy week ahead, preparing stock for the library gigs on 16th and 17th. OK. 11.45pm.

Monday 9th February 2026

Started off feeling a bit knackered. Started off not wanting to do anything at all. But it turned out to be a canny productive day. I got some of my 2023 pamphlet stock replenished. I’ve printed out my set lists large for next week. Had enquiries for two workshops. Started Ann Porro’s pamphlet. It currently runs to 36 pages. My computer is being a pain. Outlook out of action and everything super slow with internet running. Spotify started working again tonight so I listened to three Suede albums back to back. I’m finding the tinnitus level has gone up despite no distorted hearing after the gig. If it stays as it is, I won’t be going to any more rock concerts. Computer being a pain, not letting me close pop ups. Hate it. 11.55pm.


Tuesday 10th February 2026

Slept in slightly after a fourteen-and-a-half-hour shift yesterday. Didn’t get to Waddy until midday. Not much to set up. Got some flyers printed but probably won’t use many. I left a copy of Unruly Eyebrow at Waddy for Josie, who does the graphics for Change the Story workshops with Carmen. My workshop went well this afternoon. The group did over forty pieces of writing in total. I managed ten new drafts. Got the X21 to Gateshead. Me and Jenni stayed in tonight. Greatly enjoyed the new McKenzie Crook series Small Prophets. The story is a bit far-fetched – about a guy who grows homunculi in his garden shed so he can ask them what happened to his girlfriend who went missing seven years ago – but the characters are brilliant. Then we watched a couple of episodes of the IT Crowd. I ate chicken sandwiches, pork pies and oranges. OK. 10.52pm.


Wednesday 11th February 2026

Shitty day. Bus didn’t turn up, so I didn’t get back to Consett before midday, which meant I had to reschedule a meeting and stay in Wetherspoons, avoiding the pissing rain till two o’clock. Then the fucking bus app lied. 3.10pm. didn’t materialise. I should have been home from Gateshead by one o’clock. Instead, it was fucking four. But I’ve written it up a lot better in my phone messages to Tony Gadd and Jenni. Tonight I ate BBQ beans, mushrooms, baked potatoes and beef steak. I bought Jenni a load of sweet stuff for Saturday. I listen to The Beautiful Ones compilation album from Suede and a bit of Amelia Coburn. I did some promo work and responded to Ann Porro about her pamphlet, which I’ll be making this year. Then it was The Living Dead by Suede live from York. Superb. 11.50pm.


Thursday 12th February 2026

Trimmed the replenished pamphlet stock. Inked up more Thirteen Days in May, and sewed up So Much for the Sunshine. Did a session plan tonight for next Tuesday. Been asleep for a while as well. Jenni sent an updated version of my Coming Back to This poster, but Facebook wouldn’t let me replace the original on my recent post, so now it just has two dates but no pic showing what they are for. I’ve uploaded the new pic as a separate post. Stupid tech. I’ve had curried butternut squash soup and a good chilli with baked potato. Now I’m going to have my last Thornton’s toffee. I tried to read The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney, but fell asleep. 11.17pm.


Friday 13th February 2026

Another bookmaking day. Got a few covers glued on So Much for the Sunshine and made up some copies of Final. A roofing company rep asked me if I’d like a no obligation quote for a new roof but there’s no way I can afford it. I had a bit of a gristly steak for tea. The bus to Jen’s place was freezing. But I’ve had a canny couple of days. I’m chuffed to do work on the books. I hope to get a decent turnout for the gigs next week. The Last Leg is on. Political. I’m struggling to stay awake. Gonna knock off soon. OK. 10.54pm.


Saturday 14th February 2026

Happy Valentine’s Day. Jenni got me a Gavin and Stacey book. And I got her a box of assorted cakes, chocolates and puddings. Jenni went to see Punk Rock Factory at NX in Newcastle. I went to see Amelia Coburn at the Common Room in the Mining Institute down the road. We enjoyed our gigs and met up afterwards to get supplies at Tesco. OK. 11.17pm.


Sunday 15th February 2026

Big lie in. Morning Pages. Than a lazy day – scrolling social media and watching vintage game shows on television. Jenni made spice bags for tea: coconut rice, chilli pepper, tomatoes, chicken nuggets – very nice. I came home early to rehearse again for tomorrow’s Bowburn gig. If I go off script, the adlibs are a bit long, but I’m sure it will all be okay on the day. 11.08pm.


Monday 16th February 2026

Up at half six to get ready for my Local Author Festival gig. I was at Waddy just after eleven. I was back in Durham bus station by one. And in Bowburn library by two. Took less than half an hour to set up. Very low turnout. Four people. Two of them had been on my writing courses over a decade ago. One was published in our 2008 Waddy Writers anthology. And the other attended a Claypath Library course in 2013. It was good to adlib anecdotes between readings and talk at length about bookmaking. OK. 10.40pm.


Tuesday 17th February 2026

Today was great. The buses were on time. I had one of the best turnouts for a Waddy workshop since I left New College Durham. Exercises I made up last week flowed well and people enjoyed them. I dropped my bags off in Consett Library, then went to Barry’s Bargain Superstore for some cheap cakes, butternut squash soup and chilli. I ate a 72p Walls sausage roll with Greggs spicy wedges for tea whilst standing at a pillar in the Derwent Centre near Boyes. Then I set up my gig at the library. The Lego club was just finishing. My name was on flyers on the table. A woman asked if I was the author. I showed her a handmade hardback copy of Anomalies. She bought Laughter to Split Glass. The gig went well. People asked good questions and I sold £65 of stock. Martin Weston kindly gave me a lift home. Today was great. 11.35pm.


Wednesday 18th February 2026

Not a great day. Probably just comedown off last night. I’ve prepped my workshop handouts for Friday and pulled together a Waddy session for next Tuesday. I went out for an hour on the bike this afternoon. I had chilli and rice for tea then did physio. Tonight I read a few pages of the Gavin and Stacy book that Jenni bought me. Told Jenni about last night’s gig. It would be good to do full shows a couple of times every week. I’m cold now. Tired and irritable. I hope things work out OK for me. 11.30pm.


Thursday 19th February 2026

A bloke tried to sell me a new roof today. He stood on the landing and shone his phone light into the attic hatch and said the wooden beams are knackered, and the roofing lining is shot. He stood in the back garden and said the chimney has no mortar keeping it together. The house is over 50 years old. Do I have to pay £8,900 for a new roof? I’m a scribbler, not a bank manager. “Okay”, he said, “How about £7,000 on a spring deal?” If nearly a quarter of the original price can be ditched in two minutes, was it worth the best part of nine grand in the first place? I have rarely earned more than seven grand in a year. I’ve never spent more than eight hundred in one go. I am not commercially viable. Not many writers are. Not one of my best days. OK. 10.55pm.


Friday 20th February 2026

Today was canny. The buses were all on time. The writing session was very well attended. Ten participants, with some of the regulars absent. I repeated Tuesday’s Waddy session. One-minute sentences, poem cut-ups, character sketches, kennings. I ate cold pasta for lunch and a banana. Alwyn Bathan and I exchanged writing gripes on the ride to Gateshead. Later in Consett, I bought fruit, veg and meat. My house was freezing when I got back. I’m still concerned about the roof. I don’t know if I should be. It doesn’t sag. And any leak it had was due to a knackered ridge tile long since repaired. No tiles are missing. Sure, it looks grotty, but so fuck. I wear grotty clothes. My silver Rockhopper bike is 20 years old. Just because the council upgrades others, does it mean I have to? Maybe I should get an opinion from someone with no skin in the game. OK. 11.52pm.


Saturday 21st February 2026

Bit of a lie in this morning, then a porridge breakfast and change into bike clothes for a little ride on the old Rockhopper. Most of the off-road route was okay but some bits were extremely muddy. I rode down the wood to Allensford and along to the pumphouse, uphill to the top of the slag heaps, then across to Knitsley, back over to Rowley, then home. I’ve eaten a lot of reduced-price chicken. Me and Jenni watched Britain’s Got Talent. OK. 11.05pm.


Sunday 22nd February 2026

Big lazy day at Jen’s. We listened to Paddy McGuinness, then the woman sitting in for Elaine Paige. Tonight we watched Year of the Rabbit – which is hilarious – and the snooker final. Now Gogglebox. I’ve eaten too much food this month. Need to get back to the diet. Big work ahead. OK. 10.47pm.


Monday 23rd February 2026

Energy level is low tonight. Didn’t get as much done as I’d have liked. I got the materials ready for tomorrow’s Waddy session. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to sequence a list of activities on paper, but up to two hours to find items and duplicate them for handouts. During the search I often discover other stuff suitable for subsequent sessions. I made myself an ace chicken dinner tonight. First time using leeks. I am still eating sweet mince pies. I’ve put on a few pounds. My left arm is aching again. I fell asleep on the settee. OK. 11.52pm.


Tuesday 24th February 2026

Go North East gave us a decent bus with good seats. Nothing rattled. I sat upstairs reading a journaling handbook from 1990. At lunchtime I sat in the Waddy staff kitchen and listened to some political discussions about grassroots Labour and how the party is difficult to vote for these days. I won’t be voting for them. I’m getting more cynical about it all. Each party just seems to be playing from the same big corporation songbook. My workshop went well this afternoon. I anticipated an early finish, so I came up with a little cut-up exercise to finish off with, using lines we wrote at the start of the session, bringing it all full circle. I got more supplies at Tesco and Barry’s this afternoon. Then home for another big chicken dinner. Had some doorstep confusion from a BT representative. I don’t like change and will stick with TalkTalk. OK. 10.07pm.


Wednesday 25th February 2026

Procrastination. Awful. Little done. Booked a guest for the April edition of Poetry Jam. Was booked to perform at an acoustic music event in May, which I'm looking forward to. Been watching biketrial clips, extreme parkour, and little bits of wellbeing interviews on Facebook reels. I read a bit more of Defying Gravity – Jordan’s Story, ate baked potatoes with mushrooms, curry beans and tuna, drank loads of apple and blackcurrant squash, and have been out in the twelve degrees sunshine on the old Rockhopper bike. But now I feel a bit of a sniffle coming on. The Wi-Fi went a bit dodgy this evening, but it's okay now. Jenni is raving about last night's Peter Capaldi music gig at The Cluny. I'm pleased she had a good time. I've got a few bookings. Need to rehearse new material. OK. 10.37pm.


Thursday 26th February 2026

Up quite early. Greatly entertained by connoisseur of the meat takeaway, Kyle Vs Food, on Facebook reels this morning. My pages are brighter than usual. I edited a lot of entries on the mobile and did some work for Washington writers but got a stinking headache towards the end of it. Had a chicken dinner and a long lie down. Then read Defying Gravity for an hour. I've been snacking on nuts and sultanas a lot. I'm behind in my work. But things are getting better with the milder temperatures. Another month and I should be firing on all cylinders. I need to up the protein intake. I need more meat. I wanted to read some of Clive Barker's Books of Blood this winter. I wanted to read lots of books. I should stay off the mobile device. I've just had cheese on toast. 0K. 11.37pm.


Friday 27th February 2026

Ten minutes to do my evening page or the world might end! Well, not really. It's been a busy day. Negotiating house repairs, working on a Waddington Street Writers pamphlet, and making up a preliminary copy of Ann Porro's forthcoming pamphlet. And of course the Green Party won a by-election. And the fascists are seething. Poor little Nazi boys. Fuck off! I'm feeling pretty good. Jenni haggled a good price on a commercial-use license for a typewriter font for me this evening. And Ann is pleased with the pics I sent of her pamphlet. It's early days and there are always teething problems and tech issues, but we’ll get there. I would like to see the Michael Monroe band at Northumbria Uni tomorrow night, but my ears can't really take it. I've not got much else to say. Just chuffed to be feeling good today. 11.53pm.


Saturday 28th February 2026

I cheated today. I've been awake for about three hours. I picked up the mobile device just to check the temperature, but got distracted and decided to go back over the last year of posts on my Facebook feed. Lots of great things I'd forgotten about – gigs, dialogues, poetry happenings, lovely supportive comments from friends... It's good to take time to reflect on the positives, instead of doom scrolling and spewing negatives.

Today is a fair bit cooler than yesterday. Last night I had my sleeves rolled up and was busy with bookmaking activities till about nine o'clock. Then I took a walk up to The Grove convenience store to post a preliminary pamphlet to Ann Porro. £3.60 first class. £2.00 second class.

Old-school hard-copy small press activity in the nineties was slow but affordable. A few pound coins sellotaped into a card wallet for the latest issue of Scratch or Headlock magazine. The internet is good for lots of things, but has made snail mail ridiculously expensive.
 
I'm cheating today. I'll be posting my blog long before I do an evening page. Last day of the month. The clocks get set forward an hour in March. Hopefully I'll be able to bike more. I wanted to get out today but there isn't time. I'm not going to Jen’s until tomorrow. I need to be home first thing Tuesday to speak to another man about a roof. It seems you don't have to pay through the nose after all.

Some kid is screeching and mithering in the street and it's aggravating the fuck out of me. How women cope I don't know. I just don't have the patience. I have tolerance for very little...

Yesterday I pulled out a dozen workshop notebooks from last year. A dozen. And that wasn't including January and February. I've got 24 morning pages books plus my evening diary, work log, and gratitude journal. I write far too many words that won't make it into print.

I thought about putting together a hard-copy photo album with captions, bits of poetry and some of Jenni’s witticisms. Poems as well.

I looked through the C2C album earlier. I like it. I think I did okay visually documenting the ride. I also read some of my 'Longer Days and Lighter Nights' pieces written during lockdown. The challenge was to go out for a walk about half an hour before dusk each evening, observing and writing about the surroundings, avoiding any first-person pronouns. I did about eighty nights from the day after the clocks went forward an hour to the longest day in June. I took photographs each day and wrote an A7 page of notes. I posted a few online each week. A whole book of it might be too much. But there are some good image captures and turns of phrase that might make it into print at some point.

I need to plan a workshop for Tuesday. Or, I might just repeat something from a couple of years ago. I've had Wednesday to Friday at home but don't seem to have done much. I keep thinking of new things to work on. I wish I'd had the savvy to publish personal annuals from 2000 onwards. I will never get all the work published. The next official poetry collection will be something of a New and Selected, really. 'Laughter to Split Glass' spanned over a decade of creativity.

I don't think I should bother with breakfast today. It's going to be nearly eleven before I'm back in the kitchen. I usually have dinner around half twelve.

I want to read more of Jordan Mooney’s/Cathi Unsworth’s Defying Gravity book. And some Clive Barker. I want to get out on the bike. It was a good move going to Tesco after posting the pamphlet last night. Enough grub to keep me going till Tuesday.

Busy week next week. Need to get something sorted soon for Mother's Day. Need to prepare a new set for King Ink. I'm thinking of taking the one I used at 'For Better or Verse' last autumn as a starting point, and gradually replacing pieces till I get a new flow. I want to include more prose. Well, more prose-ier than some of my poetry, haha!

The sky looks quite heavy this morning. But not cold enough for snow. Oh and I must remember to make up a new morning pages notebook for March. I'll see how loud the empty can rattles next month.

Anyway, this has been a better month than January. And the next one should see me with increased momentum.

Thanks for reading this far. Have a good one. OK. 10.45am.