Getting There

Monday 3rd July 2017

Okay, so now that the computer is working, the laser printer has decided to start grunting and rattling and the rollers are leaving grooves on paper. Something else to throw money at. Did some paperwork for Waddy, sorted more texts for a new volume and handouts for my workshops. Need a shave and bath. I can do more workshop prep tomorrow evening. Listened to Dreamtime by The Cult - one of my mid-eighties favourites. Ate jelly babies. Ham salad and lemon juice. Richie Allen Show. OK. 11.32 pm.

Tuesday 4th July 2017

It’s the final week and people don’t like paperwork. Now I’m running around trying to pull more work together for a booklet. Listed my blue notebook entries on the way home for a 2017 perzine. Over thirty pieces so far. I reckon it’ll be a good one. Had a lush pork steak dinner but have fallen prey to a migraine and had to knock off work early without completing my tasks. Can’t do any more. Feel sick. Need to rest. Just want to stay at home and forget it all. But I can’t do that. Tomorrow will come and go. Want to get some of my own stuff done ASAP. Good Richie Allen Show tonight. Good ice cream as well. 10.47 pm.

Wednesday 5th July 2017

Typing up student poems at half seven this morning. Saint Cuthbert’s Hospice session was standard building narrative structure lesson. Went down really well. Appletree didn’t enjoy doing Golden Shovel poems. Tried to record a testimonial for Waddy in one take but it wasn’t right. I’m no good unscripted. Hate speaking into a recorder off the cuff. I’ll go back and try again with a typed and rehearsed piece tomorrow. It won’t be a poem. I’m tired and I want to work on my own books. 11.19 pm.

Thursday 6th July 2017

So today turned out pretty good despite wanting to kick the shit out of my laser printer at seven this morning. Penultimate workshop at Witton Gilbert went very well. Then a ten minute bus ride into Durham and the rest of the day at Waddy: revised and re-recorded my little piece about working at the Centre. Keyed in poems and rehearsed. Edited bits and pieces for end of term booklet. Poetry Jam was good. Distinct lack of female voices during open floor readings in recent months but great to have a feature set from Julie Hogg and to hear newcomer Chelsea Turner read for the first time. Strong set from Grame Bruce Fletcher and a powerhouse of a performance from headliner Aidan Clarke. Pleased Aidan sold some pamphlets. Great to get a lift home from Fergus. And free fruit and bread from M&S donations. Feeling okay about the future. 11.26 pm.

Friday 7th July 2017

Tired after the last few hectic days and stress. Wasn’t at the computer till half-eleven. Sussed out how to upload vids to hard drive without Kodak software. Then out to Consett for bank stuff and food. Got rained on. Brought an Amos glue stick – my favourite, much better than Pritt. Bought some socks. Always feel confident with a new batch of socks… Read some political articles, some stuff about Universal Credit hitting County Durham just in time to wreck Christmas… Listened to recording of Green Day’s crowd singing Bohemian Rhapsody. Played a few tracks by The Damned on Spotify. Checked out Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot tickets for Sunderland Empire. Ate cherries then cheese and pickle sandwiches and did preliminary six-month income projection. Looking forward to some time to work on the book for Red Squirrel Press. Chuffed to have more stuff in the pipeline. OK. 11.34 pm.

Saturday 8th July 2017

Up at six and morning pages gave me a chance to straighten out some financial stuff. Then a good four-hour focus on the Waddy booklet. Almost done. Came over to Jen’s on the bus this afternoon. Went out to Tesco for food and then a bit of telly - Pitch Battle and Taggart - but struggling to stay awake. 10.20 pm.

Sunday 9th July 2017

Woke early, but just lay in bed thinking about finances and work projections for the next six months. Think I’ll be okay. Looking forward to a couple of months with a lighter load to get books edited. Jen made a lush pasta meal. We watched a dodgy disaster movie and Cracker. Bus to Consett and walk to Moorside. 11.47 pm.

Monday 10th July 2017

Full-day at Waddy with help from Barbara to pull together a little pamphlet analogy of service-users’ writing. Still some tweaks to go, but should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. I’d like it folded and stapled in a couple of hours then home tomorrow evening to prep workshops for Wednesday. Been told that people are finding sessions a bit too hard. So I’ll have to rethink for autumn. It’s tricky with mixed ability, or when participants feel over challenged when you try to notch it up a gear or two to satisfy progression requirements of the college. Square peg, round hole. Back home tonight I got a bit more done. Re-sequenced contents. Put new image on cover and tweaked a few poems. Not really happy with mine. Back of the queue as always. Not much time or headspace for my stuff. 11.24 pm.

Tuesday 11th July 2017

Awake at half-four. Seem to be running on adrenalin. And 7 Up. And soup. And pork steaks with steamed veg. but I’ve got the Waddy booklet done with further big help from Barbara. SINCE I WAS A CHILD is out on Friday. Listened to Queen Live at the Rainbow. Wish I’d been old enough to see them back in 1973/4. Ready for bed now. Headache again. 10.30 pm.

Wednesday 12th July 2017

Awake at six. Knackered by eight. Bad tempered through lack of sleep. Read all of Hypomaniac on the bus to Durham. Come a long way since working in the warehouse. Requires lots of effort to avoid returning to menial labour for a living. So many hoops to jump through. Good session at Saint Cuthbert’s Hospice. They want me to take in some of my handmade books. We did adj/noun/verb sentence stems, conveying emotion through description, and stepping stone narratives. Back to Waddy to do some paperwork. Then short story analysis at Appletree. Back to Waddy to fix a typo on anthology. Then out for laughs and eat4less with Jenni in Newcastle. Proper warm night. Home around half ten. Still lots to do. 10.37 pm.

Thursday 13th July 2017

At Breathing Space by 9.20 am. Good thirty-five minutes to set up. Always enjoy doing the final session with all the books out and talking about publication. Group enjoyed it too. Then a lift with Gillie into Durham. Had a chilli and rice lunch then sat in on the Waddy quiz at the welcoming party for the new American students from Duke University. Had cake then bus to Gateshead. Tweaked and timed the gig set for tomorrow on the way. Met up with Jenni at three. It’s her mam’s birthday so we went over to Washington with presents. Chatted, looked at poetry books, ate ice cream, took some photographs. Had a walk around the village then back to the Galleries for the bus to Gateshead. Lovely warm evening. Tesco for Jen’s supplies then I got a bus to Consett. Bought a pasty and dark chocolate in Tesco, checked out DVDs. Really tired now. 11.30 pm.

Friday 14th July 2017

Pleased to finalise running order for the Waddy Learners’ Award Day reading. Silent read-through on the bus to Durham. Lots of people at the Centre. Caught the last fifteen minutes of the music group. After lunch my hands were sore from all the clapping during giving out of certificates. Three exchange students did a great job of reading selections from anthology. Three of the writers present earlier, but none of them up for taking part. I felt a bit wrecked by the end of the celebrations. Had a curry and rice around half seven. Fell asleep on the couch for a while then watched BBC4 documentary on the history of the guitar riff. Been a pretty full-on week for me. Pleased to have some time coming up to work on my books. 11.17 pm.

Saturday 15th July 2017

Late rise due to not going to bed till half-two. Ordered a full-course ticket for a series of Punk lectures / workshops at Pop Recs Ltd in Sunderland. Didn’t do much until lunchtime. Keyed in notes, listened to The Verb recorded at Glastonbury and featuring contributions from Dominic Berry and Rowan McCabe. Also listened to ‘Sheep Farming in Barnet’ by Toyah. Read the first pages of Weaveworld by Clive Barker in Consett bus station. Saw a former work colleague on the 45 to Newcastle. Got to Jen’s around 20 to nine. She arrived a few minutes later. Went for chips in Bensham then watched Taggart. 10.23 pm.

Sunday 16th July 2017

Lazy day. Horrible Histories on TV then Tesco for the big dinner food. Back to the attic, prepared the veg and had the meal. Me and Jen watched Ackley Bridge online plus the harrowing dramatisation of the vicious attack on Robert Maltby and Sophie Lancaster – Murdered for Being Different. Trifle for tea then Auf Wiedersehen Pet and The Voice Kids. Home. 11.52 pm.