Monday 23rd July 2018
Wanted a lie in but awake before eight; got some good morning pages out of it. Stayed at Jenni’s place watching Channel 5 magazine show The Wright Stuff while she went for a job interview down the Team Valley. A bit cooler this afternoon; Cemetery Gates by The Smiths came to mind as we looked at gravestones. We ended up in Low Fell; enjoyed being out, but legs ache a bit. The final ‘Arch Remarks’ Edinburgh Previews event was good tonight. Sez Thomasin’s show included a number of poems about autism, gender non-binary issues and a piece about bullshit horoscopes; enjoyed mini-guest spot by Bogsy which included his fantastic cherry bakewell poem. Heidi Regan’s stand-up show contained funny political issues by way of a comprehensive history of bad ‘shark’ movies. Juli Watson, Cath Campbell, Jenni, Tulu and a new comedy guy did open mic.
11.10 pm.
Tuesday 24th July 2018
Probably awake too early today. Checked emails and state of play regarding Brexit, had porridge. Jen woke at half ten. Chatted for about 45 minutes then I rode back to Consett. Bastard clicking and crunching noise back with a vengeance – definitely the right pedal! This afternoon I worked on deluxe Anomalies. Was interested in seeing the evening news in hopes of hearing something about Tory plans to stockpile food and medicine in the event of a No Deal Brexit, but no mention – just the round-up of other world disasters including fires in Greece and global warming. Mark Kermode’s programme on films about heists bored me rigid. I like poetry, memoir, a bit of flash fiction, that’s it. And song lyrics. Fuck it. 10.51 pm.
Wednesday 25th July 2018
Due to downstairs having stone floors it stays quite cool in my house most of the day, even during a heat wave. So I’ve not been bothered too much by high temperatures. Only when nipping out for fruit squash and a bar of chocolate was there any indication of how sweltering it’s been. I’m actually at my warmest at suppertime – possibly due to the big bowl of porridge. Apparently it’s good for reducing high blood pressure. So is beetroot. And coconut water. But I’ll give that last one a miss. I tried to switch pedals on my Rockhopper bike this afternoon, but repair shop mechanic has got right one so tight it just won’t budge. My adjustable wrenches are too wide to fit between case and crank arm; and the spanner a fraction too loose, despite removing the left pedal and those of my other bike quite easily. So, another trip to Bits 4 Bikes before the weekend. Longboarding was an option tonight, but I read some of Jo Brand’s novel ‘The More You Ignore Me’ instead. Reckon I’ll finish it soon. OK. 10.56 pm.
Thursday 26th July 2018
Found a journal entry from eleven years ago complaining of clicking right pedal, so how I’ve blotted out the annoyance till recently, I don’t know. Great edit session for deluxe Anomalies – so much material available to rebalance the early content. I have a thousand pages in the computer and a first hard-copy draft version of four hundred, so it might be a few weeks before I make my final selection for the master copy. Tonight I chanced the threat of rain and rode up the cycle path to Parkhead Station and back, the big black clouds and flecks of wet chasing me home, but no great downpour. Watched the ‘Prison’ documentary about mental health in HMP Durham. Then a YouTube documentary about The Smiths. House is pretty hot tonight. 11.35 pm.
Friday 27th July 2018
Going into town for food wrecked my schedule. The heat got to me this afternoon so I lay down for a while. Two good bits of news regarding possible courses / workshops came in today, so it’ll be good to see how those pan out. Been reading more Brexshit – wish they’d either come to their senses and scrap it or find a solution. Fucking summer recess? Just fix the fucker! Watched a great Rollins interview this afternoon; he talked about Trump being an inevitable but crap president and how it’s about time women got the opportunity to rule for a few thousand years. He didn’t mention music or himself very much at all. Tonight the big rains came. A friend has been posting songs by Tom Waits, Led Zeppelin, Eurthymics, etc – all relating to the weather. I put RAIN by The Cult on her Facebook page. Tonight I’m off to bed early in hopes of having a better day at the office tomorrow. Hands ache. I’m tired all the time. 10.41 pm.
Saturday 28th July 2018
Headache stopped me working on the book today. Went back to bed for a while. Jenni rang to say she’d be over later. I spent much of the evening just copying up stuff from old notebooks, listening to Bad Pollyanna and Toyah. Pretty much ready for bed. Jenni hasn’t arrived yet. Last bus to Moorside is in ten minutes. OK. 10.30 pm.
Sunday 29th July 2018
Read a big Brexshit article from The New Yorker website. I don’t get why it’s so hard for people to see that it’s all going to be a fucking nightmare and should be scrapped. Got preliminary Anomalies dust jacket designed before Jenni arrived this afternoon. Had Sunday dinner then watched a rags-to-riches film starring Will Smith called Pursuit of Happyness (with a y) then a repeat of Prison. Lots to do in the coming week. 11.11 pm.
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