Monday 23rd September 2019
Late morning pages then Facebook scroll. Cleaned the kitchen bin and had a veggie burger. Did a Waddy lesson plan. Took a while but I got there. I will have a read through on the bus tomorrow. Can’t remember much of it. Listened to a live Bowie album from a 2003/4 American radio broadcast. Similar to the Reality DVD. Think I’ll get the Bowie biography from HMV. 11.17 pm.
Tuesday 24th September 2019
Late to bed so a bit slow to start at half-eight this morning. Got sorted for Waddy. Got on old knackered broken-down bus and had to change to another. Torrential rain only started after reaching Waddy, so not too bad. Got all the handouts photocopied and had a chat with manager Steve Wakefield about putting out a book for one of the senior service users in the coming months. Session went well this afternoon: ‘Begin where you are’, discussion about writing routines, focused on senses in a collaborative homecoming piece, some stuff on rituals. Got some help from Craig with the college payment log. Went into Newcastle. Got Bowie and Cohen books a fiver the pair. Went to Jen’s and watched latest Brexit nonsense. Jenni got in around half-nine. Chatted for an hour then walked into Gateshead for X71. Big rain. Hope the house is okay. 11.27 pm
Wednesday 25th September 2019
Didn’t go to bed till 2.15 am but was up around nine. Online a while. But can’t remember what I read. This afternoon I rode the bike one-handed up to the repair shop to get the rear wheel trued. Bought some stuff from Barry’s – fruit cake and cookies. Then cheese and sausages from Tesco. Talked with brother Mark on the phone. He’s had his eye op and hopefully things will be okay in five or six weeks. He wants a new bike. Listened to ‘Let’s Dance’ and ‘Tonight’ by David Bowie. Awful scenes in parliament reported on the internet. Johnson really is going for the Trump fucking belligerence approach and offending MP after MP by using inflammatory language of division which they say is putting their lives at risk. He shrugged it off as ‘a load of humbug’. People are going ape shit. And Trump is up for impeachment. Be good to see these two out of office asap. Cheese and cucumber sandwich for supper. 11.10 pm.
Thursday 26th September 2019
Tried my best but just couldn’t get my head around planning a workshop today. Maybe coz I woke at 4.00 am and didn’t get back to sleep. Good to get the bike back this afternoon and be able to carry quite a bit of food in my backpack whilst doing so. Been floored a bit by all the Brexit stuff. Totally think it’s the wrong decision to leave but the more I hear about it the more I think maybe just actually give the 17.4 million what they voted for and then make the Tories own the backlash when those voters realise it’s not as rosy as they expected. The Tories lied about the benefits of leaving and how easy it would be. Obviously, it will be catastrophic. Tories made it – they should take all responsibility for it. 11.52 pm.
Friday 27th September 2019
Spent a fair few hours editing / proofing the Waddy Works 2019 anthology. It looks pretty solid and we should be printed next week to be launched on World Mental Health Day. This evening I got a lesson plan together for next week. It’s the first time I’ve prepped one on a Friday night and it means however late I get home from Terror in the Trees in the small hours of Monday I’ll be able to have a lie in. Amy told the team to dress for wet weather. Black base layer for costumes and waterproofs on top. Forecast is grim. I’ll probably be soaked by the time I get to Beamish on Sunday afternoon. Listened to Bowie live at Glastonbury 2000. All the hits. Looking forward to reading the new Bowie biography but don’t think it will happen before November. 11.23 pm.
Saturday 28th September 2019
Read a bit of Bowie and tried to proofread the rest of Anomalies Deluxe but fell asleep. Read more Bowie then had sausage and veg tea. Fitted bike lights and made a list of all the stuff for Beamish Hall. Rain should be light by one tomorrow afternoon and next to nothing by late evening. Hope I get there okay. Prefer to leave around half-twelve. Will be in bed early tonight. 10.33 pm.
Sunday 29th September 2019
Mint time at Terror in the Trees. Great in costume and makeup. A few tech issues but should be okay next week. Got soaked on the way down but ride back was sweet. Mint feedback from peeps who came tonight. Only a trial run so we finished early. Out of makeup by quarter past nine. Home by 20 past eleven. 11.35 pm.
Monday 30th September 2019
Big day off. Made a list of stuff relating to Terror in the Trees work – bike tweaks and clothing. I seem to have mild itching in the corners of my eyes. Think this is due to not removing makeup properly last night. Going to buy some coconut oil this week to aid clean-up. Must be careful in future. Listened to Low by Bowie this afternoon. Washed a few clothes. Had a little sleep. Sausage and veg dinner. Watched a bit of Fabio Wibner biketrial online. Listened to Born to Raise Hell by Motorhead live in Manchester with guest vocals from Michael Monroe. I look at dates for Monroe’s tour - only Manchester would be doable but I don’t think I could afford it. I’d love to see Wayne Hussey again but Newcastle gig clashes with a Terror night. I will see Swans documentary ‘Where Does a Body End?’ on 6th November at Tyneside Cinema to compensate. 10.10 pm.
Tuesday 1st October 2019
While the porridge settles after overflowing the bowl in the microwave I’ll sit and think about the long day. Awake at four. Up at twenty to seven. Over to Beamish Hall this morning to drop off my big buckle boots and another set of clothes. Pissing rain. Went to Chester le Street to catch bus to Durham. Good to get Waddy anthology sorted this afternoon. I’ll be tweaking tomorrow. Talked about difficulty of preparing corrections lists for external typesetter. We did a couple of National Poetry Day exercises. Three lies and one truth around the room. Objects and Lies. Discussion about poetic devices. I put Poetry Jam posters up for Thursday. Slept on the bus to Consett. Bought food. And coconut oil for my face. Still a bit itchy. Hope that stops soon. 10.15 pm.
Wednesday 2nd October 2019
Selected a load of poems from Waddy anthologies and the National Poetry Day website for tomorrow’s visit to the Centre. Aiming to distribute poems around the building and get people who don’t usually read to have a look. Got a lesson plan sorted and listened to Black Tie White Noise by Bowie. It didn’t do much for me. Except for a few tracks, very patchy. My eyes feel a lot better today. But still getting itches. Watched a ten-minute video about the new Joker film. It’s on at Gateshead next week. But I’m out on Tuesday I think. Hope I can find something suitable to read at Poetry Jam tomorrow. Very tired. Be good to get to bed. Tinnitus pretty bad again. At least weather has improved a little bit. 10.27 pm.
Thursday 3rd October 2019
Up at six to do morning pages and I got a poem out of it then made seven-forty bus to Consett and straight onto one of the two X15 to Durham. Into Waddy by nine and started to print out poems from Waddy booklets and NPD website and place them in offices and the café. Ate corned beef and tomato sandwiches then out to buy tea but returned with new pillows, razors and sponges. Got Waddy booklets printed and boxed ready to fold and finish at home. Poetry Jam tonight was really good. Terrible that Juli wasn’t able to take part. Hope she is okay and quickly recovers after the accident. John Turner and Richard Boggie were ace. As were the open floor poets. I read the thing I wrote this morning. At half time I showed Ivy Hudson how to lay out a booklet for duplex printing. I opened the second half with a Waddy writer’s poem from the new anthology. Got a lift back home off Fergus. Had the usual porridge then usual Brexshit on Newsnight. 11.30 pm.
Friday 4th October 2019
Bit stressful to begin with, doing the Poetry Jam pix, but I got them up online before lunch. Ride over to Beamish was pretty good despite torrential rain. Light drizzle, my arse. Clothes soaked. But another mint night at Terror in the Trees. Makeup went on ace and came off okay. Was good of Steve Lucock and Amy to help with costume. I’ve got the buckle boots now. Totally enjoyed getting into character. And did some good scares too. One girl so petrified she cried her eyes out. Got some great responses. Much less frenetic than being a zombie last year. Still soaked, mind. Awesome sweat fest. But what the hell... Hope Jenni is okay. She hasn’t been on Facebook as much lately... Actors returning from their zones. Poor Steven got a migraine and was sick twice. I feel pretty good. I’m just hoping rain holds off till I get back home. Might pop into The Stables for a drink before I put smellies on. Bad move to stuff wet clothes in a plastic bag and leave in my wheelie case. Fucking stank! I put them near the cabin so they wouldn’t gross out the actors’ good dressing room vibes. Anyway, ace first night. Roll on tomorrow. 10. 30 pm.
Saturday 5th October 2019
Bed at 1.45 am. Only six hours sleep. Started to get bag packed for the ride, batteries charged, etc at half-nine. Took a break at 11.10 am to listen to Queen’s ‘News of the World’ album. If I don’t sleep more I’m going to crash. Had sausage and veg dinner. Bit of Facebook then out on the bike. Much better weather today. Will get another wear out of today’s clothes tomorrow. Walked around the woods, had my tea then into makeup by 5.15 pm. Looking forward to the show. OK 5.25 pm.
LATER: Great night. Lots of scares. One girl cried. I crashed through the stage at one point but had a lot of fun. Done by 9.15 pm.
Sunday 6th October 2019
Bit of a lie in. Somewhat lacking in the voice department. Jenni suggested a few remedies and showed me a FB thread from when her voice failed during Edinburgh Fringe this year. If I was in Scotland I could get Sandersons throat specific mixture for a quick fix. I’ve got some lozenges. Had chicken Jalfrezi at lunchtime. Then a bit of pineapple before the ride to Beamish in the rain. Good of Jenni to get my clothes from last week into the washing machine. Hope my voice holds out. OK. 5.23 pm.
LATER: Mint night. Tough boys in the queue squealing like pigs when pressed into a corner. Girls so petrified they couldn’t take their hands off their eyes. Voice holding up a lot better tonight. Honey and lemon hot drinks and Lockets seem to be doing the trick.
Thanks to Matt the tech guy for positive feedback on my adlibs and for helping scare the shit out of people. 10.36 pm.
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