Fourteen Days

Monday 4th November 2019

Big lie in till lunchtime. Basically making up for only getting half a lazy Sunday. Mainly just eating and watching telly. Ancient episodes of Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Good to see poet Tony Gadd’s article in the Northern Echo today. We went to town for more food. First cherry pie and custard of the autumn. Watched a documentary about bears with Jenni this evening. TV news was the first in a few weeks for me. Christmas adverts on already. Android tablet is being a twat; not booting up properly. Still not reading any politics articles. Weather is shit. 10.30 pm.  

Tuesday 5th November 2019

Made porridge and hot drink downstairs so as not to wake the sleeping tiger. Half-ten bus to Gateshead then onto Durham. Writing half marathon went okay. Some stunning pieces from Waddy Writers. I then went to Beamish Hall to collect my wheelie case. Amy Tolu gave me a lift down the hill and back to the bus stop. Got home at quarter to seven, had a curry, charged the tablet. Calculated recent earnings then invoiced Beamish before dashing out for the nine o’clock bus to Consett. Got to Bensham from Metro Centre at twenty to eleven. Cheese on toast. Hot chocolate. Jen won’t be home for a while. 11.28 pm.

Wednesday 6th November 2019

I went out this afternoon to sort some finances and buy more supplies then had tea. Got ready for the Swans film: How Does A Body End? Me and Jenni walked over to Newcastle. I looked in Paperchase and HMV. Big new double dvd and box set from The Cure now available. £29.99 and £49.99. Doubt I’d go for the big box. I met Stephen and Glen in the Tyneside Cinema bar. Relocated to the Strawberry Thief for half an hour; talked about music and politics. Then back to the cinema. Surprised to see merchandise available for the film: patches, tote bag, poster and copies of the Sacrifice and Transcendence biography. The film started at ten past eight and ran for two hours. I enjoyed it but felt the 2010-2017 footage just went on too long at the expense of earlier years. Odd, coz in the Q & A afterwards, it sounded like the recent three big albums were director Marco Porsia’s least favourites. Good to see footage of Jarboe, Blixa Bargeld and members of Sonic Youth. 11.46 pm.

Thursday 7th November 2019

Indecisive start to the day. Pissing rain almost stopped play getting the bike back home. Arrived around quarter past one. Chuffed to get a two-hour window to make a sausage and veg dinner, get shaved, pack my bag and out on the 3.18 pm to Consett. Fell asleep on the Durham bus. Got there at half-four, armed with a pile of Barry’s Bargains goodies: cakes, biscuits, apple juice and bacon kettle chips. Got the gig stuff sorted, events lists and stage notes. Enjoyed my big lenty bacon soup. Chuffed to do two poems I’ve not read for a while. ‘As Optimistic As You Want To Be’ and ‘Who Knows Where A Dream Will Go?’ Great sets by Pauline May, Mike Treasure and Kirsten Luckins. Good open floor stuff too. Chuffed to get a lift home with all my perzines – cheers Fergus. I am a bit chilly and have overeaten considerably – porridge, biscuits, oranges, cake and a cheese sandwich. I need to get to bed soon. Need my routine back. 11.53 pm.

Friday 8th November 2019

Fucking freezing. Can’t believe I didn’t wake till ten this morning. Didn’t get up till half-twelve. Did my pages and online admin in bed. This afternoon I uploaded all the pix from Poetry Jam. Keyed in Terror notes. Might add some morning pages with more detail for context. Still have a lesson plan to do. This evening I listened to Swans Are Dead, the live double album. Currently listening to a 1988 live soundboard tape on YouTube recorded at the Amsterdam Paradiso. At the time Swans were transitioning from Children of God via a cover of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ to The Burning World. The tracks are atmospheric songs, not just bloody extended soundscapes. Hope the next tours are more narrative. Anyway, today has been fucking freezing. Four pairs of socks, two pairs of trousers, hat, t-shirt, jumper, two hoodies. 11.24 pm.

Saturday 9th November 2019

Spent the morning in Consett getting foodstuff. Found out dates for The Mission’s 2020 UK tour from Vive Le Rock magazine. Bit of research for Tuesday workshop. House bitter cold again already. Feet fucking numb. Need a hot water bottle for bed. Hope to read for a while. 9.36 pm.

Sunday 10th November 2019

Awake at four this morning. Shaved at eight and out on the bike to Jen’s just after nine. Showered by eleven. Out for supplies early afternoon. Nuts, spaghetti bolognaise, hot chocolate and reduced price baguettes. Watched a bit of Columbo. Jenni made us the cheese and tomato specials. Stayed awake for two episodes of His Dark Materials. 9.12 pm.

Monday 11th November 2019

Bit of a lie in at Jen’s. She woke late for work then got a text saying start time had been moved to afternoon, so all okay. Bike ride to Moorside was fine. Pleased it didn’t rain. Wind still a bit strong. Luckily, only got blown into the kerb, not the path of an overtaking vehicle; some come so close speeding past. Bastards. Anyway, house is fucking freezing, as to be expected when you can’t afford to heat the place. Three pairs of trousers, two hoodies, an acrylic jumper and t-shirt. A woolly hat and four pairs of socks. Slippers and sporadic hot water bottle usage and hot chocolate. Got my stuff sorted for tomorrow. Over-prepped, I think, but hopefully enough to see me to the end of term. I’m listening to Bowie at Glastonbury again. I’ll soon be in bed. Porridge or cheese on toast? I don’t know. Feel no inclination towards Question Time or Newsnight. Wish term was over. Fucking tired. OK. 10.18 pm.

Tuesday 12th November 2019

Tough getting shaved in the cold this morning. good to get out to Waddy. Spent a long time on photocopies. The workshop went well. The talk on publishing and self-editing was much appreciated. Good to see Jenni this evening, but not good that she is under the weather with aches and pains. Made her hot chocolate and tried to get her to eat something. Don’t know what possessed me to enter the Metro Centre this evening. HMV there isn’t great – small selection, only one floor. Pleased to get out after half an hour and back on the bus to Consett. Pleased to get my heavy bag of potatoes and frozen sausages from Tesco when I had the bus ticket to get stuff home. Good to cook a burger tonight. And to not feel anywhere near as cold as yesterday. Got an hour of old-school handwritten copy-ups done. Soundtrack was Aura from The Mission. Pleased to fill some gaps tonight. 10.43 pm.

Wednesday 13th November 2019

Fucking stupid slugs. Sliming under the stainless steel rim of the kitchen drawer, curling round crockery in the sink. Leaving snotty trails across the draining board and trying to enter the kettle. Making snotty trails across the kitchen carpet. Dirty stupid fucking slugs. I picked the vile slimy things up in toilet roll and put them out the window… Did research on mainstream books sales and production today. Got the George Foreman grill clean again. Cleared out the recycling and did six hours on Anomalies Deluxe. Think the text will be sorted by the weekend. I’ll order toner cartridges when the next payment comes in. Be good to see it finished. 10.56 pm.

Thursday 14th November 2019

Completed ‘Deluxe’ text corrections. Just pix to select – and they’ve already been listed. Chuffed to get a gap in the rain for walk to Consett this afternoon. Checked out thermals in Boyes. Checked the bank account. Nothing in from Beamish yet. Got my meagre allowance and bought sweets and cakes in Barry’s. Then down to Tesco. Got some stuff for the all-day breakfasts I’ll be downing next week. I aim to get the pictures for Anomalies printed in colour on glossy photographic paper at Waddy next Tuesday then spend a couple of days knocking up that final proof copy for myself. All fifteen signatures to be stitched and case-bound. Might even do the dust jacket. Then I’ll re-read and do final tweaks before making one to order. Five fucking years ago I came up with an idea for the literary version of B-sides and rarities as a big old archive book. Five fucking years. 10.35 pm.

Friday 15th November 2019

Today was long and had me vexed. But when am I ever not. Some shit tried to pull an Amazon Prime subscription scam. “You are being charged £79.99. To query this Press One Now.” I didn’t press. Doing so connects to a high drain phone line. And you are still under threat from bastards trying to get you to reveal bank details. Apparently someone was recently fleeced for twenty-five grand. Some other twat keeps ringing as well and when I answer they hang up. I fucking hate phones at the best of times. I got all my stuff packed up for tomorrow and am looking forward to the talk on being a writer. Checked out a list of Ken Loach’s films; intend to watch some next year. Got photo inserts sorted for Anomalies Deluxe and came up with a nifty little trick to stop the printer knocking page margins off true. I’ll jam my fingers anywhere to get a book done. 11.29 pm.

Saturday 16th November 2019

Up at half-six. Did morning pages, had breakfast. Bag pack and out on 8.10 am bus to Consett. Supplies in Home Bargains then onto Gateshead. Picked up book stock then Metro to North Shields. Great Q & A at North Tyneside Writers’ Circle with close on thirty people. Enjoyed speaking and hopefully inspired a few in attendance. Sold some books and got orders for Anomalies.

Afterwards I tried to do a bit of shopping but Newcastle was packed. Returned to Jen’s. She is now out at Beardyman gig. I watched junk TV. Very tired. Soon be asleep. 10.15 pm

Sunday 17th November 2019

Stayed in bed till early afternoon. Omnibus Corrie with Jenni then up to wash plates for big curry. Got some good gel pens at Tesco. Checked out festive gift ideas. Back for big melted cheese and tomato on Irish Wheaten Loaf. Watched ‘His Dark Materials’ and ‘War of the Worlds’ whilst scoffing nuts and trying to keep warm. 10.35 pm.