MAY

Friday 1st May 2020

Out on the Specialized Rockhopper bike today. Shotley Bridge and the quarry. Enjoyed riding some different stuff. There’s a new gravel path all the way from Allensford back up to the trail that goes to The Grove. I tried a few trials things at Shotley Bridge but found the crappy engagement of the rear hub and high top tube of the frame a bit awkward for technical sections. Stayed out longer than I should but didn’t encounter too many people. No social distancing issues. Unlike in town. I watched a load of Jeff Lenosky videos tonight. The guy is forty-nine years old and rides technical uphill trails/trials sections on a 29er bike. Totally amazing. I used to enjoy his BMX-influenced street-riding on old trials VHS cassettes about seventeen years ago. I watched an interview he did with mountain bike legend Hans Rey, who is in his fifties now. He still rides but not so many stunts. I got a bit of a headache and want to get to bed. Sheila got the Anomalies Deluxe I sent yesterday and likes it. I’m going to have to get some work some tomorrow. Want to watch a few films and ride the bike as well. I’d like to put a bash-guard on my big bike and maybe a better back wheel with a quick-engaging hub. But I need good money for that. Or I need riser bars and stem for the Onza trials bike. Or rigid forks for the Giant STP trail bike. Ideally, all three. As if. But no worries. Good chats online with Jenni. OK. 10.54 pm.

Saturday 2nd May 2020

Lazy day. Keep saying I’m going to get lots done but feel a bit out of sorts. No particular reason, just a bit fatigued every five or six days. The shopping cost more than expected. I had the backpack and a bag in each hand. Chicken curry and grilled potatoes for dinner. Looked at my tax return. Have to do that by January. I watched more biketrial stuff today. Had a salad sandwich for tea. Then watched Question Time from Thursday. Don’t think this lockdown is going to end any time soon. Looked on line for some stuff on trials rider Martin Hawyes. Found a great 1999 British Championships video from Knabb Quarry in Matlock. The sections were fucking brutal. Rivers. Waterfalls, sharp rocks, proper wrist-snapping, bike-mashing stuff. Sections of just pure shunt, shunt, power hop, point to point stuff. Loads of uphill. Just fucking sadism, really. I want to see what the sections are like on some British rounds from recent years. But I much prefer the retro old-school bikes with seats. Proper bikes. With gears! Listened to Marillion’s Misplaced Childhood album tonight. Must have slept through a couple of tracks coz it didn’t seem to last as long as expected. Supper now. Try again tomorrow. 11.10 pm.

Sunday 3rd May 2020

Struggling to motivate myself to work. Supposed to type up journals today for the blog post but I’m distracted by bike stuff. If Onza stem takes 31.8mm oversize handlebars I can get some for about fifteen quid. But what the hell, I might not ride the trials bike again, despite being inspired by a vid of a forty-eight-year-old bloke riding what looked like an Echo Pure bike, in a way not too dissimilar to how I used to ride my Zoo Pitbull, age 35. I listened to A Perfect Night in London – Lou Reed live from Meltown Festival 1997. Great range of songs: I’ll Be Your Mirror, Coney Island Baby, Dirty Boulevard. Good to chat to Jenni online. Mainly about premature end of lockdown and how ridiculous it would be for pubs and theatres to open with higher prices. Jen says theatre tickets would have to be quadruple current prices to break even on a sell-out with social distancing. I saw a video from 2013 of Tyke Trial rider Wayne Mahomet doing a world record vertical drop of over four metres on his bike. He’s a goalkeeper for Otley FC now. I read more stuff about Covid-19 and the economy. I don’t think Waddy or any other venue will be ready for workshops for ages yet. Doubt I’ll be back this year. 11.02 pm.

Monday 4th May 2020

Ah, so it’s a bank holiday. Okay, I won’t go to the bank. I slept in, did morning pages, stared at the wall. Thought about bands and people from the past then went online for a bit. Read an article about censorship… then fuck, it’s twenty to eleven! I got up, had breakfast, got on the bike. Quite a few walkers on the trail; I got round okay. When I got back I had red pepper soup. Read a load of social distancing stuff. Looked for a bar and stem combo for my trials bike coz the current set-up is fucking awful. Don’t think I have enough money but we’ll see. I tried to fid a good online copy of Reed Merchat’s CONTACT trials video but the only one I could fine doesn’t have the original soundtrack. Going to watch Newsnight. 10.43 pm.

Tuesday 5th May 2020

Good little ride today: Allensford, River, Shotley, Sandy Path, New gravel path back to Allensford, A68 to Castleside, home. No post yet – still waiting on Julia Eff zines from America. I tidied the kitchen a bit, had a chicken dinner, watched some videos that offered exercises to help with popping knees. Mine crunch. A doctor once told me there wasn’t enough muscle to support the knee and it could be misaligned as well. Good to hear from Helen Steadman with an offer for her son to take a look at my knackered computer. Pulled out a collection of Irvine Welsh short stories, also Connie Bensley poems and Stephen Dobyns poems. I don’t have enough time to read everything I want. My mattress is fucked. Spiked springs sticking out – going to have to stuff it with foam and gaffa tape over the hole. I looked at buying some riser bars for the Onza Hitman bike. White bars and black stem. Would like green grips as well. On Newsnight they’re talking about learning to live with a tolerable level of infection. We have highest death rate in Europe and one of the scientific advisors broke social distancing to shag his mistress then resigned. Ok. 11.15 pm.

Wednesday 6th May 2020

Another good ride today. Really warm outside. I got the grass cut. Good to hear from Jenni. She’s been out in her PPE. People up in arms coz they reckon lockdown is gonna be lifted. I don’t reckon it will. I started to read Last Breath by Peter Stark about extreme sports people and adventurers having near death experiences – drowning, hypothermia, etc. Olivia Hyde did another cracking solo gig online tonight. I didn’t request a song this time. She did Sober by Pink, Bed of Roses by John Bon Jovi, a few Bad Pollyanna songs – I See You, Hollow, Invincible Girl. I missed her Banshees cover. Enjoyed listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album The Boatman’s Call. First heard it from a CD borrowed from Consett Library after my breakdown. The follow-up, And No More Shall We Part, is ace as well. Particularly Love Letter – 200 words we live in hope. Cave is such an ace songwriter. Nice to hear from Stephen Clark today. He was pleased I ‘got’ his novel. Might watch Newsnight. See if there’s any update on Lockdown stuff. Fuck the economy? Or the People? We shall see. 10.38 pm.

Thursday 7th May 2020

Cleaned a big hill climb on the Rockhopper this morning. Well chuffed. I’ve started looking through 2006 journals covering the period of selling my Pitbull trials bike, missing The Evens gig and seeing Rollins at the Academy in Newcastle with brother Mark and my work colleague Alison. The last biketrial I went to was somewhere called Deer Park, early April, and I was an observer. I got the Rockhopper Cross Country bike on 29th April. And fourteen years later, I’m still riding it. With pretty much the same spec – except the suspension forks have been replaced with rigids, and it has a new bottom bracket, pedals, middle ring, sprocket block and chain. Still has the original front tyre. Covered some miles. The 2006 journal also has some good workshop pieces in it and some dream imagery. I’m thinking of editing it all down into a book-length manuscript. This evening I spoke to Mam and Ernie on the phone. They told me Diane is responding well to treatment and has been baking in the hospital kitchen. This evening I watched Ryan Leech’s Manifesto trials video on YouTube – 22 minutes long. Back in 2006, it was twenty quid on DVD. Then I watched most of Leaps and Bounds, the story of trials – Danny Holroyd, Benito Ros, the Coustellier brothers, Vincent Hermance, Hans Rey, Kenny Balaey… My battery ran low so I’ll have to watch the rest another time. Washed some clothes in the sink. 10.42 pm.

Friday 8th May 2020

Big shopping day. Dropped off money for Kyle and chatted from a safe distance about bikes. Wanted to read about remedies for stiff joints and RSI but fell asleep. Had fish fingers and chips, fell asleep again so missed Fish on Friday (ex Marillion). Read a great article called ‘Fuck the Bread, The Bread is Over’ by Sabrina Orah Mark about the so-called pointlessness of creative writing posts in Universities and lockdown killing the writer’s income. Also a Peter Hook interview about Joy Division, New Order and Covid-19. In touch with Ali from Waddy about workshops: we’ll just have to see what the future brings. I don’t think there will be anything until next year. Messaged Jenni. It’s two months since I last saw her. Hopefully things will change for the better in due course. 11.30 pm.

Saturday 9th May 2020

Bit knackered today. Bike ride was good. New lines on the trails near the river. Good to hear from brother Mark as well. But missed some of his words coz some of the crackles on the phone line were really bad. As per, I fell asleep again. Hardly read anything. Struggling to stay awake to write this. Spent lots of time in front of the computer. Bit of online chat with Jen but mainly just trying to stay focused. Weather is meant to be really wintery tomorrow. Reckon I'll be staying indoors. Wonder what the announcements are like for the country from Johnson at 7pm tomorrow evening. Yawning loads and hard to keep my eyes open. Could do with being in bed already. I watched some Tyke Trials tonight. Some of the sections I reckon I could do. Hope exercise restrictions aren't tightened tomorrow. Complaints online today from police that people have been flouncing the rules, prior to announcements. Anyway, really tired. I put the big computer off about five to ten. Allowed myself a chip butty for supper. According to Gov website, I'm eligible for additional financial assistance, so I will try to get it sorted. Might be enough to get me the new printer and computer as soon as social distancing eases. Would like to be in bed already. Yawning massively. Too tired to get up and move. Think I still need more to drink. Don't want the big dehydration. 11.31pm.

Sunday 10th May 2020

Online quite a bit today. Shared stuff about effects of lockdown on live arts scene. Answered questions about zoom poetry gigs and why I'd rather not take a vaccine for anything. I kicked off here and there but it was good to communicate. I had a nice chicken dinner. This afternoon I read a bit of stuff on joint pain. After less than clear guidelines from our glorious leader at seven, I listened to Lauren Laverne host Desert Island Discs with guest Simon Armitage, poet laureate. Some of his choices were close to my tastes – Bowie, Soft Cell, Joy Division. Some not so... It was good to hear him talk about poetry as a personal artform to be transmitted to the reader via the page. In all this social media performance-based verifying, it can be forgotten that there are other ways to communicate. Next time the big computer is on I'm going to research more mags to submit poems to. I read the first cautionary tale (hypothermia) from Last Breath by Peter Stark. I've had a chicken salad sandwich and some cold potatoes. Going to get some porridge or dairylea on toast. Read a good woodland mountain bike story from a 2006 issue of Singletrack magazine. 10.40pm.

Monday 11th May 2020

Hailstones on the grey path as I wheel the bike over the step. Bastard! And after a full kitchen warm-up too. Reluctantly, I wheel the bike back in but leave the bike clothes on. I sit on the couch and read about growing up poor and trying to hold down a manual job during coronavirus. Then the sun comes out. So I wheel the bike out again, check the saddle and chainset, then tentatively make my way out onto the road, dodging dogshit and tiny fragments of broken glass. It’s nippy and the woodland trail might be gloopy after last night’s rain, so I go uphill towards Castleside. Further on, I hit a gravel path and make my way up towards Consett’s old slagheaps. Then downhill towards Bridgehill, then left towards another gravel path, steep and sketchy till I reach the river then pedal back through the woods to Allensford. The A68 is a killer climb, Four Seasons in One day by Crowded House comes to mind as I puff and pant and hope my creaking knees won’t give out. Five minutes later, I’m freewheeling down the main road from Castleside to Moorside. Then back indoors to expressions of confusion all over Facebook regarding government guidelines. Stay home, go to work, avoid public transport, wear a mask, be alert. The rest of the day is slow and it’s beans on toast for the out of work so-called poet. 10.06pm.

Tuesday 12th May 2020

Late start despite early rise. Morning pages took a long time, then I made the mistake of ‘just checking updates’ and ended up online all morning. Then I collected up notebooks to revisit this summer. I have at least forty-four writing marathon books, six volumes of 2006, nine volumes of 2020 plus workshop notebooks and previous Scribbles from this year. I’m hoping to pull a new volume together. It’s quite a significant year, given that I’ve been on the planet for five decades now. And what with everything else going on at present… Bike ride was a bit short today. Just down to Allensford, Shotley Bridge then back through The Grove. Fifty minutes. From tomorrow I can go out without worrying about time limits. Obviously I don’t want to take the piss, and I’ll be aiming for out of the way locations where most people won’t care to tread. My knees are a bit fucked up though. Bit swollen. Not massively, but not great. They have probably been that way awhile but I only noticed due to wearing shorts. I found a bunch of NHS leg-strengthening exercises online and did all seven this evening. Watched Classic Albums ‘Queen – A Night at the Opera’ DVD. I’ll go online for Newsnight soon. 10.35pm.

Wednesday 13th May 2020

No biking today. Thought it best to stay in when it was so cold this morning. Read a bit of Geoff Hattersley’s ‘Port of Entry’ poetry collection and some of Natalie Goldberg’s WILD MIND. Did a food haul this afternoon; I got to the front of the Tesco queue in about two minutes. Bought more fruit and veg. Been a bit tired and lethargic of late. Took the Onza pedals off the Specialized XC bike and put them back on the Hitman trials bike. Unfortunately the handlebar and stem combo I wanted from Tarty Bikes has sold out. And no suitable alternative in the same price bracket. Was meant to get an early night but I’m watching Newsnight. Charlie Brooker is telling Emily Maitlis about his Viral Wipe programme. Hope things improve in the coming days. 11.30pm.

Thursday 14th May 2020

Best bike ride in a long while. Rode some little windy trails on the far side of the River Derwent, found some nifty little trials sections I’d like to do, but the 27-speed isn’t the tool for the job, but getting a single speed bike with no seat from Moorside to Shotley Bridge and back would take ages. I want a do-it-all bike. I want it to have a slightly smaller frame than the Specialized Rockhopper, slightly bigger than the Giant STP, great up front geometry so I can hit the trails; short back end, wide back rim, and a quick engagement Hope Pro Trials hub so I can ride little geriatric trial sections now and again; and sixteen gears for general transport. I’d probably have to get a frame custom made, and I’d need a titanium bottom bracket, and maybe wider handlebars. But never mind, one can dream. I spoke to Mam and Ernie. They’ve been making masks. I watched some bike vids, listened to The Boatman’s Call by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and keyed in some notes. Thought I had a new prose poem worth sharing but it needs a lot more work. I’m off to bed early tonight coz I’ve had three lates in a row. I’d like to be out of bed by eight if possible. Wasted ages this evening looking online for cheap handlebars. All the ones I liked are out of stock. 11.42 pm.

Friday 15th May 2020

Long day. Woke just after six. Can’t remember much of it. Tidied the front room a bit more. Talked to Jenni on the phone. She gave me all the updates about her mam. Jenni is at present going no further than the garden. Late this afternoon I went to Consett to give Kyle his money. Chatted out front for a while. Got more red pepper soup at Barry’s Bargain Superstore. Got word about a Hands Off Gretel colour art zine. Had fish fingers and chips for tea. Tried to watch Fish on Friday but it wouldn’t load. Watched Charlie Brooker’s Viral Wipe instead. Then I did some knee-strengthening exercises, but may have overdone it on the single leg stand. Had cheese on crusty bread out of the microwave then the last hot cross bun. Now Newsnight is on. Still not exactly clear what the government are playing at. Don’t even get me started on care homes and schools. Fuck you, Daily Fail. 11.14 pm.

Saturday 16th May 2020

Pissed off that my body is failing me big time. Stupid fucking leg exercise. I rechecked the source in case I was doing it wrong. No, it definitely said keep the one leg you’re standing on straight and lean forwards – thus locking the knee joint with about twelve stone of weight on it. And this is supposed to alleviate pain? Fuck off! Not impressed at all. Rode the bike this afternoon and my knees were in an uproar on the first little off-road climb. Bastard! Watched a load of technical hill climb stuff on YouTube this evening. A lot of it similar to stuff I used to do on the Zoo Pitbull bike. Big boulders you can just bulldozer up and over. Some of the blokes just hit obstacles sitting down, FFS! No trials bike necessary. I’ve been reading bits of ‘NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND – Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture’ by Stephen Duncombe. Very good, but made me want to order a load of zines from Antiquated Future. Think I just need to focus on editing for a while. And try to control my calorific intake. I’m going to bed well early for a Saturday night. 10.17 pm.

Sunday 17th May 2020

Starting to get RSI in the left wrist again. Had trouble making up a morning pages booklet. Didn’t go out on the bike. Not looking forward to mowing the lawn this week. Read up on joint pain, considered taking cherry active juice, but it’s twenty-six quid for a bottle that contains only thirty servings. And I doubt a month would be long enough to see any improvement. At present, right ankle, left knee, left wrist and right shoulder are dodgy. I’m a total knacker. Totally weak upper body. Sometimes even just lifting a kettle of water is enough to send shooting pains up my arm. Sometimes in the past just holding a heavy paperback open was too much for my wrists. Not fucking happy. I only started thinking about biking and more exercise coz I’ve got a pot belly from all the winter indulgence. I’ve never lifted anything heavier than shopping basket for best part of a decade. Weakling. I should sleep wearing a wrist brace, but I don’t now where mine is. It might be in the back room. Or the bike space. Enough for now. 11.05pm.

Monday 18th May 2020

Did morning pages downstairs. Change of scenery. Didn’t bike again today coz it was looking like rain. Hand in an uproar for much of the day. Been trying a few hand exercises. This afternoon I did a preliminary read through of some of this year’s notebooks. Listened to radio programme featuring Simon Armitage and Peter Hook talking about Ian Curtis and the influence of Joy Division. This evening I watched the JD documentary on DVD. I have been eating more sensibly but still hitting the Red Leicester. 11.30 pm.

Tuesday 19th May 2020

Okay, so miraculously the left hand was okay this morning. I went out on the bike with the intention of just staying on tarmac round the estate but took a little trundle along a dirt track near the new cemetery then around the quarry edge into some woodland trails just below the new Castleside houses. Good fun zipping back and forth on singletrack through trees towards A68. Much better than deep ruts and gloop from motocross and quad bikes. Vacuumed the house today. It nearly killed me. And triggered more left wrist pain. Made a rudimentary brace from a plastic ruler broken in half for double thickness, a piece of denim and some sellotape. It’s been great. Helped keep hand steady for typing. Been online chatting to Jenni much of the evening. It’s almost suppertime then Newsnight. 10.34pm.

Wednesday 20th May 2020

Getting ready to go out took longer than anticipated. Quarter to twelve before I got away. Had a great time down on the riverside trails – for about five hours. I rode through a few streams, cleaned a couple of modest sections. Cross country bike is pretty cool but I’d like to try the proper trials bike. I made a few videos but they didn’t come out so good. Might get one or two good stills from them. Got home just before five, absolutely knackered. Chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas and gravy for tea. Watched a couple of ‘Mountain Biking UK’ DVDs. Jenni has been in touch. She’s done loads of work for her mam lately. 10.25pm.

Thursday 21st May 2020

Everything aches, as expected. Out to town for bank transactions and food shopping. Three hours. Took longer to get out of Tesco than to get in. College sent links again for Disclosure and Barring System updates but they didn’t work. Eventually said they’d update details on my behalf. Slept a lot this afternoon. Chatted about finances with Jenni and made a tuna salad. I’m seeing signs on social media that lockdown restrictions might be lifted soon. I’ll believe it when I see it. 10.45pm.

Friday 22nd May 2020

Good little ride to Shotley Bridge and back this morning. Red pepper soup and a banana then out to Consett again – bank transactions and rest of the food. Resisted the temptation to buy a copy of Mountain Biking UK magazine. Walked home with the weight of the backpack putting pressure on my heels in the only decent boots I’ve got at present. Feet sore by the time I got home. Slept on the couch. Fish fingers and chips and Facebook. Read a chapter on ‘work’ from Stephen Duncombe’s zine culture book. Considered myself lucky to be free from the 9 to 5 for best part of twenty-one years. 10.45pm.

Saturday 23rd May 2020

Not a great day. Too wet to cut the grass. Too tired to do much on the computer. Keyed in some notes. Watched a load of Queen videos on YouTube. Read about Tory advisor breaking lockdown rules. I'm going to watch Boomtown Rats documentary. Me and Jenni saw them at Newcastle Academy a fair few years ago. I'm tired. My sleep pattern is fucked. I looked at handlebars online again today. Narrowed down to two brands. But they will need to be cut down. Watched a great Jeff Lenosky and Lance Trappe trials video on YouTube in which they sessioned some of their favourite old-school spots on new bikes. There is a punk top of the pops on after the Rats. Was good to see Toyah and her band chatting online this morning. Great to get bike pix up online, canny response. 9.20 pm.

Sunday 24th May 2020

Today has been a washed out day but I got to rest and did social media until this evening. Then some exercises to alleviate ache's and pains. Had a good chicken dinner. And some cheese sandwiches. But it's mainly been political distractions. I could have mowed the grass but didn't want to disturb the peace and quiet on a Sunday. I might do it tomorrow though. But I'm aiming to be out on the bike first. I am trying to not go full-tilt outrage online. I mean, why let these cunts get the better of you. Why stoop to aggressive impulses over these pieces of shit. It's awful for people who have done the right thing – not seen loved ones, missed funerals – to be told that some sod pulling the strings in Westminster in a tracksuit and anorak acted with integrity. And the other bloke – just fuck off, you pretender. Fuck all who support you. 11.30pm.

Monday 25th May 2020

Good to get out on the bike today. Went up to the old waste ground past Castleside where I used to train for trials when the quarry was too muddy. Found it really hard to any of the old lines on the Specialized bike coz engagement in the rear hub is shite. Anything requiring a quick start from standstill, a backhop or a step up is ten times harder with poor pick-up from the ratchet in the freehub. I have good pick-up on the trials bike. I might give it a go later in the week. Got back about half four. Got washed then tuned in to the latest instalment of the current political shit show. Tomorrow I will try to cut the grass. I'm hoping it won't take too much effort. I need another drink. Bit of a dehydration headache, I think. Was meant to be going to bed early. I'm struggling to write but did some pretty aggressive morning pages that are usable. Enough here. 11.29pm.

Tuesday 26th May 2020

The more I read Stephen Duncombe's analysis of zine culture the less I want to define any pamphlet, chapbook, monograph, booklet whatever of mine as a zine. I love perzines, and the ones I like best aren't overtly political in the way the author is describing other types of zine. To me there is little difference in the approach of my favourite zinesters – McMains, Miller, etc – and the autobiographical writings of Rollins and Bukowski. I like perzines coz they remind me of the two established authors I've been reading in standard paperback format for over three decades. I don't give a fuck if something is underground, overground, wombling free – if it's good I don’t care if everyone on the planet likes it. Elitism occurs at both ends of the spectrum. And I don't give a shit about elite – except as a level of riding in biketrial competition. I cut the grass today. Did the lot, front and back, in an hour. Well, all except some of the stubborn periphery that kept snapping my dwindling supply of plastic blades. I only had a slice of toast, two crispbread and cheese, and an orange for dinner. Late bike ride this afternoon was okay but gears slipped a couple of times spoiling hill climbs. Been scrolling politics and reading the zine book. I will tune in to Newsnight for further developments. 10.29pm.

Wednesday 27th May 2020

That twat still hasn't done the decent thing. I want to see him fry. Got up late coz I didn't go to bed till half two this morning. Read more bullshit about current affairs then had some red pepper soup. Checked out some quick-engaging mountain bike rear hubs online. Most got poor reviews. People saying they destroyed them in a few months. Obviously, my riding will be positively pedestrian compared to the wild boys on the big bikes. But I'd rather avoid something given the thumbs-down. Hope’s Pro II trials hub works best for me, but well over a hundred quid each. Maybe when I win the lottery... I went to Consett. Lots of traffic but not many people in town centre. Not too bad in Tesco. I splashed out on the new Mountain Biking UK magazine – for the first time in about fourteen years – and was rather disappointed. I am way too poor to afford any of the stuff reviewed. A grand is seen as the minimum spend for a half decent hardtail these days. And a full suspension proper downhiller (which I hate) can be anything up to five or six grand. Fuck that! There's a couple of good location reviews, but I'm content to just trundle about the local trails on my fully rigid XC bike. I did some indoor strengthening exercises this evening. Going to watch Newsnight then hopefully asleep by midnight. 10.20pm.

Thursday 28th May 2020

Good ride up to Parkhead Station today. Had a little chat with Claire Stokoe halfway there. Found some ace little rocks to ride over just past the café (which surprisingly was open) then had a quick burn back to Moorside. Spoke to Mam and Ernie on the phone. Enjoyed my cheese, tomato and mixed pepper baguette. Read some more of MBUK magazine. Not as bad as initially thought. I read some Connie Bensley poems and watched the six and seven o’clock news. Apparently it’s all going to be great when people can go in family gardens from Monday. And then track and trace comes in and anyone you’ve had contact with who gets Covid-19 gives a list of all their contacts and you have to self-isolate for fourteen days, symptoms or no symptoms. Cuntings is still in a job. This evening I listened to Hands Off Gretel (I Want The World) and Attila the Stockbroker (Disestablished) CDs downstairs. No online social media and I feel better for it. I’ll be in bed early tonight. OK, time for the porridge. 10.10pm.

Friday 29th May 2020

Good to get out on the Onza Hitman trials bike this morning. Difficult to ride coz it’s so low to the ground but with a high bottom bracket, compared to high bars and low bottom bracket on the Specialized. And since I last attempted any trials moves on the Onza my legs have become weaker. Don’t have a low enough gear to hop the bike out of a hole from a standstill, but managed to scoop up onto a ledge and back wheel hop off again. So at least I know the quick-engaging hub helps stability on the back wheel. Talked online with Jenni at dinnr time about changes to lockdown. Chatted to Tracy Speeding in Tesco this afternoon for a while. I got a message from Olivia Hyde of Bad Pollyanna. I intended to watch her show online tonight but the wifi went off about forty minutes before she was due to start so I missed it. Four hours later it still hasn’t come back on. I read a bit more of Stephen Duncombe’s zine book and watched Hit So Hard, the Patty Schemel (Hole drummer) documentary on DVD. I can hear noise from late night garden sitters days before restrictions are lifted. Had my porridge. No wifi so off to bed. 10.32pm.


Saturday 30th May 2020

Difficult to sleep last night. Too hot. Internet came back on after midnight but went back off again around half eight this morning. Read quite a bit more of the zine book then watched some Ali Clarkson biketrial videos on YouTube for a while. Tonight I'm watching a video of original punk figure Jordan being interviewed by Ben Westwood. She talked a bit about McLaren's shop Males her involvement with Adam Ant. Made me want to read her book Defying Gravity. Yet another music-related autobiography to add to the list. My hands are still tingling after the short trials session on Friday morning. 11.13pm.


Sunday 31st May 2020

WiFi being fucking useless again. Only a few hours of service today. Today's ride started slow and unstable. Didn't feel confident on the trail. And too many people about. Particularly people in groups who don't have a fucking clue what two metres looks like. It's six and a half feet. The height of a door, you fucking idiots! I managed to get through some tricky terrain in harder gears than usual. I've been watching Ali Clarkson biketrial again. Read a ride route report in Mountain Biking UK. And re-read the first section of The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over The Hills by Charles Bukowski. It's a poetry collection consisting of early chapbooks. I only liked a handful of the pieces read, unfortunately. But the Jane love poems were particularly moving. I skimmed through a few volumes of this year's morning pages and listed passages that might be usable. Lots of typing involved. Tonight I did a light weight-training session. Left arm isn't great, right one okay. Legs seem to be getting better if this morning's hill climbs were anything to go by.  No phone calls. Not much noise in the neighbourhood. Maybe they're all saving themselves for garden parties of six officially acceptable from tomorrow. I can't see myself getting back to work anything like my version of normal anytime soon. If the WiFi doesn't come back on tonight I'll be early to bed. 10.02pm.