JULY

Wednesday 1st July 2020

Enjoyed  all the Frasier episodes this morning. Sam from Cheers was in one.  Me and Jenni had curry for dinner. Jenni did more tweaks on my ‘device’. I looked up some heavy metal videos. A three-issue subscription to Zero Tolerance magazine is a tenner.  Today's been a bit rainy, but we got out for a walk with Jen’s mam. We went round to Sky Hawkins’ house so Jenni could drop off a present. I enjoyed my cheese on toast tea.  Later, there was hot chocolate. We watched Bed Amongst the Lentils (starring Lesley Manville) from Alan Bennett’s ‘Talking Heads’ series. Then Marvellous, a thoroughly uplifting film based on the life of Neil Baldwin who, amongst numerous unbelievable things and against the odds, became kit man/morale booster for Stoke football club and student greeter at Keele University. We are going to watch the next Alan Bennett: ‘Nights in the Gardens of Spain’. Having peanut butter on toast for supper. Really tired today. Looking forward to things getting better for all. 10.41pm.    

Thursday 2nd July 2020  

More Frasier and Big Bang Theory this morning. Stayed till midday then biked home to Consett. Took two hours coz I wanted to stay in one easy gear. Went into town for shopping. More totally vacant dickheads in the supermarket. I got back at half six. Watched a few music videos, had curry and chips for tea. Three Eccles cakes. Ordered Black Metal book by Dayal Patterson from Amazon. I like reading about it, but most of the bands’ song lyrics are pointless – can’t make out a single line. I like words more than guitar riffs. I have tried a few bands but none are as good as Venom in my opinion. Cradle of Filth would be ace if I could get the words on a first listen. Their vocalist Danni writes good stories for his songs. Venom’s front man doesn’t put on much of a growl; he pretty much sounds like a gruff troll all the time, albeit with a Geordie accent. Charged up the tablet for Newsnight and the smaller device for morning updates. 10.25pm.   

Friday 3rd July 2020  

Found a great goth paperback journal amongst the old copies of Kerrang! this afternoon. Talked to brother Mark on the phone this evening. Ate six Eccles cakes in less than twenty-four hours. Listened to the first Mayhem album, found a couple of great metal magazines. Read some political stuff. Been upstairs most of the time. I’ll just be reading till Monday. Then making a hardback notebook for Jen’s mam. Itchy tonight coz I haven’t shaved.  Done no exercise at all. Printed out the lyrics to the first Mayhem album. Listened to Darkthrone and Behemoth. Currently playing Venom live tracks on YouTube. People might think it rather strange listening to all this doom and gloom at my age but I don’t give a shit. Read a bunch of stuff about pub rules in place for tomorrow. I have no intention of being in pubs any time soon. Not until they have gigs on again. Which I don’t see happening this side of Christmas. 11.10 pm.   

Saturday 4th July 2020   

Did abdominal exercises this morning then shaved my head. Read more history of black metal and listened to numerous bands. Most are bloody awful but I enjoyed some – Celtic Frost, Triptykon, Behemoth. I watched half of Cradle of Filth’s Bloodstock set. The music is great but Danni’s incomprehensible vocals are unnecessary. Just clean them up, let people hear your words. After all, you went to the trouble of making them scan and employ good imagery and humour. I’m aiming to read more on the British metal scene. And I’d really like to check out more Triptykon. Tony Gadd responded to my previous blog post. He says the cycle route to Bishop Auckland isn’t well signposted. I know the way now though. I need to read some small press poetry and zines but at present I’m enjoying doing what I wanted to do – listening to music, reading music biographies and riding bikes. If the weather picks up I might go out tomorrow coz I’ve got to stay in on Monday for deliveries. New ‘device’ case arrived today and it’s great. Had an online chat with Jenni. It’s seventeen degrees in Moorside but damp. My feet are cold and my pen is running out of ink. Tomorrow I’ll sit downstairs all day if I’m not out on the bike. 11.25pm.   

Sunday 5th July 2020   

The black metal book ordered on Thursday was meant to arrive tomorrow. But I had a knock on the door at quarter past four this afternoon and there it was. Evolution of the Cult by Dayal Patterson. It’s over 500 pages long, weighs a ton. I read about Venom, Merciful Fate, Bathory, Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. The bands got a chapter each. I remember Celtic Frost from the eighties. ‘Into the Pandemonium’ was a fairly experimental album. I listened to the band yesterday. I can hear echoes of Bauhaus and bits reminiscent of Swans. Read about Tom Fischer’s deprived upbringing – left alone as a young child for weeks on end in a farmhouse, struggles with townsfolk and difficulties in being taken seriously as a musician. Feel like Celtic Frost and his follow-up band Triptykon would be worth checking out. Wind and rain put me off going out on the bike. Might get a ride tomorrow. I haven’t been online so much today. I’m keen to do some low-key book stuff. For the rest of this evening I’ll continue reading Patterson’s book. Chuffed it arrived early. 10.16pm.    

Monday 6th July 2020   

Read a bit more Evolution of the Cult this morning. Copied up stuff from when I was away at Jen’s place last week. Then I listened to some more metal. Venom’s ‘Metal Black’ is a good album. Darkthrone’s ‘A Blaze in the Northern Sky’ more sonically challenging – lyrics incomprehensible to the ear. I folded and trimmed pages for a blank 160-page notebook. Case already made. Cheese and mixed pepper baguette for tea. More Black Metal. Then out on the bike for an hour. Rode some trails down by the river. Some muddy bits, but on the whole great fun. Got back about quarter to nine. My left knee has been tingling since the 50-mile ride to Bishop Auckland and back over a week ago. Bike hasn’t been cleaned this year. I’m only using a couple of gears, switching from 32T ring to 22T granny ring. Been reading a bit more about Master’s Hammer and VON. Newsnight is on. Picture quality is shit. WiFi at fault. My right arm and ribs hurt. I’m done for today. 11.29pm.   

Tuesday 7th July 2020   

Should’ve been out to cut grass but got a late start to the morning. I read till dinnertime then sewed up a book for Jen’s mam. Listened to a couple of Satyricon albums that I bought over ten years ago. Both sound ace. Well produced, strong vocals/lyrics and cool riffs. Not like most of the shite I’ve been reading about lately. Played Thornography by Cradle of Filth. A lot of the music seemed familiar. Sounded good, surprised by the amount of clean vocals on it. The music almost a gothic take on Iron Maiden and lyrics somewhere between The Earl of Rochester, Oscar Wilde and smutty Hammer Horror – fucking hilarious. I saw Cradle in 2007 at Newcastle Academy. And Satyricon in the small room at the same venue the year before. Brother Mark rang today. We talked about bike parts and riding as old men. Then I glued up the page-block for the hardback notebook. Listened to One Thousand Days in Sodom and In League with Satan by Venom. Oh, and watched Ali Clarkson on video building an old-school Martin Hawes signature trials bike then riding it. More black metal reading afterwards. It’s been a canny day. 11.16pm.    

Wednesday 8th July 2020

Bit achy today due to working in the garden for two-and-a-half hours, the last forty minutes of which was spent pruning the thorny overgrowth by the back door. Got some cuts and blotches on my arms but aggravation soon died down. Got Jen’s mam’s book bound this morning. Halfway through making a second one. I moved away from heavy metal and listened to the Iggy and the Stooges ‘Original Punks’ deluxe set, then Broken Toys by Bad Pollyanna. Their singer, Olivia Hyde did another of her solo piano shows online this evening. Her favourite songwriters included Kate Bush, David Bowie and Bjork. Excellent covers of Cloudbusting, Absolute Beginners and Joga. Been messaging Jenni. She says not to bring too much food this weekend as she has loads. I’ll take a couple of tins of Red Pepper and Lentil soup. Haven’t read much today. Enjoying the Darkthrone chapter of Evolution of the Cult this evening. Bit of a revelation that at time of publication (2013) the bands founder, Fenriz, was still working for the Post Office which he joined in 1987 –  Bukowski of the black metal world. Hoping to get out on the trials bike before the weekend. Done here. 11.33 pm.   

 Thursday 9th July 2020

Got Jen’s mam’s books finished and wrapped. Got to Consett for food. Very surprised no queues in or out of the supermarket. Only odd thing was Boyes closing at ten to four, just as I got there. I’m back to gawping at bicycles. As well as the Sonder Frontier, I am now gazing at the Surly Karate Monkey rigid 27.5 adventure bike. Been listening to  Polish blackened death metal band, Behemoth, who have recently covered The Cure’s "A Forest". Previously they’ve done versions tracks by of Nine Inch Nails, Bowie and Venom. I watched their Maida Vale BBC session video. It was fucking ace. I would love to check out more of their material. I like the polished mega-riffs, the dark atmosphere and cathedral of sound they make. I like the visuals of the videos, very sinister. And I like the vocals being a lot cleaner than early extreme metal. I am going to buy a couple of their CDs. Wish I’d got to see them play live last time they were in the UK. I wanted to bike today but was a bit tired after working on books then walking to Consett and back. I’m aiming to get to Jenni’s tomorrow but might have to wait till Saturday when the weather is forecast to be much better. Need a trials ride soon as well. 11.42pm.

Friday 10th July 2020

Took me all day to key in the previous eight entries. I’ve been mainly listening to new music and trying to get some of the lines to stick. Chuffed to hear four Motorhead albums back to back. Plus snippets of Darkthrone and Gorgoroth. I read Fenriz and Nocturno Culto interviews. Good to have a bit of online humour with Jenni. I was supposed to be at her place today but the rain was bad and I didn’t want to risk things getting damaged in transit. I checked out more books I’d like to read, including The Death Archives by Mayhem bassist Jorn Stubberud aka Necrobutcher. It was published by Thurston Moore’s (ex Sonic Youth) Ecstatic Peace Library. I have listed loads of stuff to read and listen to. Had my big fish fingers and chips lunch but forgot to get a drink until half three. How my head didn’t explode amazes me. When I get back from Jen’s I’ll sit down and select material to fill a little booklet. I aim to be asleep by midnight. Need to be up early tomorrow. Hope the weather is okay. 10.58pm. 

Saturday 11th July 2020

Optimistic dreams about workshopping this morning. Awoke at six. Good to be up early and ready to go to Jen’s place. Quite a few bikers on the trail. Got to Bensham at ten. Jenni made chilli and rice for dinner. We went out to Coatsworth Road. Jenni wore her tiger mask. I didn’t go in the shops. Read a bit of a Queen biography and some of a Classic Rock magazine from 2006. I made egg salad sandwiches for tea. Had chocolate and peanuts. Then out with Jen’s mam for a walk to Saltwell Park. Jenni had arranged a surprise meet up with Sky Hawkins. Good to sit on the blankets and talk about poetry and work. I’ve not done much poetry during lockdown. We had cloudy lemonade and Sky brought cakes. We sat ninety minutes then people needed to leave for bladder relief. Back in the attic for The Voice - Kids. Some great little singers on there. Then watched the news. Surprised Covid-19 didn’t feature more prominently. Apparently live performances are allowed outside now. Reckon it’ll be next year before I’ll be performing again. 10.33pm. 

Sunday 12th July 2020 

Long lie in till quarter to ten. Did morning pages at Jen’s desk with the little lights around it. We watched some politics on Sunday Morning Live. Then went over to her mam’s flat. View from the 13th floor is awesome: St James’s Park, the Tyne, Dunston, Team Valley and beyond… Jen and her mam made dinner. Pie and veg. Caramel fudge ice cream later. Watched Shirley Valentine this afternoon. Back in the attic after tea we watched Ross Noble off-road trials challenge – six-day Scottish event. Really good. Dougie Lampkin won it with just one penalty point. Ross was about 287th. We watched the IT crowd – ‘Friend Face’ and ‘boss-eyed charity calendar’ episodes. Had salad sandwiches, nuts, grapes and chocolate. Lewis is on. I looked at Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace Library publishing house – great punk zine repros and the Mayhem book. Had a look through some of the 1001 albums to hear before you die. Bit tired now. Enjoyable day. Still a bit hungry. 10.15pm.

Monday 13th July 2020

Awake by seven. Jenni was up before me to take delivery of a food haul. I did three pages then had porridge. Managed to get shaved on the landing with an oversized egg cup of water. Checked out another bunch of the 1001 albums you should listen to before you die. PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, Sepultura, The Icarus Line… At twelve, me and Jenni took presents over to her mam’s flat. Hilary was chuffed with her birthday card, poster and books. We looked out the window again then all came back to the big house. Had pizza and fries. Listened to some music upstairs then went outside. Jen’s uncle and auntie came round to sit in the garden for a while. Chatted, drank lemonade and ate crisps. Then the rain came. Goodbyes and back inside Jen prepared more food. We were joined by Janet and Naj for cheese and onion quiche, tomatoes, grapes, nuts, cinnamon buns and carrot cake. Afterwards there was a surprise zoom chat with David and Alix O’Hanlon Alixandra. First time for me. I don’t have the tech equipment or savvy to do it myself. Jen made drinks in beakers that light up and change colour. We put the lights out and listened to absolute rock and took spooky selfies in the dark. Danced a bit, chatted and walked Jen’s mam back to the flat around ten. A few more pix by the window against an illuminated Tyneside. Cheese on toast for supper with hot chocolate and more Absolute Radio. 11.17pm.

Tuesday 14th July 2020    

Me and Jenni stayed awake talking about coronavirus and masks and deceitful politicians. Only six hours sleep. Read some more of 1001 albums book. I’ve picked out about twenty-five over the last couple of days. Stuff to listen to back home, including: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys, Punishing Kiss by Ute Lemper, I Am Bird Now by Antony and the Johnsons, School’s Out by Alice Cooper and 1919 by John Cale. Had red pepper and lentil soup for dinner. Cheese sandwich for tea. Watched ‘Staged’ on iPlayer starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen. Derry Girls is on now. Jenni has gone to bed. She has a few aches and pains. “What sort of arthritis is the one where you’re bones break easily?” she asked. Osteoporosis? Think I’m getting another coldsore. It will be interesting to see how society looks in another few weeks when the mask thing is enforced. By December I’ll be getting concerned about money. 10.38pm.  

Wednesday 15th July 2020  

Gateshead shops weren’t too busy and wearing a mask was okay. Veggie burgers and chips for dinner. Checked out latest issue of Zero Tolerance extreme music magazine online. Left at three to visit Jen’s mam. Looked out the big window at the trains and traffic. Ate a chunk of carrot cake. Back in the attic for Pointless and the news. There might be a vaccine next year. Chicken curry and rice for tea. Watched the pilot episode of Taggart tonight. 10.47pm.   

Thursday 16th July 2020   

Last day at Jen’s for a while. It’s been great to spend nearly a week there. We’ve had lots of laughs, cuddles, good food. It’s been amazing to see how productive Jen’s been this year helping her mam out, doing the flat and the lovely birthday on Monday. Yesterday she gave me another black Covid-19 mask for the supermarket. Today we had an all-day breakfast for dinner. I left for Consett around twenty past two. Did the ride in about an hour and forty minutes. WiFi went off five minutes after getting home and it’s still off six and a half fucking hours later. Tonight I was supposed to be reading but just listened to The Principle of Evil Made Flesh by Cradle of Filth then tried out some prose fragments for a booklet. I don’t think I’m a zine maker. I always embellish a project until it becomes a proper poetry chapbook or ‘deluxe’ monograph, or something of that nature. I looked at Julia Eff’s ‘Beloved Hero Cheats Death’ and Jessie Lynn McMains’s ‘Reckless Chants #22’. I revisited two handwritten Rollins pamphlets and a couple of Chris Francz ‘Trinket’ mini-zines. I knocked up an A6 blank booklet dummy. Maybe A5 is better. Do I handwrite or print text? Too tired tonight. I bet the net doesn’t come back on before bed. 10.43pm. 

Friday 17th July 2020 

Fucking WiFi off again. My landline sounds like a TV showroom of total static. Couldn’t even hear phone messages on playback. Ears hurting with the buzz. Used emergency mobile ‘device’ to ring Mam and Ernie. Mam has carpal tunnel syndrome. Ernie is tired after working down the allotment. Mark hasn’t been in touch. Nor Diane or Kyle. Texted updates to Jenni. WiFi came back on tonight. Tried to order three items online in the last hour and road blocked on all of them. Listened to about three hours of Venom and two hours of Rod Stewart. Then Goo by Sonic Youth, which is an excellent album. Would like to hear much more of their stuff. Saw them on the Daydream Nation tour over thirty years ago. A Friday night in September 1989. Mudhoney supported. Both were ace. I have been typing and copying up. Need to get more stuff done over the weekend. Don’t need to be online so much but don’t want it to go off again. Read a couple of Thurston Moore’s articles on Black Metal. I am going to play Goo a few more times this weekend. 10.46 pm.  

Saturday 18th July 2020  

Well so much for getting lots of my booklet done. I had more hassle from the phone company today. I had to take instructions from a call centre and unscrew the BT box on the wall and check the direct phone line in an internal socket. It still crackled like fuck. Eventually after an hour and two phone calls I got a booking for an engineer to fix the faulty line on Wednesday. I got ten pages of my zine pasted up in a preliminary layout. I have another dozen pages selected for tomorrow. I have graphics, typeset stuff and handwritten. I'm hoping to do another one for the next six months then I'd like to compile the best bits with longer pieces from this year for a 120-page annual. My soundtrack over the last few days has been quite eclectic. Rod Stewart, Venom, Darkthrone, Sonic Youth and TV Smith. I am tired now. Wifi was ok tonight. I feel a bit rough. Had my porridge and am ready for bed. 11.24pm. 

 

Sunday 19th July 2020  

I did one hundred abdominal crunches with the aid of the roller bar this morning before breakfast. Thought I might get out on the bike today but no such luck. Thirteen more pages laid out for my perzine today. Would have been more but bit a roadblock when some of the second generation photocopies were coming out too dark. I might have to print some pages direct from computer files. I'd rather the whole thing was done on the photocopier. I can scan the finished publication later for archive. I got a bit of a headache around five as well. Done about twelve or thirteen hours work. The soundtrack today included Antony and the Johnson's, PJ Harvey, Jill Tracy, Sonic Youth, Lou Reed and John Cale. I'm keeping a list of artists for my credits page. A lot of zinesters do it. I have a greater appreciation for the skill that goes into the multi-image spreads in Julia Eff zines after trying a few of my own busy layouts this weekend. I could do with chocolate or cake or both today. Bit of a domestic disturbance outside tonight. I don't know what it was about. I try not to get involved in other people's business. Keep myself to myself. It's nearly bedtime and I'm warm in short sleeves. Must have been a scorcher outside today. A bowl of porridge and I'm done. 11.25 pm.  

Monday 20th July 2020  

Great ride through the woods by the River Derwent this morning. Found my favourite trail dry and I got through a water section without putting a foot down. Would have liked to stay out longer but needed to be back to get some shopping done and to tidy up a bit. I really wanted to put in another zine session but left the computer off and looked at other people's zines instead. The Julia Eff titles are ace, in particular early work ‘Read and Destroy’, ‘What's Their Name?’ and ‘All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues’. I pulled out the Trace Ramsay zines as well – stuff stored away in my workshop trolley case for over two years now. College health and safety want to speak to me about autumn return to work. I don’t know if workshops will go ahead. Tonight I cleared some of the crap from my bedroom. Stopped short of vacuuming. But might do that some time tomorrow. Jenni is giving away furniture and audio equipment. No futon or stereo in her room plan. I watched Newsnight for the first time in nearly a fortnight. China revelations. Covid vaccine trials and Johnny Depp court case. I found it hard to stay awake. I hope to do more with the booklet tomorrow. Ok, time for a bit of supper then bed. 11.45pm.   

Tuesday 21st July 2020

Itchy face. Didn't have time to shave. I worked on the new booklet for about ten hours. Only got eight pages done. A double spread took three hours to collage. I see why it takes peeps ages to make their zines now. I ordered a little zine called ‘Stolen’ from Chris Francz of Delaware, USA. It's a little handwritten booklet. I have some of his trinket perzines. I'm hoping to send some of my stuff overseas but unless items are really small the postage is massive. I listened to Songs the Lord Taught Us by The Cramps but mostly just worked without music today. Currently listening to a funny song called ‘You Can Go Now’ by The Lovely Eggs. Jenni introduced me to them a couple of weeks ago. They are playing the Cluny in Newcastle next February (if gigs are allowed by then). I finally got to order Zero Tolerance extreme music mag from the website. Issue 96 should hit the doormat in due course. I still have over half of Evolution of the Cult to read. And Gospel of Filth. I'm supposed to be off to bed early coz the open reach tech guy could arrive anytime from eight in the morning. I hope it's a bit later though. The end of my zine will be hard to do. I might have to write a new bit to close it off. I think it will be a good little read though. OK. 11.20pm. 

Wednesday 22nd July 2020   

Six hours sleep wasn’t enough. Went to bed a bit late and had to be up early for the tech bloke to sort the landline out. He was only in about five minutes then went off to find the fault, requiring a ‘dig’ in a street nearby. I sent a copy of my Steve Achieves #14 to Olivia Hyde of Bad Pollyanna for a project to accompany the band’s song The Escape. I thought she might find it interesting but didn’t think she’d respond so quickly. She wants to interview me for a video. Sod’s law, all my tech stuff is naff when I could do with being able to communicate professionally. Still knackered this afternoon, so I had to lie down. Been working on my little zine. Stuck for my next pages and will have to read a lot more to find decent bits to complete it. Been listening to The Lovely Eggs, who are hilarious. Watched a Henry Rollins video on how to take care of your vinyl and record player - also hilarious. Tonight I messed around with graphics and text for the booklet. Jenni phoned about eleven and is still on the line. She offered me her digital TV as she has just bought a bigger one. It’s almost bedtime but I’ve not had supper yet. OK. 11.44 pm.

Thursday 23rd July 2020

Bald tyres on wet trails do not ‘clean’ sections make. I didn’t get out till eight tonight. The bike rolls from my house without pedalling till after the little bridge near the bottom of the wood by the road to Allensford. Couldn’t get up any of the dirt slopes without putting a foot down. Poor traction as soon as any power was put through the cranks. Will try again on a day after a heat wave so everything is dusty again. I twatted my head off a few tree branches. Was only moving at walking pace but it was getting close to dusk and I’d been tired all day. I got a much better version of my booklet cover made this morning. Jenni shared a picture of her and Sky Hawkins eating chips. I watched a few Cherry Bombz songs on YouTube. Saw the band live twice in 1986. Wish I’d been able to see the classic line-up of Hanoi Rocks a couple of years earlier. Only saw the reformed version in 2001/2. Pretty good but no Sammy, Nasty and Razzle (RIP). One of the Northumberland poets did a set in a pub on Sunday night. Will I be gigging before the winter? Fingers crossed. 11.26pm.  

Friday 24th July 2020 

WiFi stayed on. Crackly phone line fixed. Didn’t get much done with my booklet but I read through months of morning pages for material to finish it. Found enough card for booklet covers. Just need black sugar paper for endpapers. I listened to more Old Corpse Road and The Lovely Eggs. Had fish fingers and chips. Shaved and packed up for Jen’s place. Decent ride down the cycle path. My knees held up okay. Good to see Jen’s new room layout. New red carpet and comfy chairs. We are watching Hot Chocolate and Marc Almond on Top of the Pops. 11.32pm.

Saturday 25th July 2020  

Big fucking rain woke me and Jen at quarter to five this morning. Thankfully it only lasted a couple of minutes. Hope my place isn’t flooded again. Got back to sleep and stayed in bed till ten to ten. Morning pages were more narrative today. I had a look at Matt McDonald’s ‘Who Are Your People?’ poetry pamphlet from Red Squirrel Press. Jenni is a little under the weather and I’ve had a few aches and pains in legs and arms. Watched Miss Marple, Murder She Wrote (historical re-enactment episode – black lives matter), Doctor Who and Ninja Warrior. Then The Voice -   Kids. A ten-year-old girl sang Highway to Hell. The song was probably written before her Dad was born. Jenni has Absolute Radio on now – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. First AC/DC album I heard was Back in Black on cassette. Going to watch The Post about newspaper publishing expose of Vietnam cover-ups by US government. Tonight I’m trying to avoid cakes and peanuts. 9.08pm.  

Sunday 26th July 2020 

Masked up after using the cash-point in Gateshead and went to Tesco. Bought some juice, buns, broccoli and frozen chips. Looked at magazines, CDs and DVDs. I went to Poundland for black paper but they didn’t have any. I tried Home Bargains but none there either. Need to buy online next week. My zine won’t be out till next month now. I’m probably going to have to rethink some of the content. I have the cover to tweak. But it’s all I’ve got to work on, so what the fuck. It takes as long as it takes.  I got back from town just in time to see Jack Frost in a farm yard warding off a real live tiger with a broom. I watched another Miss Marple. Jen slept a bit after that so I did some typing for a while. Made us some salad sandwiches for our 7pm tea. Had some cinnamon sticky buns and watched Dragon’s Den. I am not a businessman. I will put in many hours to turn out a product that will not be a best seller, not even close. TV News states that Brits returning from holidays in Spain will have to quarantine for a fortnight. Fucking stay in the UK till this shit is over, you stupid bastards! Rebus is on now 10.28pm.   

Monday 27th July 2020 

Been enjoying crime dramas on TV at Jen’s recently. Never had much time for Agatha Christie before but quite taken with the Miss Marple stuff this weekend. She’s a sneaky bugger who seems to worm her way into the lives of various cosy communities and no matter the plot she’s worked it all out for the denouement regardless of how little action she was privy to first hand. Usually she’s just hovering on the periphery, or sitting knitting. The Anthony Walker drama by Jimmy McGovern was powerful this evening. Really couldn’t stomach the serial killer thing afterwards so we watched New Tricks instead. I’ve had a nice steak pie dinner and a big cheese and tomato stotty. I’ve had strawberry trifle and crisps and a cup of hot chocolate. Olivia Hyde from Bad Pollyanna posted a selfie holding three of my books this morning. I’ve scrolled a bit online and got annoyed about Covid-19 again. You can sit on plane with strangers and fly to foreign countries but you can’t sit in a theatre. The weather has been a bit shitty today. Hoping for better tomorrow. 10.54pm.  

Tuesday 28th July 2020 

Lay awake listening to the wind rattle the window frame. Did my morning pages at half past six till seven then went back to sleep. Jenni got up before me. I had porridge for breakfast. Not much to pack for the ride home. On the bike by half ten. Sheltered by trees on the Derwent Walk for much of the time. Home by quarter past twelve to find three envelopes on the mat. Zero Tolerance extreme metal mag had good articles on Winterfylleth and Carach Angren. Checked out a few poems in Paper and Ink Zine. I love the mix of graphics and typography. Also got a little handwritten zine called ‘Stolen’ from Chris Francz. My left leg buckled a couple of times whilst out shopping this afternoon. Painful tendon below knee. Hard to walk. I bought a new journal and some glue sticks. Back home I ate a chicken curry with chips. Read more Zero Tolerance. Played tracks by Carach Angren. Never heard them before. Horror stories set to black metal with reasonably clear vocals. Awesome stuff. Watched Thomas Quick documentary. 11.25pm. 

Wednesday 29th July 2020   

Awkward day. Mixed feelings about live performance. Distracted much of the day while trying to do type-ups. Spoke to Amy from Terror in the Trees tonight. Discussed social distancing for the live horror attraction. Nice to get a message from Stephen Clark on Facebook. He’s doing okay and working from home. I’ve still got a strained knee and I’m nearly out of lawnmower blades. I’ve been listening to Behemoth, Carach Angren, Winterfylleth, Motorhead and The Lovely Eggs. Brother Mark phoned. Talked a bit about bikes and incompatible components. I watched an ace Winterfylleth gig online. I wanted to work on my zine but am way behind on other stuff. I watched the Waddy reopening video. Only 12 seats downstairs. How many more on the middle floor available? I've got Newsnight on now. More about late response from Gov to Covid-19. Fuck it. I’ve had enough of it. Jen says I should try out for Terror in the Trees and and see how things stand nearer the time. There will be social distancing but there is a possibility things might be shut down before October. I would like to do more music-related reading. Need to do my zine. Hate slow days. OK. 11.24pm.  

Thursday 30th July 2020

Mainly typing and copying-up. And gawping at beautiful mountain bikes that cost the equivalence of about five months living allowance. Played songs by Winterfylleth, Behemoth, Alice Cooper and Sonic Youth. Read ‘Stolen’ by Chris Francz and most of Paper and Ink literary zine. I want to go into town tomorrow to get some lawnmower blades. Hopefully I’ll get the grass cut and get out on the bike in the woods again. Just seen on Facebook that Greater Manchester and parts of Yorkshire are back on previous lockdown restrictions – families not allowed to meet indoors as of midnight. But they can still go to the pub? I have no idea how any of this works anymore. Hope we don’t get more restrictions in the North East. I only cross paths with people in town once or twice a week. Besides visiting Jenni, I keep interaction to an absolute minimum anyway. 10.50pm. 

Friday 31st July 2020 

Reopening of music venues and other public indoor spaces has been postponed for at least a fortnight. Info was broadcast to the nation while I was on the phone to mam. I went to Gralands DIY hardware shop in Consett to get lawnmower blades as I was down to my last three spares. Sod’s law, I didn’t break a single blade when I mowed the grass this afternoon. This evening I risked the threat of rain to ride my favourite trail in both directions. I’m tempted to take the proper trials bike sometime next week. I got back form the river ride around nine. I’ve had a tracker bar and looked at Zero Tolerance magazine. Checked out a band called Acarash, a Norwegian trio who play blackened doom metal with a touch of 70s heavy rock. Keen to hear more from them. I got no zine work done today. I might stay up to watch Newsnight for reaction to the latest Covid-19 instalment. 10.38pm.