OCTOBER

 Thursday 1st October 2020

 

Made up more zines today. Sent out six copies. Felt a bit knackered coz I went to bed late and was up early to write then hit the 9.00am post collection. Read the rest of the college’s safeguarding children notes. Edited some prose and shared my ‘A RARE TREAT at Poetry Jam’ video on Facebook. Watched quite a bit of Queen live tonight. Had scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast, cheese on a baguette for lunch, steak pie and veg dinner, and porridge for supper. Read bits and pieces of politics. I would like the Queen live DVD. It was good to see Roger, Brian and Adam being interviewed. Hope they get to play their shows next year. I’m knackered. Tomorrow I have editing to do and a workshop to get into better shape. Deborah Cohen is on Newsnight; she sounds and looks like poet Kate Fox. I haven’t read many poems lately. Hardly any since April. Mainly just news articles or music-related stuff. Need to get finances sorted. Not going far tomorrow. Unless I go to Jen’s place. Think the weather will be shit. But we’ll see... 11.25 pm.

 

 

Friday 2nd October 2020

 

Got a nice, positive, early morning Facebook message from Caroline Hedley about Unruly Eyebrow. Pleased she liked it and even more pleased that it made her want to write more. Inspiring people to write is all I’ve got going, to be honest. I keyed in notes and got September posted via Blogger by four o’clock. Was aiming to get out on the bike to Jen’s before the rain came. But Jen said she needed more sleep. I might get there tomorrow. Or I might need to stay at home this weekend. I watched a Henry Rollins spoken word show from 2016: penguins, soap and footballs – travel to broaden the mind and see the good in global neighbours. Unusual in that there was a fifteen-minute Q&A at the end with roving mic in the audience. Also listened to Live Around The World by Queen and Adam Lambert. Really strong versions of the songs but I’d prefer the DVD. I like to see the band with Adam rather than just listen. I have concerns about the lifespan of my desktop computer. Hope to have a new one in the next couple of weeks. I want to get back into the swing of things and hope workshop / lesson goes well at Waddington Street Centre next week. Newsnight is all about Trump. He’s off to hospital. No comment. I’m sure by next year people will be begging for a vaccine. What a fucking mess. 11.02pm.

 

 

Saturday 3rd October 2020

 

Okay, so home all day coz rain stopped play. I haven’t been on the bike since last Monday. And I doubt any off-road terrain will be rideable after the constant rain. I got the kitchen tidy and plodged in the puddles to the bin to put out the recycling this morning. It’ll be a fucking quagmire at the side of the house from now till April. I fell asleep this afternoon and got no copy-ups done. This evening I read some Charles Bukowski, Geoff Hattersley and Adrian Mitchell poems. Enjoyed time on the couch with books. Chuffed to have one foot in the officially published camp and one in DIY bookmaking. I ordered Alistair Robinson’s ‘As Blind As Rain’ and Josephine Scott’s ‘When Rain Becomes Memory’. Both poets were scheduled to read with Ric Hool at Poetry Jam back in May. Pleased Sheila of Red Squirrel Press is able to keep ticking over in Scotland. I was accepted into a perzine Facebook group this evening. Not so many blokes, of course. I opened the McVities special selection box of chocolate biscuits. I’ve had a double cheeseburger, spaghetti and baked potato and cheese on toast, two oranges and a bowl of lemon banana porridge. But not in that order. I’m sick of the fucking rain.  Not looking forward to the long winter. 11.15pm.

 

 

Sunday 4th October 2020

 

Dry morning. was going to stay in and do some copy-ups but decided to ride down to Jen’s place. Took the cycle path from Sunniside to Watergate Forest Park. Then over to Lobley Hill without having to use the sketchy steep hills where sometimes motorists can be a bit inconsiderate. Nearly got wiped out earlier on the way over – once by a bus and once by a car. Jenni was in the middle of sorting her food shopping when I arrived. We had pie, potatoes and broccoli for dinner. This afternoon we watched the third series of The Detectorists. McKenzie Crook and Toby Jones. It’s a brilliant series. Then we watched Family Fortunes and Rebus. Ken Stott is mint. Saw him once in Edinburgh. Jenni has selected a computer for me. I will buy it in a couple of days. We’ve just watched an episode of Still Game. Covid-19 figures have sky-rocketed overnight by twenty-three thousand. It’s all gone bollocks. Has the government got a handle on things? You can’t trust the track and trace. Can’t trust the statistics. I’m going to have something else to eat then another episode of Still Game. It’s been a good day. Pleased I could get away to see Jen. 11.22pm.

 

 

Monday 5th October 2020

 

Good chat with Jenni for an hour this morning. She went off to work and I rode in the rain to Watergate Forest Park. I was going to use roads round by Beamish but decided to just hit the trails even though it was canny muddy. Didn’t go fast. Was out nearly three hours. Good to get feedback on Unruly Eyebrow from Rob Walton and Lisette Auton today. Pleased people like the zine. I’m looking forward to the next one. Hopefully out early January. I’m going to have to come to terms with my dislike for prepping formal lessons. I forgot during lockdown how much of a big fucking hissy fit I always have on a Monday during term time. Next week I will have my session all sorted before Monday so I can just have time to myself when I get in off the bike from Jen’s. I got all the workshop notes copied up. Need to iron clothes and pack lunch tomorrow. I listened to Billy Joel, Depeche Mode and TV Smith tonight. Haven’t had the big computer on. I’m trying to avoid it for workshops. I would like to do the whole course without handouts but at some point, I’ll probably succumb. I am going to watch Newsnight even though the content is likely to piss me off. I need to get all my journal copied up in the next few days. ‘One day my string will snap’ sings TV Smith. Quite. OK. 11.23pm.

 

 

Tuesday 6th October 2020

 

No, the workshop / lesson / class / whatever the fuck it’s supposed to be didn’t go so well today. One person left before it even started. One dropped out and one didn’t make it. Two more left early. We started late coz people aren’t allowed to pass paper to those who came without. I got a ream of A4 from the office and opened it at one end so the person without paper could remove some from the packet without my hands touching it. Writing workshops, my style, require lots of hands on, up close, passing of papers, lots of thumbing magazines and anthologies. Collaborative exercises on multiple sheets of paper written on by multiple authors. Lots of photocopies. Last week I nearly bailed on returning in a covid-secure environment. I just don’t function well under stringent guidelines. Sure, I’ve got numerous exercises up my sleeve that don’t require a forest of paper and drums of toner, but I’m working with people who have been accessing my courses for over fifteen years. You can’t fob them off with all of the old tried and tested. We’ve done it numerous times. Do I go through the motions to grab payment? Do I embarrass myself, short-change people and lose their respect? Thanks, Covid. Just fucking excellent! 11.40pm.

 

 

Wednesday 7th October 2020

 

Slow day. Ordered the new computer. It’s coming tomorrow and fingers crossed Jenni will be able to set it up for me next week. I got some worklog stuff copied up and read the rest of Alistair Robinson’s ‘As Blind As Rain’. It’s a great collection. I love the keen eye for obscurities in local settings and humorous takes on the familiar. I had a mega chicken dinner today. And Rob Walton ordered a copy of Anomalies Deluxe. I will have to get in touch with Waddy for confirmation on printing photos and dust jacket outer sheet. Jenni and I chatted online about local restrictions: pubs could be closing again in the north east on Monday. I’ve read a load of heartfelt pleas to help the arts and entertainment industries today. Rishi Sunak pissed off a lot of people with his ‘retrain’ suggestion. I’ve managed to stay afloat but no-one in their right mind would try to subsist on my weekly pay. No running hot water, no socializing, no central heating, about a tenner pocket money. Of course living so frugally allows me to occasionally make emergency purchases such as a new computer. But on a week by week basis, it’s a pretty no frills existence. Fuck it, I’m done. 11.43pm.

 

 

Thursday 8th October 2020

 

Today would have been better if I didn’t have to faff about with college protocol and training that doesn’t really apply to me. I get so pissed off with all the formal extras when all I really do is go to a room and hang out with aspiring writers for two hours at a time. I got so annoyed that I had to go for a bike ride to calm down. It will be my last ride down on the river trails; the place is a quagmire. My wheels were caked in mud; the bike is a mess. I can still use the gravel paths near The Grove and Allensford and some of the cycle paths, but not the local natural terrain. That’s it, till next spring. Really tired tonight. I tried to check out some writing exercises but just couldn’t concentrate. I’m a solipsistic writer, not a community activist. I just want to make my little books, listen to music and ride bikes. End of story. 10.58pm.

 

 

Friday 9th October 2020

 

Another cunting slug in the kettle. Smelt it just as the boiling water was pouring into my hot chocolate mug. Dirty little fucking bastards getting through the tiniest of cracks in the kitchen wall, oozing their way across the draining board, down the units to leave snot trails on the carpets, even up and over my bike tyres… I’ve been looking at Surly bikes again. I saw one in Consett for the first time ever: a Long Haul Trucker touring bike – not the model I want but it was good to chat with the owner. He says steel doesn’t weigh much more than an alloy frame coz the metal is thinner, and it’s much more forgiving. I checked out the Karate Monkey bike again this evening. Only concern is the curved seat tube, meaning I wouldn’t be able to drop the post all the way down for more trials-based riding. Bugger. Tonight I copied out poems for next Tuesday’s workshop onto pieces of lining wallpaper. One is six foot tall. Big enough to read from four metres away. I am probably staying home this weekend; the back room needs tidying and the bike could do with a clean. And I’m a week behind on my copy-ups – again! I might read a bit from Dinty Moore’s The Mindful Writer before lights out. I have eaten too much chocolate today. 11.16pm.

 

 

Saturday 10th October 2020

 

Listened to ‘I Want The World’ by Hands Off Gretel about 4 times this morning whilst doing copy-ups. I still have 2 pages to go but knocked off early to tidy the front room. I found more zine stuff. I want to send some zines to America. I don’t think I am a real zine maker but what the fuck, I’m a bookmaker and a scribbler. It was great to hear from Lisette Auton. She asked how my workshop went. I sent her a copy and paste edit of the notes previously sent to Jenni. I watched Lisette’s ‘Writing the Missing: A River Cycle’. Enjoyed all the poets: Bex Bowsher, Sarah Crutwell and Vici Wreford-Sinnot. I made notes coz I can’t remember things properly. Tonight I was supposed to be typing. I sang along to Queen’s News of the World tracks taken from the On Air radio sessions album on Spotify. I watched the Midwest Perzine Festival seminar thing. Enjoyed it. Jonas, Julia Eff, Jessie Lynn McMains, Dawn Graham and Monica Trinidad. Felt closest to Jessie’s stance mainly; I’m not so political with a capital P either. I enjoy Jessie’s nostalgia / memoir / fangirl romantic stuff… Jenni says the Tyne Theatre’s comedy show was good. Sold out. 200 people, only a fifth of usual capacity. Commercially unsustainable, but nice to be back in the venue, she says. It’s getting quite chilly now. Fuck knows how November to March will be. 11.23pm.

 

 

Sunday 11th October 2020

 

Been working on journal stuff and stocktaking for paper and card so I can make an Anomalies Deluxe hardback book. Workshop correspondence. Thanks to Jenni for sending the Hamilton guy’s spoken word clip. Thanks to people online for humour and political insights. 11.17pm.

 

 

Monday 12th October 2020

 

Pleased that after poring over numerous articles and reports on the three-tier covid restrictions this evening, I found official gov confirmation that I can still be in Jen’s house bubble and our current situation remains unchanged. Today I had a more relaxed prep session for Waddy. I’ve already got the poems written out in marker pen on wallpaper. All the exercises are good to go. I’ve made three new colour choices for Anomalies Deluxe dust jackets and should be able to get them printed along with photo inserts. I have an order for a big handmade book. I will get to work on that next week. Tomorrow I need to buy a ream of assorted coloured paper. And get my food shopping in for the week. It was good to get a week of stubble shaved off today. I need to earn a couple of grand by next summer for a Surly Karate Monkey bike. And I need to get my right shoulder seen to. I think Jenni will be over later this week to set up the new computer. I’d like to get the pages for the Deluxe book printed off on the old machine first. Hope I get a good night’s sleep. It will be good to be bookmaking again. I must get some poems sent out to e-zines soon. Anyway, it’s way past bedtime. 11.44pm.

 

 

Tuesday 13th October 2020

 

Horrid rain really pissing me off. Glasses totally useless outside. Today I went into town a bit earlier so I could pick up a birthday card for Diane. I bought her some of the awesome McVities special selection biscuits and gave her a copy of my book Laughter to Split Glass. I got some thread for Anomalies sew-ups. I got some paper. I got the dust jackets and the inserts printed in the office. Weather and ill health limited the number of participants, but my workshop went better today than last week. The big sheets with poems on worked well. Enjoyed the session. Afterwards I had a chat with Centre manager Ali Lee. Lockdown woes and missing music gigs. Then I went into Durham City. Not many out, probably the rain. Got some coloured paper on my fourth shop visit. Still need a bit more. Felt totally knackered on the bus to Consett. Got the weekly food shopping in Tesco. Had red pepper and lentil soup when I got back. Crashed out on Facebook and watched Newsnight. 11.44pm.

 

 

Wednesday 14th October 2020

 

Some days are better than others. Taking longer to get sorted and up into gear. I spent much of the afternoon sorting through my paper stocks. Then the evening putting signature colour sequences together for the pages of Anomalies Deluxe.  Good to find two sets of pages printed for standard copies of the book. I listened mostly to Hands Off Gretel’s ‘I Want the World’ album. Also, the Essex album by Alison Moyet. I saw her at Sage Gateshead just shy of three years ago. She was magnificent. I had one of the best seats in the venue. Balcony, side of the stage. I wonder when live music returns properly to the UK. Lots of complaints online about London Palladium – too many punters in over two nights at the weekend. I haven’t been out on the bike for nearly a week. Hopefully before the weekend. Jenni is coming over to do the new computer set-up. I would like the book printed by then and the next Waddy lesson planned. I fell asleep on the couch and missed the end of Newsnight. It was a refugee special about a camp in Europe burning down. 11.54pm.

 

 

Thursday 15th October 2020

 

Lethargic. Bit of a headache. Worked on ‘exclusive’ content for an Anomalies Deluxe hardback book. This evening I got the coloured pages printed. I will recheck them against the contents list in the morning. Jen was in touch. The WiFi has been off at her place all day. She’s been relying on her phone credit. My 8-inch android tablet burns out from full charge in just over two hours. The other mini device is good, but for someone who is used to a desktop PC with five or six windows open all the time for up to eighteen hours a day, I’m thinking constant use of the little gadget will see its battery start to deteriorate fairly quickly. I currently get three or four hours out of a full charge. I listened to Hanoi Rocks compilation Up Around The Bend whilst working. Had scrambled eggs, cheese toastie, chicken curry and rice. More cheese on toast. Good to see Alix Alixandra’s acoustic front room videocast this evening. Jen is back online. Chat about Lemn Sissay on slams. 11.36pm.

 

 

Friday 16th October 2020

 

Slow day. I got the Anomalies pages folded, had a shave, cleaned the sink and bath, got changed then walked to Consett. Too many layers. Took my coat off till I reached the ATM. Got twenty quid. Bought Vimto and corn snacks in Home Bargains. I got dishcloths and shaving gel in Boyes. I got red pepper and lentil soup, Twix, lemon cake and country slices in Barry’s Bargain Superstore. I got frozen chips in Heron. I got veggie sausages, spicy bean burgers, cheese and tomato pasta in Tesco. And a bad shoulder carrying it all back to base. Jenni left a message saying she won’t be here till tomorrow evening. I ate fish fingers and chips and cursed the six o’clock news. I wrote a comment on Tom Kelly’s review of Alistair Robinson’s ‘As Blind As Rain’ poetry collection. I looked yet again for a good fully rigid all-round mountain bike. Looked up some flash fiction exercises. Then read The World’s Shortest Stories of Love and Death cover to cover as prep for the Waddy session. Of over 130 little fifty-five-word fictions I noted 24 of them for possible use in a session. I heard the voice of my next-door neighbour through the walls. He must surely hear me when I kick off. I listened to Self-Destruction Blues by Hanoi Rocks this afternoon. Hope to get the book stuff onto a USB stick tomorrow. OK. 11.07pm.

 

 

Saturday 17th October 2020

 

Another chilly day. I haven’t been out on the bike for over a week. I got the Deluxe book pages corrected and checked off against the contents list today. And sorted a load of Word documents to go on the new computer. Jenni is here. Janet gave her a lift, so she was able to bring a load of clothes and a little TV and some storage boxes. We watched The Cube and Strictly on the laptop coz the TV won’t work properly with my knackered outdoor aerial or the indoor one. But I’ll be able to watch television on the new computer in the coming days. Saw a bit of Chewing the Fat, the show that spawned the comedy Still Game. I’m hoping to get back into the swing of things in the coming weeks. Pleased the house isn’t too cold for Jenni. Tonight, I was looking at bikes again. If not the Karate Monkey, then the ‘On One’ Bootzipper for me – if I get some money next year… Jenni says she’s into watching box sets of TV shows. She watched Noughts and Crosses (from the Malorie Blackman novel) the other day. She says the computer won’t be as much trouble this time round, but I don’t want to get too optimistic. I let Rob know his Deluxe book should be ready by the end of next week. Oh well, almost bedtime again. 11.47pm.

 

 

Sunday 18th October 2020

 

Sunday at home. Tidying the kitchen and making the dinner while Jenni set up the new computer. Much easier than the second-hand one last time. I still prefer old Word on the XP system, but I’ll get used to the new one. I’ve now got a good internet connection and I’ll be able to do all my blog stuff a lot easier than trying to work on a little 8-inch tablet for prose. Jenni is great with all the tech stuff. I just follow the screen prompts till I get used to it. Wouldn’t have a clue how to set it up myself. This evening we got entertainment from the old ‘proper fucking Beamish’ telly. Game shows then a new Queen documentary followed by A Night at the Odeon from Christmas Eve 1975. I always loved the 70’s stuff more than the eighties. Ogre Battle, White Queen, Keep Yourself Alive, Now I’m Here… We had egg and chips in wholemeal buns for supper. We had cheese and mixed pepper baguette for tea. And we had veg and sausages/pie for dinner. A great day of food. And relief that my computer files are on a brand-new set-up. Here’s to the next ten years of editing my self-indulgent mediocrity overload. Scribbling and keeping it going for as long as I can. Tomorrow I need to get the Waddy workshop sorted for Tuesday. 11.25pm.

 

 

Monday 19th October 2020

 

Didn’t sleep so well. Jenni had a little lie in. I cooked sausage and egg for her breakfast. I did some typing on the new machine. Watched quite a bit of biketrial and a couple of Karate Monkey bike videos, plus an ace Jack Carthy vid – superb trials from the World Champion. Jenni had a late bus ride over to Gateshead. I went out on my bike for an hour. Did a couple of laps up to The Grove, down the gravel paths to Allensford then up the A68 to Castleside then down to Moorside. Canny little ride. I pulled together a lesson plan for tomorrow’s Waddy session. Had some Facebook chat with Tony Gadd about bikes. Newsnight is mainly covid and Labour’s failure to win elections. I need to buy some dark blue denim for Rob’s book cover. Big relief to have a new computer installed. Should last a decade. Might get a hot chocolate then bed. 11.17pm.

 

 

Tuesday 20th October 2020

 

Got more of the lush McVities special selection chocolate biscuits (down to £1.50 a box in Barry’s Bargain Superstore). I got a huge pair of dark denim jeans from a charity shop to use as bookcloth.  I had a good workshop at Waddy this afternoon. We had five people in and although a couple had to leave early, we had a good time. We looked at one of Rosa Liksom’s One Night Stands, some fifty-five fiction and some David Gaffney pieces. Wrote a few fragments. The bus wasn’t too busy this afternoon. I got round the supermarket and home by twenty to six. Always feel a bit wrecked after the bus journey. Don’t like the mask. I accept it as essential kit at present but even when I use a brand new one, after half an hour on the bus the inside of the fabric absolutely fucking stinks. The one I used today smelt like excrement. I always feel wrecked after a day of masking and mixing, so much so today that all I could do this evening was catch the six o’clock news, eat my chicken curry and grilled potatoes then gawp at Surly bikes and Bootzipper bikes online. Just ogling like a kid with the Great Universal catalogue open at the toy pages. I don’t have the smarts to get enough money for a top of the range bike at present. Can’t even afford to heat the house. 10.30pm.

 

 

Wednesday 21st October 2020

 

Phone call got me out of bed this morning. Doctor says I should take paracetamol AND ibuprofen three/four times a day. Notification of a physiotherapy appointment will come through the post in due course. I have had hassle with book builds all day. The stitching was loose on some of the latest Anomalies pages tonight; after four hours of sewing, I’ve cut through the thread and will pull the whole block to bits in the morning. It will be better the second time. I’m not double threading the needle next time. My copy has double stitching, and it was a fucking nightmare – threads kept tangling, difficult to get tension on the stitches. Pleased I noticed the loose thread before I glued the spine or the whole book would need reprinting. I’ve been listening to Jill Tracy CDs. Then Adele. I don’t know the 25-album as well as I thought. It will get some heavy play tomorrow. My shoulder has been worse today than any time in the last week. Sod’s law. Been looking at some Jeff Jones bikes built in America. I like the ethos behind the Do-It-All design, but the loop handlebars (with various grip positions) and forks (with bowed-supports on the front) look strange. I’ll stick to standard rigid forks and riser bars. Anyway, enough today. 11.40pm

 

 

Thursday 22nd October 2020

 

Pulled the Deluxe book apart coz the stitching wasn’t up to my usual standard. Was good to get it resewn and glued up this afternoon. Pretty neat stack of pages. I’m confident the book will look ace. I had scrambled egg sandwiches for dinner and a big veggie chilli and Mexican rice for tea. I got a lot of typing done. Listened to a new Rollins radio interview. Now that I’ve got the good computer, I’m going to watch a couple of the Henry and Heidi $1.99 shows. Hank’s new book is at the printers and should be out mid-November. I’ll be ordering it with last January’s birthday fifty quid. I’ll bank the note when the book is ready. Deborah Cohen did a ‘long covid’ piece on Newsnight. She is totally Kate Fox from about twelve years ago: hair, face, accent. I had a mixed cheese toastie for supper. I’ve been taking paracetamol and ibuprofen for a couple of days now on doctor’s instructions for my shoulder. Pulling a long-threaded needle sideways makes my bicep ache. I am a tired old man and will be going to bed shortly. OK. 11.37pm.

 

 

Friday 23rd October 2020

 

Another full day on Talking Pen. Getting the Deluxe book made. I haven’t ridden the bike since Monday. Been downing ibuprofen and paracetamol, as the doctor advised, for three days now. I don’t want to do it indefinitely. No word on shoulder physio. I won’t keep on with the painkillers for more than a week. It’s not even real pain, just a lack of strength and movement. I did an evening of workshop prep for next week. Planning takes me longer these days. I’m aiming to do the whole course without handouts. I found good 2017 material that I’d like to type up and publish. I watched some of Guy Kesteven’s bike videos. 25 years reviewing all sorts of mountain bikes. Nice work if you can get it. I still have the dust jacket to make for the Deluxe but should get it done tomorrow morning. I wanted to leave the book in the press for a good 12 to 16 hours. It should come out pretty good. The jacket will take a couple of hours. Hope I have enough lacquer to fix the image and text. I have no cash for the weekend. I doubt I’ll need much beyond more tablets. I watched a couple of Lydia Lunch videos. I still like her. She’s over sixty now, I think. And still pretty fierce. I had eggy bread for supper. I’m hoping to get a 90-minute window in the weather to bike to Jen’s tomorrow. I reckon it’ll be pretty horrid. I won’t be taking the book with me. It’ll be Royal Mail delivery. Enough for today. 11.47pm.

 

 

Saturday 24th October 2020

 

Up at twenty past seven. Morning pages. Then cracked on to get Rob Walton’s book finished. The dust jacket took three hours. Too late for the midday post. Will go on Monday. I got curry and rice for dinner. I sorted my bag and clothes for the ride over to Jen’s. Decided to say: "Fuck the weather, I’m riding anyway." So I want to do the reverse of the route I do from Jen’s most Monday afternoons. So, I rode to Beamish and up the woods to Tanfield Railway. It didn’t rain until I reached Sunniside. Jen was still in bed when I arrived. We had chilli/curry and rice for tea and watched Strictly. Grevil gave better scores than usual. The contestants were good. We watched The Chase. Johnny Vegas was on. The whole team was beaten by The Beast in less than a minute in the final round. Then there was The Cube. Now, it’s The Johnathan Ross Show. Jenni made lush cheese toasties for supper. I’ve not had as many tablets today coz I think my stomach doesn’t take kindly to them. I’m hoping I haven’t left the George Foreman grill on at home. Jen says the thermostat will stop it burning up, but it will take a shitload of electricity. Fingers crossed I unplugged it. OK. 11.22pm.

 

 

Sunday 25th October 2020

 

Woke at six but stayed in bed for another few hours. Good to hang out with Jenni. We had a scroll through Facebook, cursing the news and the idiocy. We had Mediterranean vegetable pizza and hash browns for our dinner. Then we went out to Gateshead. Jenni got a waterproof coat and a tiger book. I bought a new diary and more over the counter pharmaceuticals for my shoulder. We watched a couple of bookmaking videos on YouTube via the big TV. Tonight, it was a bigly Sunday dinner and game shows. Then the Abba documentary and concert.  I’ve had peanuts and chocolates. Hot blackcurrant and hot chocolate. Not much more to say. Jenni is in bed now. We’ve seen the TV news. The Olivier Awards show is on now. Jason Manford is hosting. The weather looks set to be shite again tomorrow. But hopefully I’ll get home without too much hassle. 11.28pm.

 

 

Monday 26th October 2020

 

Okay, so I’m a bit later than midnight with this entry. And that’s because I’ve been trying to work out the best bike to buy next year. Even though I haven’t got the funds to pay for it. The old Rockhopper I’ve had for fourteen and a half years looks more like an XC hardtail but with rigid forks replacing suspension. Whereas the new Rockhopper range looks more like oversized trials frames with an almost straight line from headtube through top tube into seat stay before curving down to axle. But with a much higher front end and long travel forks. I don’t want any fucking suspension on my bike besides tyres. XC bikes aren’t made for touring. And they’re meant to have narrow bars, be nimble with narrow tyres and low stems for hill climbs. Bikepacking bikes look good but have lazy head angles which might not be great for trials-like manoeuvres, so I don’t know. Today (no, yesterday) I left Jen’s at half ten and had three hours in the woods and on the cycle path. Hellish windy towards Consett. Pleased to get home and find I hadn’t burned the house down. I hadn’t left the grill on. I packed up the Anomalies Deluxe book and got it out to the post office. Watched the news, gawped at bikes and did a lesson plan. Watched Newsnight then made a second supper. Only just remembered to do the journal. Oops. 12.45am.

 

 

Tuesday 27th October 2020

 

Late to bed. Early rise. Less than six hours sleep. Procrastinating through my morning but got out the house on time and did the session at Waddy. It went okay. Mainly old stuff: Cinquain, Kennings, Terza Rima, ‘I am…’ It takes a while to warm up. Sometimes people had to leave at half-time to avoid busy buses. I felt a bit sickly this afternoon. I’m taking less painkillers coz I don’t think they are good for my stomach. I got food in. Home by twenty to six. Rob’s books got to him overnight. He is pleased with them. Tonight, I looked at a load of Specialized bikes. It’s annoying that most manufacturers use one photo per bike to cover all frame sizes. The geometry of a medium frame will not be the same as an extra large and when I click on the latter, I expect to see the difference. I’ve seen a few good hardtail bikes that might be nice if the suspension forks were replaced with rigids. We’ll see how things go. Jobs are tight for everyone. It would be reckless to get into debt for a bike if I’m going to deteriorate in physical health. No word on seeing a physio yet. I bet it doesn’t even happen. I’ll get back in touch in a week or so. Anyway, I beat the deadline tonight. 11.34pm.

 

 

Wednesday 28th October 2020

 

Scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast. Could have gone out for a ride but that would have led to more scrolling through bike specifications upon my return when I haven’t the means to acquire the goods. For the next five months I want to focus on unfinished manuscripts and the possibility of placing poems in mags and e-zines. Lentil and red pepper soup for dinner. I’ve been at the PC most of the day. Listened to some Placebo albums. Tidied some clutter from the windowsill. Chicken curry and rice with grilled potato slices for tea. Watched two episodes of The Sister on ITV Hub. A drama about a bloke caught up in the death of a young woman. He goes on to marry her sister and is unravelling due to the stress of trying to keep the secret. I watched ITV news – looks like Christmas is off the cards. Maybe another full lockdown. Today I’ve worn more layers than previous days. This will increase over the coming weeks: thermal base layer, two jumpers, two more pairs of socks, probably even two hats.  Robert Peston’s midweek current affairs programme: winter lockdown possibilities, free school meals fiasco, the effects of a Biden presidency on UK. I will be in bed before midnight. I needed a little nap this afternoon.  I’m eating too much chocolate. I need more exercise. Will be biking Friday or Saturday. 11.23pm.

 

 

Thursday 29th October 2020

 

Good chat with Mam on the phone this morning. She sent some coloured paper and card stock up with Ernie. Socially distanced, of course. I got some typing done but had a slow day. I struggle to key in prose these days. Without the shape of a stanza and line breaks I just get bored unless I’m composing straight from head to keyboard. I watched some Chris Akrigg bike videos this afternoon. My joint favourite rider, along with Jeff Lenosky. I caught the news. Corbyn has been suspended from the Labour party. He’s fought against racism all his life but gets kicked out by Starmer following the report on antisemitism coz he said the media had exaggerated the situation. Lots of people are disillusioned with the Labour party. I don’t think any of them are worth voting for, but someone has to kick the current shower out.  I watched the final episode of The Sister. The main bloke got away with murdering the bad guy coz the police officer investigating the case was his wife’s friend. I am having an early night coz I don’t feel well and have a headache. Better weather is forecast for tomorrow so I’m going to ride to Jen’s place in the afternoon. 10.27pm.

 

 

Friday 30th October 2020

 

Today was good. I had a great sleep and woke at seven. And I had a good writing session. I revisited my interview answers for Helen Steadman. It was much easier to do them just keying them straight from brain to computer. The time flew by. Had early fish fingers and chips then got ready to ride over to Jen’s place coz the weather was bright and sunny before an expected weekend of gale force winds and rain. Just about to pedal off and found my front tyre soft. I pumped it up but the valve broke and the air just came straight back out. Took a while to change the inner tube. I rode along Stanley cycle path, through Beamish and up the hill to Causey Inn and Tanfield Railway. Got to Jen’s just before dusk. Jen has been out this evening with friends. I wanted to visit Team Valley Cycles, but it shut at half five. I thought it would be about seven or eight. I walked into Gateshead. Got some cheap food from a reduced items aisle. Returned to the attic and watched Have I Got News For You. Then the very first episode of The Royle Family. Also, an ace Later with Jools Holland. His interview guest was Jarvis Cocker. Good to see one of his song choices was Democracy by Leonard Cohen. Still missing live music. 10.55pm.

 

 

Saturday 31st October 2020

 

Hung around for two and a half hours waiting to get the official word on the so-called lockdown. Apart from closing hospitality, entertainment venues and non-essential shops it’s no change for me and Jenni: we can work; we can meet in a bubble. We went for a walk to the chippy then had our Halloween supper with Jen’s mam. We watched Strictly then a Top of the Pops Halloween Special: Bauhaus (Bela Lugosi’s Dead), Voice of the Beehive (Monsters and Angels), Bobby Pickett (Monster Mash) and Michael Jackson (Thriller). Think I might hibernate for a few months. 10.57pm.