Friday 1st October 2021
Did morning pages and abdominal exercises. Had a shower, got ready for my meeting, had a brisk walk over to Newcastle and headed for Brunswick Methodist Church. “Are you here for the casting?” a woman asked me. “Yes, but I'm very early”. – “It's okay, she said, just go in and take a seat.” Through the glass double doors, the man I'd come to see was clearly visible. Ken Loach is a nice bloke. He asked me about Consett and my non creative employment, then my workshops. He didn't ask about acting skills. I don't know if I'll get a part in his next film, but it was worth going to see him anyway. Me and Jenni watched Corrie and The Devil Rides Out tonight. I had salmon and cucumber sandwiches. And winter vegetable soup. The Last Leg is on now with non-socially distanced audience. Very sleepy but still a bit of logbook to do. 11.08pm.
Saturday 2nd October 2021
Keyed in pages and watched a lot of showtunes online with Jenni. Then we switched to song mashups: Stevie Wonder with Metallica; Kool and the gang with Quiet Riot. But the best for me was Slayer’s Chemical Warfare with Walking On Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves. This evening we went to see Steve Hughes at The Stand comedy club. The place was rammed. Finished about eleven. Had chips with curry sauce then walked back. 11.55pm.
Sunday 3rd October 2021
Lazy day. Long lie in. Walked up to Tesco for some supplies. Got Jenni a new tea mug for her new job. She made an ace pie and veg dinner. We watched episodes of Squid Games, which is one of the most twisted dystopian things I’ve seen in a long time: play the game to win a huge cash prize, but if you lose, you’ll be eliminated – shot dead. Bus back was an experience: ex-cons talking about recently assaulting people in a supermarket; screaming infants encouraged by their parents on the lower deck. Nice walk from Consett. OK. 11.25pm.
Monday 4th October 2021
Got the session sorted to start the new term at Waddington Street Centre tomorrow. I didn’t shave coz it was too cold this evening. The Wi-Fi is pitifully slow. Facebook is down all over the world. I’ve been listening to Thomas Truax. Me and Jenni are going to see him at Cobalt Studios this weekend. I listened to Behemoth this evening. The last two albums are my favourites but I’m warming to earlier stuff. They are playing with Arch Enemy at Manchester Apollo in September. I played some Arch Enemy, and they are fantastic. I checked out Roger Taylor’s setlist for the recent Newcastle date. If the gig was later in the tour, I would have bought a ticket. Setlist ace, new album not quite. My feet are numb already. It’s only October. No heating this winter. It’s gonna be a tough one. Meanwhile, Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis calls another bullshitter what they are. 11.02pm.
Tuesday 5th October 2021
Knackered and pissed off with the rain. Almost twenty-four hours of persistent rain. Pleased the house is okay. Waddy session went well. Paula and Helen told me about an organisation with a pot of money for workshops. I could do with another permanent gig. I found out that Rollins is doing a spoken word world tour and will perform at Whitley Bay Playhouse on Wednesday 23rd February 2022. I aim to get tickets for me and Jenni at ten o’clock on Thursday morning. Tonight, I watched the entire Newcastle Roger Taylor gig on YouTube. It was pretty good. I’m going to have to stop whingeing about the cost of stuff. The world is a bit overpriced for the likes of me. Good to hear from Jenni tonight. Sounds like she’s enjoying her new job. Hope it goes well for her. I need to get to bed. Got all the layers on. It’s gonna be warmer in a couple of days. 11.05pm.
Wednesday 6th October 2021
Despite the blue skies and sunshine, it was still pretty chilly indoors. Got a lot of layouts done for the Waddy 40th anniversary anthology then went into town for bank transactions and supplies. Walked home with my Samsonite bag full of tinned soup and big coat over my arm, hoodie tied around my waist. Tonight, I checked out some underground metal bands and keyed in my latest stuff. Jenni was in touch again. Still enjoying the new job. She has a poetry workshop and open mic booked for tomorrow, National Poetry Day. Hope she gets a decent turnout. I think I went too long without drinks. My head is throbbing. Just want to get to bed. Stomach feels bad as well. Have eaten plenty. Chicken dinner, and a cheese sandwich for supper. I should get away soon coz I need to be up early and online to buy Henry Rollins tickets. I will be staying indoors, I reckon, but might bike on Friday. OK. 11.17pm
Thursday 7th October 2021
All set to order tickets for Henry Rollins spoken word at Whitley Bay Playhouse when I discovered my wallet was missing. I checked my coat pocket, and the button was loose. Obviously the wallet must have fallen out when I was carrying the coat over my arm back from Consett in warm weather yesterday. Luckily, I was still able to get tickets via PayPal. Then I hotfooted it to the bank to cancel my cards. I bought more soup at Barry's and walked home. Posted a poem online for National Poetry Day. My head is splitting. Did some abdominal exercises this evening. Listened to Queen and watched some Genevieve Walsh poetry clips. No BBC poetry programmes today. Tories took another tongue-lashing on Newsnight. Surely their days must be numbered. 11.50 pm
Friday 8th October 2021
Bit freaked out by the realization that my business account bank card could be used contactless by anyone who found it yesterday. Spoke to mam and Ernie on the phone this afternoon. I want to check out my bank statements for any dodgy transactions since yesterday. Jen says it's highly unlikely. Went out on the Sonder bike. If that new rear hub has 120 points of engagement, I'm the Queen of Denmark. Reckon I’ll need a Hope Pro 4 next year. I got a late bus to Gateshead and watched The Last Leg with Jenni. They took the piss out of the Tories throughout the programme. Jenni is in bed checking out Diana the Musical which she is keen to see. I hope my bank accounts are okay. Bank will reimburse anything over fifty quid. Knackered but done fuck-all. 11.13pm.
Saturday 9th October 2021
Up early. Scribbled then went to the bank. Jenni went for an eye test. I went to HMV and checked out CDs and music biographies. Then we went to Eat for Less which cost a bit more than expected. Then onto Cobalt Studios. Alix Alixandra did a mint set of songs as support act to Thomas Truax. He was great also. We walked back in the rather humid darkness. I had a salmon and cucumber sandwich. Very tired now. 11.27pm.
Sunday 10th October 2021
Not much of a lie in. Didn’t realise it was World Mental Health Day until it came up online mid-afternoon. Jenni made us another ace pie and veg dinner. We watched three episodes of Squid Games. It’s good but violent, and alarming that little kids are into it. We had sandwiches and crisps at teatime and watched TV gameshows. The quarter past nine bus didn’t turn up. Walked into Newcastle for the next one and got home at 25 to twelve. Business bank card here when I arrived. Current account card not yet. OK. 11.50pm.
Monday 11th October 2021
Productive day. Got a new workshop sorted in about two and a half hours. Then moved on to edits for the Waddy anthology. Later on, I did some searching for possible outlets for my work. It would have been good to get out on the bike but too tired. The metal gig I was going to check out would swallow a big chunk of my weekly allowance. Maybe it would be best to just wait and see Earl Slick in November. I watched Ali Clarkson ride some really sketchy coastal terrain near Glasgow. I read a bit about Ozzy Osbourne saying (tongue in cheek) the Devil kept him safe from Covid. I listened to Natalie Hemby’s album Pins and Needles. Some Lou Reed as well. Did abdominal exercises. Sent Jen the PDF tickets for The Lovely Eggs. That’s it, bed soon. 11.26 pm.
Tuesday 12th October 2021
Long day. Early rise, quick scrawl then breakfast. Shave, wash, bag pack. Out to Consett. Session at Waddy was okay. Only got through a fraction of the activities coz we used the second hour to do a readthrough of the anthology. I got home after six. Still lots to do but I needed the evening off. I listened to electro pop whilst reading about black metal. Hope to find more workshops soon. 11.36pm.
Wednesday 13th October 2021
Slack day. I didn’t go anywhere. Spent time going over some of my next zine stuff. Morning page extracts from the latter half of last year. I watched a load of Behemoth stuff and some Carcass material. Think I’ll get a ticket for the Behemoth, Arch Enemy, Carcass and Unto Others gig at Manchester Apollo. New bank card arrived today. I had a chicken and veg dinner tonight. I did some neck and spine exercises. I watched a Katie Kookaburra bike video. I want to listen to lots of music. I want to get the Waddy anthology sorted. Newsnight is on. It’s about the bullshit crew who took us out of the EU. I preferred the Behemoth stuff. I got no response from a workshop enquiry. Maybe further down the line. 10.45pm
Thursday 14th October 2021
Morning pages in bed. Phoned Waddy and spoke to Ali about the writers’ anthology. Should be able to work on it for a couple of extra days with the group. Went out on the Sonder Frontier. A stick got jammed in between the chain and rear sprockets and threw the gears out. Luckily no major damage. But the highest gear, which I rarely use, slips a bit. Rode around by the Gill bridge for a while. Didn’t clean many sections today. This afternoon I cut the grass. Think it will be the final time this year. Spoke to Mam and Ernie on the phone this afternoon. Christmas talk already. Then I read a load of the National Association of Writers in Education magazine for a couple of hours. Very tedious. I am not Mister Academic by any stretch of the imagination. This evening, I read a bit of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Rememberings’. Then watched a Cradle of Filth documentary and some promo clips of the band on DVD. Without a lyric sheet it’s a bit pointless. I prefer recent Behemoth albums and Satyricon. Anyway, I’m off to bed soon. 11.25pm.
Friday 15th October 2021
Got the session sorted to start the new term at Waddington Street Centre tomorrow. I didn’t shave coz it was too cold this evening. The Wi-Fi is pitifully slow. Facebook is down all over the world. I’ve been listening to Thomas Truax. Me and Jenni are going to see him at Cobalt Studios this weekend. I listened to Behemoth this evening. The last two albums are my favourites but I’m warming to earlier stuff. They are playing with Arch Enemy at Manchester Apollo in September. I played some Arch Enemy, and they are fantastic. I checked out Roger Taylor’s setlist for the recent Newcastle date. If the gig was later in the tour, I would have bought a ticket. Setlist ace, new album not quite. My feet are numb already. It’s only October. No heating this winter. It’s gonna be a tough one. Meanwhile, Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis calls another bullshitter what they are. 11.02pm.
Tuesday 5th October 2021
Knackered and pissed off with the rain. Almost twenty-four hours of persistent rain. Pleased the house is okay. Waddy session went well. Paula and Helen told me about an organisation with a pot of money for workshops. I could do with another permanent gig. I found out that Rollins is doing a spoken word world tour and will perform at Whitley Bay Playhouse on Wednesday 23rd February 2022. I aim to get tickets for me and Jenni at ten o’clock on Thursday morning. Tonight, I watched the entire Newcastle Roger Taylor gig on YouTube. It was pretty good. I’m going to have to stop whingeing about the cost of stuff. The world is a bit overpriced for the likes of me. Good to hear from Jenni tonight. Sounds like she’s enjoying her new job. Hope it goes well for her. I need to get to bed. Got all the layers on. It’s gonna be warmer in a couple of days. 11.05pm.
Wednesday 6th October 2021
Despite the blue skies and sunshine, it was still pretty chilly indoors. Got a lot of layouts done for the Waddy 40th anniversary anthology then went into town for bank transactions and supplies. Walked home with my Samsonite bag full of tinned soup and big coat over my arm, hoodie tied around my waist. Tonight, I checked out some underground metal bands and keyed in my latest stuff. Jenni was in touch again. Still enjoying the new job. She has a poetry workshop and open mic booked for tomorrow, National Poetry Day. Hope she gets a decent turnout. I think I went too long without drinks. My head is throbbing. Just want to get to bed. Stomach feels bad as well. Have eaten plenty. Chicken dinner, and a cheese sandwich for supper. I should get away soon coz I need to be up early and online to buy Henry Rollins tickets. I will be staying indoors, I reckon, but might bike on Friday. OK. 11.17pm
Thursday 7th October 2021
All set to order tickets for Henry Rollins spoken word at Whitley Bay Playhouse when I discovered my wallet was missing. I checked my coat pocket, and the button was loose. Obviously the wallet must have fallen out when I was carrying the coat over my arm back from Consett in warm weather yesterday. Luckily, I was still able to get tickets via PayPal. Then I hotfooted it to the bank to cancel my cards. I bought more soup at Barry's and walked home. Posted a poem online for National Poetry Day. My head is splitting. Did some abdominal exercises this evening. Listened to Queen and watched some Genevieve Walsh poetry clips. No BBC poetry programmes today. Tories took another tongue-lashing on Newsnight. Surely their days must be numbered. 11.50 pm
Friday 8th October 2021
Bit freaked out by the realization that my business account bank card could be used contactless by anyone who found it yesterday. Spoke to mam and Ernie on the phone this afternoon. I want to check out my bank statements for any dodgy transactions since yesterday. Jen says it's highly unlikely. Went out on the Sonder bike. If that new rear hub has 120 points of engagement, I'm the Queen of Denmark. Reckon I’ll need a Hope Pro 4 next year. I got a late bus to Gateshead and watched The Last Leg with Jenni. They took the piss out of the Tories throughout the programme. Jenni is in bed checking out Diana the Musical which she is keen to see. I hope my bank accounts are okay. Bank will reimburse anything over fifty quid. Knackered but done fuck-all. 11.13pm.
Saturday 9th October 2021
Up early. Scribbled then went to the bank. Jenni went for an eye test. I went to HMV and checked out CDs and music biographies. Then we went to Eat for Less which cost a bit more than expected. Then onto Cobalt Studios. Alix Alixandra did a mint set of songs as support act to Thomas Truax. He was great also. We walked back in the rather humid darkness. I had a salmon and cucumber sandwich. Very tired now. 11.27pm.
Sunday 10th October 2021
Not much of a lie in. Didn’t realise it was World Mental Health Day until it came up online mid-afternoon. Jenni made us another ace pie and veg dinner. We watched three episodes of Squid Games. It’s good but violent, and alarming that little kids are into it. We had sandwiches and crisps at teatime and watched TV gameshows. The quarter past nine bus didn’t turn up. Walked into Newcastle for the next one and got home at 25 to twelve. Business bank card here when I arrived. Current account card not yet. OK. 11.50pm.
Monday 11th October 2021
Productive day. Got a new workshop sorted in about two and a half hours. Then moved on to edits for the Waddy anthology. Later on, I did some searching for possible outlets for my work. It would have been good to get out on the bike but too tired. The metal gig I was going to check out would swallow a big chunk of my weekly allowance. Maybe it would be best to just wait and see Earl Slick in November. I watched Ali Clarkson ride some really sketchy coastal terrain near Glasgow. I read a bit about Ozzy Osbourne saying (tongue in cheek) the Devil kept him safe from Covid. I listened to Natalie Hemby’s album Pins and Needles. Some Lou Reed as well. Did abdominal exercises. Sent Jen the PDF tickets for The Lovely Eggs. That’s it, bed soon. 11.26 pm.
Tuesday 12th October 2021
Long day. Early rise, quick scrawl then breakfast. Shave, wash, bag pack. Out to Consett. Session at Waddy was okay. Only got through a fraction of the activities coz we used the second hour to do a readthrough of the anthology. I got home after six. Still lots to do but I needed the evening off. I listened to electro pop whilst reading about black metal. Hope to find more workshops soon. 11.36pm.
Wednesday 13th October 2021
Slack day. I didn’t go anywhere. Spent time going over some of my next zine stuff. Morning page extracts from the latter half of last year. I watched a load of Behemoth stuff and some Carcass material. Think I’ll get a ticket for the Behemoth, Arch Enemy, Carcass and Unto Others gig at Manchester Apollo. New bank card arrived today. I had a chicken and veg dinner tonight. I did some neck and spine exercises. I watched a Katie Kookaburra bike video. I want to listen to lots of music. I want to get the Waddy anthology sorted. Newsnight is on. It’s about the bullshit crew who took us out of the EU. I preferred the Behemoth stuff. I got no response from a workshop enquiry. Maybe further down the line. 10.45pm
Thursday 14th October 2021
Morning pages in bed. Phoned Waddy and spoke to Ali about the writers’ anthology. Should be able to work on it for a couple of extra days with the group. Went out on the Sonder Frontier. A stick got jammed in between the chain and rear sprockets and threw the gears out. Luckily no major damage. But the highest gear, which I rarely use, slips a bit. Rode around by the Gill bridge for a while. Didn’t clean many sections today. This afternoon I cut the grass. Think it will be the final time this year. Spoke to Mam and Ernie on the phone this afternoon. Christmas talk already. Then I read a load of the National Association of Writers in Education magazine for a couple of hours. Very tedious. I am not Mister Academic by any stretch of the imagination. This evening, I read a bit of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Rememberings’. Then watched a Cradle of Filth documentary and some promo clips of the band on DVD. Without a lyric sheet it’s a bit pointless. I prefer recent Behemoth albums and Satyricon. Anyway, I’m off to bed soon. 11.25pm.
Friday 15th October 2021
Made up a new morning pages booklet. Keyed in the last couple of days. Read a few Lydia Davis short stories. Some reviewers on Amazon not best pleased with her brevity and lack of plot. Others hailing her as a refreshing change. I quite like her vignettes. The sort of things I’d go for in prose. I worked on the Waddy anthology after dinner and did some abdominal exercises. Listened to ‘Bad as Me’ by Tom Waits. Could hear echoes of his earlier songs; enjoyable. Good to check out more Darkthrone and Behemoth. Was ready to leave for Jen’s but my computer needed to update, so I nearly missed the bus. And being before seven, I had to pay full price to Consett. Then I stood for nearly an hour with other disgruntled punters whose buses didn’t come. I got an X45 ‘limited stop’ into Newcastle, hopped off and caught a 54 back over the Redheugh Bridge to Bensham. Jenni is out. I’ve washed a few things in the kitchen. OK. 11.53pm.
Saturday 16th October 2021
Talking to Jenni till almost five this morning so had a bit of a lie in. Ratatouille on toast for brunch. Watched a couple of Miss Marple films this afternoon. Funny seeing Jenni claim that Amanda Burton as a nun looks just like Amanda Redman from New Tricks. “Pretty much interchangeable,” she says. Jenni went out to do a shift at the theatre this evening. I went to Tesco for supplies. Keyed in morning pages whilst listening to a True Crime documentary. Me and Jenni had tomato/mushroom soup for supper. I have eaten over half a loaf of multiseed batch today. Very good stuff. Outsider from David Mitchell is on TV. 10.44pm.
Sunday 17th October 2021
Wrote a canny little six-part prose piece this morning, including segments about Jenni, Charles Bukowski, Henry Rollins, Samuel Beckett, and Cronos from Venom. Shared it on Facebook. Me and Jenni had a walk into town this afternoon. Watched the final three episodes of Squid Games when we got back. Brutal, sick, engaging. But the final episode a bit of a let-down. Left my journals behind tonight so had to go back and get a later bus. Home by twenty to twelve. 11.51pm.
Monday 18th October 2018
Saturday 16th October 2021
Talking to Jenni till almost five this morning so had a bit of a lie in. Ratatouille on toast for brunch. Watched a couple of Miss Marple films this afternoon. Funny seeing Jenni claim that Amanda Burton as a nun looks just like Amanda Redman from New Tricks. “Pretty much interchangeable,” she says. Jenni went out to do a shift at the theatre this evening. I went to Tesco for supplies. Keyed in morning pages whilst listening to a True Crime documentary. Me and Jenni had tomato/mushroom soup for supper. I have eaten over half a loaf of multiseed batch today. Very good stuff. Outsider from David Mitchell is on TV. 10.44pm.
Sunday 17th October 2021
Wrote a canny little six-part prose piece this morning, including segments about Jenni, Charles Bukowski, Henry Rollins, Samuel Beckett, and Cronos from Venom. Shared it on Facebook. Me and Jenni had a walk into town this afternoon. Watched the final three episodes of Squid Games when we got back. Brutal, sick, engaging. But the final episode a bit of a let-down. Left my journals behind tonight so had to go back and get a later bus. Home by twenty to twelve. 11.51pm.
Monday 18th October 2018
Spoke to Mam on the phone this morning. Ernie won’t be out of hospital until later this week. I didn’t start anything until this afternoon. Got a workshop prepped and added more to the Waddy anthology. I listened to Behemoth and Arch Enemy as I typed. Had hassles with online security and had to use the tech team to extend my subscription – which freaked me out coz they were controlling my account from their computer, and I could see the cursor opening and closing tabs for twenty minutes while I sat back. I watched a few metal documentaries tonight and the latest Katie Kookaburra bike video about a road race in Lincoln. I did abdominal exercises and physio. I didn’t read much. Turned Newsnight off to get an early night. Hope tomorrow goes okay. 11.03pm.
Tuesday 19th October 2021
Too long at the computer. Not typing or editing. Just listening to music and reading lyrics. Today was okay. Bit of a slog. Pleased that Jenni is okay. Haven’t heard from Mam. Session went well. Enjoyed freewriting from the journal prompts. I wrote an essay on Poetry and Poverty. I might use it in a zine. I have more stuff for the anthology. Was good to chat to Ali about gigs. I’ve been playing far too much black metal and my head’s battered, so I’m playing some Depeche Mode songs – proper melodies, and lyrics you can hear without the need for a fucking lyric sheet. I like words more than riffs. I’m done today. Don’t even want to finish this page. Need some lush supper but I don’t know what. I need more liquid as well. Wish I hadn’t spent the whole evening at the computer. My head is fucking splitting. I will be in bed soon. Don’t think I’ll bother with Newsnight. 10.17pm.
Wednesday 20th October 2021
Awake for three hours from three this morning. That’s what happens when I have an early night. Have mainly been typing stuff. I’ve heard some brilliant stuff by the metal band Fen. Also, canny ‘Keep Talking, Pal’ show by Rollins on Spotify. I added to a thread on stuff that people resent paying over the odds for and it’s doing well. I hammed it up a bit, but hey, the opportunity for a rant must be taken. I watched Katie again, discussing clipped pedals and flat pedals for mountain bikes. She visited the Shimano Museum and did some trails in Belgium. I heard some stuff by Mayhem, read a Necrobutcher interview. Played some Arch Enemy tracks. But that’s it, really. Lenty Bacon soup for lunch. Spaghetti bolognese on toast for tea. Spoke to mam on the phone this afternoon: Ernie in hospital until at least Saturday. My feet are fucking freezing and it’s only mid-October. There’s talk of reintroducing Covid measures. Hope I can still see Hands off Gretel next week. Tim Minchin the week after. And Henry Rollins in February. Wavering on a Behemoth ticket, but every time I hear Bartzabel or Blow Your Trumpets they sound awesome. Anyway, ready for another fully-clothed sleep again. 11.10pm.
Thursday 21st October 2021
Good to get out on the Sonder Frontier bike this afternoon. I didn’t do much coz the river trail is starting to get muddy and riding at speed would have left me and the bike filthy. I’ll be switching to my winter bike soon: Specialized Rockhopper. I read a little bit of Lydia Davis today, watched more Arch Enemy and Behemoth. I also found my wallet. It’s been about six inches away from my trouser pocket for the best part of a fortnight – in the pocket of my winter fleece hung on the back of the computer chair. Why would I put the wallet in there and cover it with another garment? It had thirty quid in it! I’m thinking this will go three-quarters of the way towards a Behemoth and Arch Enemy double headliner ticket. Or reduce my domestic allowance to twenty quid this week. I enjoyed listening to the Dark Medieval Times and Nemesis Divina albums by Satyricon this morning. Copied up a fortnight’s logbook and gratitude journal. Fell asleep this evening for a couple of hours. Hope I get a decent sleep overnight. Temperature down to six degrees. 11.20pm.
Friday 22nd October 2021
Yay! Listened to the new Cradle of Filth album on Spotify today and made a lyric booklet to take on buses to familiarize myself with the words. I’m no connoisseur, but I don’t understand some detractors saying Dani is past it. Personally, I think the vocals are much better than on previous albums. I love his Earl of Rochester slash Hammer Horror flourishes. But hey, I prefer poetry to guitar riffs. I got more of my next book / zine edited. Watched Katie Kookaburra’s latest bike video but can’t remember what it’s about. Watched Ali Clarkson conquer climbing frames on his trials bike. Had fish fingers and chips for tea. And lots of lemon squash. Mam rang to let me know that Ernie is out of hospital. Pleased he didn’t catch Covid. I should be in bed now coz I want to be up early tomorrow to go to Bowes Railway Museum for Elaine Cusack’s poetry event. I did some abdominal exercises tonight but didn’t get out on the bike. I am keen to get the next book done but typing is slow work at present. Should have a bit more time next week. 11.30pm.
Saturday 23rd October 2021
Canny day. Up early and out at half nine to Gateshead. Me and Jenni went to Elaine’s event on the theme of autumn at Bowes Railway Museum. She had a group of poetry lovers in, and everyone read a poem or two. Elaine read an extract from her memoir ‘The Princess of Felling’, and later a feature set from her new pamphlet ‘Loose Threads and Sacred Spaces’. Very enjoyable afternoon. Tonight, me and Jenni went to The Magic Hat café in Newcastle. She did a poetry feature set, as did Amy Wardley, and another poet whose name I didn’t get; plus a couple of bands ‘Feed the Elk’ and ‘Whippet Beans’ who got the crowd bouncing. Then a DJ set to round off. We left for Tesco supplies just after ten. Then back to the attic. 11.28pm.
Sunday 24th October 2021
Washed up this morning. Keyed in some pages. Beans on toast for dinner. Watched a film called Awake but it wasn’t great. Excellent documentary about Pendle witch trials, hosted by Simon Armitage. Sausage and veg dinner for tea at half six. Watched Family FOUR CHINS. And a bit of One Foot in the Grave. No-one wore masks on the bus except me. Nice walk from Consett and home before midnight. Bit tired. 11.47pm.
Monday 25th October 2021
Got home late last night so didn’t get to bed till nearly one. Lay in this morning but got through my typing and a lesson plan for tomorrow. The library has the Sarah Moss Summerwater novel in for me. I am toying with the idea of doing NaNoWriMo this November. I wanted to go out on the bike this afternoon but needed to focus on the anthology. This evening I listened to ‘Existence is Futile’ by Cradle of Filth and am trying out ‘Midian’ which is pretty blistering. Impossible to sing along. I am looking forward to seeing Hands off Gretel this Wednesday. Fingers crossed everything goes okay. Need to be in bed early tonight and off to Waddy early tomorrow for work on the anthology. 10.20pm.
Tuesday 26th October 2021
Long day. Awake at four after a dream about being locked in a coal house. Then just thinking about the anthology and the workshop. I did lots of planning yesterday. Was pleased to get help from Waddy Writers to sequence poems. I did a NaNoWriMo workshop. Yesterday I was all gung-ho for it but don’t think I have the stamina for fifty thousand words next month. Tonight, I felt hammered. Annoyed at not being able to access my Covid Pass on NHS website. Will register with my GP online service tomorrow. I’ve got a paper letter, but a single-issue flimsy bit of A4 isn’t great. I suppose that’s the point. Make it user unfriendly so smartphones become 100% necessary for everything. 10.44pm.
Wednesday 27th October 2021
Hands Off Gretel are easily one of the best live acts out there. Every single member has great stage presence. It’s difficult to take it all in. Becky Baldwin destroys the ‘reserved plodding bass player’ stereotype, throwing her tartan tattooed self into the performance. Lauren Tate, sporting a tiara, pink hair in bunches and a modified (NO)Friends t-shirt, has an amazing voice. Sean Bon keeps his pink gimp mask on for the whole show and shreds on the lead. Then there’s Sam Hobbins, with red face and baseball cap, smashing the drumkit. I sat in the back row of Cluny 2 with plenty of space to move to the music at a safe distance from the sweat pit. I knew about ninety percent of the songs. In no particular order: SASS, Bad Egg, It’s My Fault, Big Boy, She Thinks She’s Punk Rock, and loads more. There was a new song called War with a heavy Sabbathesque bass line. They ended the main set with Kiss Me Girl. Sean stayed onstage to thank the audience and call us mental for venturing out on a Wednesday. Then the others returned for a blistering cover of Nirvana’s Territorial Pissings, for which I moved nearer the crowd, but still safely elevated on the steps. During the show Lauren said she aimed to influence people and wanted to hear their stories. I gave her mam a copy of Hypomaniac at the merch stand. Have you signed it? she asked. Of course. Hands off Gretel, man – so pleased I finally got to see them. Mint gig. So chuffed I decided to stay mostly at the back – better view and clear sound. James Wilkinson was there as well. Wish I could go to Carlisle Brickworks for tomorrow night’s show. 11.20pm.
Thursday 28th October 2021
Erratic sleep pattern and comedown from the buzz of seeing Hands off Gretel left me totally wiped out and unable to do much today besides watch some horror movie documentaries and check out some of Stephen King’s contributions. I don’t really like too many horror movies. Most of them aren’t scary. I had to go back to bed this afternoon. I’m hoping tomorrow is a better day. I’m not going to be far travelled before Monday unless I run out of food. I’ve done no abdominal exercises for almost a week. I’ve fallen off the fitness wagon. It’s over a week since I was out on the bike. 9.42pm.
Friday 29th October 2021
Did 1670-word warmup for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Backed myself into a corner with the final paragraph. Last time I tried the challenge (2015) I used third person and it came out like an interior monologue with minimal narration. I thought this time I might try first person. But I’ve used present tense by mistake so unless it’s done in fragmented reportage, it will need to be past tense. Which will require plotting. But then again, there’s no guarantee that I’ll even do it. Nearly 1700 words of fiction per day for a month. I was spurred on last time by Chris Baty’s “NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM! – A low stress high velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days.” What I ended up with wasn’t a novel. Ironically, the most autobiographical part was published as a short story. The rest remains in its raw state on my hard drive and on my bedroom floor as a bound and tattered manuscript. Today I got the new Waddy anthology booklet re-sequenced, and the page numbers added to the contents list. I’ll probably change bits again before the next workshop. Ten hours flew by in ‘the office’ today. Ready for bed now. 10.57pm.
Saturday 30th October 2021
Bit of a lie in. Keyed in pages. Had a look at the Waddy file. Then went into Consett. Got some money, did some food shopping. Looked for some good films in charity shops for Halloween but will just watch a few I already have. Home to some curry and a few music videos then Jack Dee and Steve Hughes stand up. Then Venom tracks. Melted cheese on multiseed crust for supper. A few biscuits. Hope to put in a good shift tomorrow. 11.25pm.
Sunday 31st October 2021
Full-on workday. Got my lesson plans typed up and the handouts in sequence for a mid-term review. Tweaked the Waddy anthology again. Checked I still have copies of all our previous publications for extracts to make a poetry wall display. Had a big pie and veg dinner and a cakey tea. Listened to The Mission, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne and Venom. Sorted logistics for tomorrow’s Tim Minchin gig at Newcastle City Hall with Jenni. Watched ‘Hereditary’ on DVD.11.34pm.
Tuesday 19th October 2021
Too long at the computer. Not typing or editing. Just listening to music and reading lyrics. Today was okay. Bit of a slog. Pleased that Jenni is okay. Haven’t heard from Mam. Session went well. Enjoyed freewriting from the journal prompts. I wrote an essay on Poetry and Poverty. I might use it in a zine. I have more stuff for the anthology. Was good to chat to Ali about gigs. I’ve been playing far too much black metal and my head’s battered, so I’m playing some Depeche Mode songs – proper melodies, and lyrics you can hear without the need for a fucking lyric sheet. I like words more than riffs. I’m done today. Don’t even want to finish this page. Need some lush supper but I don’t know what. I need more liquid as well. Wish I hadn’t spent the whole evening at the computer. My head is fucking splitting. I will be in bed soon. Don’t think I’ll bother with Newsnight. 10.17pm.
Wednesday 20th October 2021
Awake for three hours from three this morning. That’s what happens when I have an early night. Have mainly been typing stuff. I’ve heard some brilliant stuff by the metal band Fen. Also, canny ‘Keep Talking, Pal’ show by Rollins on Spotify. I added to a thread on stuff that people resent paying over the odds for and it’s doing well. I hammed it up a bit, but hey, the opportunity for a rant must be taken. I watched Katie again, discussing clipped pedals and flat pedals for mountain bikes. She visited the Shimano Museum and did some trails in Belgium. I heard some stuff by Mayhem, read a Necrobutcher interview. Played some Arch Enemy tracks. But that’s it, really. Lenty Bacon soup for lunch. Spaghetti bolognese on toast for tea. Spoke to mam on the phone this afternoon: Ernie in hospital until at least Saturday. My feet are fucking freezing and it’s only mid-October. There’s talk of reintroducing Covid measures. Hope I can still see Hands off Gretel next week. Tim Minchin the week after. And Henry Rollins in February. Wavering on a Behemoth ticket, but every time I hear Bartzabel or Blow Your Trumpets they sound awesome. Anyway, ready for another fully-clothed sleep again. 11.10pm.
Thursday 21st October 2021
Good to get out on the Sonder Frontier bike this afternoon. I didn’t do much coz the river trail is starting to get muddy and riding at speed would have left me and the bike filthy. I’ll be switching to my winter bike soon: Specialized Rockhopper. I read a little bit of Lydia Davis today, watched more Arch Enemy and Behemoth. I also found my wallet. It’s been about six inches away from my trouser pocket for the best part of a fortnight – in the pocket of my winter fleece hung on the back of the computer chair. Why would I put the wallet in there and cover it with another garment? It had thirty quid in it! I’m thinking this will go three-quarters of the way towards a Behemoth and Arch Enemy double headliner ticket. Or reduce my domestic allowance to twenty quid this week. I enjoyed listening to the Dark Medieval Times and Nemesis Divina albums by Satyricon this morning. Copied up a fortnight’s logbook and gratitude journal. Fell asleep this evening for a couple of hours. Hope I get a decent sleep overnight. Temperature down to six degrees. 11.20pm.
Friday 22nd October 2021
Yay! Listened to the new Cradle of Filth album on Spotify today and made a lyric booklet to take on buses to familiarize myself with the words. I’m no connoisseur, but I don’t understand some detractors saying Dani is past it. Personally, I think the vocals are much better than on previous albums. I love his Earl of Rochester slash Hammer Horror flourishes. But hey, I prefer poetry to guitar riffs. I got more of my next book / zine edited. Watched Katie Kookaburra’s latest bike video but can’t remember what it’s about. Watched Ali Clarkson conquer climbing frames on his trials bike. Had fish fingers and chips for tea. And lots of lemon squash. Mam rang to let me know that Ernie is out of hospital. Pleased he didn’t catch Covid. I should be in bed now coz I want to be up early tomorrow to go to Bowes Railway Museum for Elaine Cusack’s poetry event. I did some abdominal exercises tonight but didn’t get out on the bike. I am keen to get the next book done but typing is slow work at present. Should have a bit more time next week. 11.30pm.
Saturday 23rd October 2021
Canny day. Up early and out at half nine to Gateshead. Me and Jenni went to Elaine’s event on the theme of autumn at Bowes Railway Museum. She had a group of poetry lovers in, and everyone read a poem or two. Elaine read an extract from her memoir ‘The Princess of Felling’, and later a feature set from her new pamphlet ‘Loose Threads and Sacred Spaces’. Very enjoyable afternoon. Tonight, me and Jenni went to The Magic Hat café in Newcastle. She did a poetry feature set, as did Amy Wardley, and another poet whose name I didn’t get; plus a couple of bands ‘Feed the Elk’ and ‘Whippet Beans’ who got the crowd bouncing. Then a DJ set to round off. We left for Tesco supplies just after ten. Then back to the attic. 11.28pm.
Sunday 24th October 2021
Washed up this morning. Keyed in some pages. Beans on toast for dinner. Watched a film called Awake but it wasn’t great. Excellent documentary about Pendle witch trials, hosted by Simon Armitage. Sausage and veg dinner for tea at half six. Watched Family FOUR CHINS. And a bit of One Foot in the Grave. No-one wore masks on the bus except me. Nice walk from Consett and home before midnight. Bit tired. 11.47pm.
Monday 25th October 2021
Got home late last night so didn’t get to bed till nearly one. Lay in this morning but got through my typing and a lesson plan for tomorrow. The library has the Sarah Moss Summerwater novel in for me. I am toying with the idea of doing NaNoWriMo this November. I wanted to go out on the bike this afternoon but needed to focus on the anthology. This evening I listened to ‘Existence is Futile’ by Cradle of Filth and am trying out ‘Midian’ which is pretty blistering. Impossible to sing along. I am looking forward to seeing Hands off Gretel this Wednesday. Fingers crossed everything goes okay. Need to be in bed early tonight and off to Waddy early tomorrow for work on the anthology. 10.20pm.
Tuesday 26th October 2021
Long day. Awake at four after a dream about being locked in a coal house. Then just thinking about the anthology and the workshop. I did lots of planning yesterday. Was pleased to get help from Waddy Writers to sequence poems. I did a NaNoWriMo workshop. Yesterday I was all gung-ho for it but don’t think I have the stamina for fifty thousand words next month. Tonight, I felt hammered. Annoyed at not being able to access my Covid Pass on NHS website. Will register with my GP online service tomorrow. I’ve got a paper letter, but a single-issue flimsy bit of A4 isn’t great. I suppose that’s the point. Make it user unfriendly so smartphones become 100% necessary for everything. 10.44pm.
Wednesday 27th October 2021
Hands Off Gretel are easily one of the best live acts out there. Every single member has great stage presence. It’s difficult to take it all in. Becky Baldwin destroys the ‘reserved plodding bass player’ stereotype, throwing her tartan tattooed self into the performance. Lauren Tate, sporting a tiara, pink hair in bunches and a modified (NO)Friends t-shirt, has an amazing voice. Sean Bon keeps his pink gimp mask on for the whole show and shreds on the lead. Then there’s Sam Hobbins, with red face and baseball cap, smashing the drumkit. I sat in the back row of Cluny 2 with plenty of space to move to the music at a safe distance from the sweat pit. I knew about ninety percent of the songs. In no particular order: SASS, Bad Egg, It’s My Fault, Big Boy, She Thinks She’s Punk Rock, and loads more. There was a new song called War with a heavy Sabbathesque bass line. They ended the main set with Kiss Me Girl. Sean stayed onstage to thank the audience and call us mental for venturing out on a Wednesday. Then the others returned for a blistering cover of Nirvana’s Territorial Pissings, for which I moved nearer the crowd, but still safely elevated on the steps. During the show Lauren said she aimed to influence people and wanted to hear their stories. I gave her mam a copy of Hypomaniac at the merch stand. Have you signed it? she asked. Of course. Hands off Gretel, man – so pleased I finally got to see them. Mint gig. So chuffed I decided to stay mostly at the back – better view and clear sound. James Wilkinson was there as well. Wish I could go to Carlisle Brickworks for tomorrow night’s show. 11.20pm.
Thursday 28th October 2021
Erratic sleep pattern and comedown from the buzz of seeing Hands off Gretel left me totally wiped out and unable to do much today besides watch some horror movie documentaries and check out some of Stephen King’s contributions. I don’t really like too many horror movies. Most of them aren’t scary. I had to go back to bed this afternoon. I’m hoping tomorrow is a better day. I’m not going to be far travelled before Monday unless I run out of food. I’ve done no abdominal exercises for almost a week. I’ve fallen off the fitness wagon. It’s over a week since I was out on the bike. 9.42pm.
Friday 29th October 2021
Did 1670-word warmup for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Backed myself into a corner with the final paragraph. Last time I tried the challenge (2015) I used third person and it came out like an interior monologue with minimal narration. I thought this time I might try first person. But I’ve used present tense by mistake so unless it’s done in fragmented reportage, it will need to be past tense. Which will require plotting. But then again, there’s no guarantee that I’ll even do it. Nearly 1700 words of fiction per day for a month. I was spurred on last time by Chris Baty’s “NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM! – A low stress high velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days.” What I ended up with wasn’t a novel. Ironically, the most autobiographical part was published as a short story. The rest remains in its raw state on my hard drive and on my bedroom floor as a bound and tattered manuscript. Today I got the new Waddy anthology booklet re-sequenced, and the page numbers added to the contents list. I’ll probably change bits again before the next workshop. Ten hours flew by in ‘the office’ today. Ready for bed now. 10.57pm.
Saturday 30th October 2021
Bit of a lie in. Keyed in pages. Had a look at the Waddy file. Then went into Consett. Got some money, did some food shopping. Looked for some good films in charity shops for Halloween but will just watch a few I already have. Home to some curry and a few music videos then Jack Dee and Steve Hughes stand up. Then Venom tracks. Melted cheese on multiseed crust for supper. A few biscuits. Hope to put in a good shift tomorrow. 11.25pm.
Sunday 31st October 2021
Full-on workday. Got my lesson plans typed up and the handouts in sequence for a mid-term review. Tweaked the Waddy anthology again. Checked I still have copies of all our previous publications for extracts to make a poetry wall display. Had a big pie and veg dinner and a cakey tea. Listened to The Mission, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne and Venom. Sorted logistics for tomorrow’s Tim Minchin gig at Newcastle City Hall with Jenni. Watched ‘Hereditary’ on DVD.11.34pm.
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