SEPTEMBER

Monday 1st September 2025

Only about five hours sleep. Full Cumbrian breakfast around seven. I made some sandwiches and grabbed a muffin as well. I was on the bike and leaving Penrith by half past eight. Dry morning. Hartside Pass was okay. But I got soaked on the descent into Garrigill. Chilly for around three hours. I thought it best to do the full mileage in two days, rather than three. Nenthead was a bit flooded. Glasses blurred, sweat in my eyes. Weather faired up a bit later for the final stretch from Consett to Sunderland. Pleased to complete the C2C from Whitehaven to Roker. Had a smashburger for supper. Got a metro to Gateshead. Too tired to write. Fell asleep with the pen in my hand. 11.47pm.

Tuesday 2nd September 2025

Me and Jen had a lazy morning then I went out for supplies. Tuna and chilli beans for dinner. Lots of comments on my post about the bike ride. We went to South Shields for Rowan McCabe's ‘Hard Knocks’ show tonight. He did about eight or nine poems with long intros and stories. His book The Door to Door Poet was there but we are waiting till the official launch next week to buy ours. Rowan did stuff from recent gigs plus bits from his door-to-door poetry exploits. The metro rides were good. I am still tired after the C2C. I thought I'd be wrecked for a week, but hopefully okay by Friday. I need to prep my Washington workshop and submit three short pieces for the Bristol Flash Fiction Festival anthology. I need to book two more guests for next Poetry Jam. It's almost bedtime. 10.46pm.


Wednesday 3rd September 2025

Content is good to go for first four Washington workshops. Got my little C2C album on Facebook. A couple of flukey good shots but mostly just pics of my 19-year-old Rockhopper bike leaning against fences. Deadline for flash anthology has been extended to 14th September. I had a beef steak with chilli beans and mushrooms this evening. I'm low on Cherry Active juice. More on order but won't arrive till Sunday. 11.24pm.

Thursday 4th September 2025

Keyed in notes, did some edits. Set up Waddy for Poetry Jam. Small in numbers, big on enthusiasm. Great to see Andy Willoughby read. Great to see Jenni. She read a poem about me doing C2C and one about photographs. Ian Hart read some serious and funny stuff and ended with Parrot Noise. Christine Fowler's poems were mostly short: some light, some really dark ones about graveyards, blackheads and other stuff. Tom Kelly was on form. I loved the ‘Chuck Berry and Me’ poems. He did a William Jopling poem, then Geordie, and two shipbuilding monologues. It's good to hear work for second or third time. I ate more chicken tonight and prepped my sandwiches for Washington. 11.42pm.

Friday 5th September 2025

Up early to do morning pages then get ready for Washington. Finish the sentence, Tricube poems, Exquisite Corpse… Thanks to Alwyn for chat and lift to Metro Centre. Worked on August blog then out around 9 o'clock to catch the bus to Gateshead. Jenni is away, but I'm staying at her place because I need to be up early to take part in two fiction workshops at the Word WRITE Festival in South Shields. I've had three tins of tuna with a tin of barbecue beans and now struggling to stay awake.11.49pm.

Saturday 6th September 2025

Chatted online with Jenni at breakfast time. Public transport to South Shields okay. CG Hatton’s ‘standout fiction’ workshop was very impressive. This afternoon’s flash fiction session was an overview of the genre then an opportunity to write a short story for an anthology to be published within a week. I've done my first draft. Ate lots of chicken, did a bit of decluttering tonight and washing up for Jenni. OK. 10.32pm.


Sunday 7th September 2025

Wrote another draft of my little flash fiction from WRITE Festival. Went out to buy food. Me and Jenni watched the new Sheridan Smith drama ‘I Fought the Law’. Very powerful. Ate lots of chicken sandwiches today. OK.10.39pm.

Monday 8th September 2025

Front wheel hub of the Rockhopper started rattling like pebbles in a tin can near Beamish this morning; probably all the rain has flushed out the grease. I'll take it to Shaun at Bits4Bikes in due course. This afternoon I made a preliminary selection of poems for my 19th September gig at For Better Or Verse. I'm including quite a few from September Scrapbook. I'll use a slam sequence and some greatest hits, plus one or two new poems. 10.28pm.


Tuesday 9th September 2025

Got through a lot of work prep but still behind on my personal copy-ups. This evening, I went out on the Sonder Frontier bike for the first offroad ride since before the C2C. Took me a while to get used to the more laid-back head angle, but the bigger wheels and wider tyres were very welcome after hitting potholes on the Rockhopper last week. No new ground covered, no new manoeuvres, but an enjoyable hour. Later, I did a couple of read throughs of my For Better or Verse feature set which comes in around 26 minutes. I can shorten if necessary, without ruining the flow. I submitted three flash fiction stories to the Bristol anthology today. Planned the first session for a new term at Waddy. 11.35pm.

Wednesday 10th September 2025

In town quite early this morning for supplies. I seem to spend a lot of time in supermarkets and I'm eating chicken most days of the week. I made a print-out for next week’s gig set at For Better or Verse in Blackhill hosted by Steve and Melanie Wood. Delighted that Mr Wood says it’s okay to do about half an hour of material. I listened to the new Suede album Antidepressants tonight. Title track plus Disintegrate and June Rain my current favourites. I'll need to listen to their recent albums a lot between now and February before I attempt to see them in York. 10.42pm.


Thursday 11th September 2025

Packed up too much stuff for Morecambe then bus to Consett was late so it took over two hours to reach Jen’s place. It only took two and a half hours from Newcastle to Morecambe; all the train connections were perfect. Me and Jen bought food in Poundland and unpacked at The Shipping Lanes hotel. Tony Gadd is staying in the room below ours. Good to see him. We all got soaked on our way to the first part of the Poetry Festival. I can't remember any performers names and very little of what I heard but they were good. The second half of the first night at The King's Arms didn’t resonate so much with me. I kept nodding off. I'm loaded with cold. Meds wearing off by 10 o'clock, I just wanted to be back in the hotel. Jenni is still out. I think this might be my last year at the festival. I’m keen to get to bed. OK.11.45pm.


Friday 12th September 2025

Still have the snotty beak this morning. Breakfast was good: cornflakes, egg and bacon muffin, strawberry yogurt with added strawberries and blueberries, apple juice, orange juice and a banana. Jen took me to Carnforth train station where the film Brief Encounter was filmed 80 years ago; the museum has it playing on a loop in a mini cinema. We went to a local bookshop that had an early copy of The Wide Skirt poetry magazine. We caught a train back to Morecambe. I bought two quick-dry t-shirts in a charity shop and a Kevin Brooks novel. Chicken based bargains in Poundland. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a panic/blowout/hissy fit in a restaurant then a grumpy night at the festival. Only Luke Wright had enough impact to keep me awake. It fucking pissed down again. At least the sniffles seemed to be on the wane. OK. 11.55pm.

Saturday 13th September 2025

Enjoyed seeing and hearing Robin Ince do a lunchtime hour-long set at Morecombe Poetry Festival today. Other highlights were Caroline Bird’s poems about neglected female poets, and a gothic set from Jessica Traynor who signed a copy of her ‘New Arcana’ collection. Tonight, in The Winter Gardens we saw an hour from Henry Normal followed by Nigel Planer. We were a bit tired afterwards so came back to the hotel early. OK. 11.25pm.

Sunday 14th September 2025

The Morecambe Poetry Festival was ace today. I really enjoyed John Osborne, Louise Fazackerly, The Hovis Presley Tribute, Andy Bennett, Steph Dogfoot, Beth Hartley, Roland Crowland, Claire Ferguson Walker and Michael Rosen. Me and Jenni had burger and chips from a street vendor, and sandwiches from Poundland. We're currently at The Kings Arms where Jackie Hagan’s Manky Mates are about to take to the stage. OK. 10.55pm.


Monday 15th September 2025

We got back to the hotel around half one this morning. The finale of the festival at The Kings Arms was great, particularly Thick Richard and Matt Pannesh. We had our final big breakfast around nine o'clock this morning. The weather was bad for most of the weekend. The Pier Bookshop was closed today because it was too windy. Train connections weren't as good as Thursday, so the journey was about fifty minutes longer. Jenni booked us a mega dinner delivery for our return to Bensham. We watched Corrie and some episodes of Mitchell and Web Are Not Helping. OK. 10.14pm.


Tuesday 16th September 2025

First day back at Waddy. I did nothing new at all: absurd words, journal well-being, assessment questionnaire, then beginning sentences of stories. A bit of photocopying then bus to Jen’s. I’ve read most of Supermarket Love Story by John Osborne. Particularly enjoyed the Tannoy voice of closing time monologue and the cleanup in aisle six stuff. Ate chicken thins for tea and a little chocolate cake. Then out to Byker for Rowan McCabe’s book launch at The Cluny 2. Enjoyed Cooper Robson and Jess Johnson and of course Rowan. About eighty people there. Pleased he sold a canny whack of books. He was on top form. It was much the same as I saw him in South Shields but with a stock car racing section. Me, Jenni and Marie walked into town. This entry is a bit late. OK. 12.43am.


Wednesday 17th September 2025

Had another run through the gig set. It comes in around 25 minutes. I hope it's okay. The newest piece was written last year and the oldest 33 years ago. I hope it works. This evening, I rode the Frontier bike on slightly messy trails but still had a good time. I read the rest of Supermarket Love Story by John Osborne. I like his everyday observations and anything-can-be-poetry approach. I still have a runny nose and now a cold sore. OK.10.55pm.


Thursday 18th September 2025

Did the publicity for next month's Poetry Jam and posts for two workshops. Printed five copies of September Scrapbook and ten copies of Letting the Minimalism Slip. I only intended to do a few of each, but the laser printer was behaving itself and the paper didn’t scuff up. I only assembled a couple. Jenni ordered copies of Flash Mob, the WRITE Festival anthology of tiny stories edited by CG Hatton. I like the black and burgundy cover. I even like my story. Me and Jenni went to see a play called Yen at Alphabetti Theatre. Really strong acting from two lads. Molly from old Coronation Street played their mother. We had a drink in Station East and a Ginsters Moroccan vegetable pasty from Tesco. I'm up late on a school night. OK. 11.42pm.


Friday 19th September 2025

Sick to fucking bits of this bastard snotty nose. Over a week now. Bus to Washington was a furnace. Then I got on the Heworth bus instead of Horton le Spring by mistake. The workshop was canny. Eight writers joined me for absurd words, journal wellbeing prompts and capturing the ephemeral plus responses to published poems. Big thanks to Alwyn for the chat and lift to Metro Centre. I had beans and tuna for tea. Jenni went to Sunderland for Stage Fright, and I went to Consett for the spoken word night For Better or Verse. Pleased to see Jonjo and his wife Kate there. Steve Wood put me on in the first half so they could catch my full set before they had to leave. I did about half an hour. Enjoyed it. After the break, Lorraine Weightman did her overheard conversation poems and a few favourites. I left as soon as she finished to get a 45 bus to Newcastle. It pissed down. Got a metro to Gateshead and bought supplies in Tesco. Then hopped on the 49A Winlaton bus that dropped me off just behind the Cafe under the Spire opposite Jen’s place. My nose has started running badly again. 11.38pm.


Saturday 20th September 2025

Grand day out at the Word WRITE festival in South Shields today for The Word is Murder presented by Vic Watson. The authors were Steph McGovern, Fiona Cummins, CM Ewan, John Sutherland, Vaseem Khan, Emma Flint and MJ Arlidge. It was good to listen to all seven talk about the crime novel. Tonight, I read a bit of Steph's debut ‘Dead Line’ and ordered CM Ewan's ‘Strangers in the Car’ online from Consett Library. OK. 10.17pm.


Sunday 21st September 2025

Visited Heaton Rail Centre with Jenni, Hillary and John. Saw some vintage trains. Jenni bought lots of badges and other souvenirs. Back in the attic, I ate lots of chicken. On the bus home, I started reading the first short story in Stephen King’s new collection You Like it Darker. It's not dark and it's not short – over two hours and still unfinished. Left a notebook at Jen’s. 10.21pm.


Monday 22nd September 2025

Pretty shitty day. I'm struggling to move forward with college paperwork. I think I've reached the end of the line. I’m fine with giving people some basic workshop exercises. I'm not good at prescribed schemes of work and assessments. I don't know how to assess anyone's anything. I think I'm done with college stuff. I'll see how I feel in a couple of days, but I just can't get my head around the new paperwork. I can't switch off my agitation. Even went out on the bike up on the waste ground but couldn’t ride properly. I don't know how I'm going to replace the money I'll lose if I can't do the college work, but I don't want to make myself ill, getting stressed every week. It took me years to get comfortable with the old format. I'm not a fucking teacher. I'm done. 9:23pm.


Tuesday 23rd September 2025

Told staff at Waddy how I feel about college paperwork. Unfortunately, I didn't get to speak with the manager and was advised by Steve Wakefield to wait a couple of days, to get a meeting with the college before making a final decision. The workshop this afternoon went well: warm up was a five-minute freewrite from anthology poem titles, then noun diary entries, drawing on childhood for inspiration, a revisit of story opening lines followed by a full reading of The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World by Gabriela Garcia Marquez. A bit of magic realism with discussion then unexpected starts to stories, ‘in media res’ to finish. I read Thank You Kindly Mr Patten and explained how it came about. This evening, I bought food then started sifting through material for my next poetry collection. Trying to top ‘Letting the Minimalism Slip’ will be difficult. And I've knacked my left shoulder. 11.32pm.


Wednesday 24th September 2025

I took the Rockhopper to Shaun at Bits4Bikes this morning. Surprisingly the hub stopped rattling on the way there. I still reckon it’s fucked. Got some DVDs and an eighties edition fine condition paperback Cujo by Stephen King in a charity shop and a ticket for Emma Kenny’s ‘Killer Couples’ show at Consett Empire. This afternoon was mostly copy-ups for logbooks and a letter to the Waddy manager about college paperwork. More copy-ups tonight and my right hand is now aching. 9.55pm.


Thursday 25th September 2025

Spent a fair bit of time copying up worklog and gratitude journal. I've read some flash fiction, some poems, and a Stephen King story. Also, some early Henry Rollins work from his 1990 book BANG! His pieces were more powerful and engaging than anything else I've read today, but he's never written much like that since about 1998. Tonight, I listened to a load of Adam and the Ants songs. I prefer the early stuff: pre ‘Kings…’ and B-sides. Spotify played Gary Numan, Echo and the Bunnymen, Soft Cell, Sparks, amongst others. Jenni messaged from London: “Is Steve having a good time?” I've got cold sores and a runny scabby nose and a dodgy work situation. I made more book samples for Joan Johnston. Bed soon. 9.55pm.


Friday 26th September 2025

Good time down by the river on my Sonder Frontier bike. Trails were dry and I managed to repair the step-up behind a fallen tree with rocks and more soil dug from a bankside using my little garden fork and trowel. I can now ride that section, no feet down. Took the bike under the bridge at Shotley and rode a couple of rocky sections as well. This evening, I watched bits and pieces of trial riding and music videos.11.58pm.


Saturday 27th September 2025

Fruity porridge breakfast and a bus ride up to Consett. The Panasonic CD double cassette deck going for 20 quid in a charity shop has gone. The final cans of Heinz chilli beans in Barry's Bargain Superstore have gone. Lesson learnt: sometimes it’s wise to impulse buy before someone else does… Fell asleep on the X70 to Gateshead. Bought some food then went to Jen’s. Ate chicken sandwiches then out to see Jenny Eclair at Northern Stage. She was really funny. Jenni enjoyed her lots. OK.11.45pm.


Sunday 28th September 2025

Long lie-in.
Jenni went to Darlington
for a train convention.
I went to Newcastle
for a cheap dinner:
two chicken breasts for
57p plus a 35p orange.
Then a bus to Consett.
I've read a Stephen
King short story, listened
to some Henry Rollins
spoken word, and voiced
notes into messenger.
The tinnitus is loud
and mouth ulcers hurt.
Shoulder still aches.
Autumn encroaches.
OK. 11.47pm.

Monday 29th September 2025

Copied up notes from first two Waddy writing sessions. Hope the third one goes well tomorrow. Made a new morning pages book for Wednesday. Me and Jenni were supposed to be going out this evening, but my computer migration from Windows 10 to 11 is taking far longer than anticipated. Jenni is lying down now but might be back up in an hour or so to finish off installation. I'm no good with anything technical. I have been under the weather for over three weeks now. Don't know if I'll be quitting New College Durham or if I'll be able to come to some bureaucratic arrangement. This isn’t the autumn I anticipated. 11.53pm.


Tuesday 30th September 2025

Last day of the month, last day of running a workshop as a college employee. The Waddy writers don't know yet. Nor does the college. But the Waddy manager does. No more gruelling paperwork for this poet. No more jumping through hoops. No more online training. No more pretending to be something I'm not. The writing session was good this afternoon. And things will get better. I'm going to just go in with looser plans each week and see where the energy takes us. I drafted six vignettes today. I'm going to use the time I’d usually spend agonizing over unnecessary college paperwork just typing and submitting poems to magazine anthologies. Tonight, I went out to get the porridge that I forgot to buy at teatime. I nearly bought sultanas by mistake. The nights are really cutting in now: dark just after seven. I won't be out on the bike very much. Hope I can still reach my goals. OK. 11.59pm.