Monthly Archives: May 2007

31 May 2007

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These are my grandchildren, Oliver and Amy, taking part – albeit unwittingly – in an InPrint art installation at the Open Studios. The installation is called Shaded, by Rupert Mallin and Tonia Jillings: more can be seen on it at www.inprintartsandpoetry.co.uk. The children were just having a rest while we all chatted at the private view on the 20th.

I’m just back from a St Augustine’s LMT meeting at Horsford. LMT members: at least 10. Number present: 3. Clearly a priorities problem, except for Dot, who is in Caddington looking after the above grandchildren. I shall be going tomorrow. Today I cleared up a few outstanding things. After months of dithering I went to see about an improved gravestone for my parents’ grave, and I followed that by going to see a former colleague who is in Aylsham Hospital – hopefully recovering from cancer. Bit odd being in the place where my mother and father-in-law died. Good visit, though. J was very upbeat and looking quite well, though in a wheelchair. Her sister was also there.

Lovely day today for a change: some sun and warmth. Yesterday popped down to Bally again in between writing Monday’s page. Lone vigil by Annette. Piece appeared on my poetry prize in today’s EDP Art, Antiques and Collectibles supplement. Not sure which category I fall under.

29 May 2007

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Just my kind of path. An especially lovely section of a walk just outside Halesworth in Suffolk: almost like a way into another dimension. Taken on a beautifully warm day in April. Now, as we approach June, we have had rain almost non-stop since Sunday morning, and a particularly cold kind of rain too. Waiting in the Bally Art Factory for visitors to show up has become a bleak affair. On Bank Holiday Monday, when we might have expected a few small crowds, there were 20 all day: considering there were four InPrint members there, this was an unhealthy percentage. Not to be put off, we did a poetry reading, recorded by Rupert’s camcorder and played back on a laptop afterwards.

Saturday, when Lisa and Annette did a poetry print workshop, was bit more healthy, and so was Sunday. On the Saturday, when I was patrolling outside the workshop, I managed to sell four cards with my poetry on and a couple of books, which was a bit embarrassing as it looked as I had been pushing my own stuff. I am psychologically incapable of doing this, but still… It’s very nice to hear strangers say they like your poetry, though.

R is stepping down from being secretary of InPrint because of pressure of work, so I am taking over temporarily until it’s discussed at the June 10 meeting. I foresee a rather intense discussion as I know that different people have different ambitions concerning the group.

Dot has been working hard on school reports and has just about finished two of the three. This afternoon we took a break and went to look at a house in Thorpe End. Lots of pluses: intriguing nooks and crannies and unexpected rooms; large garden; excellent kitchen; good location. But I was put off by the proximity to a busy road and the evidence of eastern religion: grotesque statues and artefacts. Then there was the enormous dog… I guess if someone came round and gave us £400,000 for this house tomorrow, I would put in an offer, but this is unlikely.

25 May 2007

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Well, I managed to draw with DH on Monday, though I probably should have won: wasn’t confident I could pull it off with not much time remaining.

Today the weather did an amazing thing. I went into Bally at 2pm, wondering whether I should really be wearing a jumper on top of my short-sleeved shirt. Two hours later I emerged to be very glad of it – the temperature must have plunged about ten degrees while I was in there, and there was a very chilly wind. However, we did have one visitor to the exhibition – a guy who seemed very interested and said he’d be back over the weekend.

Earlier the gas meter reader called and told me I had a flat tyre. It turned out he meant my car. It wasn’t totally flat, so I drove it round to Kwik Fit, who kept it for two hours, mended it and didn’t charge me. What nice people. Dot was out for the day at Brome (just into Suffolk) for a SIAS training session (church school inspectors) and is now out again for a girly night at Vicky’s.

On Wednesday and Thursday we had an excursion to Cambridgeshire, where Dot was inspecting a school at Oakington. We booked into a B&B in Landbeach, a few miles up the road. Very nice place with a pleasant landlady who did an excellent breakfast. After leaving Dot at the school at 12, I drove to Coventry to see Andrew. He was much better than I expected, and we went out for a walk.

The journey there had been easy, but returning was a different kettle of HGVs, most of them trying to overtake each other – which is not easy in a kettle. Coupled with two hold-ups, this made me a little late back. Dot rang me just as I was leaving the Huntingdon roundabout, and at precisely the same moment, a car two in front of me swerved violently, causing the one in between us to jam on his brakes. I just managed to do the same in time, despite the distraction.

In the evening we went to the Bridge restaurant near the River Cam at Clayhithe, and I had a pretty good steak. We walked along the towpath and saw an eight and a four (from Gaius College) practising. The eight were girls and the four were men, but in each case a (different) female coach was cycling along the towpath beside them, shouting instructions. Back at the B&B, had a bit of a rough night: found it hard to sleep.

Next day, while Dot was in school again, I did another walk down the Cam from Clayhithe, probably about four miles in all. Finished with a cider at the Bridge, then drove back to Oakington to pick Dot up. We called at Ely on the way home but failed to find anywhere to park and continued across the Fens.

Spent part of today booking up various things, including a hotel in Bantry and a slot on Eurotunnel. After I’d booked the time, they revealed that we had to be there 75 minutes earlier than that, which will make it quite tight if my hospital appointment overruns. Very helpful – not. Why can’t they warn you abou tthe waiting time before you book?

The picture is of InPrint stars Rupert Mallin and Lisa D’Onofrio moving the poetry vending machine into St Giles Church for the Open Studios “taster”. Clearly we should have gone for something smaller – a poetry vending carrier bag, for instance.

I’ve borrowed an intriguing book from TM – an interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer as it was in the original Aramaic. Fascinating language, with a much smaller vocabulary but many more meanings per word. Throws lots of new light on what Jesus actually meant, I think. Lots in common with poetry, with the ambiguities and (especially) layers of meaning.

21 May 2007

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Extremely busy few days has just come to an end. Weather has turned rainy again, but over the weekend it was sunny and warm, which was excellent for two reasons. One, it was my son’s 35th birthday on Friday, and he and his family came up over the weekend. This meant the children could play outside, especially on the Sunday afternoon, when Oliver was having a lot of fun on his tractor on the pavement. Amy unfortunately was a little under the weather, but she hung on in there bravely.

The second reason was that it was the InPrint Open Studios private view on Sunday. This meant that I was spending all day Thursday and Friday at Bally, doing all kinds of moderately heavy work, including moving around the most crazily designed screens I’ve ever come across. Also of course hanging the artwork. Brought Bronwen up from Beccles on the Friday morning, and we hung her superb photographic piece, Unable to Find North. Tricky, because three heavy long and thin pieces had to match up. Dot brought me up some sandwiches and took Bronwen home after we’d hung her other pieces. I remained at Bally to help Mike hang his and Annette’s pictures, which was OK after we got a rhythm going! In the evening Dot and I went to hear Jacqui Dankworth at the Playhouse. Excellent seats for watching the musicians in action, which was fascinating. Not my sort of songs, really, but they were just an excuse to show off the musicians’ – and the singer’s – virtuosity. Most enjoyable. Dot accosted Jacqui afterwards because they’d met at a headteachers’ conference.

On the Saturday I had to write, design and laminate some notices, then rush them up to Bally before the family arrived just before noon. Then on Sunday, after I delivered some boxes of wine and juice to Bally at 8.45, we played music at Finnan’s dedication at church before I had to rush back to Bally for the private view. Meanwhile Dot was preparing lunch for the family, who had been to see one of Vicky’s bridesmaids at Easton. Then they all came down to hear the poetry reading just after 2pm.

That went pretty well – about 30-40 people. The picture above is of the four of us about to set off, with Caroline in pole position and Bronwen’s piece-de-resistance behind us. Over 100 people came to our studios altogether.

Today has been a little calmer, though I did pop up to Bally with some more notices, filled the car up with petrol and took a film in for processing. Speaking of films, Rupert filmed the poetry reading, which should be interesting. I’m going to play DH at chess this evening, which probably won’t be relaxing.

15 May 2007

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This is my cousin Pat and her husband Brian, on the London Eye. We’ll get there one day.

I’m writing this at home because I have a stomach upset: I should be at our Tuesday gathering, tonight hosted by Ed at his place. I got there, but then had rather unpleasant pains, so came home. It’s better, but still complaining. Shouldn’t last long. I hope.

Been quite cold today. Went to Joyce’s funeral this morning: lovely service in the old church – read Psalm 23. Tea in the hall afterwards. Everyone had good things to say about her.

Back at home wrote my column for next Monday and revised some liturgy for NYFC. Dot arrived home from her inspection in Suffolk at about 3.40pm.

14 May 2007

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Weather has been pretty unpleasant – lots of rain, although fairly warm. Finished off my last trainee (could be better phrased, I guess) – this was E at Dereham, who I had taken over when her assessor became ill.

Had the Greens and the Higbees round on Friday evening – good time, though I was feeling under the weather, as I have been for several days: head and stomach not right. I had been thinking of driving to Coventry today, but decided against it. Instead went to Bally to use the long-arm stapler on my new book, but couldn’t get through the second set of doors. Got as far as the picture, which is the selling floor, but no further. Must be a trick to it. No-one else there, so no good trying to attract their attention.

Dot is away tonight, in the middle of an inspection at Cavendish, on the Suffolk-Essex border. I had been intending to go with her, but Joyce’s funeral is scheduled for tomorrow, and one of us had to go to that. Indeed, one of us wanted to. More precisely, both of us wanted to, but you can’t really postpone school inspections. I am reading Psalm 24.

Dot has just rung to say she loves the school and the B & B, so I may not see her again. She is lying on the bed, relaxing. I am cooking a lamb chop and wondering whether to go the chess club.

9 May 2007

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Yes, it was four last night, but we had a really good discussion: well worth while, and it may well affect the way we do things on Tuesday evenings.

Today has been really exciting, and I’m still in a bit of a daze. I opened my e-mails to discover that I have won the 2007 Fish International Poetry Prize with my poem, The Island Grows on Me. Totally unexpected. Maybe I really am a poet after all. Quite a large cash prize – and I have to go to Ireland to collect it in July.

I celebrated by having my hair cut (as already arranged), followed by a meal with Dot at Cafe Rouge. Champagne and steak frites: you can’t beat that, can you? Even better, it didn’t start raining till I got home.

8 May 2007

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Very quiet bank holiday weekend, during which the weather changed, becoming wet after a month of rainlessness. Monday itself was very wet indeed, and we stayed in. During the two days I put together a poetry booklet containing 14 poems, designed to go with the Open Studios exhibition coming up later this month. The book is called Off the Map and has been put together entirely on my computer, using Word. So not exactly professional, but I think it looks pretty good, considering.

Today I installed my new BT Home Hub, giving faster Broadband speeds. Went surprisingly easily, but I encountered a problem trying to link Dot’s computer to it and wasted an hour of David’s time trying to sort it out. In the end I stumbled by chance on what was wrong.

L came round to discuss how to lead a service (her first time on Sunday), arriving at the same time as Dot arrived back from a day’s work – first inspecting a school at Mildenhall and then at a training session. We’re now awaiting the arrival of this evening’s guests, who I suspect will be down from 12 last week to about four. And that includes us.

6 May 2007

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Sneak preview of a small part of one of the exhibits at the upcoming Open Studios in Norwich – a combined work incorporating my poem, Unable to Find North. Or it may not be a part. The artist, Bronwen Edwards, took a very large number of pictures, of which fewer than 30 will be used, I believe.

Meanwhile Rupert, Lisa and I have installed the Poetry Vending Machine in St Giles Church for the Open Stuidios “taster” exhibition. It looks very good and was quite a hit at the private view on Friday, but it still has operating problems. We can’t rely on it to work if we leave it. Rupert is popping in with some WD40 and a screwdriver tomorrow, hoping to sort it out. Rupert is incurably optimistic.

Dot has been at Caddington having fun with Amy, but she came back earlier than expected, so we went to a poetry reading at Wells together on Saturday evening. Also superb sausage and chips. Wells seafront was idyllic: no wind, dying light. Poetry reading by Alan Brownjohn, who was witty in a very low-key way. Poems not terribly poetic but very amusing and designed for performance. Sarah Law was not really a performer: she appeared not to enjoy it, despite AB’s attempts to jolly her along, particularly in the questions and answers. Some interesting poems, though – many with a mystical bent – but the best were about her father’s death.

Church lunch today: nice community feeling to it. Nice to be among so many friends. Discovered I’d missed the deadline for the TLS poetry competition, but I don’t suppose meeting it would have affected anything. Should I have a go at the play-writing contest? I’ll believe it when I see it.

Apart from Wells seafront, the weather has been quite chilly over the last few days, and we are supposed to have rain tomorrow. Is summer over?

2 May 2007

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A typical Norfolk loke, this one is not far from Felmingham, on the troad to Antingham. There is a possibility that it’s the famous Bunny’s Loke, down which I cycled with Dot many years ago and which features in my story Realm, about a missing girl. However, Dot is not at all sure about this: she wasn’t with me when I took the picture.

It was a chilly day, and I was assessing a trainee in Cromer who has now completed her NVQ portfolio. My visit on Monday this week – quite a different sort of day, sunny and quite warm, but with a brisk NE wind – was my last, and I “celebrated” by finding a part of the town I didn’t know existed. Intending to have a game of putting, I discovered it was shut, so I continued up the cliff path and found a beautiful walk up to the lighthouse and the golf course. Masses of bluebells, and great views across the stormy sea and back to the town, where the church tower dwarfed everything else. I returned back through some woods. Very refreshing.

Dot was spending a day at Salhouse school delivering Philosophy for Children with Barbara – returned quite tired and went to sleep while I played in the John Swan rapidplay tournament at my chess club. I scored 3/5 and was equal fourth out of 14. Lost my first game, then won two and drew two.

Yesterday a guy came round from the estate agent’s to value the house – not that we necessarily want to move, but just to see what it’s worth in case we do. Discovered that our next door neighbour is trying to sell. The B & B market has taken a big hit with new Travelodges in Norwich. We haven’t got a value yet, but will no doubt hear from him in due course. She was given £275,000 but doesn’t believe it. Nor do I.

Last weekend was busy. On the Friday night we had two couples round for a meal – excellent time, but got to bed very late. Then on Saturday we went to South-East London to visit the Hendersons, who we had only seen briefly for a couple of years. In the evening we were their guests at a choral concert (Stravinsky and Haydn) at Blackheath Halls, which I enjoyed a lot and got a poem out of! The school chair of governors and his wife came back for coffee. He was tall, and she wasn’t.

We had a relaxing Sunday, just talking and (briefly) walking, catching up on news. The journey back through the Blackwall Tunnel was surprisingly easy, despite the ludicrous speed cameras and equally ludicrous speed limits. I can’t see any excuse for a prolonged 40mph limit on a three-lane dual carriageway with no pedestrian access. What actually happened was that I tried hard to keep to the limit, because I knew about the cameras, whereas the locals who knew where the cameras where came hurtling up behind me, overtaking on both sides, and then braking sharply for the cameras. I was the hazard, getting in everyone’s way because I was sticking to the limit.

The unrealistic limits actually lead to people driving faster where they can get away with it. A sensible 50 or even 60 would command a lot more respect and compliance, and would certainly be safer. I really don’t know why people can’t see that. Is it just dogma?

Today is pleasant – sunny and warm. We are in the middle of a spell of very nice weather which I suppose I should be making the most of instead of writing a blog. So later Dot and I will go into the city and have lunch, probably at Cafe Italia.