Tag Archives: inprint

Here comes that fuzzy feeling (and it ain’t right)

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robin limmer
Flashback to Adam & Eve: Robin Limmer, with Groucho Marx in background

Feeling a bit fuzzy today: have contracted another UTI and have prescribed myself some antibiotics, which make me feel tired. On the other hand, I haven’t had a full night’s sleep for about five days (no apparent reason) – so it could be that. Otherwise OK: I expect the UTI to retire hurt in a day or two. Today took a trip to Bally to have a chat with Annette and Rupert about the future of InPrint. Turned out pretty positively. We will probably be a tighter (=smaller) group and make more use of the website to publicise individual activities as well as collaborative ones. I think we’re all a bit too busy to take on another big collaborative venture at this point, though Rupert has some interesting ideas about the Great Yarmouth Museum archive. I need to rewrite the “about” page and revise the membership list. I have also landed the job of editing a short novel for a local woman, so I am earning a little money.

Not playing chess tonight, because my opponent called off, but I might wander up to the club later on to see what’s about, as my father-in-law used to say. I did play last Thursday for the C team in curious circumstances. They have five members, but three of them can’t play on Thursdays. So Greg and I were drafted in as guests on boards one and two in a bid to save the team from relegation! I won quite a nice game, which meant we needed one more point from the other three. Greg got a draw, but Norman lost what should have been a drawn position and our fourth member didn’t turn up!! So 1½-2½, and third division here we come. Or there they go, to be ruthless about it. Absent member may not be popular.

Other promotion and relegation issues: Norwich City made sure of promotion on Saturday when they beat Charlton 1-0 away. Cue wild rejoicing, mainly from Dot. Good sport weekend for a change, because Spurs beat Chelsea 2-1, and Button and Hamilton came first and second in the rain-hit Shanghai Grand Prix. More excellent tactics.

Last Wednesday Jessie ventured forth from her North Walsham enclave and came here for an evening meal. I met her at the station. Roger and Jude. Jude is active in the field of red hats, as well as various other fields. She is in fact Queen of the Norfolk Broads. I can’t say more, but we had a very good time. On Saturday, another memorable social occasion: we were invited next door for drinks and nibbles. In view of the amount of food available, I would not like to see their version of a full meal. Started in the garden, which was in truth a bit chilly, and we eventually retired to the drawing room. More good conversation, and a bit too much to drink, which was unfortunate, as I was preaching the next morning. However, it turned out all right.

We’ve had some warm weather over the last few days, but today was chillier. Happily not really affected by the no-fly-through-volcano-ash situation which has seen many, many people stranded abroad – and remain hopeful that the volcano will have calmed down by June, when we’re supposed to fly to Italy.

27 January 2009

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This is Dot’s cousin Roger in typically relaxed style, pictured at Jessie’s last week. Another family meal looms on Sunday, when quite a large number of people are due at Angela’s at Dereham to celebrate Ethel’s 85th. This was supposed to be a sort of a secret, but the cat has been let out of the bag by someone who shall remain nameless. As the nameless person’s husband is in hospital with pneumonia again, she can be forgiven. Dot has been at Ethel’s this afternoon, calling in with presents on her way back from Yarmouth, where she has had her first school visit as diocesan school support officer, followed by lunch with her friend Anne. She is keeping pretty busy: a long afternoon yesterday was spent with Barbara preparing for next Tuesday’s head teachers’ conference, including a visit to the venue – St Luke’s Church Centre.

This morning I got over an appallingly shoddy loss at chess last night by going for a walk that turned out to be nearly four miles. It started innocently enough with a call at the sorting office to post a letter for Dot, but then got out of hand. I walked up through the Rosary, down the steps to Cintra Road and down on to Thorpe Rod, left and up the hill again via Stanley Road and Harvey Lane, then through what was Pinebanks and down a footpath back on to Thorpe Road and up to the River Green. I sat on a seat for a while in the sun – the weather was really mild compared to what it has been recently, people were feeding ducks, geese and swans, and it was all pretty idyllic really. I then went really mad and walked up to Whitlingham Lane and over the rail footbridge on to the river path, where I noticed that work on the third Whitlingham Broad was far advanced. All we need now is a bridge over the river from Thorpe to Whitlingham. Someone … Anyone? A couple of pretty ramshackle vessels were moored there, and an old man had got a fire going on the bank. Not sure what for. I returned to the main road and caught a bus back to the station, feeling I had earned my favourite cheese and onion sandwich, which I bought from Budgens.

The rest of the day I’ve spent writing some liturgy for our Tuesday group. Sort of experimental, based on a book we went through for Advent and Epiphany. I had a phone call from Annette last night saying there had been a radio programme about the Paston book, following a page of publicity in the EDP, and as a result we had sold another four of the big hand-made books at over £1000 each. It would have been nice to have had this news the day before, when 15 artists and poets met at Cringleford to discuss the future of the project. The meeting was at poet Adrian Ward’s rather splendid house, and was followed by an InPrint meeting, which didn’t last long after I’d persuaded everyone to admit that they didn’t really want to apply for a grant to do stuff they didn’t really want to do and didn’t have time for. So we shall proceeed with the Paston project, producing more work, hopefully, and maybe running some more workshops. I’m not too bothered about the workshops, but Annette, Caroline and Lisa are keen. Fuller story on InPrint website.

Before the Cringleford meeting, Dot and I went to Martin Laurance’s exhibition at the Grapevine on Unthank Road – a splendid gallery which will be home to a Paston exhibition from March 29. Martin is a superb artist and worked on the Paston project (he used a couple of my poems for collaborative pieces). The private view was pretty full, and Rosemary, the librarian from Archant was there. So were Annette and Caroline, and so were some other Paston people, though I didn’t see them. They had probably already left by the time we got there. Dot and I only had a few minutes there because we’d been to church (I had been preaching on the conversion of St Paul), and Caroline gave me a lift to Cringleford so that Dot could take the car home. Later Dot picked me up and we gavc Lisa and her two children, Dash and Blossom, a lift to their place in Pottergate.

This afternoon Phyllis Seaman from church called unexpectedly with a gift of some windfall cooking apples. I love stewed apples. It’s my one weakness. No, it’s really one of many.

16 August 2008

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Lucy Care, Caroline Gilfillan and Lisa D’Onofrio at Thursday’s Bally meeting to discuss various aspects of the Paston Book – running order, finance, exhibitions and so on. Annette was also there. More pictures on the InPrint website. The meeting lasted two hours and got a number of things sorted out, though some were left vague as usual.

I wasn’t feeling particularly well and eventually decided to go to the doctor’s with another urine infection. I was prescribed antibiotics by Dr Macris, who I hadn’t met before. To be fair, he probably hadn’t met me before either.

Yesterday Dot spent a long time in the city, with Carrie, who she met for lunch. I walked up to the newsagent’s and the sorting office (twice) – the second time to send off my Flip camcorder, which hasn’t been connecting to my computer properly. I had an e-mail exchange with the support team, who eventually told me to send it back to Windsor for repair or replacement. In late afternoon we called in at Dunston Hall to pay for our ruby celebration, then went on to Newton Flotman, where we had a Greek meal with the Higbees. Very enjoyable: Allan revealed that he had made some lovely wooden bowls, and he offered to make us one if we supplied the wood. Back home by just after 10pm.

In an hour’s time I will be at the hospital to have my catheter removed, which will be a relief. I’m a little bit tense of course, but hope that all will go well and I’ll be back home this evening.

3 February 2008

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Snow hit East Anglia early on Friday evening, just as Dot was about to go to a friend’s house for a meeting of Dangerous Women. They don’t call themselves that: I call them that. As she felt she might like to drink a drop or two of alcohol, I gave her a lift. A short drive, but interesting, with blizzard-lite conditions constantly threatening to get worse. Made it there and back OK, and fortunately she was given a lift home by one of the more spectacular DW, by which time conditions had improved.

By Saturday morning there was a fair bit of snow remaining, as can be seen on the picture, but it melted very rapidly. We stood at the bedroom window watching little avalanches of snow falling off the roofs opposite.

It was very cold still, and the road remained slippery on our little hill, so we drove to the supermarket together before returning for an InPrint meeting at our house. We discussed the future of the group, news of which will appear on the InPrint website soon, then Dot and I took Annette out to Paston for the launch of the Paston Project. This consisted of a Latin Compline in a barely heated church, lit by candles. Quite a strange experience: it felt as if we were secretly carrying out some illegal rite under cover of darkness. On the other hand, there was mulled wine and nibbles afterwards.

Making my way back to the car through a fair amount of mud, I managed to slip over, but happily without dire consequence, other than caking my coat in mud. One other unexpected result was that when we returned home (dropping Annette at Lisa’s to pick up her car) I must have got some mud from my key into the lock, because this morning I couldn’t lock it from outside. I had to lock it from inside and go out the back door, which meant in turn that when we got back after church lunch (outrageously delicious chicken) and entered by the back, the alarm went off. As I was anticipating it, I was able to disable it in seconds, so I don’t think we caused any disturbance. Afterwards I freed the lock using WD40.

29 January 2008

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We enjoyed Whitlingham so much that we returned there on Sunday with Vicky and the children while David watched Spurs lose 3-1 to Liverpool in the FA Cup. Parts of it are very picturesque, the only problem being that it tends to be overrun by welly-wearing dog walkers talking intensely about cultural matters. Oliver went on ahead, and we found this lovely spot by the Broad as the sun was progressing down the sky: a small wooden landing stage about 30 yards off the main path. I shot the picture into the sun (of course) and told Oliver that he would be in shadow, which intrigued him. He didn’t seem to like the idea, but it made a good photo. Well, I like it.

Had a really good weekend altogether – went into the city on the Saturday to swap one of Oliver’s Christmas presents at John Lewis (he’d been given the same thing by two different people: I’m amazed it doesn’t happen more often). I used the opportunity to buy a new guitar tuner before rushing home in advance of the others to turn on the lamb stew. Quite nice weather, though coldish.

Went to church on the Sunday in the morning to do the music and wished I hadn’t. The two of them would have done just as well without me – “just as well” in this case meaning pretty bad. Tendency to rehearse in meticulous detail and then forget it entirely during the actual service.

Actually won a chess game last night: I was offered a draw in a position where my opponent had lots of pressure, but decided to carry on because I couldn’t see anything forcing and assumed he couldn’t either. Eventually won a long endgame, which was satisfying.

Today I head north to Hull – by train for the first time. The weather forecast is not good, but at the moment it’s fine here.

Still nothing in the EDP about my page ending, and no sign of the last one as promised – even though they had a stand-in piece today. I have tried to ring the deputy editor, but he’s not there. Again.

And Rupert has resigned from InPrint, which is a tremendous blow, as he was the driving force. I think he became fed up with being the driving force. So a few of us are having a meeting on Saturday to see where we’re going. More news when we find out.

13 December 2007

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And continuing the theme, here is my cousin Pat at her surprise 60th birthday party. Especially surprising as she’s not 60 yet: I do know when her birthday is, but I can’t reveal it in case everyone who reads this sends her a present. I mean, what would she do with two presents?

Yesterday InPrint did a poetry reading at The Minories (firstsite) in Colchester, and the four poets departed from Norwich – with friend Julie – on the 4pm train, picking up artist Annette at Diss. The walk from the station at Colchester took about 40 minutes and included quite a steep hill, which was invigorating, especially as the weather was literally freezing. The Minories was very welcoming, and there were refreshments, including mince pies. The reading itself was fun , all of us reading five or six poems in all to an audience of about a dozen – which is pretty good, and 12 more than none at all.

After posing for pictures at the end we made our way to the station – Rupert going on ahead because he had to make a connection at Norwich. We thought this was being a bit too careful, but as it turned out, it was merely prudent. Caroline and I, walking briskly, joined him with five minutes or so to spare, but the other three, who started off just behind us, dropped back so much that they went the wrong way – which was not easy, as it was a straight road. After a phone call they got back on track, but we still thought they hadn’t made it. But they jumped on by the skin of their teeth (unfortunately no photo) and in a packed train we managed to get quite close to each other.

A pleasant excursion: we munched mince pies from a goodie bag and got back to Norwich about 9pm.

Today was still cold. I managed to catch up with quite a bit of stuff – the poetry leaflet didn’t make it – and picked up the pictures I’d bought from Bally. Wrote some more Christmas cards and ordered my Christmas present – a camera – from Amazon, after discovering I would get triple Nectar points, whatever they are. Took a Christmas present up to Menita and Regis and picked up six bottles of wine they’d brought from France for us. Fortunately I had enough cash with me, because I’d forgotten about it. Dot left for Newmarket, where she’s doing a church school inspection tomorrow, about 3.30, and I wrote most of my page for the EDP. Tomorrow I need to finish it and make sure all is ready for Sunday’s carol service.

22 November 2007

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Dot’s birthday. I can’t reveal which one, obviously. The picture shows her lovely as ever. We are going out for a meal tonight with friends, which will be a bit tricky, as I am on a weight-losing regime. I’ve lost almost half a stone in a couple of weeks, which is quite pleasing. My stomach was getting much too prominent. Hope I can keep it up (the weight loss, not the stomach). I don’t really know what got me started; I must have caught sight of myself or something.

I went to see the nurse on Tuesday – not because I needed resuscitation after losing yet another chess game on Monday (I’m actually playing quite well, but cracking up at the death) – but because I had to renew one of my pieces of medication and they wouldn’t do it without my seeing a nurse. She was commendably thorough, making sure I wasn’t addicted to steroids and testing my blood pressure, which at 146/94 is apparently on the upper limit of OK. I shall resist any attempt to put me on blood pressure pills, because you can never come off them.

Dot left on Tuesday to do a school inspection in south Suffolk. She had considerable difficulty in finding her hotel in Sudbury, but was eventually led there by a man in a white van. I knew they must be useful for something. Appparently a very nice hotel, but she had to leave too early the next day to take advantage of it.

On the way home yesterday she got lost, somehow managing to get on to the A143 going south in the direction of Haverhill, which is pretty much the opposite of what she wanted to do. She rang me up and after we’d established where she was (not easy, because I assumed she was north of Bury) I managed to get her back in the right direction. Meanwhile the police were parked in our drive most of the day while investigating stuff nearby, which meant that when P & J dropped off Dot’s present, they couldn’t stop. The road was full of cars, probably because it was raining. It’s been pretty wet recently.

Incidentally, the forecast storms are still possible, though happily rather later than suggested. A look at the Atlantic charts reveals a couple of ominous, tight lows hovering in the vicinity of Iceland and Greenland.

On Tuesday I did a meal for four others without the aid of Dot, and it went quite well. Nothing tricky, of course. Just quiches, potatoes and salad, with a few extras. Good discussion etc.

Today I’ve been to Bally to help Joan hang some of her work with my poems. I like her work very much, and I’m quite pleased with the poems too. Rupert, Annette and Mike were also there, and Mike took some pictures of my feet to use as part of his illustrations to my prize-winning poem, The Island Grows on Me. He’s already tackled my head and chest, with alarming results. Can’t wait to see the finished work. Rupert is frantically trying to prepare for his exhibition of his parents’ work at the beginning of December. The Open Studios private view, for which we were preparing, is tomorrow evening. There may be a poetry reading. Who knows? Certainly not us.

2 October 2007

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An EDP picture of one of the PVM boxes. Today four of us – Rupert, Annette, Mike and I – installed the machine in Borders, the Chapelfield Mall bookshop, where it will be for two or three weeks. It looks pretty good and – a real plus – is working.

It’s my grandmother’s birthday. She would have been 127 today.

Dot has been away for two days at a conference in Derbyshire, which as far as I can make out is about how to run Christian charities, or run them better. Before she went we had the Stedmans for tea, and Dot cooked scones and rock cakes, which was a treat. Interesting talk with them about how views change over the years.

Then on Saturday we went to see one of Dot’s colleagues from her early years in London. AB now lives in Bury St Edmunds, and we hadn’t seen her for some years, so we went for lunch on Saturday. Had a really good time and in depth discussions about life in general. Stayed longer than we’d intended, which meant we didn’t have all that much time before going to Bergh Apton in the evening for dinner with another couple of couples from the education world. It’s all eat.

Have been busy catching up with stuff since Dot has been away and am seeing a stonemason on Monday about replacing my parents’ headstone. Today and yesterday have spent quite a lot of time on InPrint stuff and have just completed another poster for a machine that’s going in a Norwich pub. It doesn’t work properly, so we’re making a few bo0xes available free and inviting £2 donations while redirecting them to the real thing at Borders! You can see that working…

Did an interview with some web writer about the PVM this afternoon, and the results should be available soon on http://www.lifesignsnetwork.net/index.aspx I hope.

Andrew seems to be settling in at The Langleys and has a mobile phone. Long talk with him today – or rather, long listen. He has been getting out and looking at things, which is good.

28 September 2007

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Amy showing off her party dress. Picture by her father.

A relatively quiet week. On Monday I was bought lunch by Jo at The Forum as part of her bid to persuade me to get involved with a Raising Aspirations project for Year 8 boys in North and West Norfolk. I agreed as long as I wasn’t involved in organising it, so I may be trying to tell them something about journalism at the UEA in November. Well, it was quite a nice pizza.

Later I drew my chess game against Lowestoft. Should have won, but slipped up near the end.

On Tuesday we made an attempt to do Dot’s tax return, which proved more difficult than expected. However, we got as far as registering online, but then had to wait for her to be sent a password, which arrived today. So it’s still not done. In the evening we had our smallest ever Tuesday Group meal – three.

During the week we have been watching all the TV episodes so far of Heroes, which turns out to be surprisingly good. Now up to date.

Yesterday I spent most of the day on InPrint. I met Annette and Rupert at Bally at about 10.30, during which I got a rough idea of what was going on. Then I bought some paper and labels in the city and came home to about three hours’ computer work. I typed out some poems to box size, then did some logos for the boxes, then worked out how to print out labels. I invented some new “warnings” for the boxes. Earlier in the week I had designed a flyer for the PVM and sent some publicity blurb to Annette to be passed on to Borders bookshop in Chapelfield Mall, where we’re exhibiting the PVM next week.
Back at Ballys I guillotined the poems to fit – and returned today with the Warning labels. It may be coming together.

Oh, and this week I’ve written six or seven poems.

Dot spent yesterday taking her aunt to Buck Brigg, where she had a truly wonderful roast lunch. Envious? Moi? And as I write we’re waiting for the Stedmans, who are coming for tea and scones. And rock cakes.

15 September 2007 (b)

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Terrible trio at the Braemar Gathering. Front row, of course. Left to right, Dot, Ella and her husband David, complete with kilt.

Holiday was followed of course by a huge rush to sort out post and e-mails and write my page for the EDP (www.back2sq1.co.uk). Also squeezed in visit to dentist before travelling to Caddington late on Friday evening for a family party – Oliver was 5 on the 11th. The other grandparents and uncle, aunt and cousin arrived midway through the following morning, while I was taking Oliver out on his main present from his parents -a rather impressive scooter. He got the hang of it very quickly.

Later in the weekend he watched a mountain bike downhill sports event on TV and got very taken by it. He had to go out and demonstrate technique on his bike: he’s very confident.

His other grandparents bought him a train set, which necessitated a trip to the DIY shop to obtain chipboard to mount it on. I left this to the experts – Dave and David. Lovely party – Oliver and Amy were on good form. We returned late on Sunday, having got diverted on to our old route because of a roundabout being shut on the A505.

On Monday Dot and I went to John Rayner’s memorial service. Lovely man, and a packed Surrey Chapel. He was 74. Stayed afterwards and spoke to his wife and daughter, both of whom I know quite well. In the evening played first game of chess of the new season at a new venue – -the Gas Social Club! Won knockout tournament game against Colin Payne.

On Tuesday Phil and I went to Coventry to take Andrew to look at a possible new home for him – The Langleys in Stoke Green. He reacted very well, and I liked the people in charge. Now it seems he will be moving in on Monday, which is pretty fast-moving after months of doing nothing much. Got back in time for our regular Tuesday meal – six of us.

Dramatic new haircut on Wednesday. Number four razor. Quite amazingly short on top, but I think I like it. Most people have made favourable comments, but they may be afraid I’ll hit them, as I look a bit hard. Also on Wednesday a church meeting at Horsford which went very well – oh, and England beat Russia 3-0.

Went to Bally on Thursday to meet Annette and Rupert to discuss InPrint matters (www.inprintartsandpoetry.co.uk) following the relaunch of the poetry vending machine. It seems that something concrete may be about to happen. In the evening we went to the Archers to give them some information on Normandy, whither they are hasting in a fortnight. In return they gave us a meal, which is more than fair, especially as they had to look at our pictures.

On Friday I wrote some of my sermon for Sunday and generally caught up on my in-tray and other things. Walked into city to pay in a cheque and almost went to the cinema, but instead stayed in and watched England lose 36-0 to South Africa at rugby. Could easily have been 50-0.

And now today, here I am finishing my sermon, catching up on my blogging and scanning in some photographs. I shall shortly install some new software. Meanwhile Dot is visiting her gang down at Metfield and is having such a good time that she is staying longer than she meant to. I am about to check the football results.