A writing circle invited me; i'll do some readings with them..they have workshops. There's also prestigious uni courses online free; develop thinking, offset alzheimers..like writing essays. The bearable lightness of being. Life can be so enriching.

Dick in cider

Didn't do Oxford today. But did go last Sun; there's an art show..think Glasto hippy fest but with art in a cult fashion. My interests there were printmaking, blacksmith, beekeeping and glassblowing; love the processes. Something about an anvil; remember it from a school journey when i was 9 and we went to Hindhead, Surrey. Had a silversmith there, honeycomb. It's set in a field and there was a cottage; beautiful..'seek some friendlier sky'. I played percussion for a band there; kept in good time. This was after a choir practice; can't wait for a public performance. Me and Diane met up with Lara later on. Had seen my old bud from 96 and his kids in Brum at the start of the weekend.

Last Mon had the most cracking noodles in Greenwich near the Cutty Sark. Celia and myself had a pleasant time in Greenwich Park. Later her cat joined in a meditation. I saw Les Miserables on dvd having seen it in the flicks back in Jan.

More South-East this week; Eltham Tues, working Greenwich Wed, a flatwarming Lewisham Sat and i'm helping stage a show later that night in a gallery.

Sausage Landscape

Had to cull some disparate, troublemaking elements who are not constrained by time and whose voyeurism was constant and divisive. Not the best night's sleep when certain things were affirmed during the day.

Did some photography in Birmingham, had a blood orange. Wish i had the time to go to a chilli festival there. Back in London there were deckchairs near Euston Square where you could kick back and see the ..golf, cricket's preferable. Took a bus to Stokie; it was a friend's birthday. From there to Bruce Grove; halloumi and sardines for bbqs were hard to find; Andy did a fine job with the coals. It's refreshing when loyal people take the broad view; if you believe in good that is what will come back to you.

Thurs went to a choir practice; i felt alive, sang bass while having a grapefruit juice. The blend of harmonies; bouncing off each other.
Loved Lowry at the Tate Britain Mon; Flowers in a Window 1956. Going to the Match; Lowry loved football..the cornerstone of working class life. Britain at Play, Snow in Manchester. Seurat's tragic vision. Our Town, Ancoats, Cumberland Landscape, Necropolis. Depicting Wigan's industrial landscape as harsh, the Cripples.
Patrick Caulfield was on; previously saw his work at the Tate Modern in 2008; vibrant use of colours. May go to an art show in Oxford tomorrow.

Bbq's

Another boring, uneventful few days..today was the 3rd consecutive day of bbq's. I'm not going to turn into a slab of meat; tomorrow back on pulses. Yesterday at a presentation i had a lovely sardine in foil. Weekend coming there'll be a more vegetarian one. At yesterday's one my friend Anna made a good speech; we were there to support her. It was pwoper South London; retired wheeler dealers though you're never really retired. All set to a 80's soundtrack including Genesis, Nik Kershaw. Had never been to Eltham; a few runes magick and music shops. From there went the short distance to Greenwich Park on a sweltering 286 bus. Britain has become more relaxed with this prolonged bout of sunny weather; there's an abundance of light. Our group was chilled; some went to post sunset entertainment though i took the fast train from London Bridge to Norwood Junction.

Today's bbq was triffic thanks to sterling work by Anthony; everyone bought contributions. I have too much animal blood inside me and may have to kill. Played footy in the sun. Went from Queens Road, Peckham to Crystal Palace. Was at the top of the hill just right of the station then South Norwood Lake.

Fri was filming in Elstree and there was an outdoor bbq lunch; lick those flames. Had loads of potato salad and coleslaw out on the green. Was humid when filming and had three bottles of water. The director said he could hear his pint being poured so we finished not long before 7pm. 17min fast train to St Pancras; went to Hyde Park. Elton John was poorly but i was more than happy to see Ray Davies; it was special to see them do Come Dancing, Tired of Waiting for You and a sit down version of Waterloo Sunset. Justin Currie from Del Amitri was on earlier. Was good to catch up with Stevo, Dave and Mark; plans for other meet ups were discussed. The day was not finished; a traverse from Herts to Central to Ladywell, SE London was completed. It was a birthday; got back 2.30am.
The filming started midday on Fri which sounds relaxed but went to Stratford the previous evening. Went to Aspers Casino; it's not just shopping in Westfield. We were there at midnight; the Sky Bar. Don't make Aspersions; didn't gamble but was still a cracking atmosphere. Didn't make sense to go back at say 2.30am when it was a touch cold. You can get breakfast, the meal of champions between 3am and midday though we opted for a Maccas breakfast at 5am. I slept 7am-9.30am and then went to work..not the most professional but did good on set. The plan was to sleep 8pm-4.30am.

Wed went to Essex; Chelmsford for an annual reunion. Thank fuck no mud this time. A friend going through a break up so i'm there to rally the troop. When i was going back some fella had his walking stick nicked so helped him to the station. When you come back into London you see the bright lights of Aspers, Stratford and i thought 'should go there soon'.

centred

Nice evening shift in Canary Wharf. McGraw Hill is not a country collaboration between Tim McGraw and Faith Hill 'There You'll Be'. I was primed to do more but wasn't mega busy; a walk on the way back helped unwind. Made a pasta with carrots, mushroom, tomatoes and coriander. Didn't make Canada Day in Trafalgar Square; could've had potuine.
My friend had his birthday and leaving do yesterday (Sun); he moved to Sheffield today, first class on the train..i like the symmetry. I'll go to the Buddhapadipa Temple in Wimbledon. I want to give something back to the people that believed in me. I do meet different types most days and i'm grateful for the rich learning experiences life offers.