Warm rain falling from a December sky, even the back alleys of this posh neighbourhood feel expensive. The trees are healthy and pruned, the verges manicured and all you see all day is workers fixing gardens, leaf-blowing and renovating, adding large extensions to large houses. It seems obvious that the workers should live in the houses, the amount of time they spend looking after them.
I was up for a sesh this morning at 7.30 AM with NJ Brian, that’s a record. My body was in shock, my eyes refused to open for twenty minutes. I went into the bathroom and caught it by surprise, the mirror wasn’t ready, the loo was looking rather flushed, the towels fell off their hooks, the toothpaste squeezed itself to attention. I stumbled out of there feeling my way to the kitchen. I knew that I had to do something in there, but couldn’t quite figure out what it was. I soon realised that I had to open the fridge.
Breakfast was too sweet, everything in America has double the sugar. When you turn the tap on, sugar pours out. I put eye drops in my eyes and hoped that I was finally clearing them, as I had to talk to NJ Brian on Skype. As it happened we decided we should just talk on the phone which was much clearer, the ears weren’t blocked like the eyes were.
Later on, we watched Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) with Eric Idle, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman and one minute of Sting who was executed for being brave. We hadn’t seen it, I always imagined I had, but then imagination is what the film is all about. Robin Williams is memorable as the king of the moon.
Sarah dropped by with a takeaway Thai, but we decided to save it for tomorrow and ate simply instead, leftovers for me, and an omelette for Olivia which she flipped in the pan. I once met Nigella Lawson one morning at Bondi Beach open-air swimming pool. I talked to her for a while, I didn’t let on that I knew who she was. She was with her assistant, I got the impression that she was with her a lot. I didn’t mention food, I’m not that interested in it, certainly not preparing it, although I’m happy to eat something lovingly made.
Music today has been another Irish indie band, Just Mustard and their second album Heart Under (2022). If you liked the singer in The Cranes, Alison Shaw’s voice, you will like this.