Day Twenty-Seven

New times with old friends

I spent the afternoon today catching up with some friends I haven’t seen in over a year. I used to go to M’s flat every week to have my singing session and mentoring from S. It was a special time really. An afternoon away from the stresses of bringing up a child like Wills and time just for me to work on my songs and my performance and prepare for gigs. I miss those afternoons a lot but things have to give during years like this. There isn’t the spare cash for music and mentoring and there isn’t the spare time to give a whole afternoon to it either.

So, I didn’t go to play today, just to catch up, chill out and hang for a while. It’s funny but when things happen like this year. When things really go out of kilter and you haven’t spoken to someone for a long time because you’ve been away in hospital and out of the loop it almost becomes difficult to make contact. It may have just been a few months but it can feel like another life time. And the, where do you start? We always start a conversation after a gap like this with ‘How have you been, what have you been doing..?’ and you have to tell the whole story which makes everyone feel bad for not having been in touch before…and it just gets harder and harder to get back in touch. But M texted me to say hi and what’s been going on and it was easier somehow to reply that way. Today, William’s dad had him after school so it was a perfect time to go over. Now I’m really pleased because we all had a good chat and it turns out we’ve all had challenges this year. In fact, it seems so many people have! It’s been a funny old year. So now we’re all up to date and a group of people important to me are back in my life. I’d missed them more than I’d realised too!

Things I heard on the 18.11

I often hear about writing exercises based on overhearing. I’ve read some entertaining poems based on overhearing conversations too. One of the first things I noticed on the bus on the way back from the hospital with my newly fitted hearing aids was all the snippets of conversation that suddenly felt radioed into my head! It is fantastic to be able to hear things but the sound through hearing aids is very different to what you hear without them. I’m getting used to that now but it was very strange at first. It was almost as if someone had put some kind of microphone receiver in my head and was transmitting stuff down the mic into it - my own voice included! My voice still sounds strange. Today, I decided to jot down everything I heard on the train. Such a random jumble of things. I’ve just thrown them all together at the moment because that’s what it sounded like to me and my brain is still trying to get used to processing all this extra information. I’ll look at this again and see if I can take some bits from it to inspire some more planned and organised pieced - and maybe, by then, my brain will have learned to do the same with sound.



Things I heard on the 18.11

We all need to make a decision here.
Yeah…yeah…yeah…
Probably not yet
You don’t know do you?
They don’t sell pencil sharpeners.
They don't give people benefit of the doubt
Sarah’s pregnant!
I think the pads are about a pound and nine pence
but they don’t sell pencil sharpeners
She's brave having two so young
You’ve got to give somebody time
but he wants you to respond straight away
and I just think it’s…
I know what he’s doing!
Really!
He's one now.
Yeah….yeah…yeah…
I don't know what it is
We will shortly be arriving at Ladywell
Anyway, you and Reg…
No the other way!
Do you think I should?
I can’t stand the silence
So I’ve come out of that one
It’s a huge stand!
Yeah….yeah…yeah…
Part of it isn't worth it
We will shortly be arriving at Catford Bridge
Abort! Abort!
How are you doing alright?
Good..good..good
It just goes to show.
Exactly!
Yeah I'm up for that
Oh i love it
You've got me going already
Yeah…yeah…yeah…
We will shortly be arriving at Lower Sydenham
Where do you get off?
He makes me laugh
You came out at the main entrance
Ok I'll give you a call.
Go downstairs
Problems?
I can't go in there
Something on the horizon
When you text them and they don’t text you back
Yes and I’ve never seen that
Yeah I know mate, it’s a joke!
Yeah…yeah…yeah…
We will shortly be arriving at Clockhouse
That's just taking the mick
On Saturday night.
Just some old music
Just some little place
That way!
Something different innit!
I knew she was
Yeah…yeah…yeah

3. And while we are on the subject of sound. I have to say;

I hate the sound of plastic wrapping
Cellophane and carrier bags
Crunchy, crinkly, cracking,
Stabbing my ears
with rapid, jagged airwaves

I HATE the sound of plastic wrapping




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