Jeni Barnett

I did thirty minutes kundalini yoga at 7.00a.m. ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO -easy for you to say. Then I climbed into the bath and listened to the news, baby bubbles tickling my submerged body. Given the nature of the news; refugees, sinking dinghies, homeless children, famines and greedy arseholes who’s money is predicated on … Read more

It’s Thursday so it must be Hastings. I climbed into the car wearing trainers over Peter the Rigger’s socks. He loaned them to me yesterday when I got frost bite in my toes. I pulled up my heavy duty blue dungarees and pulled over a thick blue woollen sweater, over which was my trusty old … Read more

On with my walking boots and sox; my James Dean trousers that I bought in 1995 for Jim’s performance as Launce at the Globe – him and his dog stole the show – a pink sweater to match me kecks and a fancy puffer jacket. You never know what’s on offer on a November day … Read more

JIM: ‘Do you think the sun is lower?’ Mother and daughter and dog MOTHER: ‘Yes.’ With an upward inflection like in ‘Neighbours.’ ME: ‘I feel like I’m listing to the right?’ In the interest of democratic conversation we’ll have the daughter speak. DAUGHTER: ‘Really?’ With a downward inflection like in ‘East Enders’ ME: It must … Read more

So after two weeks of abominable pain, the jaw bone, though intermittently spiteful, was significantly more bearable. So after a zoom meet with my writing partner in South Africa, I put some lipstick on, clean woolly wear against the cold, and off we set. Driving through the countryside was like travelling through a Harris tweed … Read more

Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away and then gums and age and cracked root canals kicked in and our trip to Hastings was aborted. After last Thursdays Eastbourne extravaganza each week was to be filled with a beano to a beauty spot in Blighty, BUT gums and age and cracked root canals kicked … Read more

We made the decision to go to the seaside. The weather forecast was sun and more sun even though it was a bit chilly. Enjoying the chillyness takes my mind off global warming, We set off, and because of Scamsgate, we had to take cash that was stashed – to buy petrol – which has … Read more

The tip tapping of rain on the kitchen skylight it’s like being in a tent. The cat’s asleep on the bed. The old git’s asleep in the bed. I’m downstairs listening to the rain and recovering from yesterday. It’s nearly 2.30a.m. and we’re both recovering from yesterday. The old man got a phone call at … Read more

Today I walked. The sun was warm and everything felt pink. I wandered down through huge firs and up through a field that had been recently ploughed, all darkly earthy and wormy. I pootled down the avenue tripping over shiny conkers that had split out of their spiky shells. I walked and talked to myself … Read more

I had to walk away from the news tonight. The slaughtering of pigs, of hunting hounds, the slaughtering of people. I had to walk away from the broadcasting of yet more pain and misery. I turned my back on melting snow and forest fires. I had to leave the images of volcanic dust and burned … Read more