Diary Pages 23rd To 26th August 2016

Tweet

Diary Tuesday 23rd August 2016 Work on the flat was curtailed for the day but it was due to start again very early on Wednesday morning. My landlord’s husband suggested staying at their house after the Monday party and going to my flat on Tuesday evening, rather than getting up at stupid O clock Wednesday morning to greet the contract-builders and house-work crew. I got up early and did some shopping round Chorlton, Manchester. My friends kindly let me use their shower too. In the evening my landlord drove me back to Preston, and stayed with me. We watched a few movies on my computer before bed. Diary Wednesday 24th August 2016 We got up early to get breakfast and a wash before the bulk of work on the flat commenced, which it did before 9 am. I had another routine job club visit in the afternoon, returning to the flat just before the workers packed up for the day, with jut a few bits to do on the Thursday. My landlord headed home and I decided to attend another open mic poetry event at The Ferret pub in Preston, which went well. Other performers included a comedienne, a sitar player and several lovely musicians. Diary Thursday 25th August 2016 The final work on my shower was completed. My landlord’s husband came later in the afternoon to check all had gone smoothly, and assisted me in getting my small laptop going too, though on my Asus Transformer Pad the keyboard is failing to function for most keys – a problem we couldn’t solve. I got to use my own shower for the first time since the move, which felt great. A big thank you to everyone who helped sort out all this essential work. Late in the weekend we hope to install book shelving and lay some new carpet / linoleum in the bathroom too. I was also able to recover many photos taken in Leeds, London and at a naked bike ride event in Manchester a few years ago from my old tablet devise which was great. Diary Friday 26th August 2016 My dreaded welfare day today. It actually went smoothly. They seemed happy with my job searching activity since my arrival in Preston, but gave me a long list of places to apply to before my next meeting with them in two weeks. The evening involved a possible open mic event, which I went to, though at The Adelphi, a different bar than I have played so far in Preston, The Ferret. The crowd was rowdy when I arrived but when the show was due to start the more boisterous folk left, and the audience we had was wildly enthusiastic, with a few bringing their own tambourines to join in the music with. It’s another venue I hope to play again. On returning to my flat I met one of my neighbours, a lovely young lady in her mid-twenties, half my age. She was struggling with her broadband and asked for my help getting it going, which I managed. We chatted, and she was impressed to learn that I’m a writer. I lent her one of the books I have work in. It was a perfectly innocent friendly end to a good day. Arthur Chappell