Diary 18th To 22nd March 2019

Tweet

Diary Monday 18th March 2019 Such a quiet day my to-do list diary page was blank, the first such page this year. The routine job search and a little shopping went on as well as my ongoing preparation of promotional flyers for my book launch. Diary Tuesday 19th March 2019 I contacted the university team I volunteer with to get updates on this week’s voluntary activity, and found today’s events were cancelled. I was scheduled for some activity for Wednesday but I had to cancel that myself due to a radio interview I have to record relating to my book. With the interviewer coming to the flat to record me I tidied up the house ready. Diary Wednesday 20th March 2019 The pre-recorded interview for the radio show was made quite early. My flat proved to be quite echoey on the interviewer’s portable mic system so we ended up doing the recording in the rather drafty corridor between my flat and that of my next-door neighbour (mine is one of six flats in the building I live in). The interview runs to nine minutes. I am promised I will be notified of when it is due to air. In the afternoon I went to a free Russian music lecture and performance (reviewed separately in another Mylot feature). It was great. A lovely buffet followed. Diary Thursday 21st March 2019 I went to the job club in the afternoon, to do my job searching there. Whilst there I got a shocking e-mail from the council. My request for continuation of my rent support payments to continue from April 1st (I have to reply every year) has been turned down, which will make money very tight for me from May onwards. (My last payment will see me through April and fortunately won’t jeopardize my convention activity or book launch). I am devastated. In the evening of what is International Poetry Day, I went to a poetry event where international guests were to perform, and though the programme explicitly promised open-mic opportunities for local poets to join in, (which I prepared poems specially for) this part of the programme was dropped with no explanation or apology. A few poets left. I stayed and the guest poets, from Russia, China, Brazil, India and The UK among many other countries were all terrific. Food and wine were also provided. Diary Friday22nd March 2019 My doctor’s appointment to check my blood pressure revealed that it hasn’t gone down at all since my last check on it a fortnight ago, though it hasn’t risen either. I suspect my anger and anxiety over the council reducing my rent support played a part in this. I am awaiting a call from my Doctor on whether to increase my medication dosages or keep them as they are at present. I created an angry but detailed letter of appeal to the council’s decision. I pointed out that they tell me I haven’t notified them of any changes or circumstances getting worse since my previous application, but their online application form does not ask for such information and does not offer any boxes for adding any relevant supplementary information either. Arthur Chappell