April 9th 2010 (south Croydon)
Dorset is flooded. The road from Hunter’s Lodge down to Uplyme is a river! I take my shoes off & walk in the water toward Uplyme. The river gathers strength, deepens. I climb up onto a small island & roll my trousers up to my knees. There is an abandoned red (Ford Escort) van snagged in a tree on the bank. A car comes slowly up the road/river from Lyme. It parks behind the abandoned van & a man & a woman get out. They rock the van back & forward, trying to dislodge it. I cross the water & help them. It eventually becomes free but floats off down the road. The couple get back in their car & drive off after it.
April 11th 2010
I am living a strange life in a squat in an unrecognisable part of London. I share a room with a nasty-looking, drunk & greasy punk girl. She is worried that this situation won’t work out between us. Personally, I couldn’t care less.
The whole street is squatted. The houses are shoddy & ramshackle. The brick work is awful! It is more like Beirut than London! From an upstairs window (broken) I notice a tourist walking down the street. He takes photographs to remind him of his holiday in London. He shakes his head in disgust. He checks his pockets for his plane ticket home.
April 16th 2010
One perfect summer’s evening I am walking along a pleasant, tree-lined avenue, pushing a shopping trolley. It is reminiscent of Monahan Avenue (1980). The trolley is filled with things for a party: food, drink, balloons. I reach a large red house where a crowd of partygoers has started to gather. I can see Graham T in a window upstairs. He is DJing. People are dancing. I go in. James D comes over & greets me. He is smiling. I notice that the song playing is a slowed down version of All Along The Watchtower (but it is by Neil Young & Crazy Horse). James D leans into my ear (to be heard above the noise) & nodding towards Graham T, says, “He’s going to have to turn this one up!” I agree. I walk through the dancers toward the DJ booth to tell Graham to turn it up. He is lost in a reverie to the music with headphones clamped over his ears. He sways from left to right with his eyes closed.
nickreeves 