5 July 2001

20:11: The city is in a grey haze (but I'm not)...


...while over the heath is blue sky and some high cumulus. Jetplanes returning to Heath Row every one or two minutes. The trees are still and their leaves are fully grown for this summer - no sign yet of decay.

A man walks by ten yards ahead of a woman in Chinese dress who is talking to him as they walk - but as soon as they sit on a bench he puts his arm round her and they look about without speaking. They seem to be happy together. Middle-aged.

There is now a gentle breeze after a hot and humid day, almost windless. Storms are forecast for this evening. I have my folding umbrella and a bottle of tap water.

The man and woman have gone and I'm waiting for something to happen.

The towers of the City are now almost concealed by the thickening haze...and I realise that in three months I've adapted to the writing tempo that this digital pen imposes. I like it.

Thunder from over the City. I feel that rain will fall any minute. The sky above is now grey and I hear more thunder. I see a flash of lightening over Parliament Hill. My habits tell me to return to shelter but I stay. The swallows are still flying overhead and the air over the City is now yellowish. It's getting windy and there is more thunder but still no raindrops. The City is now concealed in what looks like a rainstorm and is


...I broke off because of big raindrops and put the handheld away so as to open the umbrella. Heavy rain - so I retreated to a pub until it stopped and then made for the station. The train was held up between stations because of an electrical failure ... so I began to write notes intended to provoke me into writing fiction again. Quite promising. Lucky the train stopped. Very humid tonight but it's not stopping me writing this. Good moment.