TO THE CIRCUS

WALK TO WORK

09:02 left Greenbank
said, ‘Hi,’ to a woman on a bike travelling the opposite direction said, ‘Hello.’
09:25 reached end of cycle path
said, ‘Hello,’ walking through the industrial estate to a man I’d not seen before who said, ‘Hello.’
overheard a conversation near Old Market between a man and a woman talking about the Ross-Russ afair, ‘It’ll just make them more famous and more money, is what’ll happen.’
09:44 reached the Centre
10:04 arrived at work.

Tuesday, 28th October, 2008

THINGS I’VE DONE THIS MONTH

. had a birthday
. written 30,000 words and edited them to 14,000 on the way to 10,000
. been visited by my daughter
. enjoyed Cabot Circus
. been to three parties to one of which, a fancy dress party, I wore a cook’s apron and hat
. saw Roy Bailey play at the Thunderbolt, Totterdown, where I sang along to to songs I knew, (the children’s songs he played a friend of mine had recorded on to tape over fifteen years ago for my daughter who adored them listening with eyes shining until she discovered the Spice Girls. At the gig daughter bought a cd, took a poster advertising the event, organised by Bristol Radical History Group, down from the wall of the pub, got Roy to sign it, took it home and stuck it on her bedroom wall above the chest of drawers.
. been to - well, at the time of writing, am at - a talk by Matt Carr titled, ‘Avengers & Madmen - Propagandists of the Deed & The Dawn Of Modern Terrorism,’ organised by BRHG as part of an annual week of events.
. bought a book by Matt Carr, (see above) banned in the UK.
. e-mailed the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft in response to a request made by them for permission to paint on the estate flats. I said, ‘No.’
. played a lot of rock ‘n’ roll weekly since the beginning of the month with three people I’d not played with before


LOVE

‘You looking for someone?’ she said as I passed her in the street.
I said, ‘I’m not thanks, but, you know, thanks for asking.’
...then...
I said, ‘Cold night for working.’
‘Tell me about it,’ she said.
I thought I already had so instead of repeating myself I said, ‘Good luck.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, ‘love.’

POST REMOVAL

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RIGHT MONEY

‘They fifty-nine?’ I said incredulous pointing at the tic-tacs on the counter.
‘That’s what they are,’ he said. ‘Been that for three months.’
‘Well that’s as maybe,’ I said, ‘but I’m not paying that,’ picking them up, putting them back in the rack from whence they came. ‘They’re only thirty-five down the road.’
He sighed. Rang up the garlic pitta and oaty hobnobs (now ten pence more than the seductive eighty-nine of a few weeks ago).
‘I’ll come back if they’re not cheaper,’ I said.
‘That’s what they are here,’ he said.
‘You said,’ I said and left the shop thinking as I walked down Stokes Croft, ‘It’s not usually what I do,’ and wondered if the group had affected me so.
At Ashley News I paid forty-five for tic-tacs to a man didn’t look up from reading the paper as I gave him the right money.

A BETTER MAN THAN I

‘You called an ambulance?’ I said to the man was kneeling over the man lying on on the ground outside, at the bottom of the flats.
'Do you know the recovery position?’ he said.
‘He’s in it, already,’ I said. ‘Have you called an ambulance?’
But he was saying, 'Oi mate,' so I called an ambulance, described the scene, ‘He’s unconscious, drunk, drugs, or beaten up, we’re not sure,’ gave the address, walking around waiting for my lift. ‘They’ll know the way,’ I said, ‘They’re here quite often.’
The man had now put the other man on his back, ‘Are you supposed to do that?’
‘What happened?’
‘We found him in the lift so we dragged him out and he’s still breathing,’ he said.
‘You sure?’
The woman’s voice said, ‘Lie him on his back put your hand on his forehead and your other hand underneath his neck and pull his head back,’ she said. ‘Have you done that?’
‘Yes,’ relieved she hadn’t said do mouth to mouth.
‘Is he breathing?’
‘Yes.’
‘Normal?’
‘No, not normal but he is breathing, his eyes are closed but he is breathing.’
‘Tell me when he does...’
‘Now...Now...’ as he choked.
‘The paramedic's here,’ I said.
‘With you?’
‘I’ll deal with it now you can go,’ he said.
I walked to the bollards, ‘Almost at yrs,’ said the text, heard the paramedic say, ‘...Come on, wake up. Hey, wake up,’ quite a few times...and, ‘Is this your briefcase? You’re lucky not to have lost your laptop,’ and, ‘Look I know what you’ve done. I’m on your side so don’t bullshit me, alright?’ and, ‘You got any sharps on you?’ and, ‘If you’d been here much longer lying on the ground unconscious I’d’ve been giving you the kiss of life and jumping up and down on your chest to get your heart going,’ and, ‘Come on, wake up, stand up, come on,’ and, ‘Don’t you think I’ve got better things to do than deal with people who self-inflict?’ and he walked the man to the kerb as my lift arrived.
‘You search his pockets?’ said Eight Ball when I said what’d happened.
‘Well,’ I said, ‘if you’d put your hands in the pockets of a junky, you’re a better man than I.’