Lows

500 million people on the case?

Location 1.10am, hire car on the M1, Lizzie driving | Mood Despair | Date 11 June 2007
The last ever day filming Crude didn't start too well for poor Lizzie as the hire car she picked up yesterday developed a flat tyre and she spent half the night organising tow trucks. Then had to get up at 5.30am to pick me and new soundman Ben up to drive to Bedford for the result of Piers's three-year battle to get planning permission for his latest windfarm.

Biology, physics & chemistry conspiring

Location The sofa, then the piano, then bed, then the sofa again | Mood Lonely | Date 25 March 2007
Rooney and his pals failed to wop Israel's asses in the World (or is it Euro?) Cup qualifier last night, not that I care. But it did result, as anticipated, in the first communication from My Certain Someone since our New Year's Eve resolution. Exchanging some flip nationalistic football insults set me off pining for some real exchange with him.

Stuck in limbo land again

Location Super swanky hotel | Mood Lonely and frustrated | Date 16 August 2006
Rasmia & Noor. Photograph: Sabri Hakim  

Trip to the dead sea

Location Minibus back from Spanner Films' daytrip to the Dead Sea | Mood Euphoria and fear heady mix | Date 11 August 2006
We'd arranged a bonding trip to the Dead Sea today, for Rasmia and Jamila to have a rare good time and, hopefully, trust us a little more. They are understandably very nervous of British people - as their lives have been destroyed by the Americans (and British). So we booked a minibus and a load of kids we picked up at the school video session.

Martin Adler shot dead

Location Kitchen table at Spanner Films office | Mood Shocked | Date 23 June 2006
My long-term distributor, some-time editor, part-time counsellor and full-time friend, Mark Stucke, called this morning with the horrific news that his great friend - and frequent filmmaking partner - freelance cameraman Martin Adler was shot dead by an unknown gunman at a peaceful rally in Somalia yesterday. Fucking shit.

A day at the races

Location Kitchen table at home | Mood Despondent | Date 28 May 2006
"Ear protectors" for sale at Santa Pod racestrip - and the anti-wind campaingers say the windfarm proposed next door will be too noisy

Human race may as well destroy themselves

Location Train from Paris to St Gervais | Mood Human race may as well destroy themselves | Date 23 February 2006
Missed our night train to Chamonix after the Eurostar broke down and deposited us in Paris two hours late. So then we had four hours’ sleep in a dodgy hotel, the first train South, unfortunately full of what we are assuming are gonnabe soldiers. We'd been hoping to catch up on some sleep, but they put a stop to that. Then I cracked my tooth on, of all things, a crisp. Looks like the first job in Chamonix will be to find a dentist.    

Excruciating pain

Location Lying flat on floor of office | Mood Rising panic | Date 8 January 2006
The typical amount of gear we carry around would be enough to do anyone's back in Photograph: Charlotte Rushton  

The world is doomed. And the film's no good.

Location Sofa in my house | Mood Very black | Date 28 September 2005
Finished reading "The Party's Over" in France and, as the full implications sink in, down goes my sunny disposition with it. Which reminds me of something a climate change specialist I met in Tuvalu (Pacific island being abandoned cos of rising sea levels) a couple of years ago said: that anyone who works on climate change gets deeply depressed and gets out after a couple of years.