The Gay UK November 2015 Issue 16 | Page 22

POWWOWAMPM

At the first sight of light,
Philip and Glynn’s dog
jumps on them to
awaken them. If his
husband is in town, the
dog acts as canine
contraceptive by quickly
falling asleep in-between them, ensuring
“any chance of morning activity is completely
curtailed”. 7:00AM: “I waver between Radio 3,
Radio 4 and Radio 6. Radio 3 just sends you back to
sleep very often, Radio 4 I just end up being angry
before I’ve got out of bed and Radio 6 can kind of
depend on what they’re playing. I usually do that for
about half an hour.” 7:30AM: Morning routine:
hot water and lemon, a ritual that Philip has relied
on for years. Fresh lemons are big in Philips house –
“essential on every level in the
kitchen, a little bowl of sunshine.”
8:15AM: “I’m up and out of
bed by this stage, which is
probably half the day for some
people.” Showered, dressed
and dog walking. Living in
Edinburgh he lives right
beside Carlton Hill, with an
amazing view across the city. “No
matter the weather the city always
looks incredible.” 9:00AM: “I’m a bit of a tea
head Loose-leaf tea is needed. It’s a ritual. I’ve been
together with Glynn for 12 years and he still doesn’t
know how to make me a cup of tea.” Breakfast time
happens here. Not Paleo, but similar, so cutting out
bread, carbs and dairy. “Bread is now a treat.
Banana and egg pancakes are my new find. They are
fantastic and easy to make. With avocado and a bit
of bacon. I read The New York Review Of Books. I
get it in print, I don’t buy newspapers anymore, I got
really bored of just reading the same all the time.”
10:00AM: Research a new project, answering
emails and planning projects. “I’ve got a new food
book which I’m trying to put together, so I might be
doing stuff around that.” During this time he might
get distracted by an advert for some Aussiebums,
which means he has to buy new underwear straight
away! 12:30PM: Unsubscribe mania. “I
have found myself unsubscribing from loads
of lists, I go through and unsubscribe from
everything. It feels so intrusive.”
13:00PM: “I have a ‘bean to cup’ machine

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22 THEGAYUK | ISSUE 16 | NOV 2015

and I’ll have an espresso or two…” Another
walk for the dog. Catalan class. In
preparation for living Barcelona, Phillip
spends an hour learning a new language.
“It is difficult, the pronunciation is
difficult, but if you know a bit of French
and bit of Spanish then it’s not that hard,
but it is completely different.”
14:00AM: Time for the gym for a quick session.
His theory is a lot and a little – “I go frequently and
do about half an hour of vigorous exercise, I can’t be
arsed with being around the gym 2 hours preening
myself in the mirror.” 15:30 – 20:00PM:
Novel time. “That’s my best creative time. That’s the
time when I’m at my most imaginatively fertile.
When I was at university and doing my masters and
thesis it was the same thing. It’s a bit about getting
everything out of the way and clearing the decks. It’s
quite a quiet time of day, you’re less disturbed, most
people finish their working day and are coming
home.” He tries to aim for 1000 words a day.
“That’s not necessarily 1000 good words, it might
be edited down to 600 or 800…” He tells me that
he speaks out loud as he’s writing it and
then corrects it as he’s typing it up
achieving a 2nd and 3rd draft by the time
he’s committing something to the word
processor. 9:00PM: Emerging from
his creative time, he rewards himself with
a glass of white Burgundy, which is his
tipple of choice. “I’ll ferret around the kitchen
looking to cook something up.”
10:00PM:“I allow myself indulgent sh*t
TV, there’s a limit – I draw the line at the
shortest fattest longest stupidest, poorest
richest programmes, but a nice bit of BBC
drama or whatever the latest box set is. I’ve started
to try and watch Outlander, because my friend
Simon Callow plays a part in it… yes Simon darling…
Anywhere you go with him, people come rushing up
and say, “oh you’re wonderful in Four Weddings
And Funeral – it’s like f**ks sake, that was 30 years
ago… I have been acting since then!’”
12:00AM: Bedtime unless reading. “I’m
kindling paperbacks and buying books that I want
to keep in hardback.”
Find ou B