Sincerest apologies for not posting last week but I was in something of a state of shock. Had a bit of bad, no, terrible news last week that totally upended me and put the mockers on everything. Ergo, progress with planning the next Ingleby novel featuring the lovable canal boaters Archie and Aggie has slowed considerably after what was a very promising start.

But life has a habit of throwing curveballs and this one had a massive curve on it. If it had any more of a curve on it then it would have turned back on itself and gone full circle.

Anyway, I won’t go into too much detail just yet other than to say that there are huge challenges ahead for the Blessham Hall household. But we’re facing it together as man and wife should.

Enough of that though, let’s focus on something more pleasant.

Remember me posting about my good intentions on the 3^rd of this month? You do? Oh good, I was worried you may have forgotten. I’m pleased to see you were paying attention out there. Yeah, especially you. Anyway, the thing is that so far I’ve stuck to those good intentions and it’s paying dividends.

The last drop of alcohol that passed my lips was on New Year’s Eve and since then I’ve been as dry as Death Valley in mid-June. Not so much as a single sip of the hard stuff have I had. And may I say how good it feels.

I’ve also been keeping a very watchful eye on my daily calorie count, which, apart from the odd day, I’ve kept at below 2000 calories and only once did I exceed my daily allowance of 2500 and then only by the merest of smidgeons.

Another thing I was determined to do, you’ll recall, was that I firmly intended to go outside every single day, rain or shine, and try and get some exercise of some kind i.e. walking. Well, I may not have walked very much distance some days but I have done it every day so far. Without fail. Sure, on one occasion, when I was feeling like a large collection of cat stools stuck together with wallpaper paste, I only managed to take a few steps to get some fresh air and gaze at the stars for a few minutes but I still went outside.

And what effect has all this had on yours truly?

A pretty good one actually.

My T shirts fit better, my jeans are looser and according to the old bathroom scales I’ve lost 5 pounds in weight. My eyes are a lot clearer and don’t have that rheumy beige hue about them that I often see gawping myopically back at me in the harsh glare of the bathroom mirror. Even my hair, which is rapidly and alarmingly thinning as if it’s been subjected to a damn good plucking, feels more lustrous and dare I say it, thicker!

On the whole I feel much better about myself. People are starting to notice and I’ve been on the receiving end of several compliments from friends and family. And they’re not just being kind either. No, not at all, they meant it!

So that’s the score so far. The thing now is to keep going and improve even further. The fibromyalgia has been an absolute git this last week and in the past that has led me to fridge grazing and over indulgence in the fermented grape juice; but not this time. And believe me it would have been the easiest thing in the world to slip back into bad habits but somehow I’ve refrained from that and the results speak for themselves.

I’ve also been working on the old grey matter and have bought a book by a chap called Peter Hollins called ‘Think Like Sherlock.’ Being a huge fan of all things Holmes and Watson I was intrigued to say the least when I saw it as a suggestion on my Amazon account and I ordered it post haste. It’s very absorbing and quite an easy read, not overly long either, and I’m picking up all sorts of cool ideas from it.

I’m not suggesting for one minute that it’s going to imbue me with the same abilities as the famed fictional detective that it’s named after, that’s not what the author wrote it for, but it should and is helping me with my overall cognitive function and making me approach problems differently. There’s always an alternative solution you see and this little book is making me think well outside of the box.

Actually, now I think about it, I’ve got a magnifying glass so all I need now is the deerstalker hat and meerschaum pipe and hey presto, North Yorkshire’s most bumbling detective!

Seriously, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to improve the way they problem solve.

This next week is going to be a tricky one with three hospital visits to attend to between the two of us so I’m going to try and continue with the novel planning as and when I can. And I’ll let you in to a little secret…

I just couldn’t resist…

I had a little dabble writing the first two chapters!

Tee hee!

But it’s ok, it’s ok. I’ve controlled the urge now. Put it down to itchy fingers or a sense of middle-aged urgency to write my next book; I don’t know what, but I’m trying to hold my fire now until that plan is well and truly fleshed out.

Calm yourself Stevenson, calm yourself.

So there you go, a quick catch up. A little bit further down the line I’ll explain what was so Earth-shattering last week but for now I’m trying to remain positive.

And so should you!