Finally, Some Good Health News!

How’s everybody doing out there? Looking forward to the weekend I’ll bet. Me too, but I won’t be touching alcohol. No siree, not a drop of the stuff. You see, I’ve had two wonderful things happen to me this week and I don’t want to sabotage either of them.

Yesterday, I got my first Slimmer of the Month award at Slimming World. I’ve now lost a total of 12 pounds in weight and I’m starting to notice in both how better my clothes are fitting and also in my breathing, which is continually improving.

Before Slimming World I would run out of breath at merely the thought of climbing a flight of stairs. Indeed, I would shun any building that was not either a bungalow or didn’t have a lift – or at least an escalator! Getting dressed in the morning left me gasping and even the lightest of exercise would have me retching for air.

I would even get out of breath putting the kettle on – honestly!

In fact, my breathing was becoming such a problem that my GP thought it was heart related and put me on aspirin, gave me a GTN spray just in case, and made me an appointment at the cardiology department of our local hospital. I thought to myself, “Oo-err, perhaps its time to take decisive action on this.” And I did, I signed up for Slimming World and things are going great.

Now, about the other wonderful thing that happened; and it’s regarding that cardiology appointment.

On Tuesday morning, bright and early, my incredibly supportive wife, the ever and always lovely Ange, drove me over to the hospital where I underwent an echo stress test on my ticker.

In layman’s terms an echo stress test is where they use drugs (legal ones) to make the heart beat a lot faster so that they can take pictures of it under duress. To anyone who has never had one I can tell you that it’s not something I’d recommend because it’s an absolutely bloody terrifying experience. You can feel your own heart going like a road drill and the blood literally “thumps” in your ears; kind of like sticking your head in Lemmy’s bass bin, which I once did. Not pleasant at all.

But it didn’t last too long and it was then that the good news came. The doctor announced that there was no trace of angina and that apart from a little calcification around one of the valves my blood pump was in pretty good shape for a man of my overwhelming girth! I could scarcely believe it gentle reader. He told me that my heart was good for another 20 years if I lost a lot of weight and behaved myself in all things dietary.

I’ll be honest with you, the test did leave me completely exhausted and with the driest cotton mouth I can ever recall having, but that wore off and the weird thing is that I think the test has actually had a most beneficial effect on my heart. At one point during the test my bpm was 140 and my blood pressure was 215 over 98. That’s a tad high.

But I really do think it’s kind of given my heart a workout of sorts because I am noticing a definite change in how I feel overall. Its as if the blood is flowing more efficiently around my body. Truthfully, I’m not making that up. There’s a change.

So no, I won’t be drinking this weekend. I do not want to undo the good that I’ve achieved so far but instead need to build on it. Who knows, there may be other Slimmer of the Month awards down the line.

One last thought on alcohol actually. My brother-in-law, Malcolm, who is 80, came to see us last year and he told us that although he’d like a glass of Guinness he no longer has it simply because he can’t process it anymore. Now, I did have a bottle of the old vino last weekend and I have to tell you that whilst I didn’t have a hangover (because I never do) my body did feel somewhat gripey (is that an actual word?) I felt sluggish and rubbishy on the inside and I think I’m starting to get a bit like Malcolm – I can’t process the bloody stuff anymore.

In conclusion, I still live with physical and mental health challenges but shortness of breath is no longer one of them and I’m hoping that morbid obesity will soon become a part of my past and not a precursor to my future.

Have a great weekend x

In the Footsteps of Uncle Monty

Apologies for the absence of a blog post last week but I was having a short break in Keswick and despite my good intentions of taking my laptop with me… I forgot it. Never mind though. It was a lovely week, although a trifle too hot, and the views from the cottage we were staying in were gorgeous. Plus, I had a smashing time on the trip boat on Derwent Water on the Thursday. Nice to feel the breeze in one’s hair.

But its back to business now and do you recall me telling you that I would give an update on my progress with Slimming World? You do? Great. Well, here it is.

Despite having an unhealthy quantity of choice food and wine on our mini-break I still managed to come in at two and a half pounds lighter than I was before we went. How, I do not know. Well, I kind of know. We got home on the Saturday morning and since then I have been almost zealous in my determination to drop some more weight.

And so, I’ve been eating tremendous amounts of fruit and salad, without a single drop of alcohol passing my misshapen lips, since then and it’s worked! I’ve now lost 10 ½ pounds in total and am noticing it in my clothing a lot more. It’s the best feeling ever, well, apart from you know what, and I’ve had people remarking on how much better I look already and, with that in mind, I am absolutely determined to press on and reach my one stone target by next Wednesday.

One other thing about our break that was dear to me was that we took a short trip down the A66 to Penrith for an hour or two. Why is Penrith so dear to me? You ask. In a nutshell – Withnail & I. One of the best and funniest films ever made, part of which is based in Penrith itself. So it was kind of a fan pilgrimage of sorts.

Penrith itself is nice enough without being remarkable but I was struck by how friendly and welcoming people were. There was a lovely bookshop, appropriately called Withnail Books, which sold second hand records in excellent condition at amazing prices. Heck! I’m almost tempted to go back there this week and fill my boots. In the end though I just bought two LPs – Bob Dylan and Boston. In truth I could easily have gone raving mad and bought half the records in the shop but common sense managed to raise its wise old head before that happened

If you haven’t seen Withnail & I then I urge you to do so at the earliest possible convenience. Every single line in that film is utterly quotable, my favourite one being when Uncle Monty, over the dining table (pictured), says – “Oh my boys, my boys, we are at the end of an age! We live in a land of weather forecasts and breakfasts that set in, shat on by Tories, shovelled up by Labour, and here we are, we three; perhaps the last island of beauty… in the world.”

There are dozens of others I could have used but that’s the best one in my opinion. But you do need to watch the whole film to grasp the meaning in the quote.

As for Penrith, yeah, nice enough place and we will definitely go back for another pilgrimage at some point. Just need to find out if there is a Slimming World group there so we can stay for a few days and be encouraged to not overindulge.

Nikolai, Where Have You Been All My Life?

That’s an unusual title for a blog post isn’t it? It sounds like I’ve fallen in love with a man called Nikolai and, I suppose, in a way, I have. He’s great.

Permit me, if you will, to explain.

He’s my dentist.

So why do I love the fellow? Well, in a nutshell, he’s just about the best dentist I’ve ever had. I’m not sure of his origins but his accent is Slavic and to be honest with you, I don’t give a damn where he came from just as long as he keeps looking after my choppers the way he does.

The thing with Nikolai is that he doesn’t waste time. He cracks on and gets the job done with the minimum of fuss. He’s softly spoken and as gentle as a lamb and he’s got a sense of humour, which is something I have found lacking in previous dentists.

I required a filling recently and Nikolai performed it completely pain free. You know that sudden sharpness of the needle going into the gum? Yes? Well, I didn’t even feel that. Nothing. Not a single thing. And the whole shebang was over in a few minutes and I was out of there and back on my way before you could say the words, “Rinse and spit!”

I have had a few dentists in my time here on Earth and whilst, yes, some of them have been very good but none of them have been up to his standard. And, during my childhood, my mouth was set upon by some absolute monsters.

My very first dentist was a lady called Miss Campbell and I still have vivid nightmares about the woman. She was about four and a half feet high, well advanced in years, hunchbacked and stooped, and should have retired at least a decade before she did. She had clearly never heard of the concept of pain free dentistry and, being the official school dentist, she was allowed to practice oral terrorism on every child in the district.

She wasn’t an unkind lady though, not really, just crap at her job. I can still hear the screams of the other children as I sat trembling outside the “treatment” room waiting my turn. I was petrified, truly petrified. I would rather have jumped in front of the school bus than endure her horrific methods.

The worst thing that Miss Campbell did, however, wasn’t to me but to my brother. We both required “treatment” at the time and were hauled into Miss Campbell’s waiting room quivering with fear. I was selected to go first and, in spite of my high-pitched squeals of agony, Miss Campbell set about me with her trusty drill.

My brother, on the other hand, required gas for his “treatment.” Back in those days it was common enough for dentists to render their patient’s unconscious by means of a heavy, black, rubber mask being placed over the mouth and nose and a mixture of nitrous oxide and halothane being pumped into the mask and inhaled by the patient.

Standard practice in those days.

However…

Miss Campbell, who I mentioned earlier was way past retirement age, gave my brother too much of the gas mixture and there then followed a frenzied episode of general panic as she and her assistants endeavoured to revive him. I was terrified and I can’t even begin to imagine how my mother must have felt. It was horrible.

Thankfully, Ian eventually came round again and we left the dental surgery and had ice creams as a post torture treat. That was also common in those days.

Can you imagine that happening these days though?

If that happened now then the dentist would have been hauled through the courts, been put out of practice, and my family would be wealthy beyond our wildest dreams due to the huge settlement fee we would have received.

But this was 1972 and we just got over it.

We moved to a new area when I was eight and I thought I had left all my dental horrors and Miss Campbell behind me. How wrong I was.

The next dentist I had for the remainder of my school years was a lady, and I use the term “lady” loosely, called Mrs Rampton. There’s also a high security mental hospital in Nottinghamshire called Rampton and I have a firm and unshakable belief that that’s where the woman belonged.

I swear she was psychotic.

She seemed to delight in inflicting pain on children. Seriously, anyone walking past her surgery during school hours would have thought blue bloody murder was being committed in there. She would regularly perform dental surgery without any form of anaesthesia and would screech like a harpy at any child who dared to register even the smallest cry of discomfort.

But, Mrs Rampton had a husband – Mr Rampton. Mr Rampton was the antithesis of his wife. He was physically huge but as kind towards children as could be. He would talk to you through the whole process and would always give you a sticker for being so brave. How could the two be so different?

Sadly, I only saw Mr Rampton on a handful of occasions and most of my “treatments” were done by the Psycho Bitch from Hell instead.

No wonder then that once I reached the age (16) where my mother could no longer get me to go to the dentist, I simply didn’t go. I’d had enough of dentists to last me a lifetime and I sure as heck wasn’t going to put myself through that if I didn’t have to.

The downside to this was that my teeth, over time, fell into disrepair and I was forced to go and visit a dentist for some major dental work at the age of twenty-five. And it was ok. In the nine years between my final savaging at the hands of Mrs Rampton and the work I had had done in the early 90s was remarkably different. I finally felt that I could go back to having regular dental treatment.

Since then, I’ve had maybe four or five different dentists and they’ve all been really good, especially Mrs Jassat, but none of them can compare to my main man Nikolai. He’s the bees knees when it comes to my oral hygiene.

So I guess the moral of this story is, when you get a bloody good dentist hang onto them for dear life because the alternatives might not be so pleasant. And I’m hanging on to my Nikolai.

Treble Top

I hate to say it as I thought it would never happen but I think I’m finally too old to rock ‘n’ roll. Well, maybe not too old per se but certainly too limited physically. That notwithstanding, I just turned 60 (treble top, get it?) years old on Monday and I was thrown the most wonderful party by those who love me.

Last Saturday a crowd of friends and family descended upon the Fisherman pub in Bingley to wish this greying and wrinkling fella a happy birthday and it was fabulous.

Before I go any further, I must thank some people, namely my wife Ange, daughter Becky and granddaughter Erin for all their hard work in preparing the party. It was meant to be a surprise but I found out about it and so was expecting it instead. What I wasn’t expecting was the outpouring of love and best wishes that I received on the night.

Erin had instructed the landlord of what kind of music I like and the soundtrack of the evening was heavily flavoured with classic hard rock by the likes of Black Sabbath, Queen and Led Zeppelin. What’s not to like about that? Nothing at all, and at one point I conducted a mass sing-along of Bohemian Rhapsody that was both funny and fantastic. But the problem now is that I’m paying for it physically (FMS flare up) ergo the first line of this blog post.

Then again, that’s what a whole lot of Guinness and a large JD gets you – carried away.

Still, it was a truly great night had by all. There were a lot of folks I hadn’t seen in a good long while and it was lovely to catch up with them. My three oldest Yorkshire friends Dave, Carl and Kenny were all there and it warmed my heart to see them. I need to keep in touch with them a lot more as they are worth the effort.

A lot of my fabulous in-laws from the legendary Landers Clan were there which is really rather touching that they all made the effort to come over from Merseyside to see little old me and help me celebrate; I must have made a good impression on them. Seriously, they’re all very supportive of me and my writing and I wouldn’t be without any of them. Thanks guys, I greatly appreciated you all being there.

The food on the night was a finger buffet but not your common or garden variety. It was a delicious selection of things with not a single vol-au-vent or sausage on a stick in sight. Or any fingers for that matter. And there was a cake (pictured) made by a friend of some friends (Debbie and Barry) that was decorated with iced versions of books and vinyl records. It was also rather sumptuous to eat and very moreish.

I think the party curtailed at about 1:30 in the morning but don’t quote me on that as my memory of it is unreliable.

So, 60 years, and right now I’m feeling every bloody one of them. Its ok though, the flare up will flare down after a while and besides, I damn well enjoyed myself no end so to hell with bloody FMS and thank you to all who took the time to turn up and make this old rocker go misty-eyed.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart x

PS – There were cards and presents galore to the point I was feeling a bit emotionally overwhelmed. People are so thoughtful.

Strange Phenomena x 2

So we’ve been on another little break, Ange and I, and have come home in a state of being blissfully relaxed. Four nights in a log cabin near the Yorkshire Coast with a wood fired hot tub, plenty of wine, and BBQ food. It was heavenly, it truly was. We saw all sorts of wildlife, which made Ange’s visit, and I didn’t need pain relief at any time which I always find with a hot tub. It soothes my muscles like nothing else can.

If only I could get one on the NHS…

Anyway, we’re back home now and it’s back to business, which for me is starting the next Joe Wilkie adventure. But, before I get on with that, I’d like to draw your attention to not one but two rather strange phenomena that happened on our mini break.

The first one was a meteorological phenomenon, which I’m sure any self-respecting weather man could explain away in a few words but to us it was so strange.

On the Saturday there had been a stiff breeze blowing all day. We didn’t mind it; quite welcomed it actually. It was coming in off the coast and so it was refreshing in the way that only coastal winds can be.

Then, around six o’clock in the evening, we had a short thunderstorm. Nothing too startling – the odd rumble of sound, occasional flash of sheet lighting and some rather large raindrops. We waited inside the cabin until it passed, which wasn’t long at all really.

When we came out, after it was all over, that’s when the phenomenon happened!

What had been a robustly windy day had, in fifteen minutes, turned into the stillest evening I can ever recall. There wasn’t even so much as a breath of wind. Nothing! Just total stillness. No movement in the trees, no birdsong. It was almost eerie in how it had transposed from a swift breeze to absolutely none at all. Very weird.

Like I say, I’m sure there’s a positively simple and normal explanation for it but what I can say is that it enabled us to have our first BBQ of the weekend. I mean; I’ve heard of the calm before the storm but not after one.

The second phenomenon was a rather more lavatorial one.

Now, at home, my aging bladder calls on me to go to the throne room at least once every hour. I accept it, as a man fast approaching sixty years of age, to come with the territory. In fact, I can’t even enter our kitchen for anything without a sudden urge to run to cludgie (as they say in Scotland) and relieve myself.

Too much information?

Sorry, but it’s necessary, as you will discover.

The strange thing over the hot tub weekend was that my trips to the loo were reduced to just about three times a day and I can’t think why. I was drinking wine and coffee and beer and lots of water (one needs to stay hydrated in a hot tub) and eating loads of fruit. And yet, only a few khazi calls. Now why is that?

I do have a couple of theories, the best of which being that in the hot tub you do actually sweat, believe it or not, and so I may have held onto a lot of fluid that way via water retention. Perhaps it was my body’s way of saying I needed to hang on to some of my water.

I don’t know, but what I do know is that the moment we arrived home my bladder was back to its old self and the hourly flushing fanfare recommenced.

It was bizarre. If anyone knows a reason for it then I’d like to hear it so please do drop a comment below.

Now then, Mr Wilkie is in all sorts of bother again so I’d better get back and see what he’s up to. Expect a progress report soon. Also, don’t forget to buy BEASTIE and leave me a review when you’ve read the marvellous thing.

On The Road Again

Just a quick one today folks.

Hope you’re all having a great Monday so far. I know, I know, it’s the worst day of the week but seriously I hope you’re all having the best one you possibly can. As for me, well, I’m not having such a great time today. I’ve had a screamingly violent headache for 4 whole days now and it’s starting to wear a bit thin.

I know what it is – too much screen time and a badly overdue eye test. I’m a fool to myself at times.

However, I am in something of a good mood because Ange and I are officially back on the road again. Yes, we have a new car and we love it.

We had to sell our old car, Zebedee (don’t ask) a 2010 Renault Scenic after it got to the stage where the cost of repairs far outweighed the value of the vehicle. Basically, we needed to spend over £800 to get it fixed and the value of the car was less than £300. Just good economic sense at the end of the day.

The saddest part is that we loved that car. It was an absolute trooper of a machine and having a 1900cc diesel engine it mocked even the steepest of hills. A handy thing when you live in the Yorkshire Dales. But in the end our heads had to rule our hearts and we sold her to We Buy Any Car and got a measly £278.01 for her. Where the penny came from I still haven’t worked out. It’s a strange thing isn’t it?

That was in late March and since then we’ve been reliant on taxis, public transport, and the kindness of others where our transportation requirements are concerned. Thank you to all those who helped us out during that difficult time – you know who you are.

Fast forward to last Tuesday and we took possession of our new ride and we’re delighted with it. It’s an MG ZS, 24 plate, 1500cc, in burnt orange, and it’s got more gadgets and gizmos than I have ever known on a vehicle in my life. I’m starting to get my head around some of it now though.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, that is a picture of said new car at the top of this post.

We all love it when we get a new car, come on now, you know you do, and we’re just the same. But it’s not just that new car feeling that we’ve got. On a personal level it is a great boon for yours truly. It’s got more head height and more leg room than old Zebedee plus the leather (heated) seats provide a level of driving comfort I’ve never known before. It’s like sitting in your favourite armchair as the world zips by. And speaking as someone who has a physical disability let me tell you that is the best part about it.

I’m also loving the reversing cameras. I’ve not had a car with it before and what a smashing thing it is. It makes parking almost effortless.

I’ve even gone and bought one of those hand-held vacuum cleaners that plugs into the charging port so that I can keep it as pristine as possible. Honestly, I’ve never been that precious about keeping a car clean. I suppose the reason for that may be that now Ange is officially retired we need a nice, clean motor and not a workhorse. Our other cars were used to carting about sacks of coal, Calor gas bottles, and all manner of things that we required during our time boating on the canal.

The MG though, I fully intend to maintain to a high standard. That means there will be no flaky pastry sausage rolls, sugary doughnuts, or MacDonalds eaten in it. Not that we eat those things now anyway but it’s the principle that counts.

So, just wanted to let you know what we’ve been up to. We’re mobile again and I have a four-day old headache that feels like an imp is behind my eyes and trying to kick them out of my head with steel toe-capped hob-nailed boots. Other than that its business as usual.

I’m hoping to make a start on the next thrilling Joe Wilkie adventure soon. Beastie hasn’t made the splash that I’d hoped for and if you recall I was thinking of jacking it all in at one point. But I’ve decided to press on and build up the Blessham canon as it were. So expect Joe Wilkie 6 some time next year. It’s going to be nuts – literally!

Sorry to crow a bit about the car but I can’t even begin to explain what a great blessing it has been.

Pain Stops Play

It’s a sad state of affairs but I’m afraid I must utter the F word again. No, not that one, I mean the other one. The one I get sick and tired of uttering…

Fibromyalgia!

Yeah, that one.

Its gone and got in the damn way again this week and I’m annoyed because prior to this flare up things had been going relatively swimmingly. I’ve got a new novel out in BEASTIE and I’ve been promoting the blessed thing as much as possible with the limited energy that I have and, furthermore, there’s been a few sales on the horizon (see what I did there – sales, not sails).

And now… well, its all ground to a juddering halt.

We spent last weekend on the boat (Friday to Tuesday) and I’m sorry to report that the physical nature of boating life has rendered me fatigued and in mortal agony. In addition, being absent minded, I forgot to charge up the new massage gun and so the pummelling I was hoping to unleash on my biceps and calves today never happened.

I’m sat here typing this to take my mind off it while it goes through its three-hour charging cycle.

It was a lovely long weekend in many ways. We caught up with a lot of old friends and spent quality time with our epic granddaughter and we imbibed a glass of vino or two along the way. And then, on the last morning, we had to get rid of our rubbish and take the cassette toilet to be emptied. Anyone familiar with canal boating will readily tell you that it’s not so easy as it is in a house.

You can’t just put your bin bags out for those nice chaps in hi-vis from the council to collect and likewise, one can’t just jettison one’s leavings any old where but instead the foulness you have collated over several days has to be taken to something called an Elsan Point and deposited hence.

It’s labour intensive and, in our case, involved a fairly lengthy journey on foot with a rickety festival trolley and an overly anxious labrador.

Now, having arm muscles that are about as much use as a drum kit in a library and legs that quiver and tremble with only the bare minimum of exertion, I found our mile long walk to the Elsan somewhat challenging to say the least.

In fact, challenging doesn’t really do it justice at all. Crossword puzzles can be challenging, what we endured during that hellish hour and a half was something akin to a forced route march at gunpoint. And I must be completely honest when I say that my lovely Ange did the vast bulk of the work. I held onto the anxious lab until my back couldn’t take anymore of his pulling on the lead and I had to stop at one point and have a quick blast of GTN spray to calm my pounding heartbeat. There was a brief moment when I honestly believed that an ambulance might be required.

Thankfully, I pulled through and with a gargantuan effort on both our parts we ascended Five Rise Locks like Hillary and Tensing summiting Everest. The fact that several elderly ladies with strollers and a small child on one of those pedal-less bikes with stabilisers attached overtook and got up there before I did is not something I am particularly proud of.

But praise be to Almighty God, the café at the top of the locks was open and we were able to refresh ourselves with sandwiches and drinks. That was quite pleasant, for a while, until the picnic bench seating we were sat on came up to meet my weight on the other side and my back end felt like it had been kicked all the way we had come. In short, I was in a mess.

How on Earth would I get back to the boat?

The solution was a simple one.

A taxi.

Ah! You may say, why didn’t you get a taxi up there in the first place? The answer to that is obvious to me. It’s hard enough to get a taxi in Bingley that will accommodate a dog but to get one to carry a plastic box full of sewerage is another matter altogether.

But with the cassette now empty and thoroughly cleansed it wasn’t too bad, although Ange and I had to take separate cabs due to said labrador being an absolute nob. But that’s a story best kept for another time.

Needless to say that our mission was a success. A slow, painful one but a success none the less. Then it was just the small matter of getting home and I really don’t want to go into details about that journey because I’m rather miffed about it. Again, perhaps a story best left for another time.

And so, we’re now into Thursday and I’ve done bugger all since that monstrous climb up Five Rise except take Bella out to do her business while her mum, Val, was out for the morning. I wanted to write yesterday, I really did. Unfortunately both the spirit and the flesh were weak in this one and I pretty much spent the day feeling terribly sorry for myself. The sheer effort of emptying a chemical toilet has left me stiffer than a vagrant’s underwear and even composing this blog post has felt like a struggle.

Oh I’ll be back, I know I will, but for now I just have to accept that my arse is being rudely felt by fibromyalgia and I desperately need to stop now and have a hot milky drink and a brace of tramadol. In fact, I’ve felt so physically horrendous that this morning I forsook asking Alexa to play some progressive rock in favour of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. That’s how bad it is!

See you all anon and don’t forget to check out BEASTIE or any of my books; they’re all thumping good reads.

Last Roll of the Dice

It grieves me to have to write something so depressing at this time of year when the rest of the world is pissing it up and celebrating an imaginary old guy with a white beard and natty red suit when they should be remembering the birth of Christ. But Hey Ho, that’s the way humanity rolls these days.

I’ll cut quickly to the chase.

My 8^th novel is completed, well, first draft anyway. The problem is that I am tired and in pain and feeling utterly dejected as a writer. I made the classic mistake, when I first self-published of thinking that my work would sell in great numbers; how foolish and naïve I was.

Let me tell you the God’s honest truth – If anyone ever tells you it’s easy being a writer or an author they are clearly lying and they themselves are neither of those things. It’s a bloody hard slog to write a 90,000+ word book, a harder one to edit and perfect it and an even harder one still to try and sell the damn thing. And I just don’t have the wherewithal to carry on banging my head against the wall for no return.

So, here’s the deal.

Over the next couple of months, I’m going to finish editing and preparing that 8^th one for publication. It’s a cracking story and the cover, as I’ve mentioned before, is unfeasibly fantastic. I’ll then do my best to promote it for six months and if I still find myself in the situation where I am now, vis-à-vis not selling any books, then I’m knocking it all on the head. I can’t kid myself any longer and I don’t have the physical capability to do so either.

This book is the last roll of the dice.

Sorry to be such a killjoy at Christmas but I’m on my last legs here.

September

Yes, it is a strange title for a blog post written in October. The thing is, there were no Blessham Hall blog posts at all in the ninth month of the year and here we are, a quarter of the way through the tenth. Call me Slacker!

Actually, I’ve not been that slack since the last post on August 28^th. I’ve worked on the next novel, getting it up to 12 chapters (or two thirds if you prefer) and its looking pretty good.

But for another thing, I took two weeks holiday in Ireland from September 15th to 29^th and if that sounds like slacking off then you’re wrong. I’m a great one for believing in investing in yourself and that’s what I did over there in the Emerald Isle.

You know the old phrase – “Feeling recharged?” Well I well and truly am. I was literally like a flat battery and Ireland was the charger. It’s done me an absolute power of good. My mind is much calmer, my outlook more philosophical, my body less achy and my imagination fired up. It was a great time of personal refreshing, based in the delightful West Cork coastal countryside with the gal I love.

I’ve put on a few pounds in weight but who doesn’t on holiday; unless they go to one of those hideous health spas. You couldn’t pay me to try one of those things. I can cover myself in mud, eat salad and abstain from alcohol at home so why pay for the pleasure?

And I can get an enema from the NHS.

But 5 pounds weight gain is a small price to pay for how that holiday has affected me. I wouldn’t go as far as to say something as crass as I feel like a new man but I’m certainly in a considerably better state than before I left.

I didn’t actually switch the old laptop on until this Monday, a full week after we returned. I used that time to unwind some more and just enjoy being at home here at Blessham Hall. I think that week was just as mentally restorative as the previous fortnight. Since Monday I’ve been writing for all I’m worth with zero self-criticism/loathing and no doubts about my direction as a writer/author.

I’ve been focussing on catching up with Substack this week but from Monday next it’s back to the novel with a vengeance as I shall be spending some of the weekend having a quick refresh read-through before plunging back into it. I feel rather excited at the prospect. And I’m not usually the excitable type.

I’ve got my granddaughter – Erin – signed up to design the cover for the novel as she has turned into the most accomplished tattoo artist you ever saw and her drawing is… what’s the word now…

Special! That’s it. Truly special. I’ve never seen a nineteen-year-old with that level of artistic skill and talent.

“Ah!” I hear you say, “You’re bound to say that being a proud grandad.” To which I would say, “Good point, well made.” But in this instance it’s much more than just grandfatherly benevolence. Just wait until you see the cover. I’ve always swore blind all my life that I’d never have a tattoo but if I ever change my mind then Erin gets the job.

So things are rather good here at BH and long may that continue. I need to pace myself better so that I don’t end up a burnt-out wreck again, but if that does happen then I know where to find relief.

And a damn good pint of Guinness.

It’s Been a While

Like the title says, it’s been a while. Quite a long while actually, between blog posts that is. The last one was on the 15^th of July. A shocking 5 weeks ago. So a blog post is well overdue, and here it is.

I’m not going to make any grovelling apologies, I’ve stopped doing that, we’re all busy these days so why should I beg for forgiveness? It’s my blog after all. Life often has a subtle knack of getting in the way of things.

So what has happened since last we convened on the Blessham Hall Blog?

Plenty.

I’d better let you know from the off that I have a hospital procedure on the horizon as I’ve been having a little internal trouble for some time now. Is it serious? Don’t know yet but fingers crossed it isn’t. Yes, I am a tad worried but what will be will be. Que sera sera, as they say Austria. Or is it Belgium? I can never remember.

So that’s looming large and is occupying my mind a great deal.

You’ll be pleased, though, to discover that the first draft of the next Blessham novel is now over half way written. Obviously I’m not going to give too much away but I want you to know that I haven’t had this much fun writing a novel since The Pheasants Revolt, which is my very favourite of all my books. I have to stop writing very often to allow myself some titter-time. If the author can laugh at his own work then it’s a good sign, I think.

Joe is slightly out of his depth at the part where I am in the writing process and the poor little chap is in a somewhat fearful state of mind. Incidentally, talking about Joe, I was in conversation with someone who is currently reading Ah Boy! and she described the character of Joe as ‘adorable.’ That made me very happy.

Anyway, work progresses. But I’m not setting any time constraints on myself for the following reason:

I’ve been abominably ill these last few weeks.

It’s true and whilst I’ve not been shy about documenting my health struggles on this here blog things have been pretty grim lately. Apart from my hospital issue the fibromyalgia has been an utter bastard to the point where even walking around Blessham Hall becomes a tearful effort. Good days, bad days and all that but I’m getting so pissed off with it.

I’m also seeing a mental health professional again for the first time in a good long while. I’m not losing my marbles but I am still struggling with the passing of my Mum earlier this year and there are several other external pressures affecting me and it’s left me in a bit of a vulnerable condition.

Thankfully, I’m married to the most wonderful human being and she is as supportive as they come. I reckon I’d be lost without her. I know I would.

I also suffered an insect attack a few weeks ago and was bitten a good many times on my legs and ankles. Now, mozzy bites are nothing new to me, I get them every year, but these were something else. They all went purple in colour to the point where it looked like I was covered in Ribena stains. Horribly painful but the most shocking part was that I honestly believe that some of them were spider bites, which is quite horrific when you think about it.

But, by slathering hydrocortisone cream all over myself and ingesting antihistamines by the handful I have, mercifully, seen a huge reduction in the discomfort and swelling brought on by those multi-legged gits. It’s not been a fun time I can tell you.

On to happier things though.

Substack for example.

I have my first paid subscriber and I am elated. That someone believes in my work to the point of wanting to pay me for doing it is one of the best compliments I ever had. I’ve never claimed, personally, to be a good (or even average) writer and there have been a few unkind folks who have pointed this out and derided my output, but now I feel a sense of affirmation that I must be either improving in my craft or at least in some way entertaining. And I can’t ask for more than that really.

I am one of those authors who reads other people’s work and then say to myself, “I wish I could write like that.” But then again, I’m not Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams or Tom Sharpe or anyone else. I’m Alan Stevenson and I write bawdy slapstick comedies and, yeah, I’m content with that. So I’ll just say “nuts” to the naysayers. Come and tell me how bad I am when you’ve written seven full length novels yourself.

Also, while we’re talking about Substack, I have been pretty consistent with my output there. Tuesday and Thursday are my Substack days and there’s some pretty decent literary fayre on there for everyone to enjoy. I’ve been on that platform for a year and a half now and there are over 140 posts to read including poems, short stories, essays and a serialised novel. Go take a look HERE.

What else has happened?

Well, for one thing, Ange and I have realised we aren’t getting any younger and have started to make the most of the rest of our lives as best we can. That means having day trips, small holidays and some serious quality time together. We had a run over to Heysham in the car earlier this month and it was gorgeous. Ok, yes, I struggled to walk and was in tremendous pain but I was also in the company of the woman I love and I was as happy as a lark for a day. We ended the day with sausage and chips on Morecambe sea front. Ok, so it wasn’t a Michelin starred restaurant overlooking the bay of Naples but to us it was truly delightful.

Other than all of that life goes on. Some days I write and some days I don’t. I did, for a few weeks, go through quite a dark patch where I considered throwing the towel in but then I got that paid subscriber and suddenly things became a lot brighter.

I’ll endeavour to leave a shorter gap between blogs posts next time but please do understand that life gets in the way sometimes and we all have our limitations.

See you soon x