Home is where the heart is....

Its been quite a few moons since my last post, but oh my life has changed .... and in a relatively short space of time!

I've been house hunting though I prefer the term home hunting. Essentially that's what it is unless you're looking for a Buy to Let property.

Home hunting resonates with the enormity of the search for me. My home is important to me - its my

sanctuary, my place to escape ... to, not from, my place to rejuvenate, energise, dream, and plan world domination. I scan everything about it as I view a potential option ... where it is, the view from the windows, the way I feel when I'm inside, proximity to the road (or rather not), peace and quiet, trees, neighbourhood, vibe, bathroom window (not a fan of a windowless bathroom), state of repair, etc. I conduct this review on a conscious as well as a subconscious level. If all the essential items tick off the list, then I allow my gut feeling about it to speak up. And... lo and behold, after 12 months of looking, I found a place that spoke to me. I made an offer minutes after I saw it, and had the offer accepted within 4 hours.

Fast forward 7 weeks, and its signed, sealed and delivered after many a phone call, email, gentle but persistent harassment of the parties concerned. The keys are in my hand and I can go in, lie on the carpet in the sitting room, drink bubbly and make star shapes....! Which is just what I did. Its mine!!!

I move in tomorrow to my very own little place in the UK!

But that's not all....I've also gone and landed myself the most amazing new job with a phenomenal company and I start with them on the 1st of August.

I am sooooo rocking it right now!!

Love London!

Visiting the Southbank on a sunny, Saturday afternoon in London, I recognised that life doesn't get much better. Add to the mix a couple of Coronas, three girlfriends and discussions ranging from the merits of blue veined cheese to the hot bartender in Las Iguanas.

Our languid afternoon started off at said Las Iguanas when we realised that finding any space in a restaurant/bar on a busy summer Saturday in London is all but a hazy mirage in the distance. Every teensy space was 'reserved'. Londoners are obviously used to this state of affairs and plan in advance. Even single seats and cosy chairs with a small coffee table on which you could barely stand two glasses of wine successfully, were slapped with a white A4 sheet stating time of reservation. You gotta love it.

Patience prevails however .. helped by the liquid relaxative of a golden brew. Space came up at the window bar and we took full advantage of it.

Wahaca, a novel, Southbank experimental restaurant was our next port of call. It offered Mexican street/market fare in a Jenga style configuration of vamped up containers (yes, those that travel on ships across the sea with tons of stuff in them) balanced on top of each other. One of them had the entire side glassed out so you could sit inside gazing out across the Thames.

On our walk to the Swan at the Globe (Shakepeare's to be precise), a crowd had gathered at the edge of the Thames. A creative fellow was sculpting a sofa out of sand. If you look carefully you  can see the beginnings of a seated person on the righthand side.
There are even folds in the cushion where its innards are squashed - so lifelike.

Further down the Thames near London Bridge, there was a guy sitting on the sand in a deck chair. Small speakers in front of him, and an amplifier. He strummed away on an electric guitar singing to his own tune. A hat in front of him in case you felt his musical talents warranted a contribution. Thing is... the hat was rather small, and surrounded by gravel and stones. If your coin missed the hat, heaven knows how he'd find it in all that!

We ended up stuffed and replete after a sumptuous feast at The Real Greek complete with bouzouki and plenty of raucous clapping. Time to go. Headed home around 11 having spent a good 10 hours of revellery in the city.
Woohoo London!!!

Research your book for depth

I remember being told 'write what you know about'. And I thought, 'but I don't want to write about a normal life, a happy childhood, getting an education and building a career'. I want to write about strange people and creepy stuff; action, adventure, romance and magic. I want to escape in the writing and in the reading of my stories. I want to be able to travel to another space in time in my books, and hopefully write in such a way that it transports my readers too.

Enter a drastic change in approach with the advent of the internet. Now, I don't need to know about something I want to write about, I can find out anything I want online. Technology has provided us with a fantastic resource for delving deep into the secrets of anything we choose. I'm not sure that reading about it or researching it will ever replace the actual experience of being there, but my imagination is a powerful tool and if I remember to bring in the five senses, I can conjure up some very real people and places.

The trick is then getting them into words on a page that paint a picture which the reader sees in his/her mind. When I paint my picture with words, I need to keep in mind that my readers have vivid imaginations too. I want to leave just enough little blanks so they can fill them in in a way that they relate to.

Someone asked me the other day... "Did you I actually walk along all those roads in Rome that appear in Deadly Obsession?" Yes, I did. Deadly Obsession being my first novel, I wanted to really feel the story as I wrote it. Now I know what that feeling is like, I can create stories in my mind and imagine how it feels to be immersed in a situation.

Its funny, but I remember thinking the self same thing about Dan Brown in his descriptions of the streets in the Da Vinci Code! Had he actually walked those streets and seen the things he spoke of? I don't know if he did or not, but I've just heard an interview with him on his new book Inferno, and he said it took him 3 years to write it, 1 of those years being purely research!

Plot - the 4 Mover/Shakers of a good one!

I'm a writer of stories. I put people in situations, place a number of obstacles (life-threatening or otherwise) in their paths, and then travel with them on the journey of overcoming them (or not).
Besides the description of places and people and things to set the scene for my characters, the most important thing to get my story moving is plot. What happens to whom; where and how; when and with what...

When I consider plot, I look at a number of elements:
1. Credibility: As much as I like to shock and surprise, whatever happens to my characters must be credible. If my story is about a cat.... the cat cannot go up to someone and punch them. Cats just wouldn't do that. I know that sounds really stupid but I'm exaggerating the point here in order to get it across. So, keep it credible. Imagine yourself in your characters shoes and ask the question 'Would they do/think/say that?'

2. Tension: Whilst I'm a huge fan of scary stuff, and creepy things, I quickly get bored of what I call 'gratuitous tension'. This is where the writer includes bog standard, nail-biting stuff that simply isn't credible (there's that word again), simply in an attempt to keep anxiety levels peaked. Example: Girl on her own in a house, bad storm outside, its dark. Hears howling wolves. Goes outside to check it out.... Now, who in their right mind would do that? I've immediately lost respect for her; she's an idiot!

3. Pace: My aim on each page is to get you to read it and turn it. I want you to be desperate to know where the story goes and what happens. Years ago, books were filled with flowery descriptions of hills and dales for three pages just to get you to picture the scene your character was sitting in on her picnic blanket. Today, in the digital age we live in, everything is more immediate. We want a lot of stuff to happen and not all in the last few pages.

4. Hook: I aim to put one at the end of each chapter. Its the question that fills your heart with dread at the thought of what might happen to the hero/heroine. Its the sentence that raises doubts as to the direction the character is taking. One of my favourite authors, Peter James, is a master at the cliffhanger hook.

Make no mistake, I do not consider myself a literary genius. I have read people who write well; who pen classics and become famous for them. So, you've picked up one of my books and you're reading it.... what's going to hold you? As much as I'd love it to be the fluid individuality of my prose, that is highly unlikely to be what grips you.

I'm counting on it being the story...

Character Central - set them apart from the crowd

Oh, that I would imagine a character that jumps off the pages! I've read many a book with superb, multi-layered characters, but its the ones breathed life into by film that stand out the most....Take Sir Anthony Hopkins playing Hannibal Lecter in 'Silence of the Lambs'. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor with a screen time of only 16 minutes! His character is so memorable, and his portrayal so chilling that he dominates the story even though he features for so short a time.
Then there is Indiana Jones, and Lisbeth Salander; Ferris Bueller and Rocky...

Characters in books are not easy to get a depth to. And its this depth that draws the reader in. The character needs to stand out from the crowd, do things differently, make the reader feel an empathy or a fascination whether they like the character or not. The better the character stands out, the easier it is for the reader to construct the mind movie.

Three elements to a character that create depth:

Nighthawk Moth

1. Physical - what do they look like and wear; what do they do - their mannerisms & affectations, where do they live; what is their profession; what do they drive; are they married, single, with children or without; star signs; religion; and everything that makes up what you see on the surface.
2. Their emotions - what they feel about a specific topic, like politics; how they confront issues; have hey a quick or a slow temper, do they make friends easily; how do they feel about being married or single, or having kids or not; and everything about the way they react to their surroundings, or influences in their environment.  
3. Their issues - this is the deep stuff. This is where you can get into why they do what they do, or why they feel the way they feel. It could be as stereotyped as 'he had a bad childhood, so he became a ... recluse, murderer, the Barber of Seville.

The more you get into the head of your character, the more you'll find yourself saying 'he/she wouldn't do that, they would do this'. Essentially, you know them well enough to make that observation. That's the place you want to get to with your characters.

To get a handle on this, you can review scenes from movies. I've even paused and rewound so that I can write down a summary sentence for each scene across the length of a whole movie, just so I can see how all  the scenes weave together to make up the whole story, and more importantly, how the characters evolve over the various scenes.
As with Hannibal Lecter, they don't need to even feature in a scene to evolve through it...

A Scene is a Story

I enjoy a good movie just as much as anyone, but in addition to the entertainment value, I love seeing how they tell a story in each scene. A scene doesn't need to pick up exactly where a previous one left off. Nor does it have to give every detail - only those details relevant to the particular storyline. Our minds fill in the gaps in milliseconds anyway. It is all the scenes put together that tells the entire story, and each scene moves the whole story along in some small way (or big one).

It takes some concentration and imagination to get this right and for myself I can say, its a work in progress. Every time I do it, I get better at it (I think!).

With Sedgwick Green, I completed my beat sheet, and a broad outline of all 60 scenes (bare bones of the story). But I found that as I've started to write, the story has evolved and become more complex so I keep fine-tuning and then writing more, and then stepping back and fine-tuning again. I want to get each scene to move the story forward in a 'wow' way so my readers cannot put the book down.
The addition of a hook at the end of each scene (or most), I think I can add in on the rewrite when I have all the plot twists and turns worked out. Ideally they need to pull the reader forward to something that could affect the character in the future, or a consequence of an action - theirs or someone else's.

This way of writing is new to me, and I have yet to find my rhythm. At the moment its a discipline that I do everyday. I imagine that as the bits of the story come full circle in my head, it will flow easier. During the rewrite (after the first draft is complete), I'll fill in the areas where I need to conduct research or drill down into something more deeply.

A Book is a Mind Movie

As a writer, I'm almost always playing scenes in my head. When I walk the dog, lie in the bath, settle in for a kip on the sofa, or even when I'm brushing my teeth. I constantly play around with my characters and what happens to them in my head.

So, what's the movie bit about? I see my scenes as scenes in a movie.

I visualize what happens in them from the backgrounds and environments (place), to the characters (people), to the conflicts, dramas, and happenings. I even choose actors to play my characters...

For me, each scene must have a beginning, a middle and an end. There must be something distinctive that moves the story along in every one. It doesn't have to logically follow from the previous scene, but it must be relevant to the story progression.

To get a good idea of this, watch a movie and note what happens in each scene. Summarise what the scene is about in 1 or two short sentences.

Then read through it and see how the story is moved along through the different scenes. A scene shows you something that is integral to the story... it doesn't have to tell it.

The book that gets you turning those pages at speed is the one that has the inimitable hook at the end of the scene. Peter James is a master of this. I've been reading a lot of his work lately because it hooks me in from the start, and I struggle to put it down until I've finished. The secret to a good hook is that it raises a question, the answer to which has serious consequences for the subject/character. I can practically see the dilemma they face and have to read on to find out what happens.

Are you making movies in your head whilst you write?

What are the odds?

It was one of those mornings... I felt edgy and unsettled as I turned my car out of my property and into the street. In the process of trying to get my head straight and out of this negative vibe, I stopped at a t-junction, looked both ways and pulled out to turn right. Imagine the shock/horror when I mIssed colliding with an oncoming car by a hair's breadth and had to pull up in the middle of the road to catch my breath and put my heart back in my chest! That's guaranteed to wake you up in the morning....

I gathered myself and continued on my journey to work. As I drove through the countryside towards a small village, I noticed a queue of cars ahead of me on both sides of the road. From the oncoming side, a loose horse galloped past the stationary cars towards me. No rider, stirrups flapping - the poor thing was distraught. As it went past I got out of my car. Thankfully a man down the line of cars behind me had the same idea. Slowly, with arms out to the side to make ourselves as big as we could be, we slowed the horse down and managed to contain it. Eventually he grabbed the reins and took it to the side of the road. There was still no sign of the rider but he took it to a local stable yard just around the corner.

What a day and I wasn't even at work yet! All very exciting...

On the last stretch into work I cross a small, single lane bridge. Turning into the winding road leading up to it, I noticed cars turning round and coming back towards the main road. What now? A lovely policeman (hot) waved down the approaching cars. Apparently there was a truck stuck on the bridge - its wheels had buckled beneath it!

What are the odds, I ask you?

You think you might know what lies ahead, but you don't. For all you know, the best is yet to come. That's the way I look at it!

When in Rome...

Its been a hugely busy past two weeks and it doesn't look like its going to calm down for the next two! And I'm tired....
Last night I attended a stunning event on board The Barracuda and sailed down the Thames past Southbank, The London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, all the while enjoying champagne and sumptuous canapés.  Ready to head home by 9 pm, I walked into Waterloo Station to find that all the trains home were cancelled due to a signal failure. Long story short, it took me 2 hours to get home (normally 40 mins), and I got to bed after midnight.
So there was no way I was getting up at 5 am to write this morning!

And when I don't write I get agitated... and when I'm agitated I start berating myself for not doing more. Because at the end of the day, I only have myself to blame for not planning my time better; for trying to fit in too much and for not prioritising what is important to me... you see where this is going don't you? It can become a vicious circle if I don't get a grip on it.

I find a few things help to pull me towards myself, and shake off the negative spiral.

Tomorrow is another day - instead of burning the midnight oil, when everything seems more dire, I have a long, hot bath, grab a good book and head off to bed.
Plan some downtime - I carve out a space in my diary for myself, or simply just put a long line through a weekend when I just see me.
Listen to classical music - piano solo soothes me. It says take your time, don't be in such a rush.
Meditate -  go to that quiet, happy place in your mind and switch off for 15 minutes.

When I finally calm down, its with the knowing that Rome wasn't built in a day, that life goes on, and that there is always enough time.

Sedgwick Green is taking shape ...

I'm sure there are many of you who can relate.... how does one hold down a regular job, get on with daily life, and find time to write? Someone said to me once - 'Whatever you do, write every day for at least ten minutes. Don't let a day go past when you don't write.' 
That's easier said than done, let me tell you.

I need to fit in a commute to work, my work day, another commute home, exercise, cooking, a shower and daily chores every day before I even consider writing. As When I get home in the evening, I exercise and then make something to eat. I tried exercising in the early morning and almost killed myself. Physically, I'm not firing on all cylinders at 06 hundred!
But guess what, if I get an early enough night, my brain (with a shot of strong coffee) conjures up some amazing stuff!

So that's what I've started to do....
I aim for lights out between 10 and 10.30 on a week night, give myself 7 to 7,5 hours sleep and then get up at 5am. Eyes at half mast, I trundle downstairs, hit the power button on my laptop and navigate my way into the kitchen to boil the kettle. By the time, the water is hot enough, eyes and brain are co-ordinating and coherence is a viable option. When I taste that hot, liquid bitterness I get my first wide awake zing of the day, and then I'm good to go.

I'm well into week 2 of this programme and loving it. There's a special sense of achievement when I drive to work knowing that if I do nothing else today, I'm one step closer to my dream.
And that's all that matters.

Vision Boarding your Book

I've met many people at different stages of writing endeavours. They could be writing a book, or a collection of poetry; they could have a regular weekly column that they need subject matter for, or like a friend of mine,  writing on topics that interest her for no one other than herself. Whatever we write about or whatever the reason we write, we all need ideas. So when I'm sitting in front of my laptop with my mind a fresh, clean slate, where does the inspiration come from?

I go through phases of carrying around a small notebook to make notes of interesting things when I see them. But its such a performance for me to rummage around in my handbag (the size of  a wheelie bin), to find the notebook and pen. Without glasses I can't see to write  so I generally have to find them, put them on, and all the while balance the wheelie bin on one shoulder, adopting a Kwasimodo pose. Not practical! I had this romantic notion of myself seated at a side-walk cafe (in summer of course, on a sunny day...in London? I hear you ask!), but it rarely works out like that, I found. Usually I'm hurrying somewhere amongst a thousand strong throng of people, and stopping to retrieve said notebook is tantamount to stopping dead in your tracks during the running of the bulls in Pamplona! Unwise at the very least....

Then I found Pinterest, and whilst I didn't cotton on to this at the very beginning, the thought started to take form in my head. What if I created a board where I could dump all the images that fascinated me, or sparked something within for my writing in one place? A picture is worth a thousand words.... so they say. When I was in the middle of a scene in my book and I needed inspiration, I could just tap into my Pinterest board and get the ideas flowing again. So that's what I've started to do. I've set up a board and I've called it 'What If'.
When I'm sitting anywhere pinning stuff, if something jumps out as 'could be part of my book' or 'resonates with the theme or genre that I'm working on', it gets pinned to my What If board.

I do this whilst the idea of the book is seeding itself in my head; I do it when I'm writing the outline, and whilst I'm putting the meat on the bones, thereafter. I use it at any and all stages, and regularly add images to my board.
At first I don't know where all the bits fit in, I just know that they are part of the story.
It helps me to see my story in vibrant colour, and to immerse myself in it completely.

Try it; what have you got to lose.....

Gabi

Nothing Can Stop You!

When the sun's on your back and you feel a spring in your step...

When you feel exhilaration ripple through your body in anticipation of that something special...

When you know that you've done your best and that best will win the day...

When the deep-seated confidence of knowing you've done something good or worthwhile fills your being...

When you're in tune, in step and on purpose with yourself...

When you've fallen down, got back up, and shaken yourself off, ready to start again...

When you smile, look someone in the eyes, and mean it...

When you're kind...

When you're happy...

You know those times when you feel that you can conquer the world, when nothing and no one will stand in your way, when your heart soars and your mind is power - that's the energy of creation.

Harness it, use it, live it!

Go for it - the 'How To'

Gearing myself up to going for a goal used to be about getting 'race ready'. Take writing a book for example. I'd want my computer in the best place on my desk, a notepad and pencil to one side; flowers on the desk and a nice view to gaze at when looking for the right words. I'd want to have all my chores down, the phone off the hook, and peace and quiet in the house. Essentially I wanted to put my  life on hold, just so I could get my thoughts together and approach my writing in an orderly fashion.

Hold the phone! When does that ever happen? When do we ever get anything done and sorted and behind us so that there is a free stretch of 5 or 6 hours ahead of us ....? Not sure about you, but I don't. There is always something to do, something going on, someone making a noise. That's life. The secret to achieving your goals in amongst the business of life is about consistency and perseverance. There are many famous quotes by legendary people who have addressed this topic: 

'Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.' John Quincy Adams 

'Persist and persevere and you will find most things that are attainable, possible.' Lord Chesterfield

'Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.' Thomas Edison

If you want to achieve that goal, get started like this:

Do it daily: Whether its writing that book, painting that work of art,or losing weight, do it daily. Set aside an allocated period of time in a day and stick to it. Even if nothing creative is flowing that day, stick to your commitment to do it daily. You don't have to make it tedious, so don't over commit. It could be 15 minutes or an hour that you spend doing it. Just make it do-able.

Keep the end in mind: To build a beautiful fire that you can enjoy, you have to feed it wood. And someone has got to chop that wood. Its a menial task, but it has to be done. There will be days when you think 'how mundane is this?' Don't give up; keep the end in mind. Remember what your eventual goal is and make it vibrant and alive in your imagination.

Patience: Rome wasn't built in a day... Beyonce didn't achieve overnight success. It took daily perseverance. Be patient. Even once you achieve your goal there will be other things you want to achieve and this formula works for them all.

That's it! This is all you need to bet what you want. Simple isn't it?
Gabi x

3 Easy Steps to make Disappointment Disappear!

We've all felt the pangs of disappointment at some stage in our lives. In the past, I've let them crush me for days on end where I feel like a mine shaft has collapsed on me. If wallowing had been a talent, I'd have achieved full marks. But giving in to the feelings of desolation and hopelessness, serves no earthly purpose. In fact, if anything, these feelings will hold you back from moving forward and just keep you rooted to the spot.

This week, I had one of those moments. I was disappointed. Something that I worked hard at, hoped for and wanted, I didn't get... at the last minute. I felt the lurch of my heart when I read the email. It dropped from somewhere in my chest to the bottom of my stomach, and I felt the familiar pang of disappointment. I texted friends with a brief summary, and thought 'Oh well', accompanied by the requisite sigh. And my world looked greyer, less vital and alive, things that I could have had joy with seemed lifeless and listless to me. Disappointment had me in its firm grip. The texts from friends came pouring in and I allowed myself to wallow until ... I have a brave friend called Sally. She's lively, gorgeous, fun and forthright. Life doesn't get her down; she gets on top of it and rides it like a cowboy!
This is what she texted me: 'Shit. Big hug. Have a bloody good sulk and then pull yourself together!'

My first reaction? I laughed - because she's straight to the point (did I expect anything else?), and because its the best advice anyone has ever given me.
I moped for a couple of hours until I realised that I just didn't feel like moping any more.  I didn't feel that bad. I knew there would be other opportunities, that perhaps there was something better out there that could now come along, and that I felt the zing of life again in my veins (softly at first, yeah, but there nevertheless).

So what's my secret to making disappointment disappear? Here it is:
1. Give in to a good wallow - cry, stamp your feet, sit staring into space.... whatever it is you do when you feel rubbish about something. But give yourself a cut-off time! That could be ten minutes, one hour, two hours... but don't let it be longer than that.
2. Get active - when you reach your cut off time, make the conscious decision to rise out of the hole you are in. Get active, put on some cool music, smile. You'll be surprised how much a smile can make you feel brighter. Get out and do something different, a physical activity to take your mind off things.
3. Focus on your dream - your dream is still there; its still achievable, you can still feel it, taste it, see it... so focus on it. Feel the joy and the happiness, and the way you will be when you have it. Live it in your head.This is the most important thing - wallowing in disappointment prevents you from feeling happy. And feeling happy is how you will be when you reach your dream. By the Law of Attraction, you get what you focus on! So disappointment brings more disappointment.... happiness brings more happiness. Its not rocket science.

Now, as with all things, you need to practice this... the first time you try it, you may only achieve a small success  the second time, a bigger one... until eventually like me, you'll have a big disappointment in your life and be over it and happy again with a short time.

Go for it... you have nothing to lose.

Gabi x

Go for 2013! How to set goals and achieve them!

Every year, I say 'This is going to be my year!' 

And every year, I set out goals to achieve; not resolutions but goals. There's a difference. Resolutions are about 'I will do this or that', whilst goals are about 'I will work towards this or that'. Working towards stuff you give yourself some leeway to get things wrong, but always your resolve is on the end goal not the small successes along the way. With resolutions, the minute you put a foot wrong, the resolve dissipates. After all we are human, we are more than likely not going to get it perfectly right. 


The reason I set only three goals a year is because it helps me to focus. Don't confuse a goal with something you have on a 'to do' list! Going to the Maldives on holiday is a 'to do list' item, not a goal. 
So, sit yourself down, get comfy with a pen and paper and let's set three goals for 2013...

1. Dream: 
What do you want to achieve? If you do not know what it is, how can you know when you get it? Probably the biggest step in goal-setting is defining what that goal should be. So, first decide what you want. Allow yourself to dream big. 

2. Describe:
Now you need to fill in the blanks. You know what it is you want to set as your goal, so give it some colour, texture, body and soul. What does it feel like now that you have it? Do you enjoy it? What does it taste like, sound like, smell like, look like?
You need to see it in your mind's eye. Imagine it and how it will feel to have it in your life. 

3. Desire:
Now that you know what it is and have envisioned it, allow yourself to want it. Let yourself be flooded with the desire for it and you'll see all sorts of opportunities, circumstances, events and people come into your life to help you achieve your goal. And remember to keep the faith! Don't worry if it hasn't come in a specific time, or if something happens which makes it seem unlikely to come about. Keep your desire strong, and your visual image of it colourful, but most of all, expect it. 

In the words of a great friend of mine - Marlaine - 'Here’s to a techno colour, full throttle, in-complete-awe-of-life, grab-life-by-the-balls, why-walk-if-we-can-dance, making-our-contribution-as-best-we-can way of being and living in 2013, and beyond!'

Make 2013 your best year yet!

Gabi x

I lost my post - Aaaaargh!

I've just finished a post and for some reason have lost it. If you're logging onto read it - give me 10 minutes and it will be up again...
Sorry about this.
Gabi

I'm a Dryathlete for January!

If like me you had no idea what a Dryathlete was, you were not alone. In a weak moment, whilst recovering from a fabulously festive new year celebration, someone whispered to me, 'join the Dryathlon, you'll feel great.' It took me until 2nd January to look it up, and only by 3rd January had I plucked up the courage to commit.

Essentially it means no alcohol will pass my lips for the month of January. Anyone who knows me will know I'm an incredibly social person, so this is no mean feat, trust me. I debated doing it because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stick to it, and as it is in aid of a charity close to my heart, I didn't want to let them or myself down.
Now, I'm committed to the cause and hope to raise at least £500 for Cancer Research UK - if you're keen to support me, you can access my JustGiving page here. 

The first few days have been a breeze and I'm feeling great, although I am going to great pains to avoid any social arrangements over eating time, or any meet ups with friends in pubs. Possibly a good idea to play it safe until I have a fair chunk of time under my belt. I find, with any commitment to myself I need to make, like a diet or exercise, or ... this, if I can get through the first five to seven days, I'm pretty much home free.  It means I still need to make the effort, but by then I am feeling so proud of myself, my resolve is strong, and unlikely to yield.

Now I have a weekend to get through, so watch this space for my next update. Oh, and please sign up to this blog if you like it! Thanks a mill... x