My first international blog

Spent a productive couple of hours finishing off the research and writing of a new blog for Sosactive, an American site. Quite proud of how it turned out.

What a rubbish day that was!

I don't often have bad days, but today was one of them, with a couple of good highs. It felt live a never-ending onslaught of deadlines moving while I ran after them, left, right and centre. It was all metaphorical and I was actually quite productive, but it was frustrating at times. The first high-point of the day was falafel for lunch, with all the trimmings. The low-point was the sad end of someone anonymous (to me, if not to their family and friends) under a train in Southgate. Kings Cross rapidly descended into chaos, with a tinge of sadnes - no-one likes to complain when the cause is a tragedy for probably several people, not least of whom is the train driver involved. A delightful couple of hours at The Radcliffe Arms in Hitchin, meeting up with a bunch of twitter-mates. Lovely. Then an hour's drive to Milton Keynes to collect Florence at midnight and an hour's drive home. It's been a long day.

Kaiser Chiefs 'Souvenir' illustrated by Sarah Graham

I love this image. The artist is Sarah Graham, who lives in Hitchin. Just interviewed her, because this is the front cover image for Kaiser Chiefs' new album, out in June. I just think it's beautiful.

Forgot to share this last week, so here goes ...

Email received from a source who had given me a lead for a story which became the front cover and centre spread of the most recent Courier newspaper.

He said: "Got my Courier yesterday - WOW! Brilliant. Many thanks."

Makes it all worthwhile.

(Which is one of the main reasons I left teaching - you rarely get thanks and often get unthinking, unhelpful, non-constructive criticism)

More networking

To the Indulge Restaurant at Hitchin College for some networking with The Best of Hitchin.

Met up with some old friends and made some new contacts. It's good to stay in touch with local businesses and hear what other people are doing.

Turkish Delight and technical detail

It is a joy to be once more working with an old client - history going back more than 20 years. She's a lovely person, snowed under and I hope that I'm helping keep the decks clear.

I've been working on a piece about fragrances and food ingredients in Turkey and now creating a newsletter for a technical team in Paris.

Global is good!

Sport Relief mile in Hitchin

A positive three hours spent helping out at the Sport Relief mile at Hitchin Boys' School. Shattered now and I didn't even run!

Beautiful weather in Cambridge

Spent the day in Cambridge with Freddie. Big shop at Top Man as his reward for doing well in work experience.

Sport Relief - a bit of sax with the barbie

The AB team outside the offices with me on sax. Nice!

Still not seen a copy of this, but looks good

Moment Magazine

Anyone got a spare copy?

The value of work experience

Freddie (15) is now half-way through his work experience at Brookers in Hitchin. The value of it is already becoming clear to him. He's absolutely shattered every evening, but is beginning to see the attraction of a job well done.

He was very fortunate to be offered the opportunity in such a good local shop. He's seen friends and neighbours, as well as strangers, come in for their hardware, paint and lightbulbs.

I don't think he's ready to leave school just yet, but it's good to know that he can stick at a job when he's asked to.

Just be yourself

I've been reading quite a bit about self-improvement online recently.

To what end?

To see whether I'm allowed to be as happy as I am, right now.

Turns out, I am.

I have found who I am and it's OK to be me. I've tried lots of things in my life and done lots of 'stuff. Travelled around the world (although never actually made it right the way around to join the bits up from Hong Kong to San Francisco). Played in some great bands. Played with some pretty rank singers and wanted the ground to open up beneath me. Brought up two fantastic children and managed to maintain a lot of good relationships.

Where I am today feels just fine. A slightly more toned tummy would be nice, but if I stand up straight, my body is pretty much the same as it was ten years ago. probably 20 years ago. I love my house, the work I'm doing and the people I find around me.

Trying to avoid being smug and trying to help other people who really aren't as happy as I am, but only because I can.

So, if you're a part of making me feel like this, Thank you.

Re-reading 'A Tale of Two Cities'

In advance of World Book Night, when I shall be giving away 24 (I think) copies of my favourite Dickens novel, I have decided to re-read it.

I began a few weeks ago, but that was on the Kindle and, frankly, that just feels wrong for such a classic.

I also appear to have contracted some form of cold/flu. I've been shivering at my desk all day, and put it down to the weather until Freddie came home form work experience in just a shirt and said it had been quite mild. Early night with a hot toddy and Mr Dickens for me. How sad am I?

Sunny day in Poole

Drove nearly 300 miles in a round trip to surprise my mum for Mothering Sunday. She was genuinely surprised (and pleased) to see me and then we went for a lovely lunch. The sun was shining, although it was cold.

Feel virtuous, but tired.

This did NOT make me smile at first

Just seen this story on The Comet website. Bizarre that someone should have even considered this a good idea. John and Patsy Myatt rescued this beautiful old cabbies' shelter from the railway station a few years ago and it's a landmark in the market square. Thank heavens for planners at the Council who spotted and refused this!

This made me smile.

I know it's silly, but this soap made me laugh this morning. You have to know that my daughter's name is Florence - often shortened to Flo - and that she does have something of a 'clean' obsession. Also, that her home is temporarily a tour bus with seven blokes and she'd probably be grateful for some 'Flo soap'.

Also a good day, in that I agreed a new contact with a client. A really nice job.

It'll always be Unilever House to me

Strangely, went to a meeting this afternoon at what used to be Unilever House. I'll never get used to calling it 100 Victoria Embankment.

My last major client was part of Unilever (what was then Birds Eye Wall's) and revisiting Blackfriars brought back some memories.

Possible new band(s)

I'm exploring the possibilities of a couple of exciting new bands to play with. Watch this space for news of gigs. One is covers and one original songs, so they're very different projects. I'm hoping I might be able to do both. Combine that with the big band work I'm doing and I'll be out and about playing loads more!

Last night's art evening

Need to blog properly on this for The Best of Hitchin website, but this really was the Best of our town.

Eight local artists exhibiting their work in The Croft wine bar - everyone benefits. The artists get some local exposure and maybe sell a few pieces and the bar gets some extra punters in on what would otherwise have been a quiet night.

I love seeing things like this happen. There's a strong sense of community in Hitchin and long may it thrive.

Aged 74 and still going strong

Jet Black, drummer with The Stranglers, has been taken ill in Oxford. Typically, he chose a day off from the tour to do it. He won't be playing tonight's gig and Ian (his drum tech) will probably have to do the next few shows.

And then Jet will be back behind the skins in the corner of the stage. He's 74!

I hope that I'm still doing what I love to do at his age. Even at JJ's age - a mere 60!

Why do we praise sometimes and not ALL times?

When people do a good job - even when they're 'just' doing their job - why don't we praise them?

If you go to a sporting event, you'll cheer a goal, a six, a wicket, a personal best, sometimes someone simply finishing. At a gig, we all applaud at the end of a song or a sonata or a symphony.

Those people are really 'just' doing what they've been paid to do.

So why don't we do it when the bus driver gets us to work, the waiter serves us our coffee or the bank clerk pays in our cheque? It doesn't have to be a round of applause, but a simple 'Thanks' and a smile might just make their day. Imagine if three people did it in their day - wouldn't they be happier the next day and try just that bit harder?

I was struck by the immense applause at the end of every song layed by The Stranglers last night. Rightly so - they did a great job. But it's not hard (given that they're all incredibly talented musicians) to do that night after night. Each time they play a song, they get better at it. They've written the songs, rehearsed and are doing it really, really well. Can't we all aim to do whatever it is that we do really, really well - and then hope that someone praises us for it.

More applause - that's what this world needs.

Amazingly busy - with the family

A great day in Birmingham: Florence working with The Stranglers and The Popes and Freddie playing the big brother to Pieter.

It was good to spend time with all of them and to meet up with the crew and band again. Such nice people. Of which more, later.

Good news and bad news

My friends seem to be suffering and prospering in equal measure. I guess that's life.

Another busy week

My portfolio is bulging. I'll need the weekend to catch up, but it's all achievable. Keeping on top of my emails is working and using my diary to schedule in tasks is working much better than trying to do it online. Don't ask me why, but it's working for me.

My first real shift as a CFR

Well, that was interesting. Ambulance crews in East of England are, officially, some of the nicest people in the world. You beat them to a job by one minute, start to get the patient sorted and they just come in and take over. Nicely.

I stayed today, but I guess sometimes I'll leave them to it.

It does feel like I can do this, though. The first shift was always going to be the most difficult - stepping out into the unknown and all that.

Need to catch up on work and do another shift tomorrow. When I'm not on call, I'll be sitting - ironically - in Lister Hospital with Freddie, probably waiting hours in the fracture clinic to be given the all-clear on how now-healed fractured humerus.

Probiotic chocolate - is this the answer?

I spent a fascinating couple of hours with the team behind Oh So Chocolate.

They are selling probiotic Belgian chocolate that tastes AMAZING! The reason for my interviewing them is that they're using Royal Mail services to get chocolate to consumers, but the business is a very interesting one.

This is not cheap chocolate, but it doesn't taste like cheap chocolate. I am actually tempted to give it a try for a month and see whether I notice a difference. I'm never ill, but we can all feel better and this has to be a big improvement on the yoghurty stuff that I tried once - never again!

A very, very pleasant day

There are a number of reasons why today has been good, some of which can't be shared on here. Suffice it to say, I'm smiling.

My portfolio is looking pretty full at the moment, and I'm spending some of this evening clearing out the less-inspiring examples of my writing.

It's interesting how much of it is online and putting together an electronic portfolio is my next step.

Ebay or a car boot sale - it has to be done

There is too much stuff in my garage. It's not as bad as I thought it might be, once I'd fought my way through the empty boxes which I seem to have accumulate, but there's still too much.

I intended to dump stuff when I moved in July, but somehow it never happened. Now I've got ALL my gardening gear from an area about ten times what I have now. At least some of it has to go.

Another new client

I'm pleased to say that March sees another new client join my list.

There's now a nice variety of projects on the go and more opportunities for me to produce work that I can be proud of.

What an amazing day

Today was my ride-out with the ambulance crew in Stevenage. 24 hours of observing and assisting as they dealt with several elderly patients, a road accident, a nasty fractured leg and a child suffering concussion.

I learned so much and it was a pleasure to see how the team co-operates with Police, NHS staff and the public.

The best hour was spent at Lister Hospital, where I helped another crew log-roll a patient in her twenties so that she could firstly have an MRI scan and then have a spinal check. They were frantically busy and we had to wait to check another patient in anyway, so it was a good use of our time.

I am absolutely exhausted, though, but feeling so much more prepared to becoming a community first responder.

The start of my next six months

It is hard to believe that a year ago I was considering staying in teaching: I am just so glad that I followed my heart and continued in the path which has brought me here.

It's now been six months of regaining my self-employed status and that first six months has been amazing. I have learned a lot about what I DON'T want to be doing and the sort of clients I DO want to work for. Looking back 12 months and six months is liberating and I am so grateful for the support I have had from a number of people.

They have helped me to prove that I can do this. I am genuinely happy and fulfilled and today is the first day of the rest of my life.

[And I don't care if that sounds cheesy, it is actually true.]