December 16th 2020 - #amwriting...

Okay, so this took me a while. Over the last couple of years, I've had to deal with a great deal in my personal life. Mum and Dad have both been ill. Dad has Alzheimer's and it finally got to the point that we had to move him into a care home. Even with the wonderful carers we had at home, it was too much for Mum to look after him in-between the care calls. We moved him in on the Friday, intending to visit with his remaining possessions on the Monday. Then lockdown happened and that was it. I haven't seen Dad, except for one time through a window, since March...

The care home is brilliant, I can’t thank them enough. They do everything to protect their residents from Covid-19, but that meant locking down. Mum got to see Dad twice after the first lockdown ended, then we went into tier three and visiting stopped again. Dad can’t hear very well on the phone, so that method of communication was ruled out. He’s also not good on a video call either. The window visit I had with him was hard because he couldn’t hear me properly through the barely open window and he just kept asking “When are you coming in?”. His Alzheimer’s means he can’t recall even thirty seconds ago. The old memories are still there, and routine goes in, but nothing else. The home has a Facebook page, so I send pictures and messages through, but it’s fairly one sided.

If that wasn't bad enough, my wife is a schoolteacher and life at school has been extremely difficult for her. Her hard work and resilience, along with that of all the staff at her school have been breath-taking. I don’t know how she does it. My hat goes off to all school staff in this difficult time.

I've battled through to keep my gardening business running, because grass, hedges and weeds don't stop growing for anything. I put in place strict precautions, social distancing, a hand washing station in my van. I went over to almost complete hands-free payment. Worse still, I couldn't go inside any of my customer's houses for tea and biscuits! So, I kept my customers as safe as I could, while looking after Mum and my wife the best I could too.

It's been a hell of a year...

That all took a toll. I’m exhausted, mentally and physically. Now I've finished gardening for the season, I've got back to my other job as an author. Honestly, with all that's been going on I've neither had the time or the energy to write. Worse, I lost my mojo. I simply couldn't write. It's the worst writer's block I've ever experienced. I sat down at my computer a few times and got a few words out, but I just wasn't motivated.

I had to force myself to get back into routine. I write every morning, before I do my housework and DIY (which I save up for winter). That's the lesson I had to re-learn. You can't just write when the mood takes you. You have to write a little every day. Treat it like a job. Each morning I edit what I did yesterday and then write something new. Now I'm back into my routine the words are streaming out and I'm up to 30k words on "Wargame". It's been a hard slog, but nothing that's worthwhile isn't hard.

With all my problems, that’s nothing to what the NHS have been through. I salute each and every one of you. We must all hold the line a little while longer. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and make space for people.

Above all, be kind.

2020 isn't over. Covid isn't beaten, but now we have vaccines there is hope. Strap on your armour, grab your rifle and continue the fight. The battle is won, but the war is only just beginning.

June 26 /27th 2020 - Amazon Free Giveaway Results...

June 15th 2020 - Augmented Artwork from my Degree Film...

Feb 2020 - New Review!