Silver Linings

 Hello again Everyone, I hope you're all doing well and managing to stay safe, especially those of you who are still in lockdown or starting to emerge from self-isolation. I should like to apologise for taking so long to get here but as can often happen, Life has had other plans for me. I would like to thank those of you who checked in with me as there has been a bit of a gap between posts, I am happy to report, the health issues are infinitely more manageable but your concern is very much appreciated. 

I know many countries are facing problems, here in the UK, the shortages are still a fact of life and these are now coupled with utility bills going even higher which means many people are struggling just to keep food on the table. The gas and electricity costs are particularly concerning as we are obviously heading into Winter soon and whether or not anyone is going to be able to keep the lights on is debatable. It does seem strange, this is supposed to be a leading nation in the Western world and yet far too many of our citizens are either under the poverty line or heading that way. I know very well how stressful it can be when you are constantly budgeting, my mental arithmetic is never better than when I'm walking around the supermarket! Owing to the lack of favourite shopping list items, I have been branching out, recipe-wise which had proved challenging but I'm very thankful I can cook. More than once, I've been in a store and ended up writing down a recipe for someone whose normal diet is meals that can be tossed into the microwave, which are now virtually impossible to find. 

But amidst all of the worrying times, I can report, the new novel I have been writing, is coming along well - I am SO happy the subject matter is not even remotely depressing! Very briefly, it's about a middle-aged woman who is married with children, who, at the beginning of the story, divides her time between her home life and helping out at the school. Purely by chance, someone from her past makes an appearance and this meeting makes her look back to when she was young, free from responsibilities, and filled with dreams. You might be relieved to know, the story has no explicit sex scenes, only the rarest moments of expletives, and is actually really quite life-affirming as the central themes are a happy marriage, good friends, and being comfortable within yourself. I know what you might be thinking, in the past, my novels have often embraced quite dark subjects but perhaps as a reaction to my own mental health struggles- this book needed to be different! The story is called 'Barefoot on the Grass' and I'm hoping it will genuinely entertain readers and leave them feeling they've had a very positive experience. I will obviously keep you updated as to how it's going.

my thoughts for a potential cover design

As I am prone to do, I have just finished designing the cover myself and I hope you like it as much as I do, which I am aware sounds a bit big-headed, but I really do love this one. I know many writers to have professional covers made for them which must be an amazing experience but as that's beyond what I can justify financially, I just get on with it myself. While on the subject of self-sufficiency, I was messaged the other day about the Artful Hideaway Redbubble shop and I was happy to report, it is going well, it provides a small but steady income which is always welcome. I haven't been able to devote as much time to it as I would have liked, but with all the medical stuff that's been happening, well, there are only so many hours in the day. I am hoping to add some more designs soon so that's another positive.

I am hoping you can now see why I called this particular post 'Silver Linings' because with all the difficulties which are happening, there are things that make life bearable. Obviously, being involved with writing a new book is one, but, speaking personally, the improvement in my health definitely makes the darker days slightly less overwhelming. As one who struggles with depression, it's unfortunately way too easy to fall down the rabbit hole of 'what's the point of doing anything?', but as I'm typing this today, luckily I am feeling as if there are many reasons to keep going. I know this is helped by the fact, the sun is shining through the window, and like many of you, just to have a blue sky outside makes me feel more like moving and doing something with the day ahead.

Finally, before I leave you in peace, I would like to thank those people who have got in touch and told me about their own mental health struggles which have been made infinitely worse throughout the pandemic. I really do feel very honoured to be trusted with your personal stories and I am very touched to know, following this little blog has, at times, made you feel less alone. In answer to one recurring question, it was never my intention for this to be a money-making project and I have resisted the temptation to turn it into one, aside from anything else, it could have meant the page being awash with advertisements. So, what I share with you all here is just for me to stay in touch and nothing more, also, the things you have shared with me will NEVER be discussed here. Regular readers will know, I never name people publicly and I will never do so - mutual respect and trust are far more valuable to me than anything else.

Well, I think that's more than enough for now, so look after yourselves, I will try and get here more often again, stay safe out there, okay ?

Take care as always xxx