I haven't found myself writing much recently. Not that I haven't had the time, I've been neglecting everything else I should be doing in the evenings. My kitchen needs cleaning, my ironing pile has fallen over and I think my Open University books are still in the bag I took them to the last tutorial in. I haven't even been watching much television. So what have I been doing with my time?

Well, for a start there seems to be a lot less of it than there used to be. Sophie's not going to bed now until half seven most evenings, so by the time I've had something to eat and a bath it's gone eight. If I do some exercising (and this is hapening very rarely at the minute - but I do have an excuse) that's at least half eight. Now, six months ago I was staying awake unitl around half two, getting up at half six and everything was fine. Now I find myself falling asleep around nowish and struggling to get up before seven. What is wrong with me?

Nothing, I assume. My body is probably reclaiming its lost hours. I'm still capable of surviving on minimal sleep (I did it a few weeks ago to get my last assignment finished) but only as a one-off, not four or five nights in a row like I had been.

I've been in pain. Nothing major, just a lot of discomfort really. Something happened to my left shoulder (I'm blaming James as I always carry him in my left arm and he's not exactly light) - I couldn't sit comfortably, sleep properly, use my rowing machine... See, I said I had an excuse. All right so I'm ok now and there wasn't anything stopping me using my exercise bike.

I've been reading: quite a lot actually. Most recent two books are "Blind Faith" by Ben Elton and "The Liar" by Stephen Fry. Both brilliantly funny and highly recommended. I don't understand how either stayed on my bookshelf for so long without being read.

Other than that, there's not much to tell. I've had a few evenings out: one was a cinema trip (Sherlock Holmes - loved it), one was bowling with Pete (I'm even more terrible now than I ever was) and the other wasn't really an evening at all, more an afternoon that ran on a bit (but I was still home by 8). That was Sarah's engagement celebration. A wonderful afternoon, met some lovely people; not least of all her fiance, Stuart. That's a "Happily Ever After" waiting to happen if ever I saw one.

Anyway, just because I haven't been writing doesn't mean I haven't been imagining. The book's progressed more in my mind in the last week than it has done in the last four months. I've also been wrining down some of the bedtime stories I've been telling to Sophie. I thought she might like to read them when she's older. They'll be of little interest to anyone else but I'll publish one on my writing blog anyway, just so it looks like I'm doing something. Quick link here. (Kik-Kik is Sophie's favourite bear, floppy dog is James's favourite soft toy.)

Last year I had the ridiculous idea that if I blogged about my writing it might actually help motivate me. Instead, the blog became something else to neglect and feel the occasional pang of guilt about. Midway through December I decided I was going to start over: a fresh start for the blog, for my writing, and for my general health (a basic ‘eat less crap; exercise more’ plan). Knowing my past record though, I’ve waited a while so my brain doesn’t register the whole thing as a New Year’s Resolution and give up at the first sign of a struggle. I’m even writing this on a Tuesday so there’s not even a ‘beginning of the week’ feel to any of it.

Anyway, this ‘new’ blog is basically just the old one with all last year’s moaning at my lack of motivation posts deleted. Best forgotten about. I’m not setting myself any targets, for any of my ‘resolutions’ (shhh – don’t say that word!). That might change later down the line; for now I want the whole thing to be relaxed and natural. I want to be able to sit online for an evening chatting on Facebook without worrying that I intended to write so many words that night. I’m bound to forget about the blog for a few weeks (or just have nothing to say – my life’s pretty monotonous a lot of the time). And I’m definitely not likely to stick to a diet and exercise regime – I love my chocolate-filled lazy evenings too much for that!

I will be posting my writing here as and when I feel something is ready (and worth reading). So far I’ve put up the only (in my opinion) decent short story that I have written in the last six months, Free-Fall: a 500-word quick-read. That and the prologue for ‘The Book’. It’s the only part I’m happy with at the minute, and that is liable to change at any time (so if it disappears you know why!).

That’s enough writing for this evening. Got a horrible earache and I’m sure there’s something on TV to keep me busy for the rest of the evening. I’ll be back: not sure when but hopefully this year I might get somewhere with at least one of my goals.