I'm all a Twitter...

Blogging.  One minute I was marching with the Avant Garde, the next I'm bringing up the rear of life's platoon.  Amazing how technology moves on, isn't it.  I find myself neglecting my blog - and, if you're a regular visitor, you won't need me to tell you this.

For that I apologise.

It's strange.  When I write, I enjoy it - but the thought of doing it fills me with a wee bit of dread.  It's been the same with all my writing - whether it be my film scripts or my (unpublished) novel.  Once I'm into it, it's fine but I don't want to start.

There are parallels here with my current situation regarding training.  This year has been and is destined to be a fractured year.  Already I've had several injuries which have stopped me from training.  An inflamed achilles and pulled back are the current culprits.  One of the reasons I've always tried to train through injuries is that - for me - Ironman training is half based on routine as much as the physicality of doing the work.  What I mean is that we do such huge distances as Ironmen that were we to think about the prospect of going for, say a 3km pool swim followed by a 60  mile bike ride (which at this part of the season for me would be a fairly normal morning session), then our minds would put the brakes on and question it.

No, far better to be in a routine where one doesn't think, one simply 'does'.   No thought processes, no 'why am I doing this' - just get up, get your gear on and go.  Bike time is thinking time, not pre bike time.

Injuries, though, present the mind with too much operating space.  Just as I thrive on being busy at work, crashing through all manner of stuff, I thrive from being busy training.  With an injury it's hard to get back into the routine and, the more I think about it, the more I can find other things to do.

Like lead a normal life.

Not that Twitter is normal, but I've been enjoying it recently.  I guess you could call it the mortar between the bricks of my life.  The notion of a worldwide mini-community intrigues me and I enjoy the brevity of posting required.  Though if you were to add together all that brevity, I'm sure it would play out as a sizeable chunk of wasted life - or at least that's what Fiona tells me.

Work has been really busy and has kept me distracted from blogging type things.  I've been producing ads for several clients and working on my book which - and I can't remember where I was last time we spoke - I'm currently re-writing.

The re-writing process has been an eye-opener for me and has affected the work quite dramatically.  At least, I think it has.  I'm going through the manuscript removing what I refer to as 'author's voice', or at least the overtly obvious 'author's voice'.  My film writing has left me more than capable of telling a story in a brisk and entertaining way and I think I need to prune the novel back to that type of story-telling, especially as it's aimed at a younger market.  I've told my agent that I'll take a look at it once it's done and see which I prefer.  Already I think I know.

We had a wonderful trip to our good friends Jonny and Alli down in Devon, staying with them and their two children Solly and Mattilda.  A splendid time was had by all and our trip coincided with a turn in the weather which I hope is hear to stay.  The feeling of warmth on your bones really does lift the spirits, doesn't it.  There's a photo up above of Alice and Mattilda.  How fantastic it was to be on a beach again. I miss the coast, having grown up by the sea.

Erin, Alice and Fiona are all well.  I've enjoyed the Easter break with them and - despite their penchant for sleepovers (the kids, not Fiona) they remain able to function normally most of the day.  It's been a pleasure working with Erin on a school writing project she's doing - she's the type of student that rarely requires any parental input but working with her on writing has been fulfilling and rewarding.   I've said to her that she should think seriously about a life as a writer... if only to eliminate it.

I keep saying to my kids... you can do anything you want to in life.  It's important to repeat that message to them until it becomes second nature.  Already I can see an independent streak in Alice which will lead to her ploughing her own furrow.

Been seeing a few movies too but, alas, my new year's resolution to visit the cinema once a week seems to have crashed and burned as might an aeroplane flying through a cloud of volcanic ash.   I may well find a couple of days, tot up my ticket purchases, work out what I'm short and then see several movies back to back to catch up.

Then again... this may prove difficult if I'm back to training.

And I so, so, so hope that I am.  I'll keep you posted, I promise.

And I promise to try and maintain the blog a little more.

I'm going to have news of my new road bike soon, so there's an opportunity to keep you updated.

My training since I last saw you has been as follows:

lots and lots of hours, hundreds of miles on the bike, followed by injury and hardly any training.  Felt glum, now feeling better.

Onwards and upwards my friends.  Onwards and upwards.