Monday, March 30, 2015

Books at Last...

Ooh, sunshine outside! If it doesn’t cloud over and start pissing down again I can get out for a walk. This weekend has been a write-off in that respect – windy and wet on Saturday and the same on Sunday but with a triple helping of the wet. I also didn’t get into the weight-training much and succumbed to the need for calories. I drove up to a local shop and there bought hobnobs, Tuc, chocolate honeycomb and chilli-rice crackers. I ate one packet each of the biscuits, a pack of the honeycomb and two packs of the crackers on top of my usual meat, veg and fruit. The result of this was a weight climb (the body retaining water for digestion).


However, I’m not disappointed with myself. I felt quite knackered and it was one of those ‘the body demands’ times. It’s interesting that on the two occasions over the last month or so when I’ve stopped exercising for a couple of days and eaten what I’ve wanted there have been visible changes to my physique. This morning my weight is up compared to the average over the last two weeks, but more fat has disappeared around my midriff and elsewhere my musculature is more defined. But I’m also happy about something else: books!


During the events leading up to Caroline’s death in January last year I lost any urge to write fiction or to read it. Shortly after her death I only wanted to watch DVDs or play spider solitaire and subsequently my interest in the DVDs waned. As I’ve mentioned before it’s as if the part of my brain that extracts pleasure from fiction shut down. But over the last few months I’ve got back into enjoying the DVDs and over this last week, after pushing myself, I’ve read and enjoyed 3 books – two from the series above. This isn’t much to all you readers, but it’s more than I’ve read over the preceding year.

Now hoping that another push will return to me my writing mojo.         

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I do hope so.

Conan the Librarian™ said...

Try Christian Cameron and his fantasy nom de plume, Miles.

Childish Democrat said...

I am eagerly looking forward to that return, and certainly recognize that such a huge life-changing event is important to process completely.

Tigger MK4 said...

Hang in there Neal. Glad to hear you're reading again. Have been re-reading the Cormic saga in preparation for Dak intelligence, and sending best vibes over the psychic aug network. Hope that you feel back to your best soon.

Unknown said...

Hope the weather continues to improve up your way.
Still very much like summer down here in Auckland, and it fools the flowers and birdies quite definitely. we have had three separate waves of flowers in my garden, admittedly only the one of daffodils, but the camellia tree has blossomed three different times now this year, and it has got another wave of buds coming yet. And the Blackbirds resident in the garden have had three little flocks of squabs, one after another. To my cats great delight.

Neil said...

At least you are reading, I have a stack of seven books demanding my attention.

Though to be fair I am having to read a lot of techie web stuff, which is stretching the grey matter a bit more than I would like.

bascule said...

Off Topic, but you've been put forward as "Grimdark" in the SF category. I concur.

http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?46043-Grimdark-in-scifi

rossd said...

Ref the eye ops, had mine done twice, second time was great, no halos, but 6 years later I need specs for reading very close, like in bed, otherwise great, finished the latests masterpiece, thanks so much