I apologise for the lack of blogging of late. In my defence I have just moved house! The internet is in but the LAN isn’t, and won’t be until the new office wall goes in on Monday. But we’re getting there, even if it does mean that we’re surrounded by mountains of boxes!

We had a very successful move, despite Fate’s best efforts. The keys were delayed in being released, followed by the removal van breaking down on the morning before it could make the first trip; it held the important furniture that was all supposed to go into the house first. As a result we ended up moving in a jumble and my organised strategies were defenestrated (pushed out of the window). When I came to move my car across it was loaded with boxes of records until it creaked. I was also hitched to my boat on a trailer. Can you guess yet when I had my first flat tyre in years? I had to unload the boot (no mean feat) and the jack positively groaned when jacking the car up because of the extra weight.

I also had to intercept and scrub some furniture as it came because of the dreaded mould issues that we had in the last house. This house is much drier and better but I didn’t want to take a chance on transplanting black mould from the last place. That house has been condemned because of it. No-one is allowed to live there until the Landlord has rectified all the issues to an approved standard and the work is inspected. Karma there at least for all the repairs he neglected whilst happily taking our rent money. Here we own the place outright.

I have to admit that owning my own home feels great. There is a difference in feeling about it, and I like it! Of course, I have to get into this DIY house maintenance and improvement bandwagon but then as the Landlord didn’t do basic repairs I had to, so I already know how to do some things. Today’s jobs though include weeding the garden – we have three to weed. After that I have to go into the loft to remove boarding so that the people coming on Monday to insulate the house can lay the stuff (I’m told they aren’t allowed to put it straight over floorboards for some as yet unexplained reason). That makes Monday a busy day, with the builders dividing up a room to create the new office. Still, probably best to get it all done there and then.

And finally, if ever there was any doubts that black mould poisoning was the cause of our illnesses and tiredness, that is now proven. We are getting great nights’ sleep and are seeming to manage refreshed on barely five hours a night – just like old times. I have not felt this good since before we moved into the last house.

As a final endnote I shall be doing a book signing for ‘Bringing home the stars’ at the Waterstone’s in Knutsford on Sunday (NOT Saturday) so if you want to come down and meet me and get a book signed it will be a golden opportunity. After this there is only one more signing in Derby that is booked on the signing trail. After that I will try and take a break before the next book comes out and the signing trail starts all over again; probably at the end of August this year.