One month & one week gone

Only 10 months and 3 weeks to go - not that I'm counting............ what aren't I counting?? Well, how many long it is since I last had a drink this year!!!  Oh I don't think I've told you have I - I'm off the booze/ the sauce / ALCOHOL for a whole year!! Pray tell why I hear you shout - well the answer is as complex as varied in reasons to be honest.......Firstly, it is incredibly easy in the pub game to get in the habit of having a drink ' to unwind' at night.......... but then in fairness when I look at how many of my friends with 'normal' lives who have alcohol EVERY night, I know I'm not alone in that thinking. However, my unwinding drink could often (and often did) lead to a whole bottle.  Next, who ever made wine stoppers must have realised that they were on to a great money maker - because if anyone can tell me that they ACTUALLY use them I'll congratulate them - wine when open in my hands is made for drinking.. never, ever to have a stopper in and 'save for later'! What later?? Tomorrow, next time with Dinner. not blooming likely - well, not in my lifetime anyway!!   I also know that I'm an all or nothing person, and that as I get older hangovers have become 2 day events and the pain was outstripping the pleasure.  But lastly and really most importantly, following yet another sickly and ghastly January, I have decided that this year is going to be all about me (seriously!!) and that actually, I really need all the vitamins I can get hold of to whizz about my body this year and help keep me well. Hence the reason, I've taken a year off......... peoples reactions have been many and varied but on the whole really supportive and understanding.

Long suffering SOH who is used to my various 'phases' was I suspect quietly sceptical at first, and the first 'test' - a social function - which saw me nursing a sparkling mineral water surprised him I think, but now, 2 more social's and various evenings with friends and resolutely sober he's at the pleasantly proud stage! You know what? So am I - and mostly it's fine I've hardly missed it - and as one of my friends said - 'all drink does is make you even louder - you're fun without it'! :) Wasn't that a lovely thing to say.......scarey, but lovely!

I met one of my Twitter 'friends' last Saturday in person....... now there's a scary old thing you know. I agree with all that's being written lately about having Facebook and Twitter 'friends' - according to both of the social networks I belong to I have over 1,000 'friends' all told.... what utter tosh! I have about 6 people I would call real close life and death friends and as for all the rest - well a lot are acquaintances, many are for work and others I barely know.... so agreeing to meet this one, Emma, was a bit like agreeing to an Internet date (we both agreed that bit actually) and felt slightly uncomfortable at first. Well I say at first, because that feeling lasted for about 10 seconds and we sat and talked for nearly and hour and a half, and I loved her...... she was smart, witty, funny, really lovely!  We agreed to meet again really soon and now I think we have the makings of a great friendship!

What else this week - well Tim (and I) were interviewed for BBC Spotlight yesterday about First Responders - SOH about why he is one and me as to why we need more of them...........  Like everything he does in life SOH took it all in his stride and performed like a real pro - me?? I stuttered and bumbled and wished I'd said it all differently and yet more of it at the same time! But it was a fun experience. The reporter was smart, witty, funny and lovely. Oh yes, did I tell you - her name was Emma!!!