But What Have I Been Doing?

You will remember... or perhaps see a couple of posts ago in this blog... that I made a very public New Year's resolution this year, but that was before I was diagnosed.  So, let's try a mid-year report.

1)  I said I'd write a publishable novel.  I'm about halfway through the first draft.  I went on the course I mentioned and to the conference as well.  As I suspected, the advice was "keep writing".  I have the ideas, I write well, and I need to just keep on in the hope of making a full-length piece of fiction.  RAG rating = Amber.

2)  I said I'd do more than four gigs this year.  I've done two, have one booked in September and a possible in August.  All that's left after that is to arrange a Christmas gig at the Thomas Guy Club (if the radiotherapy allows it).  RAG rating = Green (more or less).

3)  I said I'd record an album.  I was unable to complete a project to add toplines for a Norwegian House producer.  Similarly I had to drop out from rehearsing with a new band (known as the band of Malcontents) but I now have the agreement of John Giltrow (guitars) a fellow member of the Sweet Smelling Swampies and Dave Paton (bass), like John, a member of the Pennebakers to help me out. (By the way, Dave is not the same David Paton who was in the Bay City Rollers, honest.  So that gets an RAG rating of Amber more or less but shading toward the red.

4)  Finally, I said I'd learn Polish.  I haven't started.  I doubt it will happen but one of my oncologists, Kasia Owczarczyk is Polish so I wouldn't necessarily rule it out.  I'm still going to give it a RAG rating of Red though.

So... there's how I'm doing.  I'll do my best to keep you posted.