MikeH, Author at Postcards From Across the Pond

Well, at least we don’t have to wait to see if 2019 turns out to be the shit-storm that 2018 was because the shit-storm has followed us into the new year.

Yeah, I\’m looking at you, shit-storm makers!

Enjoy the ride!

For me, personally, it\’s not so bad.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but last year I did propose to make 2018 the year I learned to play the piano. How did I do? Well, I won’t be playing Carnegie Hall any time soon, but I do know my way around a keyboard, and if I have a music score with only a few notes (as opposed to some classical piece that requires you to hit 15 keys at once) I can puzzle it out fairly well. So, I would say I can, indeed, play the piano, with much room for improvement.

At this point, I\’m pretty sure this dog plays better than I do.

On the other hand, I must be learning something, as I was able to
figure out what this tune was just by looking at it.
(Stole this off of FaceBonk)

As for 2019, I don’t have any goals aside from finishing book 7 of my 8-book fantasy-adventure series, and starting book 8 before this year is out. That will allow me to start finalizing the series in 2020 and, hopefully, have a book or two up on Amazon in 2021.

That’s the plan, anyway.

Our kitchen still looks like a construction zone, and since it’s down to the landlord to make the next move, I expect it will be like that for some time. On the other hand, Curry’s delivered a dryer a few weeks back that filled up our dryer-shaped hole, so life is good, and today they are bringing (they promised) a dryer that actually works, so life is about to get even better.

Someday, this will be a nice, clean, newly-tiled wall.
Some day.

My flirtation with vegetarianism is taking hold, with only a few niggles, the main one being that vegetarianism is suddenly becoming the In Thing, and I don’t like looking as if I just jumped on the bandwagon. Accordingly, I’ve half a mind to jump off, but that would be self-defeating.

The other niggle is, all those meat-substitutes that lured me into the world of vegetarianism do me little good because my vegetarian wife avoids meat solely because she doesn’t like it. Therefore, a non-meat product that looks and tastes just like meat isn’t something she would eat, so we still have to prepare separate meals, which was one of the main reasons I chose to go meat-free.

Vegetarian friendly, unless, of course, you simply don\’t like meat.

To her credit, she’s researching some tasty vegetarian (and even vegan) meals that suit me just fine, and there’s no reason I can’t have a faux hamburger or a fake sausage roll from time to time.

My wife and I took up Tai Chi some time ago, and we will continue this activity in the New Year, despite that, too, having turned into The Next Big Thing as soon as we took it up. Accordingly, probably half of you reading this will be doing Tai Chi. If you’re not, don’t fret; you will be by the time this year is out. Don’t fight it, it’s pretty cool, even though you feel like a tit when you first start doing Parting the Horse’s mane, and Cow Looking at the Moon. Just remind yourself that you are doing a real Martial Art and that, once mastered, you will be able to kill someone, albeit very slowly.

Grab the Chi!

The benefits of Tai Chi are numerous. Do a Google search; you’ll find more information than you can take in. Also, you’ll find there are several classes near by to where you live. They’re like AA meetings. Come join the cult.

Despite the benefits of Tai Chi, I thought something more high-impact, to balance it out, would be a good idea, so my wife suggested we take up swimming again.

We used to go for a weekly swim at the local leisure center when we first moved to Horsham sixteen years ago. Due to the inconvenience of jobs, we had to go in the evenings and we soon tired of that. The leisure center was brand new back then, but the the lockers and changing booths were already vandalized and, after a day’s use, the pool area was a proper mess, so we stopped going. Fast forward to now and we are able to go in the morning, which is more agreeable. The vandalism we witnesses all those years ago has still not been fixed—the same changing booth locks are broken and the same lockers have their doors ripped off—but at least the place is cleaner in the morning than it is at the end of the day.

The disadvantage I have now is, with all the activities we are taking up, I am finally getting to know some of the locals, which means I am more likely to run into someone I am acquainted with. There is nothing like exchanging awkward, morning greetings with someone you vaguely know while you are nearly naked. I like to think I’m in fairly good shape but let me assure you, a bathing suit does me no favors. Most of the exercise I get at the pool is from walking around with my stomach sucked in.

And so, 2019 starts with better eating, more exercise and the hope of finishing my epic, seven-years-and-counting writing project. Now, if the politicians would just sort themselves out, it might be a good year.

Happy 2019!