I am sick and tired of having a staple diet of biscuits, digestives to be precise. Unable to buy or afford anything else and having to maintain a steady carbohydrate level the only form of food I eat throughout the day are digestives, two at ten, two at lunch two again at four. When Mum was better she would buy me pears that supplemented my diet. I now have to ensure I drink lots otherwise the old bowels cease to function and brick production from my rear is not a viable money spinning option.


Being broke is no joke.

Some weeks we only eat vegetables on a Sunday. The need to make extra money grows all the time. Jasmine being out of work for three months didn’t help. Thank goodness she is working again now.

My shoulders still ache but I still did my routine press-ups this morning. Not the usual 100 but a conservative 60. Also some curls. Chest looking better than it did three months ago when I started as are my arms. I will never be, nor do I want to be, a Charles Atlas type but at least I no longer have bat wings!

Jase and Michael are beavering away. Jase will get back to me by Thursday with some visuals and Michael too although probably not the same day. After this comes the horror of uploading to Kindle. I only hope I am able to understand all that needs doing.

With all this activity I need to concentrate, to focus on one thing at a time. Of the remaining Fekenham novels in series one there are three to go. Two of them have been started as have two ‘spin offs.’

The London Chronicles which Dave and I have been working on has ground to a halt, hopefully not a permanent state of affairs. We started them in 2010 and have only four complete. I have written nearly all the remaining chapters but with the lengthy pause they all need revising and amending. Irritating as Paul has edited just under half of them and will have to go through the same process again. In all honour I should pay him for every minute he spends editing even if the delay is not my fault. This is something to note for when Utility Fish Shed Limited is incorporated as then all transactions will have to be paid for and all my financial accounts will need to balance. Time is money.

Much of ‘The Wilful walks of Russell Duffy – London’ will need rewriting to incorporate the more spiritual aspects that were originally missed first time around. I feel I should make mention in the first chapter of why I start at Wapping; that the London walks are, in part, a pilgrimage and homage to my roots. I had thought to continue with Mark Scammell once Dave had concluded his Eastend chapters but in truth would rather have had Dave do the lot, the whole book. This may not now be possible. Mark was meant to have contacted me during the Christmas break. He didn’t. Dave is in a sulk and has probably fed the whole shebang to Milo his cat. Hopefully not but if he has then I will have to dig deep and find someone else, much as I loathe the thought, who can, if not match his unique style, create something that carries my words with their images.

Today Jimbob Badfinger has been working at my Mum’s, preparing for her home coming by fixing a key box with security code to outside her front door. This will enable the nurses and welfare people gain access without having to get Mum make the painful walk from her bed to the front door. Grace was meant to be going in as well but cancelled as she has a cold. Fortunately, Mum’s coming home tomorrow means that hospital visits will stop. This will cut out the small fortune we have been spending on car parking fees. At £2.50 an hour, especially at weekends, we have been spending up to £10 a day.

My reading has pretty much ground to a halt. Dickens’ book is still unfinished and I have all those other books given as gifts at Christmas to me. I still have only heard a small part of the ‘music man’ Paul sent me. Some good stuff on there too.

PS. I now realise why he is so angry. He sees the expression “dragging his feet” as a pejorative. He thinks I was pointing the finger of blame at him rather than me just stating the simple fact he was unable to do any work on the project. My loose expression has thrown him of balance thinking I am slagging him off. It's okay for men to call each other 'See you next Tuesday's' but not use the term 'dragging feet.'

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. all words and art are copyright © of Russell 'C.J' Duffy. For another side of CJ go here: sOMeThiNg For tHE wEeKeND, SiR?