I’m not entirely sure what it’ll be about, but I’m fairly certain there might be innocents being menaced by wooden outbuildings, or innocent wooden outbuildings being menaced, or innocent wooden menaces being outbuildings, or something. Maybe. Perhaps.

The launch-warming party went by in a whirl: I sold, signed and numbered books, saw more people in my flat than I thought would fit, did a reading, was toasted, set absinthe on fire, and generally enjoyed myself immensely.

The big clear up will happen at some point this afternoon.

Here, have a picture of the front cover:

(Not shown actual colour (the printers bodged things spectacularly, but I tried not to think about that all night).)

General outline
I’m doing very well - just been discharged from my CBT (training how to think therapy), just ordered the first print run of my new book, I’ve moved into a new flat (which is lovely - and just got broadband installed the other day), work’s much the same as usual and not much else has changed from the last time we knocked heads on google chat.

In slightly more detail
- I got referred for more cognitive behavioural therapy after a ‘blip’ in my gradual recovery from the long-standing depression, and this batch has left me in a better state than ever before in adult memory - able to react and respond to new and confusing situations without turning into a gibbering heap. I’m finding this ability very useful.
- I’ve been collecting a small book’s worth of my writings together for the past coupla months. In the middle of moving and such like, the final pulling-together has taken a while, there’s been one drastic name change of the project and a re-ordering of most of the material, but otherwise it’s been fairly painless. One of my mates is acting as publisher - so it’s not entirely self-published which lends it a thin veneer of respectability that it otherwise wouldn’t have. Once the books arrive, it’ll be going up on Amazon (although I’m still not sure quite how that will work). There’s been an initial print run of sixty-two copies of the first edition (which seems a random number, but leaves fifty to sell after I’ve given away a dozen) - all of which will be numbered and signed.
- The new flat is a ground-floor, two bed-room in the west of Newcastle (almost out at the airport, but not quite). It has its own garden and shed and everything. I was happy in the old house, but found out about this place and the rent was so good I couldn’t resist - also, it’s about time I found a place just for me.
- There’s not much detail to go into about work, except to say that I’ve been working a lot on the website recently and there’s several new bits of it almost ready to go. Next up, a “search this site” box (probably from Google).
 
The end.

By the way, the new place is lovely. Pictures will follow.

According to this Grauniad artical:

Boris Johnson, said the coalition looked like “a kind of cross between a bulldog and a chihuahua”.

It’s very French, but that’s not always a bad thing.

Skhizein (Jérémy Clapin,2008) from Bertie on Vimeo.

PS it looks great in full screen.

Edit:
The video has disappeared, but here’s a link to the film’s official website.

It turns out that wasn’t such a good idea, something for which I accept no responsibility whatsoever.

But I’m back. And, boy, do I have my work cut out for me!

Last night, after a very good day (for him), Tim went home feeling a trifle low - a perfectly natural condition after a long and fun day - and with just a few whispers I had him weakly contemplating suicide again, it was almost just like the good old days, as if I’d never left. It was wonderful watching him lying there, struggling, as if his ‘newly found freedom’ had been torn from him, and wondering if he ever would have a chance at being ‘normal’. It was after a couple of hours of this that I made my fatal mistake:

“You’ve always been this way, and you always will.” I whispered - a gem that had worked wonders in the past. Nobody told me that he’d woken up in my absence!

I heard him say, “Don’t be silly,” whether this was to himself or to me I’ll never know. “Don’t be daft, you’ve had a month and a half without any of this bullshit!” And just like that, I lost him.

I should never have accepted the generous holiday offer in its entirety, so much has unravelled and it’s going to be a while before things are back to normal. As ever, your kind thoughts are much appreciated.

Yours,

TMiTH