Ten Years and a Day

Well, blow me down if I didn't miss an anniversary yesterday. I've had my eye on it for a few weeks (got the balloons, the champagne, the cake all on stand-by) and then I flippin' well went and let it slide by. I shall just pause for a moment and watch another marble roll from the building...sigh...

Yesterday, then, was my 10 year blogiversary! Ten years I've been writing from and about Much Malarkey Manor with various enthusiasm ranging from over-zealousness to dire apathy. Lots has happened, of course. I mean, you don't live ten years of a life and expect things not to happen, but the driving force behind starting the blog was the idea that his Lordship Malarkey and I would be striving to make a move to the countryside and live in a little cottage with a massive garden and do self-sufficiency stuff like keep hens and bees, grow fruit and vegetables, brew wine, create arty crafty stuff, whittle furniture from trees, install an elephant in a tree house...okay perhaps not the last two, but you get the gist.

And what do you know? We did it! We only bloomin' well did it! There have been other highlights during the ten years it took us to get here like becoming a grannie twice, achieving some minor publishing successes, various work promotions, catching bee swarms, the thrill I STILL get on finding an egg in the nest box and the move we made from the middle of Maidstone to the middle of fields in Shropshire.

It has been 10 years of progress, sometimes slow, sometimes too fast for comfort. Some friends have gone, new friends have been made. Pets, too, have come and gone and broken hearts on their way. There have been pantomimes and Christmas stories. Oh no there haven't - oh yes there have!! There have been births and deaths, triumphs and disasters, but no disaster so great it has stopped me from thinking what a happy and fulfilling life I am blessed to be living. Even this morning, when water started leaking through the living room ceiling AGAIN I thought, this'll be okay. And within 3 hours I'd found a plumber, he'd come out, located the problem (leaky compression valves in radiator piping in front bedroom radiator), fixed the problem and gone on his way, problem sorted.

And I'd like to thank bloggy friends who've stuck with me and believed in my writing, especially Olly, Jessica, Becca, Diana and Deanna. You little shining stars, you! Your encouragement and feedbaxk have been beyond wonderful.

What now, then? I am a firm believer that if you write down your hopes and dreams then they will happen. We're here, in our cottage in the countryside. Where do I go now?

Obviously, I shall continue to strive for the massive success in fiction writing that will allow me to give up being a full-time teacher and waft around being a full-time novelist instead! And another project that has been bubbling away for a few months now is the opening of a Healing Centre. I have been involved in channelling universal healing energy since I connected to a healing circle when my sister was diagnosed with cancer 27 years ago. My learning and practice in this field have been variable over the years but the passion and intent have always been there. Suddenly, I am finding people coming my way for channelling and to be trained themselves to become healing channels. It feels the time is right to start the journey towards opening a healing centre. I can see it in my head, what it looks like and what it will offer. I don't know yet how it will come about but then 10 years ago I was saying the same about making the move to live in the countryside! I just know that by continuing to record life here at Much Malarkey Manor, I can help make it happen.

And so here's to the next ten years! You don't get rid of me that easily. xxx