Coastalblog

I am fond, when time allows of trawling charity shops for cookbooks from time to time. This isn't done purely for reasons of miserliness, I hasten to point out, the bookshop's shelves groan with TV tie-ins, dreadful diets, ego-driven celeb nonsense. There is the odd new cookbook which interests me, occasionally a chef I rate (because they're, y'know, a chef) will bring something out, but on the whole I'm more interested in getting a broader picture, rather than what's currently in fashion; were you to look at one of my menus you'd quickly realise that that's not what we're about. Though I remarked to my business partner just the other day that our rootsy, earthy sort of thing appears to be enjoying a moment. Still, we'll be out of fashion again in a few months, and thank god for that. No, I trawl the charity shops just to get a bit of perspective, maybe come across a few ideas, but more just out of a sort of jobbing curiosity. And it was in

...spirited and moving account of how I'm feeling much more my old self, but blogger was frankly having none of it, so much for a valedictory comeback

...aaand I certainly left y'all with one of those, did I not? will Matt finally start to do things other than work? will he finally mend the shed roof? What oh what will become of the ongoing slight damp in the conservatory problem? All gripping stuff, and believe you me, I'm deeply ashamed not to have filled in some blanks slightly earlier, or more early-ly, not sure. But, half a year later here I am, electronically begging for your indulgence once more. So anyway, I did the run. I did okay, too. Not great,but okay, and as I surprised myself by having it in me to wander past a few of my fellow stragglers towards the arse end of it I started to feel a bit more like myself. And yes, I am doing a spot more writing, there's an anthology out in the new yearwith a couple of mine in, I have a new chapbook coming out, too, of which, more later; this in turn has meant I've started to feel even more like myself. But of course, the crushing beast that is December is upon us, t