An Update before An Update

Oh Hai, 

Guess who isn't going to be winning consistent blogger of the year any time soon? Hi, yes, it's me. *Takes a bow*. 

Sorry, so sorry. Things have been, well, that's what this post is all about. People say, 'I've been so busy' quite flippantly, myself definitely included, but honestly, things have been so bloody busy. 

That's not to say I never have a single free hour or so to dedicate to my blog but just that I have been busy re-distributing my time. This year and last I have been forcing myself to do something quite shocking every single day- shut. my. laptop. I know, this is f*cking crazy but let me tell you ladies (and 3% of men google analytics tells me that reads), it's wonderful. Actually using my eyes to look at things and be part of the world around me that isn't digital has been great. Great for me, great for those around me and great for my mind. 

As well as dancing about in real life using my eyes to look at non-screen things, I've been beavering away (hate that phrase, makes me think of oral sex- 'beaver') on a few other things so I thought I'd take the opportunity to tell you about them now. Next week there'll be another update on something else pretty wild, but that can wait.

1. I moved house! I'm sure if you follow my vlogs you'll know this but I now inhabit a different building each day. The building itself is an upgrade on the previous in terms of size and location but in terms of love, I'm not there with it yet. My old house still has a piece of my soul. I made so many memories there and most of them amazing. I started this blog there, I bought my baby home from hospital to it, I had a million parties, guests to stay, cosy nights, christmas trees, paint jobs (lets never discuss the time I painted the door blue, hated it and painted it back to white again) and laughs. It was a happy home, the happiest home I've ever had actually. 

The time came though to spread out, I wanted more space, I wanted something solid to invest in and the time was right for a change. In the new house, I'm about 80% unpacked but the final 20% is all the sentimental crap you carry with you through your life (I have my late Mother's wedding dress, as well as mine from my now divorced marriage- where on earth do you put things like that?!) and finding homes for all of it and putting your stamp on the place. I think because I haven't built a lot of memories there or put my stamp on it yet that I'm struggling to bond with it. Does that make sense or do I sound like I'm losing the plot? It's a time thing I think. You can't rush the accumulation of knick-knacks and junk. You can't just buy it all either because that's not the same. You need to pick it up bit by bit on days out or delirious 3am online shopping binges with memories and love attached. It's a luxurious 'problem' to have, so I'll move on.

2. I've travelled. Since we last spoke here (aside from my tour update) I've been to Malaga with Liam's friends and family for his 40th birthday, New York with Liam again for his 40th birthday (you're only 40 once right??), Disneyland Paris with Darcy and about 45 little day trips for various things. When I compare this to last year where every other week I was dashing off meeting the Pope or partying at Cannes Film Festival (yes I know, I'm exceptionally cool), it's not that crazy but it's felt rather full on. Life this year is so much more homey than last. 2016 was a game of juggling motherhood and dating, it was like I was leading 2 separate lives. This year it's very family, cosy, homey. It's nice. Perhaps soon I'll buy a frilly apron so I can bake organic wholewheat protein cookies whilst managing my mini empire- how very modern. 

3. Book, book, book. I've only mentioned this about six hundred and forty five times but I WROTE A SODDING BOOK. The book itself isn't sodding but I say this so often I think I might tattoo it to my forehead haha. Before embarking on this task, I thought I knew everything I need to. How wrong I was!! I wrote a non-fiction on 2015 and so felt I knew the score and everything that came with it. Fiction though is a whole different ball game and I knew from the off I wanted to have full ownership and control so that meant buckling down and working. It's been a steep learning curve (and there were times I certainly wished I hadn't started) but the sense of joy and pride from finishing and knowing I've given it my all is immense. This week we (Liam, myself and my publishing team) drove to Diss on the east coast to see it being printed into an actual book. I've mentioned on instagram but I'll repeat it here- it's absolutely fascinating how they put a book together, so much skill and craft and finesse goes into each book. Next time I'm in Waterstones, I'll take a moment to think about how much goes into it all. Wilde Like Me (my book) is officially out on June 29th so this month will be full of work towards promoting it and making sure it sells well. Fingers crossed!! You can pre-order yours HERE. 

As I mentioned above, there's a bit more to tell but I thought I'd leave it with these three first and then commit a whole blog post to the other project next week- I'm sure you'll like it! 

Feels nice to write over here. If there's anything you think I should focus on in the blog world, let me know because I'm a little lost and in need of a push in the right direction. 

See you next week, 

Toodlepip!

xx