I am literally on gardening leave now.....

Every nice day in the last week, I have pottered about in the garden. Trimming bits off bushes, pulling out the odd weed, sweeping paths and planting my veggies in small pots to get them going. I'm back at work this week so felt the need to get moving again. I haven't done anything too strenuous though, I mean, I haven't tackled cleaning out the shed yet..... That'll be a mammoth task when I get around to it..

I do love the garden though, it's generally quiet out there. The railway runs along the back of our house, but it is down a gulley which muffles the sound of the trains somewhat. Our old house had the railway running beside it, but it was up on the embankment....

Stuffed in Bolton, mini ice age in Accy, frozen pitch no Footy, only option, forced to seek refuge in a Pub (yeah right !) Confronted by such overwhelming odds a lesser man would’ve given it up as a bad job, I on the other hand am as has been noted, pretty stubborn & as we stood before the portals of “The Railway” a sense of foreboding came sneaking in, kicked me up the arse, then ran away chuckling. This none to subtle reminder was that I’m not right good at midday Aleing & as such, I should think long & hard about my next decision. Standing outside this den of debauchery, drunkenness, dubious characters & wall to wall big screen tellies showing Footy in its many & varied forms. A refuge for the weary, careworn,...

A week back & mundanity & tedium rule the roost, grim reality has gotten hold of me & given me a proper kicking After spending the last 2 weeks, being idle, spending time with family & friends, troffing, drinking, living the life of Riley, drinking, oh & going to the footy. We're back to the old routine again, still it's only filling time until our next break.

The first Saturday back we'd intended to take in the Stanley-Oxford game, first a bit of retail therapy in & around Accy, then a visit to the houses of alcoholic ill repute, meet the denizens of said dens of depravity (names to faces & suchlike) then off with the happy throng of Loonies to watch the Footy, sorted ! Unfortunately Ma Nature,...

The next day, I took my prescription order round to the GP Surgery. I was told that I would be able to pick the prescription up later that day, which I duly did.

I was more than a bit sceptical about whether this tablet would actually work but figured that I had come this far and may as well give it a chance.

The beauty of Champix, to any smoker, is that you continue to smoke as normal whilst taking it. When the drug starts to kick in you will start to want fags less and less. It has well publicised side effects, especially pertaining to mental health and becoming suicidal. I asked Sparks to keep an eye out for me displaying any odd behaviour etc......... That was a challenge for Sparks, sorting out my normal behaviour...

I mulled over the idea of quitting smoking for a few months. It was never the right time, I was busy at work, had taken on a new course at Manchester Uni which I had to do lots of extra work for. We were going to be moving house and a million other excuses filled my head, all of which paled into insignificance at the thought of losing my teeth at an early age.

Over that few months I started to enjoy my fags less. I begrudged standing outside in the rain and cold. Lots of other people, who I knew had done it successfully. I had tried several times before, each time culminating in me starting again after a few months/weeks. I was mulling it over more and more then........

I ran into a colleague at work. She was...