I couldn't be more excited than;
a child on Christmas morning getting a bicycle, someone passing their driving test for the first time, finding a small grey kitten in need of love on the doorstep, or a goose laying a proverbial golden egg in my laundry basket. (Feel free to add to the list by commenting below)

With the backing and support from a very forward-thinking, proactive Westwood Cross Management, who identifies that improving literacy is a priority goal in Thanet, I am about to step into the unknown with Westwords 2019. This WILL be the first of an annual event Westwords, hopefully enticing and attracting more authors year on year.

We will have humble beginnings, but I'm expecting us to grow with time. I've just watched Stormzy headlining at Glastonbury - brilliant by the way.  His honesty and awe at being someone somewhere so huge is something he never imagined. He describes it as the highest point in his life. A humble underground rapper from South East London, he obtained the first ever number one by a British rap artist in the UK charts and from there, as they say,  the rest is history.

Now I'm not comparing Westwords to Glastonbury (the hell I am), but everything starts somewhere. Glastonbury in a muddy field, which is still muddy on occasion, and Westwords 2019 with a handful or so authors, but who knows where it could go? Both require support and commitment at the outset, plus a willingness on the part of the public, to invest in an event that has huge future potential. Like the poster says, you could be meeting the future English Poet Laurate or global award-winning  novelist.

Having had the opportunity and honour to meet Terry Pratchett at Fantasycon in Brighton a few years ago, plus a couple of my other idols in the Sci-Fi world, Brian Aldiss and Robyn Hobb, just like Stormzy on the pyramid stage, I can honestly say I never expected to meet the authors whose books I handled with respect and affection.

Who can say whose authors you meet at Westwords 2019 might not be your future literary heroes?    MIMO

The next two months are going to be the busiest of the year for me - probably. I say probably because my days, like everyone's, never run smooth. The diary will be set with the three of four things I have to do each day and as the week progresses, so does the number of items that fill my life. Add to that with my ageing process is in full swing. I've upped my exercise regime in an attempt to slow down my ageing. I'm attempting karate twice a week, the gym, running and Yoga, plus Mindfullness practice in addition to work etc.. I'll let you know how it goes.

I realised last week, that next to love, time is the most precious element there is. You can't save it, copy it, store it, steal it, hide it, or give it away. You can't repeat it, though some of us wish we could. All those things we've said or done that we later regretted and wish we hadn't. You can't take it back. You can't stretch it out. You can't convert it, squash it, or flatten it. It is what it is. Life is not a practice or rehearsal either. No one is going to step in and say "Cut." Though sometimes we wish they would.

Time is flowing, continuous. While I'm writing this and you're reading it, precious seconds are running away of our lives. Seconds neither of us can have back. I don't want to get to the age where I can't move, where I can't feed myself, where I can't go anywhere without someone helping me (I'm hoping those days are still a long way off) and say, "But I didn't do this!" or "I didn't go there." I don't want regrets, well not many.

I've travelled a great deal because I don't want to live with regret. I've learned and experienced many things and know I am a fortunate person . I live everyday to its fullest, regardless of my pains, illnesses and issues and getting older is not going to stop me. I see so many people give up after the first hurdle and it spurs me on to continue. 

With that in mind this was my last weekend of freedom, of having very little in the diary for a long while.

Next weekend you will find me on Saturday 15th June at Westwood Cross all day behaving like a pirate and supporting literary by reading to local children in the One Great Pirate Day.

This has been organised by Westwood Cross Management to support two wonderful charities; One Great Day for Great Ormond Street and Demelza Hospice.

Pose like a pirate with Captain Jack Sparrow – we've got Johnny Depp's body double from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' visiting us! Also, join in the Yo Ho Ho Disco, listen to pirate tales, and visit the KMFM street team for your chance to win up to £200 in Westwood Cross gift cards.

The fun starts at 11am and runs until 4pm with lots of activities in the Pop-up Park near Debenhams and the rest of the centre too, including the Viking Ship area near Next.

Then on Sunday 16th June I'll be wearing wings and signing books all day at Sci-Fi by the Sea in Herne Bay. This is a brilliant event and one I investigated last year with a view to doing this year.

Join us for one of the biggest and best Sci-Fi offerings in the southeast on Sunday 16th June from 11am – 5pm in Herne Bay, Kent.

Now in our seventh amazing year, expect celebrities, Sci-Fi props and vehicles, Titan the Robot, an army of professional costumed characters, stalls, live music, food court, beer tent and too much more to list!
 our BOOKING PAGE to grab your tickets.

I'm not going to let time run through my fingers, I'm going to fill it so full of 'stuff' it might just burst! Or at very least get indigestion.