I've had a busy day today...
My e-book, 'The Motorhome...What You Need to Know, Before You Go' is now available from the following retailers; Barnes & Noble, Inktera, 'txtr, Smashwords and Kobo. 
It's available to borrow for subscribers to Oyster or Scribd.
More information (including how to get a free sample download) here on this website! http://www.motorhomelifers.co.uk/books.html
I have also submitted the paperback today, so more news to follow. 
The paperback cover is pictured below - thank you to Mark Kennelly for his hard work getting that done.
Have a great weekend and a spooky Halloween, Ali xxx

I enjoy reading travel books, here's a couple of good ones - A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and Tents and Tent Stability by Chris Lown. Although I'm no Bill or Chris when it comes to writing there was one thing I particularly enjoyed about both those books - the introduction to the trip with equipment shopping detail. They both describe the interaction at their local outdoor store and how they reacted to the prices. Outrageously priced items are definitely on sale. Buyer beware! In a similar theme to the cost of printer ink, the most expensive fluid in the world. The fabric for backpacks must be hand woven on solid gold looms by employees not on minimum wage or zero contract hours. Hand crafted in a parlour, every stitch lovingly perfected by a named individual. No? Then how can two backpacks cost over 200 quid? Where's the justification? Our employee earned an 'Employee of the Century Award'. We spent the best part of a whole Sunday trying and fitting backpacks. They were strewn all over the floor of the shop. Our guy didn't wince or moan at us once, although his heart must have been breaking. Mine is a lightweight dream, half the capacity of my antique backpack purchased for my India trip back in 2001. This was built of sturdier stuff, a weight to qualify for ultra pricing and had 75 litre capacity. Taller than me when fully stuffed. See? There I am, pictured to go. 

My new backpack is smaller than regular hand luggage, I can just carry some anti-malarials I reckon. 'Well, we'll have to be strict', I sighed in the outdoor store. It's going on a test run at the beginning of November; I'll be able to compare British trains with Bangladeshi ones soon. And that brings me back to Bangladesh. We're booked; flights, travel clinic - even told the owner of our favourite curry house. He beamed, I hope the next time we visit there isn't a parcel to take for his mum - but I decided - before I told him, that if that was the case, I wouldn't mind. Anyway, after the announcement of our Bangladesh winter trip I received a comment in an email from a couple who said that on their return to Manchester from India a number of years ago, the Brits looked as though they'd been inflated with bicycle pumps, compared to the slim Asians. Our round of farewells has begun and so we're going for a bicycle pumped look on arrival. Firstly Nige and Sal for the weekend, then here we are with a giant ice cream and Mike brandishing comedy spoon at the conclusion of a scrumptious meal at Zaks Waterside in Norwich. We were with Jon and Linda who declared 'The best veggie burgers in the world!' Who are we to disagree? There's no picture of the burgers but for those who didn't see it on Facebook, here we are with the ice cream (and spoons). Oh - happy days.

As the mornings are getting darker and the afternoons are getting shorter we had to get some plans in place for our winter trip. What to do? Before we go to the future a quick update on what we have been up to lately.

Mike has been busying himself helping a friend out with some work – project managing council house refurbishments in Norwich. It's a challenge getting up with an alarm clock in the mornings, but he's enjoying getting his teeth into something completely different.

As for me, I've just published my second book. (details here)'The Motorhome, What You Need to Know Before You Go'. This gives practical help for anyone wanting to hit the road, but to liven it up I have included more of our experiences over the years. Readers won't feel as though they are reading the first book again, this is the flesh on the bones with more anecdotes, photographs and information. It's really about what we could have done with knowing about before we set off. I'm now working hard to get the paperback version formatted and this will be available during November.

As well as researching and booking our winter trip, I'm training for my first ever half marathon. I have started from a very low base (last in the 5k Norwich Park Run). This was the catalyst for my slightly longer jog. Think of me - and my knees - on November 23rd.

Finally, what to do with December and January? This year we're going 'off piste' and I'm not talking about mountains. Not on the tourist trail, and overlooked by backpackers; we're off to Bangladesh. The flights are booked and we can't wait for the challenges ahead.

We'll be off for a couple of months, back at the end of January and what next? Check the blog for updates, it should become interesting as the plan unfolds...

Take care and keep in touch.

Below is the cover of my latest book (just so you know what you're looking for)
Thanks to Mark Kennelly for cover design.

I have an on/off relationship with running/jogging/exercising. I love it when I do it, but can easily find an excuse not to bother and then lo and behold - I'm podgy and unfit and so the process starts again.

Back in April I learned of the Park Run scheme. 'Great idea' I thought, 'must do that'. Then I forgot/didn't bother until now - the Autumn, and I decide I want to get fit again, just as the mornings are getting darker and the afternoons getting shorter. But, who cares? No time like the present and anyway, this year can hardly be called Autumn. The leaves are flopping off the trees, exhausted. Not a puff of wind in sight, all they can do is throw themselves onto the ground in submission. 

Saturday 27th September

"I'm going to do the Park Run Mike"

"What's that then?"

"Well, it's a 5k at Eaton Park, loads of people go, I think it would be great for me to have a challenge to make sure I get running again"

"Don't you need to have done some training?"

"I've heard anecdotally that people of all abilities go, even walkers. It's all about taking part."

"Anecdotally!! There's a word for a Saturday morning. Do you want a lift?"

I present myself at the bandstand in the centre of the park for the newbies' welcome chat. The important pieces of information I took in were:

• At the end you'll see the funnel, take your plastic finishing bar code from one of the volunteers.
• It's 3 1/2 times round the park, you cross that bridge over there 4 times.
• Good luck.

I didn't know what 'the funnel' was and assumed it was a corridor of people to guide me through to the end. I made my way to the starting place and positioned myself at the back of the pack. 

Fast walk to begin, got to warm up my muscles, did that for 5 minutes, then a spot of jogging. 2 minutes, don't want to get shin splints. As I walk I overtake a group of people wearing Lotus sweatshirts and jeans. 'That's good', I thought. 'Perhaps a charity effort'. Then I jogged past a mother with a pram and another real runner, (I knew because she was wearing team gear) who, as she walked was explaining to the mother that she had had an operation and was injured. 'This is great, I won't come last.' I was still smugly congratulaing myself as I jogged over the bridge for the first time. Onlookers shouted encouragement and I felt proud of my efforts. 

Bridge crossing number two went ahead no problems and then I became confused. 

'How many times have I been over that bridge?' I reassured myself that with such a high level of organisation I couldn't possibly go wrong, there were signs marking the route anyway. 

'Have I done 3 or 4?' I asked myself. Round the bend I went, and the sign directed me to the finish.

'Wow, this is great - I'll stretch my legs for the final straight' I saw the funnel ahead and then tuned in to the runners around me. 

"Come on Melissa! Great work! You're gonna smash your PB"* A man was shouting encouragement to his running partner.

I was delighted, it had all gone so much quicker than I had expected....

Then I looked at my stopwatch.... 

It clearly said 27 minutes. I knew that couldn't be right and wondered if I should just go over the finishing line. They would never know, I'd never been before. Dishonesty is not my bag and so I looked longingly at the finishing line and turned round to face the pack of runners. Stepping quickly to the left, off the path, I walked back to the final corner with my head held high. I jog/walked the last circuit. The bridge was silent, the well-wishers long gone, no doubt supping coffee and munching on cakes with their sporty clique. 

Once more, I jogged towards the finishing line. The volunteers clapped, congratulated me and gave other words of encouragement.  

Later that afternoon I received my email from the organisers. I had come 609/609. 

I now feel ashamed and sorry. I held up the volunteers who must have been longing for coffee and cake. It was for serious runners after all. 

Will I go again? Yes, indeed - but not tomoorow. I need to be able to jog continuously for 5k.

To celebrate my latent desire to be a runner, I decided that I should aim high. So I've signed up for the Norwich City Half Marathon; 23rd November, gives me six weeks and I did that after I learned of my 609th place. 

Only one way to go, and that's down the pub - beers and curry tonight.

Have a great weekend,

Ali

*PB. Abbreviation for personal best