My New Life

A most exciting day today! I have realised that my new life is well and truly underway.

I have had my first B&B customers in the form of the film crew.

I've received my TWO cheques on the same day, booking my house for two separate weeks - one over Easter and the other in the middle of the summer holidays.

I have succeeded in buying my two old bangers, 'Marv' - the Ford Focus to get us around in, and an old Shogun for the horses; meanwhile the Range Rover is up on Ebay, looking very clean after a professional valet.

And today I have been immersed in a ringround to Speaking Agencies on behalf of 'my' poet, Matt Harvey.

It was really scary and I dreaded starting it. In the past, when my Ex's corporate speaking comprised our main source of income, we had a string of PAs for whom 'the ringround' was top priority, with anything else coming second. None of them could bear to do it, so they ended up not doing anything at all and getting fired.

And now, five years later, here I am, back to the old grindstone, going through my ancient list, endeavouring to coerce old contacts to sign up Matt, in the middle of a triple-dip recession.

And it's been great! Unbelievably, nearly all the same people are still there, working for the same agencies in the same offices on the same phone numbers. I thought they would all have gone down like dominos in the current economic climate! And so far they all seem to remember me, and have been really friendly and enthusiastic. Even someone at Brooks International in the States, an agency that uses both Blairs, was really nice and encouraging to me!

I've got down to 'D' on my list so far, and I need to send them the info. By the time I've finished with 'Z', I look forward to sitting on my bum while the money just rolls on in!