The New Adventures of Almost Mrs Average: Part 1

Well I know I promised to come back with an update on Friday, but I'm afraid a few things have kept cropping up that have kept me away from the computer.

Yes it looks like the school holidays have started just as they mean to go on. And I'm determined to enjoy them as much as possible because in just two weeks time both boys will be in full-time school, leaving me home alone.

"What will you do with your time?" folk have begun ask.

Well, if the last few days are anything to go by, it looks like I'll be busy chasing cheeky chickens around the house. Talk about getting all in a flap - both me AND the flighty bird. It's been like a Benny Hill sketch, with my little brown hen following me into the kitchen and giving me the slip before legging it up the stairs. The cheeky girl!

So when the boys go to school, it looks like I'm still going to have my hands full. I'm also looking forward to the opportunity to revisit all the fun things and new skills that I've learned over the last twelve months, such as making bread rolls and yoghurt. I'm certainly planning on spending less time online and more time focusing on the family as well as aspects of homelife that were neglected last year, including growing our own produce and managing our home more efficiently - Great at recycling, rubbish at housework seems to have been my motto in recent months.

But don't worry. I don't think I'm ready to become a full-time domestic goddess yet, especially as my key priority is to finish my book and find a new publisher. When the original book deal fell through it was a huge disappointment. Some of you gave me some fabulous contacts but it didn't feel quite right to go seeking out a new opportunity straight away so I procrastinated. I admit my confidence had been knocked but before trying again I also felt that I needed to complete the journey that I'd started with The Rubbish Diet. I didn't know when that journey would end or indeed how it would end, so I needed it to run its course. And I now feel that it has.

And seven months on from when I started the original manuscript, the need for the zero waste message is stronger than it ever was, especially with Nicholas Stern - the economist behind the 2006 Stern Report - confirming that his original work underestimated the risk of climate change and that the effects of global warming will be worse than he had predicted.

So my determination to publish the book is also now greater than ever. When I first set up this blog in January 2008 I had very little knowledge of the impact that my family's rubbish was having on the environment or indeed the cost of waste management to householders. Back then I was also unaware of the alternative choices that would not just help reduce waste but could save money too. If I can publish the book it will provide the perfect window to raise awareness of the issue in a real fun way and offer readers the opportunity to take control of their rubbish, allowing them to do even more in the battle against climate change.

But if you think I'll be out of sight-out-of-mind, I have some more news.

Although I said my journey has now ended, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that it probably has only just begun. I now know that The Rubbish Diet has simply been the first part of my adventures in waste and that there will be a lot more fun and frolics to be had around the corner. So I am grateful that you convinced me to stay.

But there's only so much a girl can do with her own rubbish thoughts and I feel the time is right to push things a little further. After all there are so many folk doing brilliant things and have their own stories to tell as well as knowledge to share. So the big news is I'm going to busy collaborating with these other folk and hopefully lots more people if all goes to plan, all with the aim of sorting out the world's naughty rubbish bins for good.

Now I hate to keep you on tenterhooks, but there's way too much news for just one blog post especially as there's lots more to tell. So do pop back soon to check out the next set of developments! It's all very exciting.

And while I'm busy getting on with the next post...please don't leave without having a nosey at this cheeky wheelie bin I found on YouTube. If there's one rubbish bin that could do with going on a diet, I believe it's this fella. It might be great at recycling, but that's more than could be said for its taste in food waste.

Enjoy...



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