We’re off

our first site … Doris looking distinctly grubby

We made it away, thankfully. It was touch and go at one point as my tooth fell into a spiral of hurt and I had to go back to the dentist. In short it needs to come out. I’ve been referred to the NHS where a guy with a big pair of pliers and no empathy will tug it out, their knees resting on my shoulders. In the meantime a series of antibiotics have cleared the infection (how clever is that?) and I am pain free … for now. To add insult to actual injury I went out for a run on Friday morning, just before we headed off in Doris, and I fell over – again – I seem to manage it every couple of months. The last time was at Christmas where my foot thought it was finding a concrete path covered in leaves but, in the end, found the path’s edge, and I went over. Then it was a twisted ankle. This time I bruised my ribs. Nothing broken, but I could do without the pain. (I can report, two days later I am feeling a little less battered, but still sore. I’m on the mend.)

oooo, lovely Pam and Steve

We took a very slow drive to Lincoln to see old nursing pals of C’s, Pam and her husband Steve. They’ve moved up from Sandhurst and now have a lovely, big, new house in a scenic Lincolnshire village. We stayed overnight and managed a smashing early morning walk in fabulously crisp weather. And, after breakfast, we then made it to a small pond-side campsite where we have quickly settled into our routine. The only Doris thing to report is that she seems very slow to start, first thing. I thought I’d sorted the vehicle battery issues out when I replaced the domestic batteries with Li-Ion ones, which constantly charge the vehicle battery. I’m now unconvinced. There is clearly work to do here. I will get it sorted.

I’m still very much into the whole marketing piece. I’m using Amazon ads in both the US and UK, and have about 10 running in both places. The cost is free – you only pay when a punter clicks through to a book page. Out of over 2,000 ‘impressions’ I’ve had three clicks, at the cost of around 70p. Have I sold anything? Well, I think I have – just one, which would make me in profit (if you ignore my time). The course finished with how to ‘scale up’ the ads, so you get more clicks for the number of impressions. And I am working on that. In the end I think we’re talking months rather than days. It is all pretty scientific and clearly very data driven. Right up my street.

The other good news is that we’re on for skiing in mid-February. The French are allowing tourists in and the property we use is definitely available. As you know the skis are waxed and edged … and that could well be an issue. The first time I did it, we got off the lift and the skis stuck to the snow and wouldn’t budge. Frustrated we were very close to getting back on the bubble, heading off the mountain and getting the professionals to do it. But we persevered and, after a very short run, the skis were fabulous. They don’t tell you that in the Janet and John book of ski maintenance.

We’re off to Skegness tomorrow. I know, I know. But don’t be a snob. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be great. From there we’re heading south, following the coast and should be at mum’s by the end of next week.

Stay safe. There are still plenty of stories of triple-jabbed folk getting really poorly with the disease. But it does seem that the numbers are coming down … at last.