Over the Brick Wall

I want to first apologise for those of you who have been waiting patiently for an update on my publishing progress.

In these ever-changing times, the past few months have gifted us the opportunity to get out and live life again, albeit in this weird new normal we must adhere to. I have therefore had a bit of a break from the pen and paper in order to squeeze what little we have left of the great British summer.

I’m pleased to say I’m now powering full steam ahead towards completion and I can see a glimmer of the finish line ahead.

Aside from the obvious delay caused by the break, it has still felt a bit like trekking through thick mud at times in order to achieve my completion goal.

In the last update I convinced myself that the gold ribbon was a mere whisker away, when in reality the editing process took a few more beatings in order to create a conclusion that delivers what you, the reader, deserve. I had to battle my restless impatience in order to get things right.

The editing is now done and dusted and the book is with the proofreader for a final polish over. Touch wood, there should be no more set-backs from here and I think I will go ahead with the title reveal in my next update.

Now that life is getting back to normal, it is a race to finish line before my life is once again plunged into the full-time work routine of old. I can finally say with confidence that my warped new world will be with you in time for one more summer read before the leaves turn.

Watch this space.

Chris 

Don’t mask the problem

During these uncertain times that we find ourselves in, face masks, face coverings or whatever you want to call them, have been a new norm that like it or not, have forced their way into our lives.

Despite what the non-believers say, there is significant evidence to prove that they help reduce the spread of the virus; and that is crucial.

This new solution however has unwittingly created a much bigger problem.

It’s no secret that our planet has a massive crisis with widespread plastic pollution. Its ravaging our oceans, cluttering our countryside and killing our wildlife.

It could be argued that we were finally starting to get things under control before the pandemic hit, but as we all now focus on our immediate health concerns, we seem to have forgotten about the threat and have developed even worse habits than before.

The use, and misuse of disposable facemasks are the biggest demon of the day. With it now being mandatory across the UK to wear one of the contraptions, millions of people are now adorning them. With this unusual development I have seen hundreds of the things scattered across our streets.

This obvious disregard for proper waste disposal annoys me, but it doesn’t shock me given the selfish nature of some people. What really angers me however, is to learn that the single use masks are not recyclable or even biodegradable. This begs the question, what on earth happens to these (potentially infected) rags of plastic that will scar the earth for hundreds of years to come? My bet is their forever home is either landfill or worse, onwards to the ocean for further punishment of our waters.

I read something interesting a few days back which suggested that the problem with plastic in our environment is so bad, that traces of the stuff has even been found in our rainfall. Imagine that, we could soon be soaked in used facemasks when we get caught out in the rain. No thanks.

Industry has got a lot to answer for introducing this new pandemic to our lives.

These are testing times for us all for sure and we need to do what we can to stay safe. But let’s not torch our home in order to keep warm shall we. For heaven’s sake lets opt for reusable coverings unless off course there is real need for proper PPE.

Our last strike

Many of us across the North West of England have been subjected to an incredible light show for the last couple of nights. They were quite the spectacle and went on for hours on end.

The sky was angry, the air was heavy and oppressive and forks of lightening flashed relentlessly to illuminate the usually dark night. All the while thunder moaned and groaned a long an aggressive war cry and wild rainfall pounded the streets.

As enchanting as the whole weather performance was, I was kept awake and my nerves were shot. Aside from the obvious disruption caused by the storm, I guess a feeling of unease tormented me and I think it stemmed from the fact that we are not used to this kind of extreme weather on such a regular basis in our country. At least not until the past few years. No matter what anyone says, it is not normal for us.

We are currently enduring yet another blistering heatwave and only last week, the mercury levels reached 37 degrees down in London and the South East. Every year, a new record-breaking weather occurrence seems to take place.

What bothers me most is that I fear things could get much more extreme yet. Mother nature is a wicked mistress who has the power to cause unimaginable destruction in her wake. At the moment the world is making her ill with our toxic fumes and she is not happy.

Monday’s show in particular, sounded to me like a grave warning (to our side of the world at least) that we need to leave the environment alone or we must suffer the world’s wrath.

The EU may have a target to cut emissions by 40% by 2030, but this latest weather phenomenon is just one of the many warnings from our home that we all need to do a lot better than that, and sharpish!