For a week I have been disconnected from the Internet as my PC pretty much died, and it is currently the only device in my possession I can hook up with. Now though, I've learnt the lesson and have a second option that should arrive any day soon!

The day my computer threw a wobbler, was the same one I guested on the Ian Mac show at Vectis Radio. That appearance was my first opportunity to promote Sheep No More, and sorry to say, I got it wrong. Instead of concentrating on what we could, and should, be doing about the almighty mess our politicians and bankers have saddled us with, I banged on about 'the problem'. Still; the PC breaking and gifting me with plenty of thinking time had a good effect. Now I can see what needs doing, and that both my presentation on the day in question, and the new content of the SNM website need rethinking. Learning by making mistakes is a pain in the backside, but obviously in my own case, necessary.

Today I will be guesting on Ian Mac's show at www.vectisradio.com between 10am and 1pm; an interview that will mark the first real promotion of Sheep No More. Afterwards, the PC being used to write this, will have to be dropped off at a repair shop, because it's doing all sorts of strange things that it ought not to. Normal service will resume just as soon as I get it back! Guess I'm going to have to invest in a backup machine; bugger.

Everything in the news justifies the existence of my project, but I'm not going to comment on any of that today, but will instead talk about my uphill battle to get SNM out of the starting blocks.

Without a publishing deal, I've only my own efforts to call upon, and any time I can afford to spend pursing ideas / making enquiries etc, has to come after making a living, and on that front the Gods have been playing tricks on me of late. Since the banking crisis hit in 2007, business has been to say the least, quiet. For the first four months of 2012 it was dire, but that allowed me to utilise the time instead, preparing the book for publication and uploading it etc. On May 1st, just as I was planning on getting to grips with the matter of promotion, something strange happened on the conventional work front. It lit up, and work began to pour in, almost like the good old days, and without my having made the slightest effort to go looking for it. And because my workload had been slow and for so long, with the inevitable consequence that family finances have taken a hammering, I've had no choice other than to buckle down and get jobs out. Its been difficult to do so, because that's not where my head is at, me wanting to concentrate on the book, and in my dreams, ram a copy of it up David Cameron's nose!

I am where I am, and will shortly have to go to my workshop and carve silver and gold all day long. Despite long hours at the workbench, I've been writing a document full of  'prompts' to call upon when I do get to promote the project. I've also got some pretty good (if I say so myself) letters of introduction off to people in the public eye and who I admire, they being constructive by nature and who're likely to 'get it'. The website has been knocked into shape for now at least, although I accept that it needs to be less 'wordy' and contain more artwork etc to make it more appealing. And I have started to wonder as to whether or not, finding a good literary agent may not be a sensible move? Perhaps someone that knows their way around the publishing industry and its promotional methods would be useful to have on board?

I'm away to my bench now and will continue churning it all over, as I do all of my waking hours. Sure could use a holiday! To be continued...

Productivity is my theme for today, and how best to measure it. A doctor or nurse's value can be measured according to how many sick people they help to make well again over the course of a working lifetime. An Educationalist's, according to how many young people are turned out that can read and write to a decent standard, and who can exercise their grey matter to optimum effect. A Soldier's, according to how safe he and his comrades reassure us that our democracy and civilisation is properly defended, that we can sleep safely in our beds at night, and that potential aggressors are deterred from attacking us. And on and on we could go, assessing the many areas of life in which Brits work bloody hard at keeping the heart and soul of our nation intact. 

What of politicians? How should we measure their 'productivity'? I'd say, according to the peace of mind and reassurance that the nation is in safe political hands, each of us ought to be able to enjoy. That being the case, my own assessment of our political breed, across the entire spectrum, from left to right, is that these are the least productive people in society, to the point of handicapping us in the most unacceptable way. They are in control of every aspect of our daily lives and volunteered themselves to be 'guardians' over the state of wellbeing of our nation, its history and heritage included; and yet, all they are capable of doing, is dismantling what took centuries to build, sowing as they go, many seeds of fear about the future.

During WW1 the army came to be known as 'lions lead by donkeys' so what does today's situation amount to? The national flock 'guarded' over by hyenas maybe?

And the picture? The Green Howards, a three hundred year old regiment, due to be disbanded, so that the money necessary to run it, can instead be trousered by the financiers/bankers that have our nation over a barrel, and whose 'agents' are our political masters.