Channel 4's blurb for its television show The Undateables is 'People living with challenging conditions are often considered 'undateable' - this series meets a few and follows their attempts to find love.' On paper, it's not the kind of programme I would normally watch. I'm not a fan of dating shows and this one sounded fairly exploitative.

Please don't be alarmed. Even though this blog post is about the Heart & Soul Choir in Epsom, it doesn't include any audio clips of me singing, a fact that will reassure anybody who has ever heard me in real life. (Hey, it's about enthusiasm, not ability, ok?)

For a long time now, I've been aware of just how fast life can be. How important milestones in my, and my family's life, seem to be whizzing by at a scary rate. One day I'm happily preparing for my son's first birthday, and in the blink of an eye it's suddenly the run-up to his ninth. And the busier our days are, the quicker the weeks, months and years seem to be flying past too.

I'd already started writing a post about my new home office and the delights of finally having a proper, grown-up space to run my freelance writing business from, but I've just had a really interesting conversation with somebody and it got me thinking so, instead, I'm going to talkabout the benefits of GOING SLOW.

A small win but a win, none-the-less. And in this maddening, frustrating, increasingly bizarre world we are stuck in, these tiny wins count for a lot. To me, at least.

This one is slightly different. Back towards the beginning of 2018, a friend and business colleague, Maria Furtek, asked her networking associates if they could donate prizes to the raffle that she was organising on behalf of her son. He was going to be working on a community education project in Zambia, via the Itala Foundation, and needed to raise money before he went.

There are some days when I have life in hand: small boy is fed, clean and packed off to school with everything he needs, the washing is in the machine (and I have remembered to switch it on) and the slow cooker is already smelling deliciously of our evening meal. My writing deadlines have been met, I've done my marketing for the week, I've crossed lots off my to-do list (and I've actually done the tasks too!) and I've even had time to do some of my own writing, without feeling the need to get up before the sun to fit it in. I feel calm and in control.

It's been a while since I last got to visit, and write about, a new venue for my Freelancer's Guide. An unexpected explosion of paid writing work has come my way, which is obviously fab, but it does leave me frantically scratching around for time to get all the little, unpaid extras done. Like this blog.

One of the things I love about networking (other than the endless free refills of coffee) is the opportunities it brings you. You never know who will be in the room that day: who will hear your pitch and remember you the next time somebody mentions that they're looking for a writer? Who will keep your business card in their desk drawer until they need your services? Who might ask you to be a guest on their podcast?

It's been a while but The Freelancer's Guide to Getting Out of the House is back, with its 19th entry: Sedum Restaurant at Chessington Garden Centre!

(Although, technically, it is still only the 18th: I stopped off for a coffee at Mike's Kitchen in Carshalton last week, only to discover that it's closed down. Sad to see a good cafe go but apparently a new one will be opening up there soon.)

Unlike your website and marketing materials, which need to lead your would-be-clients directly to the important details of your business, your blog should be a reflection of you. It should sound like it's come from your heart, so that your readers will understand that it's you talking directly to them.

If you're anything like me then you start your work day raring to go and with excitement at all the things you're going to get done. You get the kids off to school, finish the breakfast washing up, make a coffee and sit down at your laptop, feeling motivated and ready to get started.