Went for a mile run tonight, my first in months and oh my god, what a lot of hard work is needed. Run a 13 minute mile and boy am I going to ache tomorrow.

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No doubt this will get me into trouble yet again but I have to say that I am a little saddened by the actions of Jacqui Janes. For those of you that live in a cave and have not heard this story, Jacqui Janes is the poor mother of Jamie, her 20 year old soldier son who bravely lost his life in Afghanistan on 5th October. She was appalled to later receive a hand written letter of condolence from Mr. Gordon Brown which she states is nothing more that a rushed, scrawled and misspelled letter littered with half finished words. After her initial offence was made public, the Prime Minister telephoned assuring that no offence was intended but today I hear the only thing Mrs Janes has taken from that conversation was the 16 times Mr. Brown said sorry, yet still insists there was no apology. It is such shame that this 5th generation soldier who was on his second tour of Afghanistan and very proud to be serving his country, as well as making life better for the people of Afghanistan, is going to have his memory of being a hero overshadowed by a hand written letter.

Maybe a typewritten letter signed by a PM who did not even know its content would have brought more comfort.

You can see a copy of the letter at http://donnasdailydeliberation.blogspot.com/

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So far we have the Royal Mail postal strike, then the bin men went on strike and now I hear that some coach companies have gone on strike. Where will it all end? Let's just hope that MacDonald's does not follow suit or the UK may just wither and die

So after the initial disappointment of not securing a place in the 2010 London Marathon Ballot I decided to apply to The Little Miss and Mr Men Children with Leukaemia Charity and guess what, today I heard that the fairy godmother herself has waved her wand and I have a place. Well actually I have two places as an american friend of mine, Jamie, will be running with me. We do not have a theme yet but I have thrown the idea of Jamie pushing me in a wheel barrow into the pot. Let's see if he goes for it.

I somehow doubt that this woman was in the top 100 when it came to short listing for the 'Mother of the Year Awards'?

http://donnasdailydeliberation.blogspot.com/2009/11/mother-of-year.html

I am tapping my fingers and waiting to hear if I have been sucessful is securing a place in the 2010 London Marathon. If I have then I will be running for Children with Leukemia....fingers crossed.

Fancy a stab at crime writing? The Crime Writers Association have just announced that this years Debut Dagger Competition has now been launched. Check out their site for further details.

http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/debut/index.html

Oh boy, what a night! It’s 2am and I just need something to occupy my mind. I keep replaying tonight over and over in my head that it’s making me not think straight.

After work I decided to go to Mother Martha’s. I know I said I was going to head straight back to the hotel but I changed my mind thinking a stroll past would bare no harm. It had already gone ten and was so dark out that I thought I was safe but as I turned onto the cobbled street I saw her. She was outside clearing a table so all my plans went out the window and I ended up going in.

I was just ordering a drink when I saw a young guy, who I now know is Toni’s ex, approach her outside. They got into a heated exchange and he pushed her to the floor, grabbing her. I couldn’t believe it but he was actually going to hit her before I stopped him. I wanted to call the police but Jessie pleaded not to so, and I still can’t believe this, but I let him go although not without inflicting a little anger and pain. I could easily see Jessie was really shook up even though she was denying it. Toni and I took her inside, cleared the bar but it was only when Tom turned up that she seemed to brighten up, much to my dismay.

After a while Tom took Toni home while Jess and I waited for his return and it was then that she crumbled. I held her so close I thought she would loose the ability to breathe but her trembling body clung to me tighter as she sobbed into my chest. When Tom phoned to say Toni had decided to go to the police I decided to get Jessie home. She looked absolutely beat.

Her apartment was just around the corner from the bar and she seemed to relax a little but her vulnerability was so evident especially once she snuggled, child like, into her chair. We talked a little about our parents and like mine both her mother and father have passed. She has two sisters whereas I am an only child and I also found out that Tom is not her boyfriend but her neighbour which works in my favour however there is a bond between the two of them that is so strong.

She fell to sleep in that chair and I covered her with a thick warm throw that had been lying over the back of her chair. She looked so beautiful and peaceful.

And so here I am, awaiting Tom’s return and watching over her like a guardian angel…and it feels so good.

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It has been such a warm and sunny day today, not like yesterday when the rain just wouldn’t let up but even the gloriousness of it all still couldn’t shift the empty feeling I’ve had since waking this morning. It hadn’t dawned on me that she would get a night off and not seeing her last night was weird. Trent and Hope have kept each other busy today which has been good for me because it’s stopped Trent mentioning the other night and also it means I can sneak away without them seeing me. I need an early night. I ache all over from my scenes with Adam; I thought at one point he was going to pull my arm off, and I’ve also decided to give Mother Martha’s a miss tonight. I have a day off tomorrow and then I’m going to a place called Cornwall on Sunday. It’s only for a couple of days to shoot a couple of outdoor scenes but I think a break will be good for me. My head feels so messed up at the moment even though I’ve only been in London for a couple of days.

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I didn't think it was ever going to come but today inspiration struck and my book title was born. Wow, what a feeling it is to have that weight lifted!