Good News is Assembling...

So it looks like I'm some sort of influencer now. Yep. That's what I said. What's that? Am I try to sell you lifestyle must-haves through the medium of my socials? Well, no. Not really. Please feel free to copy my scruffy-chic-with-not-much-chic style any time you like. You're welcome. But that's not what I'm talking about. It appears I'm able to influence world events. Honestly. It's been a surprise to me too.

Two weeks ago I wrote about how I'd searched for good news and struggled to come up with anything. I focused on celebrating Marcus Rashford, and his food poverty campaign instead. It was the only thing I could find, and even that came out of the bad news of a government ignoring hungry kids on their watch. Well now. Since then, look what's happened. The fates have stepped in! My existential cries have been answered! Since then we've had a government u-turn on their 'starving hungry kids' policy, an elected Biden-Harris team that means actual politicians and grown-ups in the Whitehouse, a vaccine for Covid is on its way, and I've put my deccies up. Sing hosannas, praise the Lord, insert your own joyful ejaculations here.*

The salad drawer of dreams.
Carrots from last week? Fresh as
morning dew. Herbs from mid-October?
As if just picked from the plant. 

Clearly all I have to do is moan for stuff to change. Who knew? And whilst there should still be a healthy dose of reality thrown in - the looming Brexit, the current president's 'I'm not going' temper tantrum, and the logistical storage issues for the covid vaccine, (not even my extremely cold salad drawer, that gives lettuce an extra week, will manage this one) - it's fair to say, it's a nice feeling to celebrate the wins. Yes, there's still bad shit going down, but we're parking it way over there for now. Can you still see it? Well you've not parked it far enough. This week, we can focus on the moments of actual hope that have been thrown at us. When I decided to do my Christmas decs last week, it was to lift my mood. Now it's to celebrate feeling something other than nauseating horror. 

We're talking about the
sequel to this bad boy.

But let's crack on. While we're in such hopeful, upbeat frames of mind, here's a book update. Yes, I know. It's been...ooooh, all of five minutes since the last one. But things are moving on. Most importantly, I have a - drum roll please - title!

I've floated it past several people. Some have liked it, some have been unsure. I've given the unsure opinions lots of consideration, and I am grateful for their feedback, but I've decided I'm sticking with it. It ticks all my boxes. Here, for those who may care, are my boxes.

• It should have three words, with the middle word 'the'. This apes the prequel, Carry the Beautiful.
• It should be a little bit confusing/mysterious/unclear so as to prompt a second look. I accept that this is a gamble and could also put people off.
• It should summarise the themes of the book - isolation v connection, coping with change, and being proactive in one's own life. 
• It should stand out.

Ok then. Ready yourself for the second drum roll of the post... Go on Bing, you can do this one for me... pa rum pa pum pum...thanks Bing... the title is... 

ASSEMBLING THE WINGPEOPLE.

Yep, there we go. It's Assembling the Wingpeople. Tilda is lonely and needs mates. Bea is peri-menopausal and making rash decisions. Stewart has shaken off his workaholic ways but is still spiralling into self-destruction. They all need the support of friends in their increasingly isolated lives. They need to assemble their wingpeople. 

So commit this to your memory. Look out for when I start to full-on lose my dignity and bombard all social media avenues with PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK. It won't be for months yet, but at least you're in the know. Assembling the Wingpeople. You heard it here first. And now I'm going to check my salad drawer again - you never know, it could help - and switch on all my fairy lights. 

Have a lovely week, folks.

*There are other news items of course, that have filled me with glee and made the world seem a better place. YOU KNOW THE NEWS STORY I MEAN? YES? But as the glee is really schadenfreude, and there's a question over that particular guy's sacking, I'm not including it in my official list. Considering his photo shoot with a 'just lost my job box' that accompanied him out of the front door, of a government building that has several discrete exits, I'd say the jury's still out on whether this counts as good news or not. Time will tell.