Sorry I haven't been around for some time - I have barely had time to eat and sleep , in common with many political activists over the last 3 weeks, let alone find witty and interesting things to write here.
My day goes something like this. The alarm goes off somewhere between 6 and 7. I think "Noooooooooo. Not already. Please." I fight my way to semi consciousness, throw on some clothes, have some caffeine and get in the car and head over to Sunny Dunfermline. There I drown in a sea of casework until late evening when I come back in time to put Anna to bed and deal with e-mails or write envelopes or some other such campaign job. This is every day. I am lucky, though. I had the last weekend in March off, one of two I've had this year - actually it might have been 3 but I was ill on the third one. One of my colleagues hasn't had a day off since February.
It's all worth it in the cause of getting Jim Tolson elected to Holyrood. The Team is working really well together and it is a fun campaign. We have managed to do a huge amount of stuff and have had so much positive feedback. We believe in Jim and think he would make a fabulous MSP, but what really drives us on is that so many people get in touch and say that they are supporting us because Willie or one of the councillors have helped or they can see what a difference we are making. Some of the communications we have had have shown so much trust in Willie - one letter made me cry the other day, it was so lovely.
What really amazes me is that we are now almost three weeks in and I haven't had any junk food yet. In fact, my appalling diet has been transformed. No alcohol since 31 March, drinking loads of water and eating industrial quantities of fruit. There might be something in all this healthy eating stuff, because within days I felt better than I had in months and I although I feel exhausted, I don't feel unwell.
The family is resigned to never seeing me. This is the most involved I've been in a campaign since Anna was born. I did say to her the other day that I would have lots of time to spend with her after the election. She said "That sentence was going well until you mentioned the election." She doesn't seem too traumatised, though. My poor husband is suffering from my grumpiness but is being the glue that holds us all together. It's funny how different people react - my non political friends think I'm mad and being unreasonable to him, and the political ones think "It's an election. He should be used to it by now."
It is actually hell being away from them - I do miss them terribly and hate tearing myself away day after day. However, I was talking to a friend of mine recently. I first knew her when she was not much older than Anna and she has grown up with the rough and tumble of the electoral cycle dominating her family life. She is now standing as a Council Candidate with an excellent chance of winning. Maybe this will be Anna in 15 years' time. Eleanor has the best attributes of both her parents and will be a caring and hard working representative so good luck to her.
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