Hallo friend. I been at a stag do all weekend, off in the Hope Valley. I haven’t been in that part of the country since a creative writing holiday about 10 years ago and it’s beautiful, particularly in this part of autumn, when the dying leaves are a crazy range of colours, from yellow through orange and tan down to rich cricket ball reds. We went for walks at night and watched high winds blow clouds down from the hilltops until the moon disappeared. I didn’t drink anything, and I didn’t take any work, which made it the first break from working I’ve had in over a fortnight. Then this morning I got on the train and listened to a voicemail message informing me that I’d somehow got my schedule confused and had a workshop to teach that I’d forgotten about.

The lesson is: never stop working. The instant you relax, the wheels will come off your life. The price of peace is eternal, gnawing vigilance.

This Friday, I’m attempting to write 100 poems in a day. I need poem titles! Please pop some in the comments or email your title suggestions via the ‘Contact Me’ link on the right. I’ll be posting poems as I write them on 100 Poems In A Day 2013 blog. Not to call anyone out, but I’ve heard whispers that poets Andy Bennett, Mark Grist and MC Mixy (amongst others) are all having a go at ascending Mount Hundred – please support them! Follow their progress on Twitter, retweet your favourite pieces, spread the word via the hashtag #100poems and suggest titles for us to turn into poems. Who will make it all the way? Who will finish first? Whose poems will be the least bad?

All these questions and (slightly) more will be answered this Friday!