Have you ever begged someone for time? About a year and a half ago I realised I was doing it on a daily basis. Roughly seventeen times an hour (on a bad day).

Out of frustration and sock-strewn chaos came an idea. What if I just carved out time, every day to do some of the things I’d always wanted to do? Could I take a kitchen table gap year, where I would try and find myself without leaving home? The result is this book.

Every reality TV contestant talks about their “journey” these days. Their journey might involve weight loss or naked kayaking or whipping up a syllabub under hot studio lights. (I made up the naked kayaking but it’s probably only a matter of time). We sit on our couches and watch these “journeys” as if they are real. I believe journeys are what we do on trains or planes. Real life changes are much more like shuttle runs, or meanders. We go forwards and backwards, round and about. Real life is less linear. More interesting.

But what does it feel like to push yourself so far out of your comfort zone your head spins, physically and mentally? I try to find some answers in this book. And this blog will chart the next new things I’ll try, along with some meanderings on food, assorted recipes, reviews and journalism. That’s if I can complete my “journey” into a blogger. Who knows where it’ll lead …