Smoke Stop

Day 34 - 1pm

I was awake at 2am today - munching a Twix! I didn't suffer a craving for a cigarette, just chocolate.

I'm only using the inhalator very occasionally now, mindful that later this week my patch strength is to be reduced. The reduction will be a real test, mainly because I'm worrying about it already.

My confidence suffered a blow last Friday. I arrived at my desk to find the latest edition of the company Butt Bin Rota plonked on my keyboard. I was listed to empty all the cigarette butts from the bin on May 1. I scribbled "I've been a non-smoker for nearly five weeks" across the schedule and promptly pushed it under the door of the person who'd devised it. When I followed up my note with a personal visit later in the day, I was told: "It's such a hard habit to break, and you're not down until May 1. You could be smoking again by then."

Let me assure everyone, I will NOT be smoking again by May 1!

In my efforts to keep busy, I took my daughter to Sidmouth at the weekend. We looked around the town centre, enjoyed an evening meal in The White Horse cafe and visited Lidl before heading off to the theatre. Creative Cow presented a flawless version of Harold Pinter's weird, but wonderful, one-act play The Lover. The acting was so good, my daughter and I didn't fidget once - even though there was no interval.

The following day (Sunday), we decided to browse around a car boot sale. We headed off to Exeter, remembering there used to be one at the cattle market. Could we find it? No! Stuck in traffic on Marsh Barton we couldn't miss bright yellow signs for Steptoe's Market. People seemed to be milling around the entrance and we were intrigued. I can't say much more, except it was quite an experience; like going back in time to junk shops of yesteryear.

There's a little something I have neglected to impart over the past five weeks... Before becoming a smoker, I was a chronic hayfever sufferer. Unfortunately, when you give up smoking, the dreaded symptons return. So, when I was nibbling away at my Twix this morning, I was doing so with itchy, watery eyes and in between plenty of sneezes!

A-tishoo!