Sometimes you just have to say “No!”

What better time to do this than NO-vember? Of course I realise that for many this month has already been renamed Movember, and while I think it is a great cause, when you already have facial hair plus a haircut measured in fractions of a millimetre, taking part would probably make people think I was undergoing male cancer treatment rather than raising funds to fight it. I will, instead, restrict my participation to funding more hirsute gentlemen. No, Movember is not for me, sorry.

No! November for me will be a temporary period of (realistic) abstinence. Instead of waiting for January and going cold-turkey (no use to you or the wine trade!) I will be reducing my intake of alcohol in order to increase my output of wine content and energetic activity.

Wine, in moderation, is a wonderful companion to exploration, but in many of us also creates a level of relaxation that too often leads to lethargy … and I’ve been overdoing it in the last few months, particularly on the lethargy. To make up for cutting out weekday drinking I will reward myself with more interesting wines for the weekend – chosen, planned in advance, prepared and, hopefully, documented.

This note is only to serve as a word of warning to expect more content here, plus a public ‘confession’ to encourage my discipline.

NO-vember, here we go.

p.s. please go and support one of your many male friends going through absolute agony and self-hate by growing moustaches for Movember. You know who they are – they need more than your amused pity, they need your money!