My life used to be normal.....well sort of normal - that was until my wife Debs said she wanted a separation (Shock horror) after 23 years of marriage. Like being hit by an express train!! More of that in the future...!

Well I promise that this blog will be the absolute truth - well at least the truth as I see it - only the names have been changed to protect the innocent - & guilty!!!

I am 53 - with 3 kids in their 20's, a head-hunter in the city and have just split with my girl-friend Andy after three and a half years.

So what happened today.. well the supermarket trolley at Tesco had a mind of its own - refused to obey my requests - sounds a bit like my dysfunctional family - More of that in the future...!

I do feel good about myself today - I did a double spinning session at the gym and for the first time in the changing room some of the guys said that I must have lost weight and looked in pretty good shape.

So what did I do when Debs said "go"? I went - that is round to my divorced sister Marilyn. I felt pretty bad about myself and she is always good for a rescue remedy - words that seemed to always make me feel better. Also great advice for example for singles; "Always have a pair & a spare" and so on.

I called round to her house - 10 minutes drive away. She was out on a date - her kids Naomi and Josh let me in and called her. I told her what had happened. She would get home just as soon as she could. What a lovely sister.

Well....then the most amazing thing happened. Whilst I was waiting the au pair came home - Petra in 2002 was 23 and I was 49. Petra was nearly 6 foot tall - a great body and being 6" shorter thought that she was out of my reach - literally! I was feeling pretty crap about myself but the kids introduced me and the 2 of us started chatting around Marilyn’s kitchen table. Wow - we really connected but more of that later!

As usual Marilyn’s words seemed to make things feel better and after a phone call to Debs, I went back home. Things had settled down a little and we got to talk. Perhaps things would settle back down again. I have always been an eternal optimist!

So back to today - quite excited. Going on a sort of dinner date. Well 12 of us, we cook our own dinner. 6 men (50 - 55) and 6 women (40-45). Apparently the men move around after each course. Hmmm does that mean 6 courses? Its going to play havoc with my diet - I have lost over a stone. I suppose its like speed dating but with food. Perhaps it should be called "Feed dating". Sorry - Zak humor!!

Hmmm - I think I will wear all black - I should look pretty good - well I hope that I do. So now I am off to iron my black trousers with Mum's iron. Oh did I mention that I am living in Mum's penthouse flat. Don't worry - she spends the winter in Florida and is not back until May. The Americans call these migratory people "Snow-birds" for obvious reasons.

So my next entry will let you know what happens - how many courses there actually were - how many pounds I put on, what the "girls" were like and what it felt like.

C U soon!!!