It's impossible to underestimate the impact that writing a blog can have on your life. One day you're quietly cobbling together a couple of hundred words in the corner of the living room, with little idea who - if anyone - might be reading it, the next day those words have unexpectedly changed your life forever.

No, I haven't been offered a book deal, but my Mum rang up last night and offered to bring me bagels and cold remedies.

Naturally I accepted. The bagels anyway - the cold remedies are less urgent.

So I'm awaiting delivery as we speak. In the meantime I've received the latest edition of the 'Shotley, Pin Mill, Chelmondiston, Woolverstone & Erwarton Community News' this morning. Obviously by the time they've printed the title on the front page, there's very little room for any actual news, but this month they've managed to squeeze in an article about a proposed housing development (named 'Haylink' - it sounds quite rustic) in Shotley Gate. They're hoping to build 325 houses about 150 yards from my front door.

Naturally the entire peninsula is up in arms, but personally I'm all for doubling the size of the village in one go. It should mean we get a Co-op or Spar, and I won't have to drive ten miles to buy skimmed milk. Fantastic!

Even better is that the protest is being led by local people (some of whom can't spell peninsula), which means an amusing level of incompetence. This is the October 2004 issue of the Community News, it arrived this morning, October 1st, and it states clearly on the front page "Don't forget, even if you have objected in the past, you MUST send a new objection for this latest proposal by the end of September".

Marvellous. I can practically taste that skimmed milk.