I wonder if there is a prize for the world's worst blogger. If so, I think I should enter.

So... it's been a busy summer. While everyone else has been complaining about the weather, I've been quite relieved that there has been no sunshine to tempt me outdoors. Maybe that's because I had three fantastic weeks outdoors in July, though. I was in the Yukon, again, this time canoeing a section of the Yukon River (well, we did a tiny bit of canoeing, but the river flows fast so a lot of the time we just floated and drank a cup of tea) and then hiking over the Chilkoot Pass. The Chilkoot was the most popular route to the Klondike gold fields in 1897-8; the stampeders called it "the meanest 32 miles in history". It wasn't mean to us, most of the the time - in fact, it was beautiful - but the day we crossed the pass was slightly unkind, with driving rain and 2 degrees Celsius! Anyway, here are some pics.

I've just come back from a few days in Bosnia. It's the first time I've been there and it seems to be one of those places that really gets under your skin - beautiful countryside and fantastic people (with a very black sense of humour - I imagine they need it), though the place is still very wartorn. Here are some pics - one of the 'new old bridge' at Mostar, which was blown up during the war but is now rebuilt, and another of a village that was also blown to bits in the war but has been reconstructed.

I've just come back from a long weekend on the Isle of Man. I can't believe I've survived all these years without going there. Check out these photos of the coastline. The grey seals like it there too - some of them came to say hello while we were kayaking. And we did rock climbing and abseiling and hiking. Oh yes, and eating and drinking. It was an action packed weekend.

On Thursday night I was in Barnstaple, talking at the library about On a Hoof and a Prayer. It was a great evening - well, I really enjoyed myself, and I didn't notice anyone audibly snoring - so thanks to the library and to Waterstones for hosting the whole shebang, and to everyone who came. Devon isn't a place I've been a lot recently so it was really great just to sit on the train and watch those green fields roll by. Some of them even had tiny lambs in them. Aaahh.

On a different note, I had a piece in the Sunday Times today, this time about a bar-restaurant called the Cattlemen's Restaurant in Oklahoma. I was there back in October when I was in the States co-presenting a short film. Check out the article here: http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/article1461456.ece. And in answer to your question - yes, we really ate the testicles.

My new book, On a Hoof and a Prayer, is now in the shops - in the UK, at least. Those stateside will have to wait a while. So after a slothful few weeks lying on the sofa 'researching' my next project via a large pile of books (read: dropping off to sleep at every opportunity) it's now time to dust off my presentable clothes and greet the world. I have made yet another resolution to keep this blog up to date. Who knows, it might even work this time...

I'm back in London, where it is raining resolutely. Strangely, I feel chillier here than I did in the Yukon. It must be because I have taken off my woolly underwear. Once it's emerged from the laundry basket and been through the wash, I may have to put it back on again.

Amazingly, I have only six more days to go before I head back to London on Friday. I'm now back at Muktuk after a great week in Dawson - I spent a couple of days with a vet, heard some interesting stories, and watched a dog being castrated. It is now officially spring, the snow is melting, and everywhere is brown and muddy.