Hello everyone and welcome to the history of England, episode 285, Reformation of Mammoths.

What can I say everyone? I'm very sorry for the gap, but in my defence I did contract

and made your illness which you know wasn't my fault. But here I am back in this shed and

back in front of a mic, it is surprisingly emotional or probably unsurprisingly emotional

actually two months in forced absence in a hospital. There are a few things. Firstly,

it is worth saying this is little more than a temporary reprieve, a little time spent

in the side-eddy of the river of life before the falls of the water pushes me on again. Essentially,

I must be in a hospital plenty for treatment, but then they release me into the wild just

to remind myself what real life is like away from hospital food. It is uncertain how long

these periods are and how I would feel and what work I'll be able to do in them. At this

moment in time I had a few episodes pre-written, those will of course run out. So look, I

do my very best, but can't promise it will be hit and it will be miss. And this is a situation

which I'm afraid to say will go on at least for many months.

The main thing to say though is a big thank you to all of those who wrote to me with words

of encouragement and affection telling me to stick around not to worry. I read all of them

whether on Facebook, the website, iTunes, email, Twitter and they meant a lot to me. I can

hardly say how much. Thank you so much for all of that.

A special word for all my members who have been amazingly supportive. But the message

is in support and also the rather casual and rather loving dismissal that there should

be a problem staying with the membership that's produced nothing new for eight weeks. That

you allow me to do the thing I love doing is brilliant of you, never more than now.

That then is quite an affirmation. Thank you all very much. You haven't come here to

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