Drawing a Blank

I've been sat here, staring at the blank text field in the Blogger back-end, for what seems like an eternity, trying to think of something to post.  But, to be frank, it's defeated me.  I'm drawing a blank.  Right now, I really feel like I've run out of steam.  Not just in terms of what to write here, but generally.  Maybe it's this run of extreme temperatures we've been enduring - while, to some extent, I feel that I've become acclimatised to plus thirty temperatures, I still find being out in them for any length of time physically draining, not to mention the loss of sleep they've caused - maybe it's the ongoing aftermath of the family bereavement earlier this year, maybe I'm just getting old, but I'm back in the familiar territory of feeling stalled on all fronts.  There's so much I should be doing, from work on the house to outstanding dental work, but I'm just not doing any of it.  It doesn't help that I'm a procrastinator by nature - I even told someone that in a dream once, so clearly it is something that stretches deep into my subconscious - so when I fall into one of these moods getting even the simplest of things done becomes a major trauma.  Damn it, I'm even stalled on producing the next episode of 'After Hours' - it isn't just that I haven't got anything scripted or recorded, I simply don't have a clue what its content is going to be.  Even my repainting programme for various model railway coaches has stalled, with numerous projects queued up.  To be fair, this is partially due to the weather - spray painting and high temperatures don't really go together.

A large part of the problem is knowing where to start with all the things that I should be doing.  This dilemma then becomes an excuse for procrastination.  Instead of just picking one thing to get started with, I just end up doing nothing.  I actually started the year well, with a plan of action: I got the first bit of dental work done and thought that I was setting in motion the replacement of the house's rotting old windows.  But the latter was then stalled by the fact that I live in what the council has designated a conservation area, meaning I need planning permission to replace the windows - something I've been assured won't be forthcoming.  I know what I need to do - get in someone who can refurbish the existing windows and install secondary double-glazing.  It will probably cost just as much as installing new, look-a-like windows with double glazing, but as, technically, nothing is being replaced and thus the exterior look of the house won't be affected, it won't require planning permission.  But this, along with the next stages of my dental work, were derailed by the events leading to the aforementioned bereavement, since when, I really haven't felt motivated to do anything.  Clearly, I need to get a grip on the situation and focus on one thing to get me started - if I can get something started then, hopefully, my enthusiasm for the other stuff might be revived.  Fundamentally, though, I think that my life needs a new direction - since I decided to take early retirement - and even more so since the events of earlier this year - I've been drifting, feeling rootless and without any real purpose.  Which, of course, is something else for me to procrastinate over.