There has been real progress with my ankle injury in the last couple of weeks and I am hoping to be playing for Somerset again by the end of next month.
While I have never gone along with suggestions that I would miss the rest of this season, I now have genuine cause to dispel those alarms.
Now that the protective boot has been removed, I am able to do extensive work, not just on the ankle, but on my general fitness.
I am spending my days from around 8.30am to 4pm at the County Ground training and undergoing sessions of rehabilitation.
For example, on Tuesday this week I started off with an all-over-body strength session followed by some rehab on my ankle, which involves lots of strengthening exercises and takes about 45 minutes.
Then I actually had my first bat for a couple of months in the nets against the bowling machine, which felt great after such a long time out of action.
After lunch, I had an aerobic session, did some walking on a treadmill to try and get my ankle used to the impact again and spent some time in the Hydropool at the ground before putting some ice on my ankle, something I am doing every day.
General fitness comes back quite quickly. What will take a bit longer is getting the necessary strength in the ankle to cope with the twisting and turning involved in batting and fielding.
I have now set a mid-July target to see how it is at that point and if I am pain free by then and able to execute all the skills without a reaction I will think about playing again.
Of course, I will need some second XI games before then and I have taken the step of registering with Bridgwater in case I need to play some club cricket as well.
My old Somerset team-mate Steffan Jones plays for Bridgwater and, as they are in the West of England Premier League, it will be a higher standard than if I returned to play for my old club Keynsham, which is what in my heart I would have liked to do.
The Friends Life t20 quarter-finals are on July 24 and 25, while Finals Day is not until August 25, so hopefully I might be able to play a part if Somerset progress, as well as in our later LV=County Championship and Clydesdale Bank 40 matches.
Not that I would be guaranteed a place in our Twenty20 team at the moment. The lads have performed brilliantly so far in the Midlands/Wales/West Division, despite being without key players. Tuesday night's seven-wicket victory over Northants at Northampton was a case in point. To win with more than six overs to spare, without the injured Albie Morkel and Max Waller, was a fantastic effort.
There is a chance Albie will be fit for tomorrow night's big derby clash with Gloucestershire at Taunton and I am praying the weather is fine because the game is a sell-out and has the potential to be a great spectacle.
Max has unfortunately suffered a side strain, which will keep him out longer, and is particularly untimely as he has been a really energetic force in our T20 games to date.
Losing him is a big blow because, apart from his bowling, he is probably our most dynamic fielder.
The temporary stands are going up for the Gloucestershire game, which always produces a buzz around the club and I am hoping for another spectacle to match the one against Welsh Dragons last Friday when James Hildreth played an innings to remember.
That game was what T20 is all about. It featured some sensational batting and the outcome was in doubt until the middle of the last over.
Hildy's innings was different in that he scored a century off 53 balls, but hit only one six. He timed the ball magnificently from ball one and swept boundaries on both sides of the wicket, using the reverse sweep so well that spinners as experienced as Robert Croft and Dean Cosker had no answer.
Team selection is becoming a real challenge at Somerset when we have all our internationals available, but that is a fantastic problem to have.
It was a good move from the ECB to allow Craig Kieswetter to play at Northampton and his half-century will have boosted his confidence ahead of the one-day series against Australia, which starts at Lord's on Friday. The Aussies may not be packed with the household names of recent years, but they are ranked the top one-day international side in the world and will be looking to gain a psychological boost ahead of next year's Ashes series over here.
They still have Brett Lee spearheading their bowling attack and made short work of dismissing a strong looking Essex side in a warm-up game this week. Young Pat Cummins is a name to look out for. He has already had a few injury problems, but is seriously quick and touted to be part of the Australian team for years to come.
Their one-day side has been together for a while now and features some dynamic batsmen, athletic fielders and strong bowlers.
Having said that, if England play to their potential with home advantage, there is no reason why we can't win the series. Any contests against the Aussies are to be savoured and these games will offer an appetiser for what is sure to be another absorbing Ashes battle, as well as for the eagerly-awaited Test series against South Africa later this summer.
Interview: Richard Latham
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