So.What shall we call the new decade then ?

Of course this previous decade became know widely as the "Noughties",a term which came about mostly by evolution of public banter and the need for us to "label" everything.
I have already heard the term "Oneties" bandied around as a posible "label" for the next decade, but can't help but think that it sounds wrong, after all, we did not call the roaring twenties the "roaring twoties" did we...it doesn't sound right.
My suggestion then, if we must "label" the next decade, would be to call them the "Tenties".Why? well it just follows the natural flow Tenties,Twenties,Thirties,Fourties etc,etc.

What do you think ?

Could you Buy a Wristband or Bracelet and help Vicki's family ?

Could you spare a couple of quid after Christmas to help a family who's daughter is fighting Leukaemia ?
Fancy an Ultra Trendy Wristband...or maybe you know someone who might !.

Click HERE to visit Vicki's dads blog and have a read of how Leukaemia has affected this family for several months, then marvel at the amazing way they have coped with the situation they find themselves in.

Imagine if it were your child fighting this disease, wouldn't you be glad to know that complete strangers could help you out by contributing a few quid to help you along ? Come on, in the spirit of Christmas, give a little,help a lot :-)

Thanks :-)

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Scirocco in the Snow..........looks like fun to me !

NHS is being overwhelmed by constant stream of drunks...why ?

Having worked for the NHS for almost 14 years now after my previous "life" in the Armed Forces came to an end in 1996 i still cannot believe the astounding amount of money and resources that are squandered looking after and patching up the louts and lowlifes that clutter our health service.
I read an article today in the Daily Mail (which you can also see by clicking on the link at the end of this post...if you want too!) which reports of the carnage and disgrace that NHS front line staff face in A&E Departments the length and bredth of our country.
The NHS already spends vast sums of cash trying to encourage people to quit smoking (I did this myself at no cost to the NHS 20+ years ago!),trying to control drug use, and,yes, you guessed it,trying to curb peoples consumption of alchohol.Add then to this mix a large section of the population who consider it their "right" to drink themselves into oblivion, and afterwards expect "the rest of our society" to cover the cost of the resulting injury. Why do we tolerate such arrogant,selfish behaviour from this section of society ? I guess it is because,as usual,the powers that be don't want to be seen to be picking on this sad group of people, and don't appear to be able to convince them that drinking on a night out does not have to end up with them being unconcious on a hospital trolley.Maybe perhaps the goverment should start and "persuade" these poor lost souls by way of billing them at the A&E departments that they seem so fond of, you know, in the same way as they "persuade" drivers to slow down by giving them fines for speeding.
How about we bill serial drunks who end up in A&E, and charge them ...ohhhh...about £30, the cost of a couple of rounds, to pay towards their treatment....sounds good to me...what do you think ?

Daily Mail story is HERE......if you want to get REALLY angry :-)

Professor Humphrey Kay: Haematologist who revolutionised the treatment of leukaemia dies aged 86

Professor Humphrey Kay was a pioneer in the treatment of leukaemia and transformed the way doctors dealt with the disease. When Professor Kay entered the field of oncology in the 1950s there was no effective treatment for any form of this disease.

When Professor Kay entered the field of oncology in the 1950s there was no effective treatment for any form of this disease. But thanks to the work he pioneered and steered, by the mid-1980s most children with leukaemia, and a growing number of young adults, were being cured.

Kay was a true polymath, as comfortable with the arts as he was with science, and passionate about opera, ballet and music. He was also an accomplished musician and poet. He published a volume of humorous and reflective verse, Poems Polymorphic. One of these, "The Haematologist's Song", had a refrain of "Blood, blood, glorious blood..." set to The Hippopotamus tune of Flanders and Swann. He would sing it with great aplomb to delegates at national and international haematology meetings.

To read the full story on the Independant Website,click HERE.

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Opening Times for Tesco and Sainsbury's in Sleaford over the Christmas break.

Just thought it might be helpful to post up the opening times of the 2 main Supermarkets in Sleaford during the festive season !

Tesco Christmas opening hours

Monday 21st: 0600 to midnight
Tuesday 22nd: 24 hours
Wednesday 23rd: 24 hours
Christmas Eve: until 1800
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: CLOSED
Sunday 27th: 1000 to 1600
Monday 28th: 0800 to 2200
 
Sainsbury's Seasonal opening hours


Wed 23rd Dec 0800 - 2200
Christmas Eve 0600 - 1800
Christmas Day Closed - Closed
Boxing Day Closed - Closed
Sun 27th Dec 1000 - 1600
Bank Holiday 0900 - 1900
Tue 29th Dec 0800 - 2100
Wed 30th Dec 0800 - 2100
New Years Eve 0700 - 1900
New Years Day 1000 - 1800
Sat 2nd Jan 0800 - 2100

Hope this helps if you need to do an urgent grocery shop !

Merry Christmas World, and I hope you are all having a wonderful time :-)

Of course sadly this is a world that is very often full of tradgedy and misfortune,and some peoples lives are blighted by sadness,poverty and fear, so when we are enjoying our own Christmas celebrations this year, lets all spare a thought and a prayer for those who may not be so fortunate as ourselves.Remember that next Christmas,maybe our own lives may be touched by adversity and misfortune.As the saying goes "There before the grace of god go I".



Happy Christmas to all of my blog readers wherever you may be, and I hope that you all find hope,peace and happiness in this wonderful and magical time of the year.

Andy :-)

Now...time for another mince pie i think...! :-)

Why does the world go mad when the snow falls ?

Having now had snow on the ground for 6 days i have witnessed quitea few examples of the Great British Publics crazy behaviour during such conditions.For Example:

Why do people insist on walking on slippery roads which are carrying  numerous cars travelling sideways so that they don't fall over on the pavements? Is being run over by a car less painful than falling on your backside ?

Drivers who insist on driving in snow,fog and ice without any form of lighting on their vehicles.....are they wearing night goggles or something? Sadly I would guess that the other folk on the road are not, so they stand a good chance of causing or being involved in some sort of bump and will hear those immortal words "Sorry mate, i didn't see you"...which is of course highly likely !.

Shops in Sleaford appear to have not bothered salting thier car parks or paths this year.I overheard a lady telling another customer that it was "If we salt and someone falls over we are liable", "So health and safety suggest that we leave people to make thier own clearway and so avoid litigation if they slip"!.....I have not confirmed this fact, but having heard of other hairbrained rules and regulations over the last few years, i can't say that i would be surprised if it was true.

As my old Gran used to say "There's nowt as strange as folk" !

And now for something a bit Christmassy ! (Is that a real word?)

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How nice is this song ?

Ho,ho ho! :-)

Why you shouldn't sell your gold or mobiles to companies who advertise on TV!......

Having done a little research recently into the recent flood of companies asking you to sell your Mobile phones or Gold to them it would seem that there is a very good reason that they seem so keen to aquire your stuff, most obviously, they are offering you an absolutely awful rate of return !.

Lets take the Postal Gold companies for instance. Why don't they tell you on the adverts what you should expect to get for your gold items? Well, perhaps it is because they (on average) will give you approx £1.34 per ounce for 9 carat gold.And the current market value of 9 carat gold?.....Oh, about £6.00 per ounce!.A slight difference you will agree.No wonder the adverts for these companies are multiplying by the day.

These are the prices quoted for the following companies.Bear in mind that brokers had been paying £6.00+ Per gram when these figures were attained in November 2009.That is a BIG difference !

Cash My Gold - £1.34 per gram

PostalGold.com - £1.48 per gram

Money4Gold - £1.55 per gram

Cash 4 Gold - £1.90 per gram

Your Cash For Gold - £3.67 per gram

GoldenOwl - £3.54 per gram

Cash Your Gold Now - £4.00 per gram

Post Gold For Cash - £5.13 per gram.


This is a good site to view before you sell your gold.Click HERE for enlightenment!
OR
Try this one HERE  for more information before you send your gold anywhere !

How about Mobile phone "recycling" companies? Of course they are encouraging us to send them our old mobiles, but as regards recycling.....anything above 3 years old you may as well give to charity for the pittance they are offering. I checked the value of my 2.5 year old (as then) Sony W850i a few months ago and was stunned to learn that this phone, which cost over £130 new, was valued at only £15!...and that was on condition that it had a charger and was working!.I sold it on Ebay for £39 + P&P a week later, a slightly better deal i think you will agree. Don't even try to sell them your old Nokia 6110 or the likes, cos it appears that their efforts to save the planet are only relevant if it makes them money.

The answer then is to take your gold to your local jeweller and sell your Mobile under 3 years old on Ebay, then perhaps you will get just a little more cash in your pocket, and not be furnishing the deep ones of the TV advertising companies.

Bahhh Humbug :-) Merry Crimbo folks!

Jake Peach has raised over £600,000 for sick children since beating leukaemia

When Santa checks his list of this year's especially deserving boys and girls, Jake Peach's name should be right at the top.

Since last Christmas, the 13-year-old has battled and beaten leukaemia while raising more than £600,000 for sick children and inspiring millions with his bravery.


His fundraising included persuading Premiership footballers to donate a day's pay, rallying support from a 60,000-strong crowd at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, and charming Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah over coffee at 10 Downing Street.

Even when he was honoured with a Child of Courage gong at the Mirror's Pride of Britain awards in October, Jake was more concerned with helping others - using his moment of glory to ask celebrities in the audience for donations.


So the Mirror decided to make Christmas come a little early for Jake with a special delivery, including games for his PSP and Nintendo Wii, and a special DVD of his favourite movie, Transformers 2. Although delighted with his gifts, Jake was far more interested in talking about how he owes his life to the staff of Great Ormond Street - which is why he has raised so much money for the hospital.

To read more click HERE to view the Daily Mirror Website.

Merry Christmas Jake.What amazing fella you are :-)

Leukaemia Boys Dream trip to Eurodisney treat becomes a nightmare.

An east Belfast father has told how he was forced to fork out more than a thousand pounds to get
his eight-year-old son home for a vital leukaemia appointment after a treat holiday to Eurodisney turned into a travel nightmare.

The journey home ended up lasting three days and hours of negotiations with staff. Sydney Harvey from Gilnahirk said at one stage he feared his family might have to spend Christmas in Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.
Mr Harvey took his wife Wendy and three children, including little Ryan to Eurodisney last Monday. They were due to return to Belfast International Airport on Thursday, but their journey home turned into three days waiting around airports.

To read more: Please visit the website of the Belfast Telegraph by clicking HERE

Nicola Coates, 35, loses her brave battle with leukaemia.

COURAGEOUS Nicola Coates has lost a 23-year battle for life after being stricken by leukaemia for the fifth time.


The 35-year-old – who was given a life-saving bone marrow transplant by an American newspaper editor in 2000 after The Press ran a campaign to find a donor – died suddenly in hospital after suffering liver failure caused by the leukaemia.

This is a story of a lady who never gave up the fight for the most precious thing that any of us has...our life.
Many would have quit long before Nicola did, but her determination must serve as inspiration to all of us who are fighting this disease.

To read the complete story, click HERE to go to the York Press Website.

Slowmotion Apocalypse Guitarist NICOLAS MILANESE Diagnosed With Leukaemia

A statement from the band's official MySpace.com page reads: "Unfortunately, this time we're writing for giving you bad news (sic). Only few (sic) days ago we discovered Nicolas suffers from leukaemia. He will have to go through a rather long period of therapy and this won't allow him to give his contribution to the life of Slowmotion Apocalypse.

"We're all shocked and as a band we decided to wait for him to be able to have a normal life and to be able to play with us again. We are therefore taking a pause for an indeterminate period of time. All our shows are cancelled. We're sure you'll understand the reasons of our choice.
"A special message to all our friends: Nicolas needs first of all to have a rest. We ask you not to call him but rather send him text messages."

S2M wishes Nicolas well in his leukaemia journey.

Drug apartheid hits victims of leukaemia in England (daily Mail Online)

Leukaemia sufferers in England will be denied potentially life-saving drugs freely available in Scotland.


The proposal to ban English patients from getting the medication on the NHS has been branded 'stupid and heartless'.
Doctors and campaigners say the Government rationing body's measures will worsen the postcode lottery, with patients north of the border able to get dasatinib and nilotinib that could add years to their lives.

The preliminary guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence affects patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia.


Although the drugs cost £30,000 a year, only a maximum of 300 patients a year are likely to need them.

They have failed to respond to treatment with another drug, called Glivec, or become resistant to it.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1235589/Drug-apartheid-hits-victims-leukaemia-England.html#ixzz0aFrwPuV4








Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1235589/Drug-apartheid-hits-victims-leukaemia-England.html#ixzz0aFred1Vq

Rage Against the MAchine take Number one slot from X Factor (y) effort

YEEEESSSSSS!. Christmas miracles are true!.Simon Cowell's run of Christmas number ones from his stable of "Pop Clones" is at an end thanks to a campaign by the general public.

The X Factor (y) mogul has been a total wet blanket about the whole affair claiming that the campaign was akin to being "Scrooge" and was being run by "party poopers".The truth of course is that after years of the same god awful drivel, the likes of which have not been witnessed since that of the Stock,Aitken and Waterman era when (for those old enough to remember) the likes of Kylie,Jason and Rick Astley had the same strangle hold on the British charts for what seemed like an eternity !.

Good to know that the great British public still have the power and commitment to have some impact on things within our daily lives....now...perhaps we need to start a Facebook group to give the poor old British Driver/car owner some clout...anyone fancy a fuel boycott ? :-)

Merry Crimbo peeps !
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Not posted for a few days. Time for an update then !

Lets start on Thursday night when,after a quick trip to Newark hospital,I was stopped at a junction on the way home by traffic lights.I was just pulling away from them when...BUMP! I was rear ended by a Nissan Micra !.
I remember thinking that this was just so bl++dy typical...last day at work,last drive home and this happens.I put on the hazzard lights,jumped out and took a quick look to see what the damage was.
Aren't towbars wonderful things ? Mine took the full impact of the collision and saved my arse..well the cars arse anyway!.Sadly the lady who hit me (and who was very apologetic) was not quite so fortunate and lost her front reg plate.I took her details and then told her that i would call if we needed to go further pending a more thorough examination the next day.After doing this, it was clear that the damage was zero,so i will not be calling the lady and hope that the worry of an insurance claim can now be deleted from her "to do" list this Christmas :-)
Sadly, the following day, after dropping off the kids at thier respective schools, i had another bump,this time due to the recent heavy snowfall and bad luck.
After dropping off number 3 sprogg, i was making my way home along a very wet and slushy Grantham Road when,attempting to turn into Ancaster Drive, i hit an area of very slippy and compacted snow.The result? The car decided it did not want to go around the corner, and instead it slammed into the kerb...only at about 6-7mph, but OUCH did it go with a hell of a bang!.Upon first examination it appeared that I had only dented the alloy wheel on the passenger side, but after getting back in the car and driving the remaining 3-400 yards to our home, i knew it was a lot worse than just that.
When your front wheel is rubbing against the rear of your front arch, you know somethings wrong, and in this case it was due to the front wheel having been pushed back by some 2-3 inches...not good!.
To cut a long story short, i called the folks at PitStop Garage in Sleaford who managed to not only repair the car in 5 hours, but presented me with a bill for a lot less than i had imagined it would have been :-) (About the same as our insurance excess!).So thanks once again to John,Chris and the crew for saving my bacon once more!(Hope you enjoy the Stella Artois fella's!)
The snow is still with us today (Sunday) and there was a very lighht sprinkle of it again last night, but not much (thank goodness!). Yesterday I took 2 of the kids sledging and we had a great time...i had forgotten what it was like to have fun like that.....you do as you get older sadly.

Buy Rage Against the Machine and block cowell's chart domination.....

I don't normally get involved in petty demo's against things, but after being brought to the end of my tether this year by the constant attempts at world music domination by Simon Cowell and his mind numbing "talent" drivel in the form of BGT and X Factor(y), i have decided for the sake of all "real" hard working musician's who are made to watch as this circus unfolds and through laughable manipulation of the media, ensures that one of Mr Cowell's "clones" has yet another chart No1.
It is not a level playing field, nor is it doing any good for the music industry.It picks fun and riducules the sad individuals who sometimes do actually think they can sing, but then it transpires that they deffinately can't.

Simoan (not a mis spelling!) complained this week that people who oppose his music show tidalwave are somehow out to ruin his party........well perhaps they are....i wonder why :-)

To buy the "alternative" Christmas No1 click HERE to go to the Amazon site.Only 29p but you may just help to save the music industry in the UK....and possibly the world !.

This is a link to the Official Facebook Group (There is a back up group because strangely (!) the original keeps disappearing from the Facebook site!) Click HERE to see the campaign Facebook group.

Please...give the gift of MUSIC generously this year.

Mission accomplished.Santa Claus delivered to Grotto as requested :-)

Well it was a bit of a rush the other day to say the least.Up at 07:30, dressed,washed,cleaned out rabbits (just 2 of them!),got ids up (always fun at the weekend...seem to be glued into their beds!). Checked car,loaded boxes of bits to sell for Leukaemia Research on my stall at the Christmas fair,then,after a VERY swift fried breakfast it was off on our way.

As is usual in situations when time is at a premium, my route was littered with the obligatory 38 tonners doing 40MPH,several tractors a la trailers doing about 20-25, and the occasional "Sunday Drivers" who, due to their belief that you can only enjoy a drive at under 50mph, will happily sit behind affore mentioned lorries/tractors for miles on end without seizing any oppertumity to overtake, no matter how safe it is!.

After finally working my way through the rolling road block that is the A17/A617, I arrived at my first port of call, Kings Mill Hospital, and there I had 2 jobs to do.The first job was to manufacture a number plate out of (this sounds like a blue peter project doesn't it ?) a piece of yellow card,a laminating sleeve,a black marker pen and some artistic licence !. After that was completed I then located an item that had been left at the Dept for me by Peter from the ITC Dept (Thanks Peter!).....mored of that later :-)

After getting back to the car i then discovered that my bubble machine had tipped over in the boot and had not only emptied its entire contents of soap suds into the carpet, but this had also now left me needing to locate some more mixture for use in the parade. I decided to detour to the local Tesco xtra store.

"We only sell bubble mixture in summer" the lady at Tesco's told me!......."Why" i asked, "don't people blow bubbles in winter?".We left the store and stopped only to top up the fuel tank which was reading a little low.

We arrived at Mansfield Woodhouse at approx 11:05, and immediately went to my parents house to give Scarlett a quick wash as during the trip over from Sleaford she had aquired an awfully dirty coat of filth.
My parents had already left to go to the house down the road that is the storage location for Santa's sleigh, and due to that fact i had no access to my dads pressure washer.....damn!.
Looking around the back yard I found a bucket of rainwater which i took, dropped in a small amount of car wash liquid (which i had in the boot luckily) and then performed the worlds quickest handwash !.

Once the car was presentable we drove the few hundred yards down to Snata's secret transport storage depot (a garage on Rose Lane...whoops...it's not secret anymore!), at which point we hitched up the sledge and after a quick systems check (lights!) we drove over to the carpark of the Greyhound pub our pick up point for Saint Nick.

Unfortunetly Santa was not present at this location when we arrived, but after sending off a scout (my dad) to locate said Mr Claus he arrived a few mins later in his civis and using his "Off duty" name of Bill!.

One slight problem which was noted at this point was that "Mini Me" ,my son who was dressed as a raindeer with flashing nose, became slightly suspicious of the bloke who claimed to be Santa, so we sent him off with his sister to have a five minute walk around the shops on the high street and hey presto, when he arrived back,Bill had gone, but a rather convincing Santa was now sat in his sleigh!. Just as I was quietly congratulating myself as having pulled a master stroke of desception n convincing Mini me of the arrival of the "real" Santa, he looked at me as only a 6 year old can and said "It's OK dad, I know it's not the real Santa 'cos I saw the suit in his Morrisons plastic carrier bag.......damn, i had been rumbled !.
Not to lose this battle of whits I came out with a corker of a reply,"Actually Andy it IS the real Santa, but...well you know how Spider man and Super Man only dress in their "Super" clothes when in action? Well Santa is the same, he only gets his red gear on when on duty...otherwise people would be forever stopping him and putting in never ending requests for presents!.....
"Mmmmm....., i never thought of that dad........but don't worry, i won't tell anyone else that this is THE Santa....we'll keep it just between ourselves!". Sorted ! :-)

After dressing  myself up into a passable copy of the STIG from BBC top gear (this was what the package was that Peter had left for me at my Dept!) we started the engine.....and waited.

The parade came past the entrance to the Greyhound carpark, and we slid gracefully into the back of it,lights on,Stig at the wheel and Santa doing a fine job waving to the kids along the way.

10 mins later we arrived at Turner hall and parked up.Santa left the sleigh, i cahnged back into my civvies (after a struggle with the catch on the helmet!) and we then set up the charity table selling Chritmassy bits and bobs for Leukaemia Research (we made £60).

We arrived back home at 8pm after a smashing fish supper from the Chippy on Vale Road...very nice!, and that,as they say, was that...until next year perhaps :-)

Mansfield Woodhouse Christmas Parade and Market tomorrow :-)

I have Just been giving Scarlett a quick wash down before her job on Saturday when she will be towing old Santa Claus through Mansfield Woodhouse on his way to the Christmas Fair at Turner Hall.

There is a rumour that someone special may be driving Scarlett on this special mission...here is a clue:

Rearrange these letters into a famous drivers name.....G I T S ?.....(Think "Top Gear") :-)

I just hope that it doesn't rain like it did last year...made my Antlers droop something rotten ! :-)

Ho Ho Ho !

Got these pictures from John,my photographer neighbour the other day....

Looking at these images that my photographer mate John gave to me the other day, it is hard to believe that only a few months on from when these pictures were taken, myself and Glen drove this same car 4000 miles in under 10 days.and I still have to pinch myself to comprehend just what an amazing repair job AW Accident repairs managed to perform to keep our dream alive.I will be eternally grateful to Andy Walsh and his amazing repair crew in Sleaford.

Ouch!....April 2008

Andy Walsh surveys the damage....it looked bad to me !

Amazing to also think that the car has since covered over 20'000 miles and passed 2 MOT tests post the "incident".

Thanks again to the Guys at Pitstop Garage Sleaford.....

Monday saw Scarlett going into Pitstop garage in Sleaford for her yearly MOT Test. I had popped in to see them at quite short notice after Heron Volkswagen (my regular MOT people) failed to get back to me before the current certificate was expired.
Thankfully Chris and John and the other guys at the garage stepped in to save the day, and the result ?

Well, after a few "adjustments", Scarlett has a crisp new MOT.

Faults?
There were a few minor problems such as the wiper blades being rather tatty (replaced),the rear wheel bearings had slightly too much play (tightened), nearside headlamp assembly was loose and needed adjustment (fastened,adjusted) and the nearside alloy was slightly buckled ("Persuaded" back into shape!).

In addition to the MOT, they also carried out an oil and filter change and the whole lot (including labour,parts,tax etc) came to the rather agreeable sum of  £135!.

I would really like to say again just how much I appreciate the help that this local garage has given me over the last few years, and would advise anyone who lives in the Sleaford area to go to this establishment if you want good, honest and reliable service for reasonable money.

Cheers Guys :-)

"It would be funny it is was not so bloody tragic!" (Shirley Nolan)

Shirley was a lady who hated beurocracy and meddling people in crisp white shirts who didn't understand what she was trying to do.Today I had a taste of just the sort of thing she found herself up against all those years ago.

I called the BBC to ask if i could use the footage i have of Shirley's appearance on the program "The light of experience".All I wanted to do was put a 35 year old interview onto my website for people to see, so that they could get some idea as to what sort of a person she was. Result? After speaking to a lady who had A) never heard of the Anthony Nolan Trust B) Confused the hell out of me, and didn't seem to appreciate the fact that I was doing this for no gain.....NO GAIN.... (she quoted £700 for a 30 second clip!).
I have spent what seems like an age searching the BBC website for advice as to how I would go about "legally" posting their footage.........what a circus that is!.They almost never give you a telephone number to call, and if they do it is never quite the one you want.

So...BBC, can I just reitterate this point...again.....

ALL I WANT TO DO IS POST A 13 MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH A LADY WHO IS NOW DESCEASED ON MY BLOG TO LET PEOPLE SEE WHO SHIRLEY NOLAN WAS.THE FOOTAGE IS 35 YEARS OLD AND I WON'T BE MAKING ANY MONEY OR GAINING ANYTHING FOR MYSELF IN ANY WAY. IT IS TO HELP SAVE LIVES.

I am not a criminal, i have no intention to deny the BBC royalties nor do I have any alterior motive for my request.I simply want to remind the world of just who this lady was, and what she has done for thousands of people by establishing the Anthony Nolan Trust.........that's all :-)


Come on BBC,please.Can you drop all the copyright stuff and let someone who wants to make a difference at least have a chance of doing so ?

If anyone from the Beeb reads this and would like to help, then PLEASE get in touch! :-)
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Fujitsu Amilo 3670 Laptop is great...but has a few "issues" !

Having had my Amilo 3670 for a couple of months I am really quite impressed with it so far...except......it has a few annoying/niggling "issues" that I am at a loss to resolve !.

The laptop has a good quality feel to it, and it seems to be screwed together really well in comparison to my (now 3 year old) Dell 9300.
The specifications are really quite good for a home laptop, these are:

Screen 18.4" HD "clearview" TFT
Hard Drive 500GB
Memory is an adequate 4GB
Graphics is 512MB NVidia Geoforce
Bluetooth,HDMI Output and WiFi connections are standard
The Optical drive is Blu Ray.

So what are the issues?

Well, the touch control sound slider (volume) has a mind of its own, and has a habit of increasing or decreasing the volume when it feels like it!.
Sometimes the screen freezes and the resolution drops to 640x480 when recovering from standby.
When surfing the net, the screen "shrinks" by a few lines each time the screen is refreshed...eventually you end up with just the top few inches of the webpage and have to scroll down to see the remaining area!.

Has anyone else got one of these machines ?If you do, do you have similar problems?
If you answer "yes" to the above questions...can you contact me and tell me if you managed to resolve them :-).

Irish actor Richard Todd, star of "The Longest Day" and "A Man Called Peter," dies at 90

I heard today that one of our local celebrities here in Lincolnshire has sadly died of cancer aged 90.
Richard had some very traumatic times in his life, especially the loss of both of his sons. His son Seamus from the second marriage took his own life in 1997, and his eldest son also killed himself in 2005 following the breakdown of his marriage.

Richard said that dealing with those tragedies was like his experience of war.

"You don't consciously set out to do something gallant. You just do it because that is what you are there for,".

To read the full story of Richard's amazing and varied life please click HERE.

Condoloences to his family at this sad time.
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Saludos a mis amigos españoles Scirocco!

Sólo quería darte las gracias por todos tus amables palabras, cuando me uní a su página web del club Scirocco. Es bueno saber que todos compartimos la misma pasión por estos coches como lo hacemos aquí en el Reino Unido :-)


Mis mejores deseos

Website:  http://www.club-scirocco.es/

Andy
 
(Translation via Google Translate :-)

Rose Kelly. A moving story of one family's Leukaemia Journey.

Rose Kelly suffered Bone marrow failure at 5 months old.

Rose's diagnosis was the beginning of an arduous road to recovery from Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

Rose’s mum, Alison, tells her story........

“Our world fell to pieces on the 13th July, 2006 when, after a series of infections, Rose was diagnosed with bone marrow failure. The next day we were admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital".

"Our lives changed drastically from that moment".

To read this story on the Children with Leukaemia site,click HERE.

Infant leukaemia fears lead to calls for nuclear plant rethink

A radioactivity expert said a study on infant leukaemia close to nuclear power stations should be better known among people living near sites where new plants are planned.


Dr Ian Fairlie also called on the Government to rethink its position on building the next generation of stations because of health fears when he spoke at a lecture in Oldbury-on-Severn, near Thornbury.

Dr Fairlie, an independent consultant on radioactivity in the environment, was invited to the village by campaigners fighting proposals to build a new nuclear station just north of the existing Oldbury plant.

Power firms Eon UK and RWE npower have formed Horizon Nuclear Power to build the station in Shepperdine – one of 10 sites recently named by the Government as meeting requirements for next generation reactors.

Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy (SANE) is concerned about the massive projec and the lecture was one of a series it has organised on issues from the economics and politics of nuclear energy to health concerns. Dr Fairlie said he had been shocked at the findings of the study, which was commissioned by the German government. It found an increase in childhood leukaemia near all the country's reactors.

Article found HERE on the "This is Bristol.co.uk" website.

Melbourne paediatrician Les Markman is dying from leukaemia.Can you help ?

Melbourne paediatrician Les Markman is dying from leukaemia and his only hope for survival is a blood/stem cell/bone marrow transfusion from a suitable donor. The odds? 10,000-1.


Two campaigns held over the last ten days in Melbourne have proved negative and now Shula Endrey-Walder’s Gift of Life Organisation has launched a world-wide search to save the life of the 64-year-old doctor who himself has saved countless children from death.

The Sydney drive will be held this coming Sunday at Our Big Kitchen at 36 Flood St in Bondi. All healthy adults between 18 & 50 are urged to to have a simple blood test taken. The odds favour a Jewish donor

OMG!! I really love this website which gets revenge on those awful TV Adverts :-)

This is such a cool site!. For years I have sat before my TV set being tortured by absolutely awful,patronising and totally rubbish adverts.
Now, thanks to this wonderful site I will be able to voice my opinions about the diabolical rubbish that some advertisers expect us to A) Believe, and B) take any notice of!.

Anyway, take a look at this site and see if you agree with some of the hilarious comments that the great British public have made about this drivel that assults us all each day :-)

Click HERE to have a gander.

This story proves just how unfair life can be for some..........

Whilst surfing the net the other day i found myself on a CLL blog that was written by a lady named Donna Gregory. She had been keeping a blog about her husbands fight with Chronic Leukaemia and it told of his diagnosis,treatment and (at the time) remission from the illness.

what made this story so moving was that this blog was written by a lady who had died, along with her husband and athe pilot of the light aircraft they had been travelling in when it crashed in August 2008. he final entry was by another author who had the sad task of telling her readers what had occured.

This is a exerpt from the article in the Boston Globe.

"EASTON -- A cancer patient, his wife, and their pilot were killed this morning when a single-engine airplane operated by Angel Flight New England crashed in a parking lot on its way from a Long Island, N.Y. airport to Logan International Airport in Boston.




The crash at 10:25 a.m. killed Robert and Donna Gregory of Riverhead, N.Y., and pilot Joe E. Baker of Brookfield, Conn., authorities said.

“Sadly, we learned the Angel Flight patient and his wife and the pilot were lost,” said Amy Camerlin, a spokeswoman for Angel Flight, an organization of volunteer pilots that helps needy patients get medical care. “They were traveling to Boston for medical treatment. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the patient’s and pilot’s families.”

Robert Gregory was headed to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for treatment. He suffered from chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to a blog written by his wife that chronicled his struggle with the disease.

To read Donna's blog click HERE.
To read the complete article about the accident click HERE to go to the Boston.com Website.

What a tradgedy that such a thing would  happen to such brave people already fighting a battle, and then having their lives ended in such a cruel way.

Angel Flight are a great and noble organisation, lets hope that such a loss will not stop them from doing such remarkable and noteworthy work for others in need.

Doctor Who star Matt Smith in appeal for bone marrow donors

Matt Smith, soon to take over from current Time Lord David Tennant, is seeking a bone marrow match for 15-year-old Matt Herbert, who is suffering from leukaemia.

The 27-year-old actor grew up in the same road as Herbert, a keen rugby player and pupil at Northampton School for Boys.


Matt Herbert  (15) was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in December 2008. He underwent treatment but found out the illness had returned in September.

He has since been told by doctors that he will only survive if he manages to have the transplant.

To read the full story, click HERE to go to the Telegraph Website.

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New Dr Who star supports leukaemia boy's campaign

A Northampton teenager has enlisted celebrity support in his campaign to find a bone marrow donor.


Matt Herbert, 15, suffers from leukaemia and urgently needs a bone marrow transplant.A campaign has been started to find the boy a donor and has got the support of top sporting stars as well as the new Doctor Who Matt Smith.

"Matts Match" which is being run in conjunction with the Anthony Nolan Trust, involves a series of clinics to find a match, with the next due to take place tomorrow.The previous clinic, held at Northampton Town Football Club, saw 103 people recruited to the donor register and was one of the first to use saliva samples rather than blood samples.

Keen rugby player Matt has already gained the support of his sporting heroes, as well as childhood friend Doctor Who star Matt Smith, also from Northampton.

Writing on the Matt's Match website, the actor said: "Matthew and I grew up in the same street in Northampton just three houses apart"."Although he is younger, we both played ball games in that same street but his was a rugby ball and mine a football.

"We both went to the same junior school and secondary school and we even share the same name.

"Matthew is such a kind, intelligent and fun-loving young man and so it is extremely important to me, personally, that he has all the support and help he deserves with his current illness."

(Thanks to the Asian Leader for this story ).

Matt's Webpage can be found by clicking HERE.

Nice job Matt :-)

British scientists have 'created a new drug that 'kills' leukaemia

British scientists have 'created a new drug that 'kills' leukaemia - even in worst affected adults', reported the Daily Mail.

Although the Daily Mail s headline may suggest that this drug has been tested in humans, this was not the case. As explained much further down the article, this research is at a very early stage. In laboratory experiments, the chemical showed some potential as it killed cancer cells that were resistant to existing drug treatments.

However, much more research would be needed to identify how safe and effective this drug is in animals before it could be tested in humans. Many drugs that show promise in the lab are proven unsafe or ineffective in later animal testing.
This is early research and any potential treatment using this chemical is a long way off.

Where did the story come from?

The research was carried out by Dr Anthony M McElligott and colleagues at Trinity College Dublin and other centres in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Italy. It was published in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Research. The research was funded by Enterprise Ireland, Cancer Research Ireland and the Higher Education Authority of Ireland.

The newspapers correctly reported that the development of this drug is at an early stage and that it may be years before it can be used. However, the Daily Mail s headline that the drug ' kills leukaemia even in worst affected adults' may lead people to believe that this drug has been tested in patients, which is not the case. Headlines in other news sources, such as BBC News and The Daily Telegraph, are more accurate and simply state that the drug has been shown to kill leukaemia cells.

What kind of research was this?

This laboratory study looked at the effects of a chemical called PBOX-15 (pyrrolo-1,5-benzoxazepine-15) on leukaemia cells extracted from people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The authors say that new treatments are needed for CLL, particularly for patients who do not respond well to existing therapies.

There are many stages in developing and testing potential new drugs. Laboratory studies such as this one are used to identify the effects of the drug on affected cells and tissues. This is important for directing further study but cannot reliably predict what other effects a drug such as PBOX-15 might have in a living body. This study will need to be followed up with research in animals to assess how safe and effective the drug might be in humans.

What did the research involve?

The researchers took blood samples from 55 patiens with CLL who had not yet begun treatment for their condition. From these samples, white blood cells affected by leukaemia were isolated in the laboratory and exposed to PBOX-15 to see whether they died.

The tests say I have Leukaemia... hang on a mo, that can’t be right (Boris Johnson)

How does it feel to be told that you have blood cancer? Well it's not good I can tell you (sadly from experience!).
Boris johnson (Mayor of London) has experienced this ..erm...experience!, and has written about it in the Daily Telegraph online.

To see the complete story, click HERE to go to the Telegraph website.

Wonder if my diagnosis was a mistake?......dream on ! :-)
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Road Rage? Name and Shame the culprits on this brill site :-)

I just love this webpage, it allows you to report those jokers that we all have to put up with on the roads these days, you know, bad overtakers,non indicators,erratic drivers and the likes who make the road a more dangerous place to be.

We all get steamed up about our run in's with these individuals,and I myself have suffered a cracked windscreen due to a nutter in a Transit a few months ago who nearly ran me off the road whilst trying a ridiculous overtake on the A17 so here is your chance to get even without having to go through the long winded and pointless process of going to the cops if you feel so inclined to do so.
You don't need to give your name or divulge any details just tell others when,were and how you got annoyed with someones driving, then (if you have managed to get it!) let others know the registration number of the car involved....it's that easy :-).

Go on...dare you to type in your own registration number and see if you have been caught for any naughty behaviour whilst out and about in your motor......go on, you know you want too ! :-)

Click HERE to go to the website.
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Husband and wife are now both fighting Cancer.

PREMIER League referee Mark Halsey and his wife Michelle are fighting back after a nightmare year when BOTH were diagnosed with cancer.


Michelle was told last New Year's Eve that she had leukaemia - then in August Mark learned he had a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, cancer of the lymph glands.
Mark, 48, says: "It was devastating when we heard about Michelle. Then when I was told I had cancer, I was just numb. Your life flashes before your eyes. But you have to stay strong, really strong. Now, not one part of me thinks I will die.

"I have been told I have a 95 per cent chance of survival. At first I concentrated on that five per cent. But not now."

To read the whole story click HERE to go to the Sun Newspapers website.

To see a video on the Bolton News Website click HERE

Best wishes to them both in their fight with their illness's.

'Our son had undiagnosed leukaemia for six weeks before he died. We were told to relax'

A HEARTBROKEN couple last night claimed Ireland's healthcare system failed them after their three-month-old son died from acute leukaemia after being treated for colic and constipation for six weeks.

This is another tragic story telling of the heartbreaking loss of a child through undiagnosed Leukaemia.


To read this story in full click HERE to go to the Independant.ie website.

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A quick comment about climate change............

Just been emailed about a community channel film called "The age of stupid". It apparently is set in the future and tells the story of an old guy who looks at video clips from 2008 and asks the question "Why did we not act on climate change?".
The film tries to gt across how "stupid" we all are whilst living our modern lives, and the impact it has on the climate of the planet. A very noble subject you would think.However the blurb then goes on to explain how the crew travelled the world to get footage for their project and in turn they also contribute to the effects of climate change.
They get around this by documenting their carbon footprint details....excluding those of course of their prospective audiences that are obviously not going to walk to the cinema's !.
I find this whole climate change thing rather confusing, and have recently heard eveidence that ALL of the planets in our system are warming up, it appears to be a routine quirk of nature.Who is right then? Is climate change such a big deal, or are we all being taken for a ride by the scremongers who use the subject to produce interesting films and documenteries..or maybe they work for the govermnet and just want to find another excuse to slam in a new "stealth tax" on motorists?
 This is their webpage which tells of how they produced over 150,000 kgs of carbon footprint during the production and promotion of this film........sounds like someones being a bit hypocritical to me !.

http://www.ageofstupid.net/carbon_footprint

Besides, according to Google, cows fart more CO2 than we produce with our engines, so why not stick bags on their bums, collect the gas, save the planet and utilise a natural resource? Naaaa that would not make such a shocking subject matter would it :-)...funny though :-)

Don't believe me?....check this out.....  http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/cow-emissions-more-damaging-to-planet-than-cosub2sub-from-cars-427843.html


Told you :-)
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Beefy Botham is off on new walk in aid of leukaemia research's 50th Anniversary

England cricket great Sir Ian Botham unveiled plans for his latest charity walk on Tuesday, saying he would not stop until childhood leukaemia had ceased totally to be a fatal condition.

Former all-rounder Botham's 13th charity walk will start in April next year and take him on a 10-town tour of England.

'Beefy's Great Forget Me Not Walk' will also mark the 25th anniversary of his first trek in aid of leukaemia research, and 2010 will also be the 50th year since the LRF was formed in 1960.
"My walk in 2010 will be extra special for me," Botham said on Tuesday.
"I never forget why I put myself through the pain and blisters. I won't stop until we beat childhood leukaemia. We're up to about 90 percent survival now and that's remarkable."

Click HERE to read the full story on the AFP Website..
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Basketball legend Abdul-Jabbar is battling Chronic leukaemia

Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has revealed that he is being treated for a rare form of leukaemia.


The 62-year-old, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia last December but insists his prognosis is positive.

To read the full story please click HERE to go to the BBC Sport Website.

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Ryan Cano's having a Christmas Party!...are you going ?

If you live within a reasonable distance of Mansfield Woodhouse (situated next to Mansfield,Notts, but far more exclusive!)then you may fancy kicking off your festive celebrations by attending Ryan Cano's Christmas Party.
The party is being held at the Working Mens Club on Slant Lane in Mansfiled Woodhouse on Friday the 20th November and kicks off at approx 7pm.
Entry is £1.00 for adults and £2.00 for the kids, although the kids will all get to see Santa and be given a pressie....damn,wish i was a kid again ! :-).

If you have read about Ryan's story in this blog on an earlier post you will know that this is being held for a good cause, and sounds like a great night out to me!.I haven't been in this club since i was about 13...and that was a long time ago :-)

Here is a link to Ryan's webpage. Click HERE to go...........there!

I wonder if i could lie about my age?..................... :-)

Spoke to Kamahl the other day.....what a nice guy :-)

Yesterday, at around 12:25 PM UK time I made a call to Kamahl in Australia.I had been trying to speak to him for some time, but due to the time difference, work commitments on both our parts etc it has taken quite a while for us both to be able to have a chat.

Now as international singing stars go, I don't have much experience of talking to them, and even less of trying to interview them, especially by phone!, but Kamahl, I am glad to say, is a most approachable fellow, and once he realised it was me on the line we spent 5 or 6 minutes discussing his recollections of his visit to Shirley and Anthony during the mid 1970's.

Of course me being me, I had not got very organised before the call (situation normal then!) so I simply asked him to describe the meeting he had that day when he and his wife dropped in to 8 high street Manston,Kent.

Kamahl did remember many details, but felt that he needed a little time to discuss the event with Sohondra so that they could give me a more detailed account. To that end he has asked me to give him a few days to recall in more clarity his visit, but also said that he had some pictures that he took during the visit which I would be welcome to see.

Many thanks then to Kamahl who thankfully turned out to be not just approachable and helpful in my research, but also a very pleasant and genuine person too :-)

Yesterday was very special but also very sad......but ultimately inspiring....

Because yesterday marked one year since Joel Picker-Spence passed away after his brave and inspiring fight with Leukaemia.
I guess that no one would know how it feels to lose a child as his mum Ann ,his dad Dan and his brother and sister Shaun and Eva did, and i have the upmost respect for the way that they have coped with this tradgedy over the last 12 months.
His mum Ann has been tirelessly working with the Anthony Nolan Trust organising bone marrow donor recruitment events throughout the East Midlands, and Dan Eva and Shaun have been there to support her in her valiant efforts to try and help others to be spared the heartache that this family have undoubtably endured over the last year, and in the 3+ years after Joels diagnosis when they tried as hard as any mortal being could to save his young life.
Don't look to the myriads of celebrities who clog up our TV,radio and newspapers for inspiration......look instead to the "normal" people like the Picker-Spence family if you want to seek an example of the strength of the human spirit when faced with extreme adversity.
It has been said before that "Negative situations can often result in surprisingly positive outcomes", and i am sure that with the work that Ann has been doing in recruiting many more to the Anthony Nolan register, many more children like Joel will have a "positive outcome", thanks to the dedication of Ann and her great family.

Brads Story.Please watch this video.

I cannot find a way of importing this video onto this blog, so i will just post a link to it instead.
This is a photo montage of a little guy named brad, and his ongoing battle with ALL (Acute Leukaemia).

To see the video (made by Carl Finn) please click HERE

Saving Shirley Nolan.My new blogpage for my research work.

From today any new info about my research into Shirley Nolan and her story will be posted on this blog http://www.savingshirleynolan.blogspot.com/ .
Hopefully this will allow me to stick to more Leukaemia relatedissues on this blog now :-)

I just found this story on the net.....connections....it's what life is all about.

This was recently posted on YouTube and I listened to it with the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end !.
It was amazing to hear other people have come to the same conclusion that I have when it comes to understanding what life is all about...connections, and the chance to do something amazing during your time on this earth.

Anyway, watch this and see what you think.....




I will be sorting out a copy of Kevin's Book shortly :-), looks like an excellent read.

Time for another "Matt attack" I think...........

My favourite music (re)producer Matt Pop has been a very busy geeza recently working his magic on a few tracks.This time the Sundays and the Black Eyed Peas get the Matt treatment.Take it away Matt :-)






Nice work mate...keep em coming !

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If someone hit your car in Newark on the 4th November, read this !

Just a quick note to the person who's car was hit by another on a roundabout in Newark Upon Trent at approx 7:55 on the 4th November.
I saw the accident and the other car involved, and also noted that the guy/gal that side swiped your motor decided not to stop after the collision !.
You were driving a '52 plate Gold Renault Clio, and the other person had a dark blue Peugeot.The car that hit you as you went around the roundabout had the registration number Y591 ANH.
I was behind this car until the next roundabout when it then pulled into the petrol station/service area.

Just in case the other driver was one of these that thinks they can get away with it, i decided to post this info.

If the collision was resolved later let me know and I will remove the post...if not, i will leave it live :-)

After suffering the same annoying experience myself on 2 occasions I hope that you get this sorted my friend !

Father in bone marrow donor plea

A father-of-five who has been diagnosed with leukaemia has appealed to his community to find a bone marrow donor.

Gordon Reynolds, 60, from Ludlow, Shropshire, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma leukaemia in July 2002.The Anthony Nolan Trust said he has had two operations but "his only hope of long-term survival is a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor".

Can you help Gordon ? Please consider attending the event on the 8th November...you may just be the person who could save Gordon's life !.

To see the full story and to get details about the donor recruitment session click HERE to go to the BBC Website.

Good Luck Gordon.

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Farmers gives $1m to leukaemia charity...how good is that ?

Farmers' $1 million donation to the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation has a personal connection for the firms owners.

David and Anne Norman have both lost family members to leukaemia, "so they are very motivated in that regard", said Farmers managing director Rod McDermott.

To see the full story click HERE to go to the New Zealand Herald website.

I wonder if there are any generous UK companies who would like to make a similar gesture ?

:-)

Maths fan Vikki is roused from coma by her father's mental arithmetic questions

Vicki Alex's love of maths had helped her pass the time on many a long car journey. Little did she know it would one day save her life.

I know of this case well having spoken to Nick on Facebook and followed his blog for the last few weeks.

Good to see that Vicki is making such great progress. Strangely, maths questions have the opposite effect on me and I tend to find myself bored to sleep when i am faced with anything too taxing on the old grey matter involving numbers !. But hey, it did the trick for Vicki and thats all that counts.

To see the full story click HERE to go to the Daily Mail Online webpage.

To follow Nick's blog click HERE.

Nice story Nick :-)

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"Leukaemia". the ugliest word you can be told about your baby....

THE shattered parents of tiny Shanna McHugh last night told of their horror when doctors told them their precious baby had leukaemia.

Dad Ricky McHugh, 33, and mum Nicola Orr, 24, were shocked by the diagnosis when Shanna was just 11 weeks - after they feared she had a COLD.

To see the full story click HERE to go to the SUN Newspaper Website.

Best wishes to the McHugh Family in their journey with baby Shanna.

And now an example of how a converstion can be mis heard !

"Joey" our 9 (ish) year old Budgie sadly died yesterday. The kids of course are all very upset, although when my wife called to tell me of his dire condition a work colleague ,who was sat close by, overheard part of my conversation....

"So he's not looking good then? It will probably be only a matter of time until we lose him" i told her.
"I will really miss him if he dies" i continued, "do you want me to bring a cardboard box back from work and we can bury him in the back garden tonight?".......it was at around this point my mate realised that i was not talking about a human member of our family! :-)

Farewell Joey. You will be sadly missed.

New leukaemia fundraising campaign for pharmacy worker

Pharmacy job worker Allison White of Durham was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia in July and has since helped organise an evening to aid research into the disease

While the 32-year-old was in hospital her family and friends held a fundraising event in aid of Leukaemia Research UK at Evenwood Workingmen's Club, the Northern Echo reported.

To view this story click HERE to go to the mediplacements website.

Best wishes to Allison and her family, and well done in raising the money,hope your cousins hair grows back quickly ! :-)

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Drug 'can kill leukaemia cells'

Scientists claim a new drug has been developed which kills leukaemia cells.

Researchers say the drug, PBOX-15, can destroy cancerous cells in adult patients with a poor prognosis who have shown resistance to other treatments.

For the Full report, click HERE to go to the BBC Health News Website.

A mystery surrounding this webpage...did she win this award ?

Found this on the net today but can't seem to quantify it's claim that Shirley won the Australian of the Year Award in 1979.
I have been to the official Awards website and they list other people for the award in 1979...strange !.

Click HERE to go to the National Library of Australia Website.

Can anyone explain this apparent mis information held in the clippings mentioned ?

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Hello to all those who visit the site from Leeds !

Last night whilst carrying out my weekly search of Google for any new Shirley Nolan info, i was surprised to find one from myself !. It appears that the message that I sent to the Yorkshire Evening Post was actually published as a letter!. Anyway, this was in the October 30th edition, and being a bit ignorant I don't actually know the frequency of the publication, although if it is the same as the Lincolnshire Echo it will be a daily edition.

Can I just say to anyone who has read the article/letter in the newspaper, please feel free to call me on my mobile number (below) if you have any info that you can share with me about Shirley or any aspect of the story told in her book. Thanks.Andy

Mobile: 07974935611

This is the letter that was printed in the newspaper: Click HERE to see it.

By the way...hello Simon...I got your message and will be calling you shortly...honest ! :-)

Bluetooth...why is it so bluedy rubbish ?

I have just spent an hour trying to get my Fujistu Amilo 3670 to accept a picture file from my Sony Ericsson W395. All I want to do is transfer a picture of Lauren's horse (almost!) from the phone to the Laptop...easy yes? NO!.

The phone will accept files from the laptop, the laptop can "see" the phone and the phone can "see" the laptop...but the phone cannot apparently send anything to the laptop because it can't see it to send it too....confused, yes, so am I...I mean...WTF is going on here ?

I have now given up with this VERY annoying process and decided that Bluetooth is a load of Bluelocks (think about it!) :-).

I will go and buy a card reader 2morro and end this fruitless pursuit before i waste anymore of my life doing it......Bluetooth...my ar.........

Lauren has a horse..well not quite, but she's happy :-)

Today myself and Lauren drove over to Caythorpe to see her new horse Amber.Well to be honest it's not Laurens horse, but she doesn't seem to mind that as the lady that does own him called Sarah has very kindly let Lol get her "horse fix" by letting her feed and groom him...and probably pamper the poor fella to death!.



Lauren has been riding on and off for about 5 years now, but due to the cost involved (about £15-£20 per hour) and her having a younger brother and an older sister, she has had to get a ride when she can, and due to cash limitations that has sadly been not too often over the last few years.



Thank goodness then for people such as Sarah who can obviously see the enthusiasm in Lauren, and is willing to give her a hand with her passion by getting her involved in the care and maintenance of her horse Amber.



Now the hard work starts.Lauren must get over to the farm at between 4 and 5pm to give him his daily nosebag, and this means a drive of 8-9 miles each way, most of which at this time of year will be in darkness, but of course either myself or Teresa will be providing the "Taxi Service" for her....well until the days get lighter at least :-)



Lauren loves horses, and I am sure that she will be more than happy to put in the effort in return for a few rides and the chance to lavish a lot of love on Amber. One day I would like to get her her own horse, but until my numbers come up on the lottery, this arrangement is going to be just great ! :-)



Apparently Amber is an Ex racehorse who is still owned by HRH the queen, but has been retired into pasture for the last 10 years now.Amber stands approx 16 HH and is ...well.....Amber in colour. A Gelding, he is what you would describe as a little boisterous at times, but a fantastic looking steed all the same.

More research,more notes and some great news.

Yesterday I spent some time making notes about time lines and events within the book starting in 1971 the year of Anthony's birth. So far I have managed to compile a timeline of events and information up to mid 1973, and I have found that this is one of those books that you read, then read again and pick up a lot more information the second (or third!) time around.

Something that I have talked out before in this blog is the way that great events in history, not just wars or major disasters but all history, can be initiated by a simple action, and in the case of this book it is filled with such occurrences.For example:

Shirley has a premonition that her baby will have a brain hemorrhage years before the event took place.

After one particularly harrowing night, the night before Ted and Shirley are to bring Anthony home to die (they had been told that he will not survive).Shirley prays for her sons life with such passion that she tells of her face burning fiery red and seeing flashes of yellow as she clenches her eyes tight.The following morning when they go to the hospital to fetch Anthony, they are told by the Paediatric consultant that he wants to try Anthony on Steroids.He though of this the night Shirley offered her prayer, and is quoted as telling Shirley he had "Disturbed sleep" that evening.

Jenny, one of Shirley's neighbours, brings round a newspaper clipping to Shirley which reports the successful bone marrow transplant that was given to Simon Bostic in England.This leads to Shirley making the call to Simon's father and the Westminster Hospital, and results in her subsequent decision to take Anthony to the UK to try to save him.

So much of what I have mentioned above seems to be based upon pure chance, or maybe it's just coincidence...or maybe it is what people would call "Destiny". All I would say is that throughout the book you constantly feel as though this was something that was meant to be, tragic as it was for Anthony, and heartbreaking as it was for Shirley, it is a story that appears to have many instances of some spiritual events, yet Shirley states herself that she is "Basically Agnostic" and feels that she is being hypocritical in praying for help from a god that she often curses and attacks for being cruel and absent in some situations.

The great news.

The great news is that the other day I received an email from Kamahl in which he requested that I could perhaps have a chat to him to recount his memories of Anthony and Shirley.
I have emailed back to just confirm that I am based in the UK and that for this reason it is best that we arrange a time that suits our respective time zones!.

I am very pleased, and frankly amazed that I have had a reply from yet another person featured in the book, and who could give me yet more "first person" recollections of the story bringing it out of the book and adding to my understanding of the circumstances that surround this tale.

I will be checking my email frequently to see when the reply arrives. :-)