We're off to Tredegar House Classic Car Show today....

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After an early start I have spent the day making final checks to the car, finding all of our sleeping bags and packing some grub! :-).

As usual I am putting my faith in "Yoda" my trusty SatNav, although (as Glen will tell you!) he does have a habit of sometimes sending you on what I would call "Scenic Routes"......slight detours from what I would consider the sensible way to get from A to B!.

We hope to be at the venue by 7:30 PM so that we (I!) can get to see the kick off of the England V USA match.....as soon as we find someone or somewhere with a telly.

Just like to thank the folks over at Cranwell Service Station who,after hearing of my trip, offered to give my £20 fuel to get us on our way....thanks again for that, always nice to get some assistance with my running costs :-)

Another Friday, another sad discovery................

I was feeling rather optimistic this morning after yet another call to my friends over at the BBC to enquire as to if it would be possible for me to post the Shirley Nolan "Light of Experience" DVD onto my blog. Of course i will have to go through the official channels, but it seems likely that as i am not wanting to publish it for personal gain, and as it is over 30 years old, there should be no major problems with my request.I will keep you informed as to my progress on that issue.

Sadly, whilst "surfing" the net a few minutes ago, I came across yet another possible lead that unfortunately seems now to be an opportunity lost :-(.
It was my discovery of the obituary of Dr David James to which i refer, and it appears that this guy, the co-founder of the Anthony Nolan Trust, passed away quite recently in August 2009.
It struck me that Dr James was not really given the recognition that he deserves in his support and help to Shirley when she had the very first thoughts of setting up a bone marrow donor register, yet in her book (which she jointly dedicated to David and her mother Rhona) she says this "It was our first encounter and I was not immediately aware of his brilliance,vision and determination".
"Somehow i was listening, digesting all that this kind Welshman was saying, and on the surface it appeared to mean that nothing more could be done.But I sensed Dr James did not feel this way......he wanted to continue this work".

As it says in the book "Dedicated to Dr David James of the Westminster Hospital, London, for his vision,courage and personal achievement and to my Mother, Rhoda Oakey, for her constant love and devotion to Anthony".

R.I.P David, your contribution to this amazing,life saving trust is acknowledged and your family should be so proud of your involvement in it's birth.

So now I find that yet another avenue of investigation is no longer possible, so i guess that i must get my thinking cap on again and look for more connections that will one day lead me to my goal.

Tot battling leukaemia wins Royal Welsh honour

A three year-old Raglan girl became the youngest entrant ever at this year's Royal Welsh Show.

A three year-old Raglan girl became the youngest entrant ever at this year's Royal Welsh Show.
Catherine Nicholas from Tregare, who is already the youngest owner of a rare champion pig, has added two more rosettes to her name at the Llanelwedd showground in mid-Wales.
Catherine, who is battling leukaemia since being diagnosed in August, was named champion in the traditional breed category with her seven month-old pig, a rare British Lop called Giltedge Harmony.
She was also named first-time exhibitor and is believed to be the youngest entrant the competition has seen.
Mum, Rachel, said her daughter was determined to attend the event.
After finishing a session of chemotherapy on Sunday she travelled to the Royal Welsh to show Giltedge Harmony.
"She took part in Tuesday morning’s event to exhibit Giltedge Harmony and was back in hospital in Cardiff at lunchtime where she underwent a platelet transfusion," she added.
"We were back in Mid-Wales that evening ready for the Show on Wednesday," said Rachel.
"She is thrilled to have won," she added.
Catherine has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and has had eight transfusions in the past four weeks.
She requires a further 18 months of chemotherapy.
Abergavenny pony producer Jayne Shields, of Ysbytty Farm, and her show-team are celebrating after Megan Thompson, six and Mrs Shields’ neice Lilly Garnett, 11, scooped three rosettes riding Cwmllanwenarth Melody, seven years and Lochlar Red Gauntlet aged six years, respectively.
Cwmllanwenarth Melody won the lead rein show pony class and championship, whilst Lochlar Red Gauntlet, a show hunter pony won the show hunter pony class.

(Source:South Wales Argus.Website is HERE)

Burglars steal leukaemia boy's presents

Well, we know that there are always going to be bad people in this world, but this one hits home and makes you really angry. My youngest child once asked me "Why can't just bad people get cancer ?", and I guess it has to be said that if they did, maybe cruel acts like this would stop !

A FAMILY returned from a dream holiday, celebrating their five-year-old grandson’s recovery from Leukaemia, to discover they were the victims of a devastating burglary.

Story here:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/01/22/burglars-steal-leukaemia-boy-s-presents-91466-22745499/