Post Pals. Childrens Cancer Site.Could you light up a chids day ?

If you take a look in the left hand column of this blog you will see a link to the Post Pals Page which will take you to a website set up to allow folk to chat with and cheer up kids who's lives have been touched by Cancer.

This is what it says on this great site......

"It's you, members of the public who help make a difference to sick children by logging online and sending post to the Pals, but behind that is a network of dedicated volunteers (Snaily trailers) who handle all kinds of jobs.

The Team knew their health was likely to cause problems with trying to run the project and so they set about finding some special people (us) who could give an hour or two a week to assist the team with the little and not so little jobs. Sometimes it's research or making hand made cards, teaching one of us to use a program or compiling charity lists. The team feel we are just as important to Post Pals as them, the Pals and lovely people like you. There are too many of us to mention by name, but at the last team meeting there was a delivery of snails arrived for the birthday boxes. The little blighters had a mind of their own and before we knew it they were out of control. In a flash Kat found a camera and we think it’s the perfect picture to represent those who do so much and ask for so little in return, the 'Snaily trailers'!"

Click on the link to your left and take a look.Thanks :-)

Well done to the Duke of Wellington Pub Leasingham.....NOT!

Can I just say many thanks to the Landlord/Landlady of the Duke of Wellington pub in Leasingham for their generous and public spirited actions that they have invoked recently, namely the placing of vehicles in the entrances of their car park to prevent parents from dropping off and picking up their youngsters in safety at the start and end of the school day :-).
Now i do understand that they may feel that parents are taking something of a liberty by parking up in their car park whilst dropping off their sproggs, but the reality is that they are not causing any real problems to the parking of the pubs customers, and more to the point some of the parents are also past or maybe future clients....or could have been until they found out that the publicans at the D of W are seemingly lacking in any public spirit, and consider the petty act of denying access to a safe area to drop off young children is fully justified.
All i can say to the folk in the pub is that although they may have the right to do this, perhaps they would like to consider how they would feel if a 4,5, or 6 year old ends up under a car because they had to alight from a car in an overcrowded street when (until recently) there was an empty car park within a short distance of their school.......it could happen.

Please reconsider your actions folks, it's a small village school, the cars are all gone within 25 mins and it would certainly make the parents of the kids more likely to become future customers.......Ta!

New "Family Bus" now in service...but with a few hiccups!

Last week we finally took delivery of our new "Family Bus" which this time is in the shape of a 2006 Skoda Roomster TDi. It's a great motor, and on the face of it, it will be a lot more economical to run than the last motor, the Hyundai Trajet. Why? Well for a start the road tax on the Roomster is only £125 per year as opposed to £118 per 6 months on the Jet, economy is also a lot better, with the Roomster attaining an MPG figure of 49, whilst the Hyundai would only ever manage 39-40.

The new(ish!) car has only 16,000 miles on it at not quite 3 years since purchase (it was my dads before we bought it!), has a full service history and came with a new MOT and a years tax (thanks Pop!). However!...............

We have been informed now by the garage that carried out the MOT that due to some mistake, the Pass form for the car refers to it as a Skoda "Fabia", which of course it is not!. To cut a long story short, VOSA (The government agency that issues MOT's and carries out vehicle checks) have requested that we take the car to Sheffield so that they can see if it indeed a Roomster and not a Fabia!. I pointed out the fact that the DVLA (another government agency) had listed it on our V5 as a Roomtser and by that fact could they not simply take the DVLA's word for it (!), but no, that of course would be far to logical and easy. The result then is that at some point in the next few weeks we need to get the car up to Sheffield and have some bloke with a clipboard confirm that we are indeed driving a Roomster and not (as i have already pointed out at some legths!) a Fabia!. Nice to be trusted, and nice to know that the left and right arms of the system still don't know what either is doing...some things never change :-)

A new project on the horizon ?

Although nothing has been confirmed at this point, i can tell you that there is a plan Afoot (is that a real word?) to give Scarlett a new mission for next year. All I will say at this moment is that it involves a local technical collage,Leukaemia research and me...and Scarlett.

Suffice to say, the current artwork that is (still!) on the car may soon be being replaced with something....else :-)

I have a feeling that the task of calling on,calling up and begging for donations of money,goods and help may soon be back on my agenda.....oh well, you know that i love it all really !.

Did i mention that it is Leukaemia Research's 50 anniversary next year ? (hint!) :-).Andy

Question: Do you know who Susan Eastwood was ?

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Former Southport FC star loses brother to leukaemia

SOUTHPORT FC officials and fans have sent condolences to a former star who last week lost his brother to leukaemia.

Carl Baker, 26, now at Stockport County and tipped for the Premier League, was supported throughout his three-and-a-half year career at Haig Avenue by older brother, Michael.

The 34-year old, known to many fans of the Sandgrounders, died last Wednesday after suffering a relapse.

Carl, who scored 35 goals in 140 starts for the Haig Avenue club between November 2003 and April 2007, scored twice against Yeovil Town at the weekend – dedicating both to his big brother.

Southport boss Liam Watson, who signed the youngster from Prescot Cables, said: "Myself and the whole club want to send our condolences to Carl and his family after the death of his brother Mike last week, a real tragic loss.

"I consider Carl family, there is that bond between us, and I spoke to him before the weekend and told him he should go and play against Yeovil – to score two goals was just incredible after what he has had to cope with."

Michael, 34, was a psychiatric nurse in Whiston hospital and had been given the all-clear before relapsing.

Carl’s younger brother, Dean, 17, also fights the disease.

Condolences to the family for their loss and best wishes to Dean in his own battle with the disease.

(Story courtesy of the Southport Visitor Newspaper) click HERE to see thier Webpage.

New Zealand Rugby Boss Jock Hobbs reveals he has CLL

New Zealand Rugby Union chairman Jock Hobbs is battling leukaemia.
The former All Black, 49, who is credited with bringing the Rugby World Cup 2011 to New Zealand, confirmed yesterday that he had cancer.
"Yes, I have been diagnosed with leukaemia but it's in a chronic form, not acute," he told The Dominion Post. "It's being monitored and I feel fine."

To read the full story click HERE.

Still chasing !......

Got a phone call back from the lady at the Daily Mirror,she tells me that in 1979 they ran a serialisation of the book in the newspaper, and this was arranged through a company known as Gazelle books of Australia.She also suggested that a call to the British Library might be a good idea.
I found a website for a company called Gazelle books, but this turned out to be a UK company which was not connected to the Australian operation......i apologised to the lady for calling her by mistake, then resumed the search.
I intend to try to talk to the company in Australia if i manage to track them down, but also, now i must consider the possibility that perhaps a lot of the businesses involved in the release of the work may no longer be in existence....what then?

What i could really do with at this point is a bit of random good luck in my search.......until then, i must try to make some of my own! :-)

By the way, i have bought 2 Euro Lotto tickets, not checked them yet, but as stated earlier, if i was (by some miracle!) to win, several deserving charities will too!..........with a share of the spare £75 million :-)

Chasing Shadows.Will I find the copyright owner ?

Today, after spending a good half hour attempting to resolve the problems surrounding my Tiscali Broadband issues (Its a long tale...don't go there!), i eventually got around to solving a puzzle that has had me well and truly baffled for some weeks now, namely, who actually owns the copyright for the Shirley Nolan book "A kiss through glass" published by Mirror books in 1979?.
Sounds easy doesn't it !, simply click a few buttons on the old laptop and the Internet will reveal all....or perhaps not!.
The problem revolves around the fact that :

A) Shirley died in 2002
B) Anthony (her only child) died in 1979
C) The Mirror Book Publishers no longer exist (as far as i am aware)
D) Shirley's ex husband is not easy to locate, if indeed he is still with us.
E)The Anthony Nolan Trust do not own the copyright
F) There are no real records as to who now owns the copyright in 2009

Today I phoned a few places after my inquiry at the local library sadly revealed no more leads to follow yesterday.My last call today was to a lady at the Mirror Group of Newspapers who (as far as I can ascertain) may be the best people to talk to regarding copyright of a book that was originally published by one of their subsidiaries some 30 years ago.

Why am I chasing this shadow? Well, a few months ago i suggested to Nigel Gorvett (the Anthony Nolan Trust donor recruitment regional organiser for the North of England) that re issuing the book written by Shirley would be a fantastic way of A) Raising the profile of the work that the ANT does, and B) may be a way to raise much needed funds for the trust to help with their work.
I was rather surprised then a few weeks later, to be told that the Anthony Nolan Trust did not in actual fact own the copyright for this publication, and so,sure that this idea was worth pursuing, i made it my goal to try to establish the facts, and if possible to get the book which documents a mothers unfaltering love for her seriously ill child, into publication once more.

Will it happen?.....only time will tell, but by god if I fail it won't be due to lack of effort on my part :-).

By the way, if i win the (estimated ) £85 million quid on the Euro Lottery tonight, i WILL be giving £75 million to as many bloody charities as i can........AND THAT IS A PROMISE !......you saw it here...now keep your fingers crossed :-)

Mary Travers of 1960s folk anthem trio dies of Leukaemia at 72

Yet another name that i grew up with has sadly passed away this week.Mary Travers, one of the members of the trio called "Peter,Paul and Mary" died this week after a long battle with Leukaemia.
The group was best known for the classic tracks "puff the magic Dragon" and "If i had a hammer".

To read the full story about Mary, click HERE

And here, for your trip down memory lane, is the wonderful "Puff the Magic Dragon" song :-)

Patick Swayze dies of Pancreatic Cancer aged just 57

I was so saddened to hear today that the actor Patrick Swayze has sadly lost his battle with the pancreatic cancer that he was diagnosed with some months ago.

I remember many of his films during the 80's and 90's such as Roadhouse,Dirty dancing and of course the classic film Ghost.

The great thing about the guy was that he always hated the arrogant,overpaid showbiz types, he once said that he thought paying Hollywood actors huge salaries was "raping the industry and taking food out of the mouths of people".

Patrick Swayze was responsible for some of the most iconic movie scenes ever - not something many actors can lay claim to and far more importantly he worked tirelessly for charity and environmentally causes, something that so many "A" Lister's tend to forget to do when they are blessed with great success !

R.I.P Patrick.

Here are clips from a few of his films........

A tale to warm your heart...or at least dry your washing!

Early in 2008 we had to replace our ageing tumble dryer due to it being "worked to death" by a never ending line of wet washing.

We bought a replacement dryer of the same brand,"White Night".I picked it up from the Curry's electrical store in Sleaford, took it home and put it to work immediately working it's way through our seemingly never reducing pile of newly washed clothes (this is when you know you have 3 children in a household!).

All was well for several months until the machine started to make a rather nasty grinding noise when it was in use, so, after putting up with this for a few days, i got on the phone and called the company to see what could be done.They sent out a fella to collect the dryer, who took it away in his van, then a few days later it was returned fixed!.....great :-).

Fast forward another 6-7 months and the noise began again, we made plans to call the company once more (even though by now the warranty was expired!), but fate intervened and during one particularly heavy drying session Teresa noticed a rather worrying burning smell!.She went into the kitchen and was greeted by a haze of smoke coming from the dryer!. She turned the machine off, opened the door and immediately noticed that the back of the dryer now appeared to be missing...well that was until she found the missing back mixed in with the half dry clothes.

On further investigation she found that a sock (one of mine...typical!) had entered the hole which had been left by the displacement of the rear of the drum, and had been cooking away merrily on the heating element!.......not a good smell she tells me...even with a clean sock :-0.

The following day, after hearing the story of woe from my dearly beloved, i made a call to Crosslee, the company who make the White Knight range of appliances, and explained what had happened. I was expecting nothing to be honest, and was extremely amazed,surprised and chuffed to bits when the lady told me how sorry the company was for our little excursion into toasted socks, and that they would arrange for a new machine to be delivered asap!.......and do you know what? They did what they promised!.A few days later a courier arrived, took the rather sad original machine away, and left a spanking new one for us....how good is that?

Crosslee are based in Halifax,UK and i just really wanted to share this story with you to illustrate that there are still some damn good British companies out there who feel an obligation towards their customers.....Well done Crosslee (White Knight) and i for one will happily recommend you to my friends and family.......now, how much did they say the cheque would be for if i gave them a plug on my blog?....lol :-)

Here is a well deserved link to their site: Click HERE

Family bus has now been sold.....now wife has no car for 10 days

Well we said a fond farewell to our trusty Hyundai Trajet on Sunday morning when the people from Aylesbury came up to take her back "daan Saath" with them.
Teresa seemed a little edgy that morning, and me, being my usual self, could not see why that was. A little later i could see her looking a little teary eyed, and it then transpired that she was feeling a little sad that after owning the car since 2003, it was now time to go our separate ways and bid farewell to the old (ish!) girl.
She reminded me that when we bought the car in September 2003, our boy (mini me!) was only 4 months old, and that we had revelled in the fact that suddenly we were able to put the pram into the car without any of the usual shenanigans that normally come with collapsing a pram to fit in the boot!...you could simply put the whole ruddy thing in and be off on your way...bliss!.
Can I just say to my poor wife that I am truly sorry that I did not appreciate just how attached you had become to the ol "Jet", and i was so caught up in making the arrangements for its "disposal" that i completely missed the fact that it had become something of a "part of the family". Sorry.
Anyway, on a more practical note, she now has to be car-less for the next 10 days, but luckily her sister Kath has offered to get both her and Andy Jr to his new school during that time...so thanks must go to Kath for that offer of help :-)

How strange.......We won a Trophy :-} Horaaahhhh !

Yippee!.We managed by some miracle today to be lucky enough to win a trophy, and no, it was not for the "Best Red Scirocco towing a half Scirocco" category !.
The category that we won was actually the "Well Loved,Well used" section, and I guess that it was quite a fitting category for a car that has spent the last 2 and a half years of it's life helping to raise money for charity, and in between, getting me to work!.


Great result, and just a quick thanks to Pitstop again who delivered a battery to me during the show after the original expired whilst supplying my 600w inverter (running the Laptop,monitor to show Glens brilliant DVD which covers our Little adventure in a quite amazing way.
Thanks also to our mate Nooky Nauyokas who put in an appearance at the show (in civvies) with his wife Liz, to help us raise some dosh for the help to hero's charity. You can just see him stood behind his better half in the photo, but sadly he was "guzzumped" by mini me who got into the foreground as i took the shot...bless him!.Good job that Nooky had gone by the end of the show as i am pretty sure that he would have been rather pleased about being refered to by the announcer as " Cpl Nico's of the channel 4 programme lads army"....oooppps !



One last thanks must also go to Matt of Xtreme Valeting in Sleaford who kindly offered to cast some of his magic on Scarlett's rather dirty looking tyres (well she does work for a living you know!).The result was that he made her footwear (or is that tyre wear?) look fantastic, and made her make over complete...thanks Matt :-).

We're going to the Sleaford Classic Car Show Today :-)....eventually!

Mini me,Scarlett and Myself are off to the Sleaford Classic Car show this morning. Starts at about 10:30, but we can start to get set up anytime after 8am, so i intend (if mini me actually decides to get out of bed today!) to arrive between 8:30 and 9am.......that's the plan!.

I have decided that to round off the year we will be trying to raise some funds for the "Help for Hero's" charity by collecting donations for them, and then at some point Nooky Nauyokas will pop down to us, shout at a few people (cos that's what he does!) then accept any donations and put them towards the money he is raising when he goes off on his (Mad?) walk across the Sahara later this month......only joking Nooky, hope that the walk goes well and that you and Liz have a great, if rather sweaty,time!.

Anyway, I hope to see some of you (my readers) there,so pop over and say hello...i don't bite!....much!. :-)

Cheers.Andy

The Frog Died...and it was (sort of!) my fault!

During the weekend we bought another rabbit hutch to try and accommodate our ever increasing brood (is that the right term?) of floppy bunnies. Also at the weekend whilst installing the said hutch into the rear garden, we spotted our resident frog hiding amongst the long grass behind the 2 current hutches. Andy Jr loves anything like this, spiders,snails....frogs etc, and he was made up at having seen our "own" frog was still living in our back garden."How cool is that dad"? he said.

Later in the day I decided to give the Rocco a quick wash, along with our family MPV (which has now been sold and is awaiting pickup this weekend!), and after about an hour the deed was done and so i decided to have a nice cuppa and left the bucket with the sponge against the garage door intending to empty it later.

Roll on now to Monday evening.We have been out to Wicksteed park (see previous post!), and as the car has now been sold I decided that it needed a quick wheel wash to keep it looking spick and span for it's new owners. I picked up the bucket and sponge which was still waiting to be emptied from the previous car washing endeavor, and proceeded to give the wheels a once over to shift the dirt.

I first noticed a rather nasty smell, something like bad fish, after doing the first wheel, but decided it was just the old water in the bucket, so I continued.It wasn't until i felt something touch my hand that i felt suddenly concerned that there was more to the whiff of rotten fish than I first assumed.
I emptied the bucket out in the drain...and with the last bit of water...out popped..or rather,flopped, a very sorry looking (and very expired!) frog.
I guess that he(or she!) must have somehow managed to get into the bucket, either intentionally or accidentally, only to realise (too late!) that the water was full of car cleaning shampoo...and this,dear reader was how our friendly family frog ended up very clean, but sadly, also very deceased...and I honestly do feel very guilty about the whole affair.....almost as bad as when i left a bucket full of old engine oil out over the weekend after carrying out a lube on the Scirocco,only to discover the following week when i took it down to the recycling centre,that a bird had fallen in and (sorry!) drowned in my multigrade.But that is another rather sad story......