Motor Neurone Disease - Global Awareness Day

This Friday 21st June, is Global Awareness Day for Motor Neurone Disease.

To promote awareness of this terminal disease, a film called "I Am Breathing" has been released to document the last few months of a young father's life as the disease takes hold of his body leaving him paralysed and on a ventilator. It was only 12 short months from his diagnosis to his death, hardly enough time to see his son take his first steps or say his first words. His widow was featured on ITV This Morning this week.

Ned is a neighbour and father to one of the The Princess's school friends. He was a fighter pilot when he noticed his first symptoms more than 10 years ago and has lived with the disease and its incredibly debilitating symptoms since. He is not only a father and a husband but he is also an inspiration to so many.

There is no predicting how the disease will progress or how quickly. Neil, in the film, died within a year. Ned, 10 years on, is still fighting. There is no cure for MND. Donations fund care for those that are affected by the disease and research in the hope that one day a cure can be found. If you are able to spare a few pennies or, better yet, a few pounds you can donate by following this link to the MNDA website.

If you have the opportunity to go and see the film please do.

Thank you.

Silent Sunday

Ring, damn you!

Last week I got a phone call that had me squealing like a girl.
This week I have been waiting for the phone to ring to confirm it.
The phone hasn't rung.
It's still a possibility. But increasingly a slim possibility.
So this week I will not watch my phone. I will not wait. I will not be disappointed.


Instead I will get excited about BRITMUMS LIVE!

I will be there. I'll be clutching my phone, trying to remember how to work twitter so I can find people, and snapping the instagram life out of my battery.

I am so excited about meeting some blogging buddies and making some new friends, especially my fellow 365'ers. See you there I hope!

Waiting by the school gates. Phone hasn't rung.

Dripping school run. No messages.

Look! Over there! A phone that isn't ringing.

Head sized cookie break. While the phone doesn't ring.

Tea break in the garden. Away from the phone.

Daydreaming out of a rain splatered window. About a non existent phone call.

The Wee One playing the fool. While I panic about a lack of phone signal.

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How to eat a Ferrero Rocher

Picasion

I absolutely love Ferrero Rocher so when a friend of mine gave me a box for my birthday I could not have been happier. I must have previously bored her with my love of retro confectionery so it was in no way a naff present. It was perfect.

We then got talking about how you eat yours and I was amazed to discover that not everyone knows how to eat a Ferrero Rocher. I mean, some people don't even know that you nibble the chocolate off a Kit Kat first, or eat the caramel off the top of a Twix before eating the biscuit! Astonishing! However I did learn that you should always peel the chocolate off the top of a Tunnocks teacake to reveal the perfect marshmallow dome of sweetness, thus proving you are never too old to learn something new.

That said, I feel it is absolutely necessary to instruct the nation the on the correct way to eat a Ferrero Rocher before any more chocolates come to a wasteful, eaten in one, end. 

1. Ensure Ferrero Rocher is at room temperature.
2. Carefully remove foil wrapper and smooth out to form a perfect silver square*
3. Nibble outer chocolate and hazelnut casing taking care not to damage the wafer shell beneath.**
4. Separate two halves of wafer shell by gently opening at join. **
5. Lick out praline from one half of shell (preferably the half that does not contain the hazelnut).
6. Eat that half shell allowing wafer to dissolve on the tongue.
7. Lick out second half of shell reserving hazelnut to crunch on last.
8. Repeat stage 6 with second half of wafer.
9. Lick fingers.

Notes:
* In case of a ripped foil wrapper, reserve a foil wrapper from a previous chocolate to substitute.
** If at any point the wafer shell breaks, consume remaining Ferrero Rocher whole and start again.

Just in case I missed the memo on how to eat a Jaffa Cake, please feel free to educate me how you eat your confectionery.

Silent Sunday

Hiding

It is so easy to hide behind your own front door, behind your children, behind your partner.
But occasionally, when you summon the courage to step forward, you are surprised by the warm welcome waiting for you. This week has been a little like that. Friends have been wonderful and generous to a fault, bringing smiles and laughter, hugs and kisses, and chocolate and wine.

I have had a lovely birthday/birthweek extended through the generosity of friends.

Layers of leaves hiding from the glare of the sun.
Laughter behind the cow parsley.
Hiding in the willow maze.
Giant splashes of yellow pop out from simple green buds.
Bubbles blown into a  milk shake.
The elusive S was hiding under an elephant.
A surprise Raaawr!


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Two

You know that completely baffling and confusing moment when you realise you've forgotton your own birthday?
No?
Just me then.

I actually didn't forget my real life birthday. I well and truly enjoyed that with a glass or two of Pimms with some wonderfully generous and gorgeous friends.

How many chins? Birthday silliness.

It was on Sunday. I wasn't two.



BUT MY BLOG WAS!

I missed my bloggerversary.

How could I?

Happy Second birthday, Five Go Blogging!

The Big One, when he was a wee one.

This revelation has made me realise that I have been neglecting my blog. I've been taking it for granted, cruising through the week with an review here and a couple of my favourite weekly linkies there but I haven't been in love with it like I used to. I could blame that floosy Instagram but in all honesty I've just been lazy.

So my dear blog, my birthday present to you is a makeover. New header, new buttons, and some new fresh content. Watch this space!


Joining in with Sticky Fingers and the theme of Two for The Gallery.