MND can get in the sea

We love our new running buggy! We've had it for a couple of weeks now, have already completed three parkruns and have been out and about around our area on smaller training runs. I'm starting to trust Alice not to push me out into traffic (or litter bins), and we even used it to go to the chippy this week! It's hard for Alice as the chair and I weigh 80kg and it must be like pushing a big baby around, but she's up for the task and it means we can still get out and do what we love.  It was largely thanks to a donation from Challenging MND that made this possible. Inspired by British triathlete, Alex Gibson, who was diagnosed in 2018, Challenging MND is a charity set up with the mission to provide financial support and assistance to those living with motor neurone disease, to complete any lasting memorable challenges or experiences. Whilst the MNDA raises money for much needed research and practical care, Challenging MND sets out to create experiences for sufferers, givin...

I didn't leave the house for 5 days this week! I still didn't feel right after feeling ill last week so from Monday to Friday I stayed home and relaxed. I wasn't bored though. I drunk lots of coffee, played a lot of records, did a lot of writing on a little project I'm working on, and sorted through my library of books. I have a big pile of annuals that I have collected over the years that Alice doesn't want so I've put them all on Vinted to see if there is any interest in them. We all used to love an annual at Christmas and my collection includes The Pink Panther, The Magic Roundabout, Popeye, Whizzer & Chips  Blue Peter, Top Of The Pops, Hotspur, Tiger, and lots of Roy Of The Rovers. I have another pile by my bed of all the books I want to read before my fingers can't turn the pages. It's a mixture of novels and non-fiction, and again Roy Race features heavily. I even managed to sit outside a couple of times in the sunshine,...

Alice and I have been totally amazed by the number of family and friends that have raised money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in my name and we are so thankful to all of them. In 2023, the year of my fall and diagnosis, my daughter Rachel, my niece Alex and my work colleague Anna, all ran 60 miles each in August. None of them are regular runners so this really was a challenge and I thank you ladies! Our lovely MND home volunteer Susan, then walked 75 miles with her dog, Doug in October. My friend Julie Binnington walked to all 136 churches on the Isle of Wight and the photos on her Facebook page looked amazing.  My colleagues in the research department of the hospital organised a Great Office Bake Off with 4 weeks of different categories of bakes in aid of the MNDA, and the final week was in my office - yum! My running friend and fellow football fan Glen Jones organised a Friendly Frolic in October, where 125 runners ran different loops out and back to the Bargeman's Re...

After two years of excitement following the announcement of their engagement, my daughter Rachel married her boyfriend Max this week, and it was a glorious and emotional day. The venue, a farmhouse with converted barns, within the island's West Wight countryside, was gorgeous, and the day was just perfect.  While the ladies were having their hair and make up done at the farmhouse, the men were in the annex trying on our jackets and ties. We could hear them laughing, helped along by prosecco, while we were sorting our button holes and pocket squares between kraken shots. I wore my dad's ring and the cufflinks with Father Of The Bride etched on them that Rachel had given me. I was also presented with a tie that had a photo of the two of us from when she was a baby, printed on the inside. It was a lovely touch, and I couldn't wait to see her in her dress. Since my diagnosis, Rachel and I have been hoping that my failing legs would allow me to walk her down the aisle, ...