Meeting at Neurosupport 27/04/09 12-2.30pm

Don't forget the next volunteers meeting at the centre on Monday 27th April

Starting with lunch at 12 noon and the meeting to start at 12.30pm all being well and finish by 2.30pm

Their are 10 items on the agenda but if you don't make it look out for "The Neuro News" with all the minutes and discussion about the meeting and of course I will put the "News" in this Blog

Hope to see you all on the day Ta for now

Alan

5 seconds more

In some ways writing as I do sometimes thinking of what to write sometimes that just comes out in how things happen
This weekend gone Sally and me went on a weekend break one of those deals that you see in the weekend papers and a good deal it was, staying at Wetherby, not far from York and Harrogate so Betty's Teashop is always on the agenda NOT too much money to spend on a cup of tea and cakes although last year we did succumb to Betty's finest and fine they were but for a very large hole at the end of the tea in my wallet, but I am losing the thread of what I wanted to say.
The weekend was looked forward to for some time and the prospect of good weather can always be left to chance at this time of year but the forecast was good all we had to do is turn up and go driving was not a problem as York is only about 100 miles away not too long for the old man (that's me) to drive.

However things did not go to plan, we did have our weekend away but not as we thought Sally was not well and a visit to the doctor confirmed what we all know now as a virus infection congestion in the lungs the antibiotics should work in time well maybe not they only had 2 days to work on a course of 5 days although the coughing was not that bad was it?
We did make the weekend but not doing as much as we would normally do.

Well the gods on that Sunday 19th April were looking after us both on our way back we would go via Skipton and then on to Colne Boundary Mill for that last pair of shoes/dress/coat/hat you name it they have got it that we must buy. Should only take us an hour after breakfast were my words ,however I do have a nickname "Biggles" which involves a broken car/a semi-final and getting lost on the way home maybe more of that story another time it's a great one to tell over a few pints, and yes we did take a wrong turning somewhere which leads me to a crossroads in a major road at lights waiting for them to change and on a hill, I was going straight across but out the corner of my eye I saw another car as my lights changed green going very fast and heading for the junction I was crossing, I was able to stop as I was only going slow as the other car went through the red light and collided with a car that was going in the opposite direction to me.

So 5 seconds more would have been a different story as the car would surely have collided with the passenger side of our car and I may have not been writing this blog now. Luckily no one was hurt although both cars will need a bit more than a day getting repaired.

Things like that leave you wondering about life and things

Are we getting old ?

As my brother Jeff embarks at last on his journey that started sometime ago his move to live in Spain with his wife Lydia who is Spanish, his journey has been a long and difficult one.

Growing up as we did when we were young in the shadow that is Anfield for me 10 years for him only 6 years and then like all who lived in the terrace house with an outside toilet and no hot water or central heating we moved to a place that we did not know about, Kirkby( I have spelt it the way it was when we first moved and how my mum would always say that we we came from Kirkby not Kirby) a land of high rise flats and lots of green spaces and also lots of us, that is under 16years of age and living in Kirkby, at one time if I remember correctly the biggest population of under 16years old in Europe, some year in the early sixties I'm not sure what year or if that information is right or is it just an urban myth that grew up around where we lived.

In those days it always had a bad press(you had to pay the taxi driver first before he would set off to take you hometo Kirkby)and in later years as well I remember an incident when by now I was working at running pubs, a new manager from the brewery who I was talking to at a conference mentioned that he had been round Kirkby and likened it to Beruit with all the bars on windows and barbed wire on the pubs he had visited , a look of despair,I had to remind him that lots of good people lived in Kirkby and especially 3, my mum, dad and brother: he walked away muttering to himself about me, but for my brother you see unlike myself who has moved around this city,7 times since leaving Kirkby in the early seventies, he has never left his home where we first went to all those years ago.

Now for him and myself 50 years have passed and as I visited the house maybe for the last time with my wife yesterday to go out for a meal with my brother and his wife, I look around the house filled with boxes and memories of happy and some sad,times when we lived there together with my mum and dad,who are both no longer with us, so Are we getting old ? I think so but as my brother and his wife embark on a new chapter in ther lives our home will now fill with other peoples new memories of hopes and dreams maybe similar to those of my mum and dad when we first went there all those years ago in 1958.

So now I wish my brother and his wife well in their new start in Spain and maybe in the future you will see pictures of us all together enjoying the sun in Spain.

let us remember them

I thought that this was a timely reminder to us all of that fateful now 20 years ago
i pinched this off Gordon's webpage I don't think he will mind

LET US REMEMBER THEM
On that fateful day15th April 1989
With banners waving the weather was fine
Liverpool fans set off to catch a bus
To beat Nottingham Forest was a must
They travelled to Hillsborough which was the venue
Staunch Liverpudlians through and through
Football would never be the same
Their tickets were marked west stand Leppings Lane
Let’s get to the front and get a good speck
Before too long they were on the deck
The crowd were pushing they could not breathe
It was then a mate grabbed hold of his sleeve
The crowd were shouting “Get us out of here”
People were choking you could smell the fear
Six minutes past three the game was stopped
His mate let go and the young fan dropped
People crying for help they needed first aid
It was then his life began to fade
He only went to support his team
That day was to be the end of his dream
He lay there dying his face turned grey
96 fans died on that terrible day
Some papers said they had all been drinking
What lies were told what were they thinking
20years to the day still no justice for them all
How could this happen watching a game of football
On the15th April 1989 96 fans would meet their fate
They would still be alive if the bus had been late
G.W.MilwardMarch 2009
Posted by compo at 11:37

things that I have missed

In the last Neuro News their were somethings that didn't make the last one so here are all John's things that get you mad complete and also Keith and the recipes that I keep on forgetting to include although with all things it's all about how much space we have and cost of course that's my excuse and I am sticking to it.
The other news at the moment is Ameena is back in hospital and we all wish her a speedy recovery
recipes from Keith

Pakora
l2Sg (4 oz) gram flour* 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon chili powder* about 150 ml (1/4 pint) water 2green chilies*, finely chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander* 1 teaspoon melted butter or ghee* 2 onions, cut into rings oil for deep-frying 8 small fresh spinach leaves 2-3 potatoes, parboiled and sliced
Sift the flour, salt and chili powder into a bowl. Stir in sufficient water to make a thick batter and beat well until smooth. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Stir the chilies and coriander into the batter, then add the melted butter or ghee. Drop in the onion rings to coat thickly with batter. Heat the oil in a deep pan, drop in the onion rings and deep-fry until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm. Dip the spinach leaves into the batter and deep—fry in the same way, adding more oil to the pan if necessary. Finally, repeat the process with the potato slices. Serve hot. . Serves 4
Chicken Tikka
l5Og (5.2 oz) natural yogurt I table spoon grated ginger* 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon chili powder* I table spoon ground coriander seeds* 1/2 teaspoon salt juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons oil 750 (11/2 Ib) chicken breasts, skinned and boned TO GARNISH: 1 onion, sliced 2 tomatoes, quartered 4 lemon twists
Mix together in a bowl all the ingredients except the chicken. Cut the chicken into cubes and drop into the marinade. Cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight. Thread the chicken on to 4 skewers and cook under a prehe.3ted hot grill for 5 to 6 minutes, turning frequently. Remove the chicken from the skewers and arrange on individual serving plates. Garnish with onion, tomato and lemon to serve. Serves 4





Stir-Fried Pork and Mange-Tout
350g (12 oz) lean pork, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons dry sherry 4 dried Chinese mushro6ms* 1 tablespoon oil 25Og (8 oz) mange-tout 4
1 kg (2 lb) lean spare ribs
Salt

Put the .pork in a bowl with the soy sauce and sherry. Mix well to coat, then leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Soak the dried mushrooms in warm ‘.rater for,5 minutes. Squeeze dry and discard the hard stalks, then slice the mushroom caps. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the meat and marinade. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add the mange-tout and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Spoon the mixture onto a warmed serving dish and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6


"Things that get you mad"by John Evans

Things that get you mad

1. People who say “I will ring you back”, and don’t.
2. You plan to mow your lawn after a few days, or a week or so, of nice weather, and it rains!
3. You arrange with a company to have repairs or modifications carried out on your home, and nobody turns up on the scheduled day. They don’t even contact you to let you know.
4. You are waiting patiently to move into a parking space that a driver is vacating, when suddenly someone unseen by you races in first.
5. You are a good way through writing a letter to a relative or friend, when suddenly the ink in your pen runs out. You don’t have a black or a blue pen to match.
6. You are out shopping with your wife (or husband), and you decide to go your separate ways for a while. You arrange to meet up later by using your mobile phones to contact each other. Alas, someone has a flat battery.
7. You place an on-line order through a web-site. After patiently filling in all the necessary details you press, submit, and nothing happens.
8. You phone for a taxi, are informed by the radio operator “ It will be with you shortly” and have to re-dial half an hour later to confirm (or complain)
9. (For the ladies) After spending quite some time preparing and styling your hair for an evening out, you step outside out of the house, and there is a gale blowing!!!

Tuesday will never be the same again

It with some sadness that I write this today as I want to tell you about Jessie who has left the centre to go on to do different things.
As we were sending out the latest “Neuro News “ Jan/Feb 2009 to everyone Jessie was telling me that she was leaving, I know she talked about it before Christmas but in the new year she came and went as we all do working to help others but it must of been at the back of her mind all along to leave.
Jessie and I started on the same day we attended that same course that will now be taking place for some new volunteers, but 10+ years have passed by for me and Jessie and last year we received our 10 years of service to the centre at the AGM in October 2008. Where have all those years gone since we both stepped through those doors?
The course went well for both of us and we decided to stick with Tuesday as our day to volunteer and over the years I have known Jessie I have always enjoyed her company with lots of laughs along the way some tears as well but mostly laughs, she will be sadly missed by us all. Jessie on the left with Mary at 2007 AGM Tuesday will never be the same again

try not to forget

This has been a labour of love for me to sit down and sometimes put my thoughts on paper for all the world to see but sometimes we forget why we do what we do that is to try and help others who may have been going through what we have, whether we are a carer like myself or someone who has a neurological condition we all meet in the place we call work Neurosupport giving our time to try and help others.
So try and not forget that this Blog has other articles that have taken my thoughts to write so look up the old as well as the new

I will try and include things that don,t always make the Neuro News. Their is one that I will write about soon about someone who has been with me since I started all those years ago when I walked through those doors to be a volunteer, but more of that later.

Keep reading and I will keep writing