Friday 55 Flash Fiction # 23 Vandals

Vandals

“We’ll have to stop” said Brad “Don’t open the windows.”

“That crowd looks angry”, said Karen.

One of them pulled off a wiper whilst another tugged at the wing mirror.

“Drive, now, Brad please!”

They were all over the car now, banging, menacing, screeching.

“Hell” said Brad “We’re not coming to the safari park again!”

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

Hair today, gone tomorrow......

David's (Authorblog) Weekend Wandering question this week is:

Have you ever had a hairstyle that makes you cringe when you think about it now?

If you'd like to join in here's what David would like you to do.

Please answer today's question on your own blog, any time until next weekend. Just link to this blog (or to this post) so I can follow the progress of the discussion.The question is: Have you ever had a hairstyle that makes you cringe when you think about it now?

I tended to follow fashion as far as hairstyles were concerned once I got into my teens, but only three hairstyles really stand out in my memory.

When I was 18 ish the fashion was very long and straight with a fringe, like Cathy McGowan off Ready Steady Go. I loved that look and it stayed with me until I was about 22.

Then there was the Purdey cut that Joanna Lumley made famous when she played Purdey, John Steed’s (Patrick Macnee) sidekick in the Avengers – everyone went mad for that one, including me and Princess Diana.





Do you remember curly perms in the late 70’s early 80’s ? I had one – to my utter dismay! That is the hairstyle that makes me cringe.

It looked very much like the photo below (not me btw).



Of course everyone had perms then, it was the fashion, but when I look at photographs of me from that time I just think “OMG whatever was I thinking?” If you had a lot of hair like me you ended up looking like an explosion in a mattress factory. Even men had perms – like Kevin Keegan – both my brothers copied this look. MWM didn’t need to his hair was naturally curly but he hated it.


Apparently perms are making a comeback now, but I think I’ll give it a miss that was one hairstyle I wouldn’t want to repeat.

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Guess what?

I've been given another award. If you think I'm ebarrassed think again, I'm not I love them!

Tisha (Crazy Working Mom) very kindly gave me this award.

Thank you Tisha. x

You know I like to share any awards I get and this one didn't come with any instructions so please, if you make a comment on this post, take the award with my love.

Cures for Cancer?.............

You may have seen my ‘Make A Wish’ star recently which said:

“I wish someone would find a cure for all types of cancer”

My mother died from cancer in 1988 and I have lost other members of my family and friends to the disease. You are lucky these days if you don’t know anyone who has suffered or died from one form of cancer or another. However, in recent years great strides have been made in medical research, which have resulted in excellent treatments for cancer, if not cures. I do believe that eventually man will conquer this terrible disease and the scientists, doctors and researchers are making great headway in the fight against it.

Hopefully scientists will find a cure in the not too distant future, here are just a few of the groundbreaking results they’ve had:

Breast Cancer
The most common cause of death from Breast Cancer is the spread of cancerous cells to other parts of the body. Scientists have pinpointed a key gene, SATB1, which controls the behaviour of other genes in tumour cells. US researchers have found that knocking out this gene causes the cancer cells to stop their runaway proliferation. Drugs which interfere with the gene could provide valuable new treatments for the disease.

Ovarian Cancer
Doctors have made the first breakthrough in the treatment of ovarian cancer in 20 years by proving that a common breast cancer drug can significantly cut relapse rates. Tests using an anti-oestrogen drug on a small group of 44 patients extended some of their lives by up to three years and delayed the use of painful chemotherapy for others. If larger trials repeat the findings it will be the first new therapy since the 1980s for a cancer which is often deadly because early diagnosis is so difficult. Apparently the drug Letroxole starves the site of the cancer of Oestrogen which stops tumour growth. Half of ovarian cancers are oestrogen receptive, a similar mechanism to that which works in many breast cancers. Doctors hope to do large scale studies of the drug’s impact earlier in the disease’s progression to see whether it will ‘catch’ it before it reaches the more dire stages.

Testicular Cancer
Scientists have located a gene which increases men's risk of testicular cancer by up to 50 times. Apparently the rogue gene is located on the X chromosome which means it is inherited from the mother. The newly located gene, which has been called TGCT1, makes men who carry it more susceptible to testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) which make up 95% of all testicular cancer cases. The fact that it has been discovered means scientists are just one step away from identifying the gene itself. They also believe that the discovery will help in the treatment of the disease and other forms of cancer. .

Lung Cancer
Scientists have discovered a genetic change in cells that could take them a step closer to identifying those most at risk from this disease, which means that it could lead to a screening programme as in breast and cervical cancer. Most lung cancer deaths are preventable if it is diagnosed at an early stage. Currently the only way to diagnose it is by taking a sample of flesh or cells from inside the lung for analysis and by the time the diagnosis is made the disease is often untreatable. Scientists are working on a non-invasive test using a nebuliser-inhaler which induces a cough and enables scientists to analyse the sputum.

Nature’s Cure?
Could Mint be a cure for cancer? Scientists at Salford University, Manchester, are working on a possible cure for cancer - from mint leaves. The mint in question is a Chinese variety called ‘Scutellaria Barbata’, discovered hundreds of years ago by Chinese doctors. Apparently it has the ability to kill cancer cells by cutting off their blood supply and it seems only to target cancer cells, because normal healthy cells are not vulnerable. Cancer cells are weak and rely on oxygen and nutrients from the blood which makes them susceptible to this drug. I’ve always thought that ‘what nature creates it can cure’ – maybe this could be the answer?

The most exciting news I’ve read recently is that scientists say that Cancer sufferers could be cured with injections of immune cells from other people within two years.

Dr Zheng Cui, of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and his colleagues discovered a male mouse that appeared to be completely resistant to virulent cancer cells of several different types in 1999. Since then more than 2000 mice in 15 generations have been bred from the original cancer-free mouse and 40 per cent of the offspring have inherited the immunity. Dr Cui, whose work is highlighted in New Scientist magazine, has previously shown cells from mice found to be immune to cancer can be used to cure ordinary mice with tumours and a single dose of the cells appeared to give many of the mice resistance to cancer for the rest of their lives. US researchers have been given the go-ahead to give patients transfusions of “super strength” cancer-killing cells from donors. Dr Cui is confident patients could benefit from the technique quickly because the technology used to extract granulocytes is the same as that already used by hospitals to obtain other blood components such as plasma or platelets. This research is truly exciting, you can read about Dr Cui’s exciting discovery here.

A vaccine against cancer – what a wonderful thought!

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Just when you thought the awards were finished for another season - look what I got

from the lovely Mother Of This Lot (Mother's Pride). She was handing out a whole bunch of awards and kindly included me in her ministrations. Thank you Mother! Can I call you Mother?

I get to pass it on and as you all cheer me up everytime you comment I'd love for all of you who comment on this post to take it and pass it on, if you so wish. Love you all. xxxx

Saturday Wordzzle # 8

The idea is, every week Raven (View From A Raven's Nest) gives you between 8 and 10 words/phrases and you have to create a small but coherent paragraph using every one of them and the same with the mini challenge. You can do either or both it's up to you, and you can post them on your blog or email them to Raven.

This Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: galaxy, delta, redecorate, dearth, offshoot, Uthar Pendragon, cordial, gingerbread, foretold, bonnet

Here's my Ten word one:

Jane sat in the garden reading her library book about Uthar Pendragon, wearing her bonnet to shield her eyes from the sun. She had a few days off from work after setting up an offshoot company from her husband’s window blind company. Settled in her garden chair, with a bar of Galaxy chocolate and some gingerbread by her side, she tried not to think about what she should be doing. The aim of having some time off work had been to redecorate the dining room, but as the weather was unseasonably warm she decided to take advantage of it. Delta, her daughter, was calling round later with her new boyfriend Charles, who was a very cordial young man, this pleased Jane greatly as there seemed to be a dearth of nice young these days. When they arrived Jane barely had time to sit them down before they announced to her that they were to become engaged. Jane laughed out loud at the news and told them “I could have foretold that, you are a perfect match!”

And for the Mini Challenge: palliate, functionality, jungle, brass, asphyxiate

Here's mine:

Chris hated being a part of the human jungle, the daily journey to the city was beginning to asphyxiate him. He didn’t see the point, didn’t understand the functionality of what he was doing anymore. The ‘brass’ were a waste of space being palliate when dealing with problems, he’d had enough. “I quit!” he told his boss and walked out with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.

And I did a Megawordzzle using all 15 words:

Uthar Pendragon was from a different galaxy, or so it seemed to his co-workers because he wore a bonnet to cover his red hair, drank cordial and ate gingerbread. He was a little strange, but then he had lived in the jungle for a few years around the Orinoco Delta, until deciding to return to ‘civilisation’, as he put it. No-one really knew him or what he’d been doing for the last five years, he kept himself to himself. He had enjoyed his time living with the natives, who had welcomed him as a God when he’d arrived in a canoe, and he had taken to the role of top brass like a duck to water. He’d been educated at Oxbridge and blinded the natives with science, like when he foretold the next lunar eclipse and explained the functionality of intricate drainage system he helped them build away from the main camp. He lived a life of luxury, well as luxurious as you can get in the jungle, having a hut built for him right next to the tribe’s Chief and someone assigned to generally look after him. Things were just perfect until the Chief brought in a new wife from a neighbouring village, a beautiful young girl called Myani, who literally took Uthar’s breath away as soon as he set eyes on her and the feeling was mutual. There was a dearth of beautiful females in the jungle, all the women seemed to be ugly, which was why Uthar hadn’t taken a wife yet, though the natives had urged him to. At first Uthar tried to keep out of her way, he didn’t want to get involved with her because she was married to the chief, but she was friendly and she was fascinated with his red hair. She visited him frequently and helped him redecorate his hut, bringing fripperies to give it that female touch. He learned that she belonged to an offshoot of the chief’s family and that she hadn’t wanted to leave her home and was desperate to escape. Uthar and Myani became secret lovers and were almost caught out on numerous occasions, but Uthar’s palliate excuses smoothed things over. The Chief was cruel to Myani, she endured beatings and one time he even tried to asphyxiate her, she was saved only by Uthar’s sudden appearance at the Chief’s hut. That was the last straw, Uthar hatched a plan to leave the village and Myani agreed to go with him. He told Myani to tell the Chief she was visiting her family and he would pick her up downriver in a canoe. The plan worked perfectly and they were soon on a plane back to Blighty. They built a new life for themselves in, Uthar picking up where he left off at the bank and Myani keeping house and looking after their two children. Of course neither could ever return to the village but that was a price they were both happy to pay.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction # 22 Robbery

Robbery

“Hand over the cash and don’t make a fuss”.

“What? You can’t do this” she said


“Just put the money in the bag and hand it over”

“You don’t frighten me” she snapped


“You’re gonna get hurt if you don’t do it!”

“Go away and leave us alone.”

“Mummy, Johnny’s spoiling our game of shop!”

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

Bargain.....

Whilst I was off work on Easter holidays recently, we (MWM, youngest son and I) went to a wholesale book warehouse where they have a sale a couple of times a year and all children's reading and activity books, games etc are just £1 each. Now most of these books are between £4.99 and £7.99 each normally but I spent just £14 and got this lot

When I totted up the prices it came to £68! How's that for a bargain?

I'm saving them all until Christmas when I will make up little parcels for our grandchildren - hopefully they will love them.


Youngest son spent £20 and got a shed load of books for his two boys, I don't think we duplicated any, so the Christmas parcels should be OK.


Oh and MWM bought put a book for himself in the basket "Codes - How to make them and break them"! Perhaps he thinks it will help him figure me out! LOL



Now for more awards.........


Mother Of This Lot (Mother's Pride) a recent blog find, (which, if you haven't already, you should read), has a wonderfully talented daughter called Fixer who makes awards for MOTL to dish out. I am a lucky recipient of this masterpiece

How cool is that?


Anyway I get to pass it on to others (in no particular order) who like a good chat, so please take a and a slice of get chatting, and pass it on will you please.......

Queenie (Queenie's Random Ramblings)

Miss U (A Sideways Look at Womanhood)

Linda (Are We There Yet?)

CG (The Compulsive Worrier)

Miss Bee (Muffin 53)

RC (Confessions of a Rotten Correspondent)

Flowerpot (Flowerpot Days)

Mimi (Mimi Writes)

Marmie (Twaddle Everyday Rubbish)

Ciara (Ramblings & Whatnot)

Ron (Vent) - yes I know he's a man but he loves a good chat!

Also Bindi (Beautiful World) gave me this cracker


Thank you Bindi. I get to pass this on too, so please accept this

'Be The Blog' award



Julia (A Piece Of My Mind)
Smalltown RN (A Place I Call Home)
David (Authorblog)
Buffalodickdy (Opinions & Rectums We All got one)
Dumdad (The Other Side Of Paris)

Goodbye.......

I was watching a daytime talk show recently and the subject of saying goodbye came up – specifically how easy or hard do you find saying Goodbye.

I’m one of those people who has to hug and kiss my friends/relatives when saying goodbye but I know a lot of people who would just rather throw a wave in your general direction as they rush out of the door.

The hardest goodbye I’ve ever had to say was to our youngest son when we left him at his digs in Huddersfield when he started university. We’d done a few trips there before the big day – well I had to make sure it was clean before my baby moved in – and of course there was the inevitable ‘supplies’ of bedding, food and cleaning materials etc., etc., to be transported. When the ‘actual’ day came I wanted it to be a happy occasion – “You’ll be fine darling, ring us at least once a week to let us know how happy you are”, you know what I mean. What actually happened was somewhat different. We did all the jolly stuff like I’ve just mentioned, then he stood at the gate as we drove away, waving at us until we reached the top of the hill and turned the corner. I don’t know if he had tears because he was just a blur through mine! I was distraught and MWM was struggling to hold back the gush of water just desperate to sprout from his eyes. An hour or so later, when we got home, I had calmed down but the sadness of leaving my baby to fend for himself was overwhelming, he may have been 18 but he was still my baby! MWM made all the right noises – “He’ll be fine, stop worrying, he’ll have the time of his life”. He said it often and almost convinced me.

The next morning the postman pushed an envelope through our letterbox and as I bent to pick it up I recognised the handwriting – it was my baby’s! I tore open the letter and the first sentence broke my heart……

Dear Mum and Dad

It’s half-an-hour since you left me here and I am sitting in my room writing this because I miss you……..

He must have written it and gone out to post it straight away! How could I have said “Goodbye” and just left him?

I’m a BAD mother!

What has been the hardest goodbye you’ve ever said and are you a “I’m going now cheerio, mwah, mwah” sort of person, or do you sneak out hoping no-one will notice?

Saturday Wordzzle # 7

The idea is every week Raven (View From A Raven's Nest) gives you between 8 and 10 words/phrases and you have to create a small but coherent paragraph using every one of them and the same with the mini challenge. You can do either or both it's up to you, and you can post them on your blog or email them to Raven.

The words/phrases for this week's Ten Word Challenge is: fruitcake, necromancer, gibberish, marshland, Lone Ranger, hog-wild, effluvia, plaintiff, phonograph, fern

And for the Mini Challenge: frozen, history, myrmidon, Shylock, incapacitated

I've decided to be brave and attempt a MEGA-WORDZZLE this week. Here it is:

Miss Funnyfanny, the necromancer, welcomed her clients with the William Tell Overture, (which everyone knows as the theme to the Lone Ranger), playing on the phonograph. She explained that rousing music helped raise the vibes in the room where the Séance was to be held. Her home was out in the wilds, almost in the marshland, it was a beautiful place and the garden was full of fern. As they sat down to take part in the Séance they noticed what could only be described as effluvia. They didn’t mention the stink as they didn’t want to appear rude, especially when Miss F promised them fruitcake and tea after the Séance. As Miss F slipped effortlessly into a trance the words coming out of her mouth could only be described as gibberish and the deeper she went into the trance the more hog-wild she became, thrashing about like a mad woman. Miss F’s myrmidon, Ethel, stood guard over her like a frozen statue making sure that none of the guests broke the circle, which could, in certain circumstances, cause a medium to become incapacitated, she also collected the contributions from the guests which went towards paying the shylock they owed a fortune to. After the Séance the guests left the house complaining to each other that they thought Miss F was a charlatan and Lord Farquarharson vowed to look into her history. He discovered that Miss F was well known for scams whereby she extracted money under false pretenses and Lord Farquarharson eventually became the plaintiff in the latest case against her. Of course Miss Funnyfanny and Ethel fled the country before they could be brought to court, just as they'd done many times before.

TWO.......

TODAY!

Our youngest grandson

Nathaniel

celebrates his 2nd birthday today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Lots of love sweetiepie - we love you!

Nanna & Grandad

xxxx

Friday 55 Flash Fiction # 21 The Letter

The letter


Maggie opened the letter.

“Maggie, I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to tell you face to face” it read.

“I had to leave, I didn’t have a choice”.

“I’d known for a while, it was inevitable”.

Maggie’s eyes filled with tears

“I’m sorry I died and left you, always remember that I love you”.

Friday 55 Flash Fiction is brought to you by G-man (Mr Knowitall). If you want to take part pop over and let G-man know when you've posted your 55.

Mindful Moments....

Some of you may have noticed that I have, in my sidebar, a new Thought For Today every day from Brahma Kumaris. This one from a a while back really made me think.


Mindful Moments

Most of us are of sound mind, but many of us have trouble maintaining a note of harmony and peace. Most of us know how to think, but few of us are able to control our thoughts. We all have the capacity to be creative, to image new ideas, but few of us are able to do it together and co-create in harmony with each other. We could all do with some mental training so that we may use the most powerful energy in the universe, the mind, which is always at our instant disposal.




We can begin with mindfulness. It's a simple way to gently help our mind go where it is best to go, do what is the best thing to do. It begins by simply being fully aware of what you are doing. Mostly we are not fully aware, as our minds wander into the past and then into possible futures. We spend most of our time watching others and so rarely fully focus on what we are actually doing ourselves. Next time you sit down to a meal, watch your self. Be aware of only what you are eating. Every time your mind wants to wander, bring it gently and lovingly back to the action and sensation of eating. Then do the same when cleaning, when writing, when working. The more you do it stronger and more focused and more rational will be your concentration, the more natural will be your actions, the more peaceful you will feel, and the more relaxed you will be, no matter what you are doing.



Daily Thoughts fromwww.thoughtfortoday.org.uk



How often do you actually think about what you are doing throughout the day - eating, drinking, cleaning, cooking, washing etc., etc? Most of our daily life is accomplished on auto-pilot, things we do regularly, so familiar that we can do them without thinking - like breathing. I know I have even driven to work and when I've thought about the journey I can't really remember much about it unless something unusual has happened.



I think we take so much for granted we don't really experience every moment and everything we do, unless we are ill and can no longer do the everyday things we take for granted.



Take a moment to concentrate on your next task, no matter how mundane it may seem and see if you feel a difference in what you accomplish.

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Storyteller (Small Reflections) has very kindly passed on this lovely award to me.

Storyteller received it from the creator of the award Greatfullivin who bestowed it onto 12 lucky bloggers.

Now you know me by now I find it very difficult to choose from the many blogs I read so as Greatfullivin gave it to 12 I'd like the first 12 people who comment on this post to take this award because I am grateful that you bothered to stop and read and comment. Now don't be shy at taking it because I'll be over to check out your blog to see if you've posted it!

Lost.......

David's (Authorblog) Weekend Wandering question this week is:

What is the most important thing you have ever lost?

If you'd like to join in here's what David would like you to do: Please answer today's question on your own blog, any time until next weekend. Just link to this blog (or to this post) so I can follow the progress of the discussion.

I have included this story in a different Weekend Wandering post but it fits in so well with this week’s question that I’m posting it again.

A few years ago, we had been out to a local club to a Christmas Eve party, we had a really good time with friends and were all a bit tipsy by the time we were going home. It was only when I got home and had taken off my coat that I realised that I had lost my gold watch. The loss of a gold watch is not something to be taken lightly, but this gold watch had belonged to my mother who had died some years previously. I was heartbroken as you might imagine. It was now the early hours of the morning but I searched the house thinking it may have fallen off my wrist as I had taken my coat off but it was nowhere to be found, I even retraced my steps down the garden path and up the street, looking for the watch, but to no avail. At first light the next day I retraced my steps again all the way back to the club and even telephoned the club to ask if the cleaners had found it – no luck.

I was devastated; I kept apologizing to Mum for losing it and begging her to let me find it. I spent a totally miserable week and couldn’t summon up a smile on New Year’s Eve, all I could think about was ‘I’ve lost my Mum’s watch!”. On Mum’s birthday (2nd January) I opened the coat cupboard and there, on the floor, in full view, was the watch! There is absolutely no way it could have been there for a week it would have been trodden on. MWM suggested that it had been caught in the sleeve of the coat I had worn, but I pointed out that I had checked the coat and I had worn it at least twice during the week the watch had been missing. Of course I was over the moon to have the watch back and I am convinced somehow my Mum was responsible for returning the watch, don’t ask me how because I don’t know, but there is no other explanation. Needless to say I had a safety chain put on the watch immediately and thankfully it is now safe.