Thank You All!

We had a terrific response and you were all so generous, we raised £360.79 for Marvellous Macmillan!

Mary won the Brighton Bake off with her Chocolate and Strawberry cake, and her home grown cucumbers were popular too, although not involved in the same cake.
Thanks also to the students from Brighton, Hove and Sussex 6th Form College (BHASVIC) who donated and hoovered up the remaining cakes.
There's still time to donate to this excellent charity.
www.macmillan.org.uk

They helped me and thank goodness they were there then and still are now.


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Cake! Cake! Cake! Sat 27th September

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MS and the Zebra fish

Researchers based at the MS Society Centre for Translational Medicine, University of Edinburgh, have used zebrafish to understand how myelin repair works. The results could give important clues on how it doesn’t work as efficiently in people with MS.

The team used zebrafish, a type of tropical fish, because they share more than 80 per cent of the genes associated with human diseases. They’re also transparent, which means researchers can look at their nervous system without surgical or physical intervention.


The research, published today in the journal Developmental Cell, looked at the ability of individual cells called oligodendrocytes to generate myelin. (Say that after a glass of Cava.) The researchers found the cells have only a very short time period of a few hours in which to make this protective coating.

Promoting myelin formation

The researchers are now focusing on how manipulation of genes and the use of treatments might promote myelin formation in zebrafish. We hope the results of this study will be used to find ways of encouraging myelin repair in people with MS.

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, head of biomedical research at the MS Society said:

“These new results demonstrate, for the first time, that myelin repair happens in a matter of hours. Although this is early stage research, it’s encouraging to see new techniques being used to tell us more about how myelin repair works.

"One of the MS Society’s priorities is developing new myelin repair treatments so we look forward to finding out about what the researchers at the University of Edinburgh are able to achieve next.”

Read the full paper in Developmental Cell.

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/zebrafish-group/

And that's another reason to stay friendly with the Scots. They are jolly clever.


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'In' or 'out', 'yes or 'no'?

Sir Sean Connery, the SNP’s most famous supporter, is not planning to make a last-minute appearance for the 'Yes' campaign because of his tax exile status, according to his brother and he lives in the Bahamas, doing a mean impression of the old man.

I'm half very, very Engleesh and half Scottish and I'm so confused...

And I can't even vote on Thursday. Nor can my Glaswegian cousin who lives in Brighton with his lovely Glaswegian wife. But if I say he is 'out' in Brighton he'll probably give me a Glaswegian kiss. (look it up).

I would rather be in Scotland if it weren't for the midges and my favourite building being burnt down,

and let's be honest, it's bloody cold there.


















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End of summer 2014

I missed my get fit quick swimming sessions this week due to coughing and sneezing everywhere I went which meant today was my first time in fresh air not mixed with menthol vapours.

We had promised young Aitch a meal at his favourite place...



before his return to sixth form college for his (and our) last year ever, before departing for new adventures.


Although we should have eaten salads, we all thought 'when not in Rome, continue eating Pizza'.


So we did. And they were 'bloody gawjus' to quote a friend.


And as Aitch still had room for pudding in his 'second stomach'...


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The huntsman

The alarmingly fast spider with a nasty bite is described by the RSPCA as “an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare.”

The enormous Huntsman spider measures a whopping SEVEN INCHES and is easily bigger than any native species. Native to Australia, it has now been found in St Leonards-on-Sea, which is near Hastings, which is near Brighton, on the South coast of England, which is where I live. And I want to move. Right now.

Staff at a warehouse of a distribution company were opening a crate from Taiwan when they spotted the monster. Joe Woodburn, the warehouse manager, said: “My mate saw it on the box I was holding. He froze and couldn’t get his words out fast enough. It was as big as the palm of my hand. We managed to get it into a big plastic container where we kept it while we called the RSPCA.”


For a moment Mr Woodburn thought it was a fake or a toy, but soon changed his mind: “I thought it was plastic at first, but the minute it was in the sunlight it started to warm up and it was running around and jumping up the side of the box. We get containers like this all the time and we have always joked that one day we’d open one up to find some kind of ferocious animal in there, but I never expected to find a spider as big as this.”


The RSPCA Inspector was very cautious in dealing with the spider. Zoe Ballard said: “I managed to secure the spider in the container and took it to the RSPCA’s wildlife centre nearby, but I must admit I was worried all the way that it would get out and escape in my van.”


RSPCA, Inspector Tony Woodley said: “Huntsman spiders can give you a nasty bite, but they aren’t likely to cause too much harm unless you suffer an allergic reaction.

Bitten on the bum by a seven inch spider? Then you could die. Well, you could, couldn't you?
(Too many coulds, ed.)

And, because they are so big and they run around so quickly, they are probably an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare.”

St Leonard's isn't far...
...I will never go to the loo again.





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Ben'n'Jerry'n' the wedding

We went to a wonderful wedding last weekend. (Say that after a few champagnes). ... and we were warned by the Wagners about the wraffic, I mean traffic. Five hours to Dorset from Brighton? Six hours from London? Were they ALL going to the wedding?


Bill and his bird missed the whole ceremony.


Harry and his new whistle made it.


Even me, although the sign said 'No Dogs'.

I took my hat off to Ben


'n' Jerry,


in case they ate it.


When my nephew Bob (the groom),


sorry that's a pic of Yoda, the goat, said there was a zoo at the wedding, d'you know? I thought he, as a wiley, wicked ol' Wagner, was just winding me up.

Well, I was wrong.





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Oh Bugle

I have a blackberry to pick with Ken! He had given me the heads up that he'd already picked 3lbs of blackberries. So me and the old man think blackberry crumble and off we go to my favourite view in Sussex where we know the blackberries hang out.
Having only found on our treck, redberries and greenberries, we were mystified. Where were the blackberries?

I collapsed in a sullen heap almost on top of what I thought was a field of wild orchids! I was so happy. When we arrived home I researched wild orchids of Sussex.
And my 'orchid'
 is actually a Bugle Bugloss. Not an orchid but a cool name all the same.

And we also discovered some lovely sloes which also are not ready... ...yet.



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Giggly Glyndebourne

Whoops, who didn't pack the picnic?

We had a giggly time celeb spotting at Glyndebourne this evening 'cept Little Jim would keep doing his Bill Murray impressions.


He did pour the champagne well though.


There was a lot of laughing and even more eating.


We ate the first course so quickly that there are no photos of the tapas and you'll have to look closely to see the crab and watercress quiche which was excellent, thanks James. Then the spectacular cake was revealed...


Thanks Valerie.


Abi shares the recipe with James.


La Traviata was performed brilliantly as well and we all enjoyed a special evening.

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We meet Elena

Me and the old man enjoying the view when we should have been on the plane home...


Just got back from a lovely trip to see Polly and Alex and their beautiful daughter.


Alex will hate this photo, but it is a lot better than his Sylvester Stallone lookalikee...


Or maybe he just saves that look for his mother-in-law?

I had a great time learning how to be a Granny Smith.


And I did my best to teach Elena all about everthing.


They were the kindest of hosts,


they looked pleased to see us, they laughed at our jokes...


and were just wonderful when we came back, having missed our plane.

But how could you leave this little one?



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