Well it's nearly Halloween and tomorrow I am picking up three ickle lad's from school. We have bobbing apples planned, hollowing out pumpkins,dressing up in scary costumes, themed tea and then trick or treats. By the way....Fill some gloves up with water and put them in the freezer. As soon as the gloves are frozen, cut the rubber off. Then you put the iced hands in your drinks, the effect is absolutely great and spookey. ooooooo
Been for a lovely meal in Birkdale today a new restaurant...can't remember the name but was really yummy haddock fishcakes, poached salmon washed down with bread and butter pudding! Funny moment was when we had to keep moving the table as the sun was in my eyes! It was easier to ask them to draw the curtain as I nearly ended up through the wall!! Chief trougher strikes again

Snow White and Prince Charming. Romeo and Juliet.
Beauty and the Beast. Harry and Sally.
These are all names that come to mind when one thinks of the term soul mate.
This ancient belief can be found in cultures the world over.
But what does the term soul mate actually mean?
In the dictionary, "soul mate" means one of two persons compatible with each other in disposition, point of view or sensitivity; someone for whom you have a deep affinity.
This explains the basic qualities, but we all know the soul mate theory goes much deeper than that.
According to Celtic wisdom, our souls begin their journey together as one being that becomes broken apart. Two souls emerge and move on into their life journeys.
Perhaps we find our twin soul in this life. Maybe we find it in another life. Throughout time, we seek to rejoin our anam cara, the Celtic word for "soul mate," a soul mate who was created as our perfect match.
In order for our soul mate to appear we must be ready for them. You will not meet your soul mate if you are still coming from a place of fear or jealousy in relationships.
You couldn't run before you could walk, and you won't meet your soul mate before you are ready to learn what she/he has to teach you. In order to find our soul mate, we
must be emotionally secure and know what we want from life...Your thoughts? Experiences?

I've learned ...

I've learned ... that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I've learned ... that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned ... that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I've learned ... that you can keep going long after you can't.

I've learned ... that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I've learned ... that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned ... that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I've learned ... that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I've learned ... that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned ... that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned ... that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned ... that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I've learned ... that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned ... that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I've learned ... that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.

I've learned ... that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned ... that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned ... that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for
your grief.

I've learned ... that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned ... that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I've learned ... that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I've learned ... that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I've learned ... that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I've learned ... that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

Wow what a fabulous day we've had! Been to the beach with my Mum, Dad & ickle man. We firstly went to Formby and had a wonderful walk in the sand dunes and the beach. The weather was perfect and in the woods there is a concentration of Red Squirrels. Then we went to a gorgeous Italian Restaurant for lunch (The Italian Kitchen Formby) where they completely made a fuss of us and the food was yummy. The highlight of the day though was Crosby Beach... 100 cast-iron figures, yes 100!!...moulded from the artist Anthony Gormley's own body in the style that has become synonymous with his work....Angel of the North!

The ghostly life-size figures are dotted along three kilometres of the Crosby shore, sparse in some areas and getting more congregated as they reach the sea front, so onlookers can catch the detail of those near and the shadow of sculptures in the distance out to sea in one eyeful. All the figures are facing out to sea and at different tides are either covered in sea water or exposed. It really is quite a magical sight!
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! TO ALL YOU ART LOVERS OUT THERE GET TO CROSBY BEACH!

Today I have been to my very good friend Barbie's Mum's funeral

DOES HEAVEN HAVE A PHONE NUMBER?

Mummy went to Heaven, but I need her here today,
My tummy hurts and I fell down; I need her right away,
Operator, can you tell me how to find her in this book?

Is heaven in the yellow part? I don't know where to look.
I think my daddy needs her too; at night I hear him cry.
I hear him call her name sometimes, but I really don't know why.

Maybe if I call her, she will hurry home to me.
Is Heaven very far away, is it across the sea?
She's been gone a long, long time; she needs to come home now!
I really need to reach her, but I simply don't know how.

Help me find the number please, is it listed under "Heaven"?
I can't read these big, big words; I am only seven.
I'm sorry, operator, I didn't mean to make you cry,
Is your tummy hurting too, or is there something in your eye?

Silent Tear

Yesterday I cried a silent tear for fear of losing you
Today I cried a silent tear because you left my heart behind
Tomorrow I'll cry a silent tear because I'll be getting over you

Have you ever thought of someone, and just at that moment they call on the telephone! Or thought of someone and they send you a text?

Or have you opened a book on a random page only to find a word that means something to you?

Or have you switched Radio or TV channels at the right moment to find a programme about something you were interested in?

Or do you keep bumping into or seeing certain friends while you drive or walk about.

Well I have them every single day of my life! I call them Godwinks!
Of course you have also indeed experienced coincidences! On the surface some may pass this off as pure chance but I am convinced it's more like a Mind Reading phenomenon. I think the more aware of these occurances we are the more we realise that it's to do with thoughts and the mind or maybe something else. I challenge you to be more aware of these occurences and you will be pleasantly suprised, as when you follow the trail of coincidences you are pleasently rewarded with magical, meaningful even miraculous occurences. In fact, you may have suspected all along that there is more to coincidence than meets the eye. These seemingly random events are actually signposts that can help you successfully navigate your career and interests. Spontaneous realizations of the underlying interconnectedness of all things within the Universe
Let me know your thoughts on this phenomenon

http://channels.aolsvc.co.uk/aolkids/article.adp?id=20050720090209990001

A bit of light relief for those of you who like playing games like learning how to fly a broom ;o)
PS I couldn't control it!!

You know you want one!!

Today I went with my Mum and ickle man to the Monkey Forest at Trentham 60 acres of woods where 140 Barbary Macaques live in total freedom! Wow what a great setup and a unique opportunity to be close to monkeys in complete swinging treedom. There are no barriers or wires or fences they are completely free! Amazing...
A fascinating world as you hear rustling in the trees, chasing one another through the branches. Monkeys sitting by streams. Male territorial fighting, babies with mothers Nit picking. haha All around in the trees are young monkeys doing acrobatics between the branches. Walking along the path you are transported into a different world of monkey magic! A trip to the coffee shop for c blank blank f blank e and a cheese sandwich and the shop and hey presto, top day had all round! Visited the library on the way home, ickle man hired a couple of DVD's much cheaper than blockbuster and I picked up some books on Interior Design that they were selling for a £1 ....bargain!!

ZZZZZzzzz

Why bother travelling these days? Why bother packing? Why bother going through airport security? Instead, stay at home in front of your computer – where it is warm and cozy – and travel the world through the eyes of web cams.
The advantages of this are numerous. For one thing, it is safe: no plane or car crashes, no pickpockets, no pigeons.And no traffic jams. But you can watch traffic jams. Here you can watch traffic jams at ten locations in what may well be the traffic jam capital of the world, New York City:

http://nyctmc.org/xmanhattan.asp#stream

London

Seeing Big Ben is one of the principle reason visitors travel to London. Here is a fine view of Big Ben:

http://www.camvista.com/england/london/bigben.php3

Another leading reason visitors travel to London is watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. We have been unable to find a web cam of the Changing of the Guard. We did find, however, a link to the History of the Changing of the Guard:

http://london.lycos.co.uk/g.php?a=14&p=58

If watching the Changing of the Guard is too exciting for you, this website with the History of the Changing of the Guard is for you.Here you can view Trafalgar Square without the danger of a pigeon evacuating on you from overhead:

http://www.camvista.com/england/london/trafsq.php3

Moscow

View Moscow from the comfort of your home:

http://www.earthcam.com/russia/moscow/

There’s a view there of course of Red Square. But there also are stunning views of parking lots out in front of a hotel, a concert hall, a movie theatre, and a church.

Paris

Why to go Paris? To visit the Eyeful Tower lol? Instead, why not view the Pylon of the Month with a web cam?

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/bigh/bigh/pylonof.htm

Rome

Pope Smoke Cam . . . it was a wonderfully dull way to while away our hours as the cardinals do ing their dull job of counting ballots in the Sistine Chapel . . . click here

To get away from all the excitment of the Vatican, click here for a nice view of a tree-lined street in Rome, framed by apartment balconies on both the right and the left side.

Tuscany

Here is a view out the window of an office in Tuscany -- a view of a street corner and two trees. There also is a view of the inside of the office:

http://www.restarting.it/home/index.jsp?livecam

I've been to the Cinema with my ickle lad to see Nanny Mcphee..great family entertainment! You must go if you've children....cos it's up their street... Emma Thompson and Colin Firth are wonderful in it! Nice film for the holidays and the ending is quite magical.Funny moment we got the last two seats at the front of the cinema right in the middle..and I got the drip..yes something drip dripped on me all the way through! Chinese torture or what haha The rest of the evening was spent watching DVD's on our new monty 42" TV which I bought in Crewe on Monday. Sack the shops in the Trafford Centre..I walked into this shop in Crewe they had an offer on.... then they knocked £100 off threw in the 2 shelf glass stand and pedestal. Three men then delivered it on their way home, built the stand and tuned it all in for me...I didn't lift a finger...now that's service!! I will get all my clients TV's from there in future! MARTIN DAWES CREWE!!! BRILL¬Was feeling a bit lazy so treated ickle man to a takeaway curry which was delivered in about 10mins from ordering..so all in all had a great day and no messing!!

LOL I just googled my name in the UK and came up top of the pile! First out of 758,000 how cool! I'm about 3 pages down in the world rankings of Jessica Smith but hey out of 12,000,000 who's complaining!! Blogging gets you everywhere guys!!! Keep it up haha ;o)

And Where Were You?
by Valerie

You heaven sent
I never thought I'd see this day,
I never thought I'd feel this way,
You...a stranger to me now.
I'm left with emptiness...
I wish I knew how it could be,
That we were once so open and free.
You were like my brother.. yet so much more
I wish I would have seen what I see now before.
For, I did not
My friend, my lover once, is now unknown.
And what hurts the most is I now know..
What I lost.. and I'm alone.
To face a challenge life has sent,
And not a moment with you I've spent.
I hope one day I can forgive you, my friend..
I miss you....I wonder why it was you God chose to take away
Why did you go?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen," Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6

"There are two kinds of love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them." Jenny - age 8

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore," Cindy - age 8

"My mummy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine -age 5

"Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget," Jessica - age 8

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked him what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

I'm such a dreamer..if i had someone special to romance with what better time of year to spend a night cuddled up on the sofa watching scary movies with flickering candles.
What romantic things are you doing?
Reading ghost stories to each other? Hollowing out pumpkins? Having a graveyard picnic? Sending orange and black flowers? Walk in the woods with torch and blanket? Costume party for two?
Let me know what you're planning...at least I can dream ;o)

I'm trying to book a night in a Haunted castle...cos I'm really into the tv programme "most haunted" and I thought for Halloween it would be kinda cool. Does anyone know any castle hotels which are haunted in the North of England?

My Son's school friend is missing. He was in the same form right through school at Sandbach and he spoke to him before he went on holiday about his beloved LFC. His family & friends are hoping and praying he turns up safe back in Sandbach. Missing for nearly 2months now.

Steven Cook, a 20 year old university student from the UK, was on holiday with a group of friends when he went missing in Malia in the early hours of Thursday September 1st, which was the night he arrived in Crete from England. Even after extensive inquiries and a huge search of the surrounding areas, no trace of him has been found. Steven's brother, Chris recently took part in a TV programme on Greek TV called "The Light at the End of the Tunnel" which highlighted Steven's disappearance and asked the public for their help.

About Steve

Age: 20
Height: 5' 9" - 5' 10"
Eyes: Green / Brown
Build: Medium
Hair: Dark brown. Short at the back and sides and spiked up with wax on top.

Distinguishing features: Steve has a scar at the outer corner of his right eye. He also has a scar between 1/2 - 1" long on the back of his head.

Steven's family and friends are understandably really anxious to find him. More information and pictures are here at www.findstevencook.co.uk. If you know anything at all about this, however trivial it may seem, it may just be the missing piece of information to help find Steven and bring him back home safely to his family. Please use the contact information on the website.

A very good friend of mine's brother has a wonderful chain of pubs and today we went to the Grosvenor Arms at Aldford

Traditional ales, interesting building,nice food, no music, old books, wooden tables, staff in jeans...what more could a girl ask for on a Sunday chilling? Food was really yummy too I had prawns again and some sorbet which wasn't too nice but hey I like the pub! Funny moment was ordered an orange and cranberry. Got a half of orange and a half of cranberry all to myself haha...I don't do pints

If you're ever in North Wales or Cheshire you need to check the pubs out here!!

http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/thepubs.html

Yes Saturday I went shopping to the Trafford Centre with my ickle lad..We were looking for a TV but they had zero stock wherever we went..I couldnt help but admire the dome

Well love it or loathe it you can't help but admire the architecture...To some it's a cathedral of the consumer. With its free parking, weather-free walkways, smooth marble floors and dozens of designer outlets, it's a shoppers' heaven.

To others, it's a vision of hell. They despise its fake palms, neo-classical pillars and murials

We had a lovely meal in Tiggi's check it out if you ever go ;o)

Well tonight I'm off to the SPA. Cotton's in Knutsford..probably have an indian head massage and E'spa Holistic, Back, Face and scalp with hot stones.......how nice

And how perfect it was!! Wasted no time when checked in I ordered an early tea room service......nice prawn sandwich,chips, creme brulee with raspberries..twas tres yummy...and yes prawn sandwiches twice in a day can't be good for the heart...

Well yesterday was rather exciting hit the shops and bought a load of clothes in our lunch...what a surprise!En route we caught the radio stint...Commander and Carol said it sounded just like me..haha Carol got a huge and I mean huge bag of vegetables from the market for just £2 and today it's Friday yayayay and we're off to the pub for munchies!! Prawn sandwich and chips for me ;o)

Twinkle twinkle little star....well today I was sitting at my desk wondering what excitement today would bring and I get a text from Mr Radio celeb saying will I do a voice thingy! I mean most normal peeps don't get to do 1 in a hife time but I'm on my third now and think I deserve a medal!! haha bizarre ;o)

Z plane z plane

Sooo I didn't go the footie in the end, found something more exciting to do as in taking my ickle lad to see Wallace and Grommit. Anyone seen it? It was the attention to detail...contains nuts when he was naked & dressed in the cardboard box, the smug fridge and it was the car that shook like a dog that made me laff...anyway very very funny and entertainment for adults and kids alike so get yourselves to see it! ;o) Need the slimfast again though as ate a large popcorn and a hotdog....chief trougher or what

On the way home we met up with couple of footie agent friends from France & Monaco at Manchester Airport they were eating so we didn't stay long as ickle man was pouring the contents of his fruit shoot into a wine glass, sticking his fingers in the ashtray and dripping candle wax on his hand...hmm

Funny moment was when one of the footie agents clicked his fingers at the consierge and asked for sweets..The ickle consierge man returned with a blue carrier bag full to the brim with packets of sweets...all out of breath..I had a vision of him jumping on his bike and cycling to the nearest petrol station! haha it made ickle man happy though!!

Up early again this morning never a dull mo

Try and read this without crying

It’s Never Too Late for Love—John Powell

Some 14 years ago, I stood watching my university student’s file into the classroom for our opening session of Religious Studies. That was the day I first saw Tommy. He was combing his hair, which hung six inches below his shoulders. My quick judgment wrote him off as strange -- very strange.

Tommy turned out to be my biggest challenge. He constantly objected to, or smirked at the possibility of an unconditionally loving God. When he turned in his final exam at the end of the course, he asked in a slightly cynical tone, "Do you think I'll ever find God?"

"No," I said emphatically.

"Oh," he responded. "I thought that was the product you were pushing."

I let him get five steps from the door and then called out. "I don't think you'll ever find him, but I am certain he will find you." Tommy shrugged and left. I felt slightly disappointed that he had missed my clever line.

Later I heard that Tommy had graduated, and I was grateful for that. Then came a sad report: Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out, he came to me. When he walked into my office, his body was badly wasted, and his long hair had fallen out because of the chemotherapy. But, his eyes were bright and his voice, for the first time, was firm.

"Tommy! I've thought about you so often. I heard you were very sick," I blurted out.

"Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer. It's a matter of weeks."

"Can you talk about it?"

"Sure. What would you like to know?"

"What's it like to be only 24 and know that you're dying?"

"It could be worse," he told me, "like being 50 and thinking that drinking booze, seducing women and making money are the real 'biggies' in life." Then, he told me why he had come.

"It was something you said to me on the last day of class. I asked if you thought I would ever find God and you said no, which surprised me. Then you said, 'But, he will find you.' I thought about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that time."

"But, when the doctors removed a lump from my body and told me that it was malignant, I got serious about locating God. And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging against the bronze doors of heaven. But, nothing happened. Well, one day I woke up, and instead of my desperate attempts to get some kind of message, I just quit. I decided I didn't really care about God, an afterlife, or anything like that."

"I decided to spend what time I had left doing something more important. I thought about you and something else you had said: 'The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But, it would be almost equally sad to leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you loved them.' “

So, I began with the hardest one...my Dad."

Tommy's father had been reading the newspaper when his son approached him.

"Dad, I would like to talk with you."

"Well, talk."

"I mean, it's really important."

The newspaper came down three slow inches. "What is it?"

"Dad, I love you. I just wanted you to know that."

Tommy smiled at me as he recounted the moment. "The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then, my father did two things I couldn't remember him doing before. He cried and he hugged me. And then, we talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning."

"It was easier with my mother and little brother," Tommy continued.

"They cried with me, and we hugged one another, and shared the thing we had been keeping secret for so many years. I was only sorry that I had waited so long. Here I was, in the shadow of death, and I was just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to."

"Then one day, I turned around and God was there. He didn't come to me when I pleaded with him. Apparently he does things in his own way and at his own hour. The important thing is that you were right. He found me even after I stopped looking for him."

"Tommy," I practically gasped, "I think you are saying something much more universal than you realize. You are saying that the surest way to find God is not by making him a private possession or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love."

"Tommy," I added, "could I ask you a favour? Would you come to my inspire course and tell my students what you just told me?"

Though we scheduled a date, he never made it. Of course, his life was not really ended by his death, only changed. He made the great step from faith into vision. He found a life far more beautiful than the eye of humanity has ever seen, or the mind ever imagined.

Before he died, we talked one last time. "I'm not going to make it to your class," he said.

"I know, Tommy."

"Will you tell them for me? Will you . . . tell the whole world for me?"

"I will, Tommy. I'll tell them."

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing his style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it. You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘You have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon after, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I decided to choose life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter, " Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

“Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Michael continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘He's a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action."

“What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes', I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity.' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'." Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Tonight I'm going to the Crewe v Stoke match and I'm quite excited as it's a real local Derby