2307.23 DESTRUCTION AND DEATH

Every story has an ending. Everything ends. During our lifetimes we witness many endings, some good some not so, but we can't avoid them. 

1812.23 YULETIDE CHEER

Christmas has lost its way. There I said it. That's not to say all is lost, you must look at the whole celebration and how you view it. If you strip Christmas back it's supposed to be about gathering with those important to you. It's about the feast. It's about family.

1610.06 NEW FIVER

Last month in the UK a new £5 banknote printed on polymer, a thin flexible plastic film, was issued. The new note bears the image of wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill on the reverse. The new note can apparently last about five years longer than paper notes and features loads of new security features, making the note extra hard to counterfeit. They include a see through window featuring the Queen’s portrait as well as the Elizabeth Tower (commonly mistakenly known as Big Ben) depicted in gold foil on the front of the note and silver on the back. The £5 will be joined shortly by new £10 and £20 notes which also will be printed on polymer.

Since the new notes came into circulation there has been a movement on social media under the hashtags of #firstfiver and #fivergiver to donate the first £5 note you receive to charity.

I got my first one this week and thought it was a great idea to give it away so I donated my first fiver to Action for ME, a life changing condition my wonderful Morticia has struggled with for almost 10 years.

1603.23 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Before I begin I have to say I'm not wanting to say anything bad about Sport Relief. It's a brilliant cause that does good work. My niggle is with celebrities that give "their time" to get involved in a sporting challenge. They then appear on TV in all the gear which will have been provided free of charge by the manufacturer (free advertising). I'm not criticising the likes of Eddie Izzard who's magnificent efforts are truly legendary. I'm talking about your newsreaders and comedians who get to have fully supported access to major challenges.

If any 'ordinary' person wants to do something similar, even for charity, there is usually a major outlay on top of any fundraising. Even a basic charity cycle sportive can cost upwards of £20. Then you have to provide the equipment etc.

I would love to cycle coast to coast or something like lejog but the cost is just so much it may never happen.

So that's my rant about the privileged getting free stuff in the name of charity. Jealousy does creep in to this, I want to do a lot of those cycling challenges but I fear I will never get the chance. It's still a cause worth giving to, I just would love to get in on some of the action. 

1010.29 MOVEMBER

A few of the guys at work have decided to lend their top lips to men's heath charities and do that most gentlemanly of pursuits, that is grow a moustache. We have a team and you can follow our efforts here on my blog. The challenge is simple grow the best 'mo' you can in 30 days and get sponsored for it.

This is what 'MOVEMBER' is all about...

If you want to donate please visit http://bit.ly/8ZUVMp

Visit my Mo Space at http://uk.movember.com/mospace/770552/

0906.14 READ ALL ABOUT IT

This week saw torrential rain in Sheffield causing havoc and giving everyone flashbacks to the devastating floods of 2007. Wednesday night and the rain suddenly came down, the shear volume meant that the drains couldn't cope. This lead to flash floods. Luckily the rain subsided and things improved later on.

As a result of all this I found myself (and a colleague) on the front page of the local newspaper the next day.

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I'd like to say well done to all the girls who did the Race for Life today in ais of Cancer Research. In particular my Morticia and Harlz. Morticia did the race knowing the consequences to her physical well being and did really well.

Congratulations to them both and a big thank you to all those who sponsored them both.