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23rd October 2004

A few weeks ago, I was reading a local newspaper when I came across an article about a man raising funds for a well know cancer charity, "Macmillan Cancer Care". The man concerned was John HANRATTY. His method of fund raising was to cycle around remote parts of the world, raising cash by means of sponsorship. This required him to fund part of the expenses himself, and so in order to do this, he used a talent he has in abundance, and which was used by his friends and work colleagues on special occasions. The talent? Well, John is a great cartoonist, and if given a photo of a subject together with a funny story relating to that person, he can create a brilliant caricature of that person, which can then be given as a present.

I saw that the newspaper had printed a photo of John showing a couple of his pictures, together with his mobile phone number, so people could contact him and request pictures for themselves. (To see a copy of the article ) I decide to contact him with a view to obtaining new cartoons for this site and the booklet I am writing. John was enthusiastic about this and donated the cartoons I requested from him free of charge, as they were for the purpose of cancer support and charity fund raising that I was conducting.

These cartoons are now included in the diary and can also be accessed via the "Humour" button on your left, followed by the "Health Hazards" link on that menu.

Talking of health hazards, too much time at the computer can be bad for you: -

I have included the cartoons in my booklet, which I have produced to raise funds, and this will be available soon. Don't worry, I won't let you miss out, everyone who took the trouble to contact me via my website, has had their e-mail address stored for future use. I will contact you all, together with friends, relatives and acquaintances, in order to offer you the unique opportunity to obtain one of these booklets in exchange for a small donation to Cancer charities. (Amount to be determined)

If you want to contact John to commission a cartoon/caricature for yourself, then read the article (click the above link) or contact me through the comments page of this site. I hope to publicise an e-mail address for John in the near future, to facilitate an easier means of contact.

24th October 2004

It's a bit quick for an update, but last night I went to bed at around midnight. I was on my own as the wife was spending the weekend shopping in Chester with her sister. I had no sooner jumped into bed, than I jumped back out again with my head filled with verse. Where it came from or what triggered it is a mystery, but I sat in bed with a note pad and pen, and despite not wearing my glasses and being unable to read what I was writing, I began to pen a new verse which I called, "Precious Moments. When I had finished, unable to check my writings, I went to sleep and had the best nights sleep I've had for ages. I only got up once during the night which is a major improvement, the effort of writing must have exhausted me. I begin to understand what the expression "inspiration" means, it's not something you can conjure up at will, it chooses it's own moments to reveal itself to you and you feel compelled to acknowledge it, or lose forever the message it conveys. I'm sure I must be barking mad. Who knows when the next moment will reveal itself to me, it's a case of watch this space. To read this and my other Prose, .