Interesting

Day of the Tiffin! For my first ‘main meal’ blog is a tad sweeter than any main ever; I’d expect. The ‘easy recipe’ for a Tiffin ( bastardised* into a cake!) was put to me as a starter on my/this blogging journey. I wilfully accepted. I do believe I have, and follow a health(ish) diet even though I thoroughly love food in all of its forms and types, that does include the odd bit of sweet over-indulgence now and again. So, I simply had to investigate this Tiffin thing! Oh. My. Word. It looks fabulous and equally fabulously wrong when the ingredients are considered. However, the list I first saw is for a cake for 12. Phew. That was a relief. Or so I thought! I mentioned the constructive word “easy” and on paper that is exactly what it is, or at least should be. Butter-fingers may disagree a bit; pun intended, forgive me! The easy basic recipe is that this ‘cake’ requires NO baking at all, being literally a construction using the easiest method/s! So why mention a...

Blog about a blog It’s now fast (feels like anyway) approaching autumn 2017 and I have achieved a blogging target! May not seem like a massive target to some, but 10+k views make me happy and it’s down to you guys – humongous (recently heard the word!) thanks! The subject title - “Blog about a blog” - Another confusing one? Would you expect anything else! I know there are other clearer ones… As I have no clear ‘event’ or similar to rattle on about, I will touch on some of my passions and their blog subject intent. Looking at the About Me tab on my page , we have ‘Sport’ up top. More focused on Newcastle United Football Club (NUFC) really, and my early claim that “This will be an ongoing blog!”. Yet to start that I know. It is coming; with the Premiership title! Calm down Roj, dreaming is allowed. Champions League spot? Music . Pretty well covered with blogs as-is, but there is and will be no end in my musical journey. The day that ends, I will cry! Might have...

Waffle At time of writing this waffle, it is the 9 th month of the year already. That’s September if you don’t know! How the hell did that happen (so fast!)? I know in my nerdy view on things – ‘time fractions’ – get smaller as time itself goes on. Getting older! Anyway, back to the kitchen. Not really but that is where you’d make a waffle right? Not to someone who does gibber?! I.e. ‘ waffle ’! But waffle I do and waffle with positive purpose! Last month, “a couple or 3” (questionable phrase I’ve known/heard for years!) of different things have been encouraging. "What, why?" Obviously (ahem) centred around my living with MS . The most notable was in the gym . I lifted a car equivalent! Not. I was talking with an instructor - Laura - and getting advice on how to do certain exercises better, that would help me improve my technique and therefore what I was aiming to…improve?! Without going into a ‘gym-bore’, they (the pointers/corrections/telling-o...

Glasgow 2017 So, after professionally procrastinating (something I seem particularly good at on occasion!) for a good few years about going to see the wonderful city of Glasgow and some family again, I finally got around to it! What, about 5 years late?! I did study Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Glasgow between 1996 and 2000 ( 21 years ago; yikes). Yes, UCAS as it was known then and my choice of what to do had me around the country visiting a few different universities, none of which stood out, until… I got to Glasgow. Everything about the place did it for me. The city’s people, the vibe, the architecture, and the university itself. Everything. It felt like somewhere I wanted to be. The university – what it (the course) offered, how it looked, where it was/it. I knew where to hedge my bets (A-Level grade hopes!); and that was March ’96. Even travelling there and back, I randomly met another potential student - Pete - on the train, and shared a bit of...

Former engineer keen to help others with multiple sclerosis Wow – it has (once again!) been a while. I do need to get a routine involving this blogging business (which for me, it isn’t by the way (business!)!). So by means of catching-up a bit, I’m going to the time I started my 2 nd (1 st time 2005!) flirt with Coronation Street in about June 2017 for reasons close to me – not a sudden Corrie fan! I received an email asking me if I would be open to be interviewed by the MS Society , being quote, “ a northern bloke with living MS ”. Well, I am that and of course I said yes (didn’t shout “aye!”)! Why? I was told that in about a month’s time, there was going to be an emerging story in a character’s story in a soap with multiple sclerosis , and that my story may help the character’s story develop! A first for me to be interviewed like that – for helpful research, not hammered about a job (of which I’ve had quite a few) – and I enjoyed it. I of course answered with t...

Sleep Blog I recently attended a course about sleep… ‘Sleep in People with a Brain Injury’, presented by Dr David Lee. First off, why? Insomnia; a condition I have that may be linked to my ‘bigger condition’, it may not. MS being the bigger condition that is linked to the err, smaller one. Sleepy yet!!? People with multiple sclerosis often have trouble sleeping soundly, but the problems may not be due to the disease itself. Stress, spasticity in arms or legs, inactivity, or depression that   can  come along with   MS can  interfere with a good night's rest Google’s top answer. I just know I have been a chronic insomniac for over half my life. Yikes. First time I’ve written that! So, the course. It started off – “about sleep” – generally how much people need and that everyone’s needs are different; age is a big factor in this as well! 8 hours? Common ‘requirement’ nonsense, but the average time is 8 and a quarter hours. People can be long or shor...