Sunshine Smile Day

When we set up OurRebekah I came up with all kinds of ideas for events.

Some are in the diary and will happen.  Some I simply could not find the support to get then off the ground.  Some really were not practical.

There was one idea which I have not actually shared with anyone before.

SUNSHINE SMILE DAY

Different charities and good causes have their "DAYS".  My thinking was OurRebekah would have Sunshine Smile Day.

This would not be a fund raising day, it would not particularly be dedicated to Ronald McDonald Houses. The thinking was that everyone would wear a smile during the day, they would go out of their way t be nice to everyone they met. Those taking part would not have a cross word all day.

OurRebekah has achieved a lot in a very short space of time but to launch a national campaign for Sunshine Smile Day could be an ambition too far. WAY TOO FAR.

Yesterday was a sunshine smile day in my life.

When I had my photograph taken last week at Secklow 105.5 Mike kept telling me to smile. I have had extensive dental surgery which was not a success so smiling is not something I can do with my face.  However, for most of the day I was

smiling inside.

This is Mike, the managing director of Secklow 105.5 who took my photograph. Look at his smile.   Isn't that a rather special smile ? Can you smile like that ?

Mike was one of those who helped make my day yesterday a Sunshine Smile Day.

Two gifts came in for Santa's Sack, two gifts from members of Milton Keynes Smart Rockers.

Those gifts of love made me smile with happiness.

The Brummie Owls sponsorship from last Saturday's game where  Sheffield Wednesday beat Aston Villa has now been credited to Just Giving.

Something else to smile and be happy about.

Presenter from Secklow 105.5, Tony, is coming to Fenny Poppers on Saturday. I am going out this morning to buy a hand held audio recording device so we can report on the event. I do hope this bit of technology records smiles.

I do also hope that lots of my former students will be there. I would so much like to meet up with you all again.

I was chatting on-line yesterday to former student Sam Wellbeck. Sam is now headmaster of a large school.

We chatted about this old school photograph.

On the left is Leon School Headmaster Bruce Abbott. He was a great headmaster. He did, however, tell me off.

"Mr Ashford I have not had the minutes from your year groups staff meeting."

"Sorry Mr Abbott, I will sort them for you."

I am a fiction writer, of course. I would create a bit of fiction to give Bruce the minutes of a meeting I never held in the first place ! Well it kept him happy.

Today I am going to a school staff meeting. No doubt a proper staff meeting, not the shambles I used to chair.  Being invited to this meeting is an honour and it added to my sunshine smile day.  We are going to chat about a possible student community service project within OurRebekah  I am so excited about this I got up at 3 o'clock and wrote nine pages of notes for the meeting..  Bruce never got notes like that from my school staff meetings !

Part of yesterday's smile for me was a smile of relief. After too  long writing it I finally finished the draft plan for the Acrophobia Challenge. 

That particular document runs to thirty-six ages and 6,759 words. 

PHEW !

That is something I will be presenting to staff from Ronald McDonald Houses Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol on Monday 20th November.

I hope I am smiling on that day, smiling after a Sheffield Wednesday victory the previous Saturday !

Yesterday I did some work on my IF IT AINT VINYL THEN IT AINT MUSIC collection which is to be a part of the Acrophobia Challenge.

It's a bit sad but I added this song from Peter, Paul and Mary.

I smiled with relief when I was out bid on e-bay for a disco twin deck we need for OurRebekah events. I smiled at being outbid as it probably was not the right piece of equipment we want.

Do you fancy a smile ?  Check out the REVISED version of another IF IT AINT VINYL song.......

If you listen to the DJ there it should make you smile if not laugh out loud !

I use Facebook a lot but I don't use Twitter that much. However, when I posted some bits and pieces about OurRebekah and Sheffield Wednesday FC a load of Sheffield journalists started following me. Then came in some national sports journalists.

I wonder how many will read today's blog. Wouldn't it be good if one of them liked the idea of Sunshine Smile Day, took it to their editor and persuaded the paper to take it on ?