LEON LOVE

I am still reading through In Search Of The Leons filling my mind with ideas ready for when it is re-published as part of www.nhskisses.com 

Yesterday while I was writing a very special memory came to me.

At one time it was planned that I should be a live kidney donor for Rebekah. I went through many tests and all was set for the dual operations to happen at Guys Hospital in London. There was even going to be a television documentary made.

Leon School's board of governors gave me a full term of paid leave. A contract for the term was given to former deputy head Barry Marsden to take my classes. PE teacher Trevor Garner took over my role as head of year.ALL WAS SET.

Or was it. The transplant team the day before the operaation decided the risk to my health was too great and so everything was called off.  I begged and begged and begged for these eminet surgeons to change their minds but in vain. This is the closest I have ever come to having a nervous breakdown. Returning hime from London I did not go outside the house for two days !  What about school ?  What about those who were doing my job and being paid for a term ?

I went to see Headmaster Bruce Abbott who begged me to come back. Former deputy head Barry Marsden was a brilliant teacher but my classes were roits !  Barry ripped up his contract, smiled and left. Trevor Garner's attitude was: If that is your year group then you can keep it. The kids were giving him hell ! So I was to return the next day.

Standing outside the school hall where the 300+ students were seated I was thinking what I

was going to say to them about my return. Walking into the hall there were murmers of: What's he doing here ?  Why's he back ?  Then as I spoke a giant wave of love roared to the front of the hall and engulfed me. For days I swam through the sea of love. My beautiful teenage students loved me, supported me and stopped me having a breakdown.

When IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS is republished with an appendix of updates that little anecdote will be included.

We got something right at Leon School back then didn't we. Something the present-day school and no school anywhere i  the country has.

THANK YOU MY LEONITES.

Leon - our fame goes on and on

I have almost finished reading our original book IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS. Yes, I wrote the book in 1991 editing together all the researches undertaken by my LEONITE students but that was a long time ago and so I have forgotten much of what we did to make the book happen.

Yesterday I was reading how the local fox hunt - WHADDON HUNT. This is an extract from the book: Both Sir Herbert and Lady Leon were keen horse people and rode with the local hunt, Whaddon Chase. Although Bletchley Park never hosted a hunt it did often ride over Leon land. At times both The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and The Duke of Windsor, and The Duke of York, our present Queen’s father, rode with Leon on the hunt. It is still a tradition for the Whaddon Hunt to meet every Boxing Day in Winslow Market Square. In the days before the motor car a fine stable of horses, both working and hunters, was kept in the block behind the main house. 

It doesn't get much bigger than that !

Currently being regenerated, opposite Leon School is Serpentine Court. This takes its name from The Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, London.

The Serpentine is modelled on the lake at Stowe, now part of The National Trust, but formerlly the home of The Marquis of Buckingham. Bletchley Park can be traced back to The Doomsday Book, at ome time it was owned by The Marquis of Buckingham.

Leon School has a particularly sad connection with history. The very first time I took a group of students to San Francisco we flew Pan Am. The purser on that flight wrote to Headmaster Bruce Abbott saying how much she had enjoyed having Leon School pupils on her aircraft. How lovely was that !

When Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie she was the purser on that flight.

When the re-published book comes about in January 2021 I want to honour this lady by including her story.

A task I have to undertake this week is to find out if Herbert Leon ever fired the Fenny Poppers. 

I have twice myself been honoured to fire a popper. Surely Sir Herbert must have done the same. I need to find out.

I can not wait for January 1st so I can start re-writing IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS which, of course, will be part of One Million Kisses of Love for Our NHS,

Lloyd George Knew My Father

Do you know who Lloyd George was ?

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, OM, PC was a Welsh statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was the final Liberal to hold the post of Prime Minister.

He was Prime Minister during World War One. 

He was a good friend of Sir Herbert Leon and was a frequent visitor to Bletchley Park when the family lived there.

Yesterday I was reading through our 1991 book IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS in preparation for re-publishing in in January as part of our NHS KISSES project. There is far more to Bletchley Park than the code breakers as the book explained. Yes, during World War Two Churchill was a regular visitor as was General de Gaule Leader of the Free French and on one occasion future US President, then Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Dwight D. Eisenhower popped by.

There is a silly song we used to sing as kids. Sir George Leon could sing this if he had ever taken the mood.

I do not think that Sir Herbert Leon would approve of what has happened to his family home, it becoming a museum. I AM PRETTY SURE THAT SAMMY WOULD NOT APPROVE OF THIS FAILING NEW VERSION OF GOOGLE BLOGGER WHICH CAN NOT BUILD A PAGE PROPERLY TO UPOLOAD HIS PICTUTRE HERE !

I am sure,however, Sir Herbert - SAMMY - Leon would have been very excited when on 1st January 1967 Harold Wilson's Government announced that an area of land was designated to build a new city. Did you know that originally the name for this development was to be The New City of Bletchley ?  Early planners changed that to use a name from Middleton in the centre of the designated area - Milton Keynes.

I am very sure that if Sammy was about there is no way he would have allowed our new city to have been called anything but BLETCHLEY.

The republishing of IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS will be exactly as  it was in 1991 but following on will be a series of updates and many anecdotes from Leon School.

Do you know what this silly piece of music has to do with Leon School ?

Well we went there didn't we ? Leon School went to Egypt visiting The Old Bazaar in Cairo. We also went to The Valley of The Kings visiting Tutankamun's Tomb, we went to The Aswan

Damn, floated down the Nile on a traditional Egyptian sailing boat and, of course, went to see the pyramids. Oh not to forget The Spynx.

Another connection. A LEONITE  is now School Principal at Manaret Heliopolis International School in Egypt.

Did you know there was a plan for Leon School to visit The Great Wall of China ? However, the company that too us to Egypt - SCHOOLS ABROAD - was taken over by Hourmont Tours who dropped China from its ittinerary. We therefore, had to settle for Las Vegas, San Francisco and flying down The Granc Canyon.

I wonder what Sir Herbert would have made of that.

In this new re-publication I want to tell the story of how Leon School was in at the launch of Milton Keynes Community Trust. We also starred as part of the very first Red Nose Day. Leon Disco ran a fund raiser to help start a new Milton Keynes charity - Willen hospice.

Who remembers our taking oart in Top Bannana.

Who remembers Leon School performing War Of the Worlds at Bletchley Leisure Centre ?

Richard Burton you have nothing on Mrs Capp's version.

However, I do not think Leon's Pirates of Penzance quite matched John English. Not far off mind you .

Who remembers Westlife at Leon School. I nearly put the whole band on detention !

Back to Leon Disco. The leonite teenager who was DJ now owns and runst a vast retro-pop radio station in America playing music he palyed in Leon's lower school hall.

Sammy Leon what do you make of that ?

What do you think about Leonasaurus ?  The Leon Dinosaur ?

Never mind about Lloyd George and Sir George Leon's father knowing him....

There is a lot more about Leon School to know than that.

Next week I am goingv to Devon to visit the home of Agatha Christie, the world's best selling author of all time. He book sales top ibne billion. I wish mine do !

However, Agatha watch out. When IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS IS REPUBLISHED your record may be in a bit of a risk.

One more piece of music attached to Leon School.

What is this all about ?

The closing titles from a classic BBC drama TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY from 40 year

s ago. There was a sequel SMILIES PEOPLE. Both starred Alec Guinness. In Smilies People actor John Standing also starred. John Standing is Sir John Leon, 4th Baronet of Blethcley Park. 

Sir John Leon aka John Standing CHIEF LEONITE,

Sir John you could sing Lloyd George knew my great-grandfather !

This is just a small flavour of what will be imcluded in a follow up chapter at the end of the re-published IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS. 

Sir John, Sir Herbert no school could claim what LEONITES achieved in the 1990's when our book was written.

One more piece of Leon History. Let me play this for my good friend LEONITE Darren. Hope you had a good birthday lat week mate ! You and I know the significance of this. Let everyone else guess !

A punch between the eyes

The 4am moment today was a punch between my eyes. It is strange how every day I wake around this time and inspiration hits me for the coming day. I have to admit that I turned over and slept for a couple more hours but my mind is full of that metaphoricval punch so my laptop will be moving into overdrive today.

Yesterday I wrote another 826 words for my latest story BILLY HARDCASTLE. For 2021 and our MILLION KISSES project I need to average 2,740 words a day but as I explained in an earlier post I am trying to do something a bit different with this book and so I have to think carefully before placing any word into any paragraph.

The punch between the eyes this moring was a serendipity moment giving me the ending to the story. When someone reads the story that ending will also punch between their eyes.

I will probably finish the book today, if not I will put the final full stop in place tomorrow.  Publication will then be on Monday 30th November.  Strictly speaking this will be a short story rather than a full length novel. The word is novalette.

This will be my last work of 2020, I plan to spend December researching material for the 2021 MILLION KISSES project.

Yesterday I received a text message from NHS Blood And Transplant saying the recent pint of blood I donated has been used at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. Papworth is the country's number one transplant hospital specialising in heart and lung transplant. Today I will write to Papworth and send them a presentation inviting the hospital to join the project.

The presentation runs to 21 pages so printing inkm paper and binding means a cost of around £4. Postage is £1.50.  I am meeting costs for the project, all costs, from my 

own pocket so selling a few books from my AMAZON BOOKSHELF is a help. Yesterday I sold 6 copies of my quiz book.

When Billy Westall is published I will set the e-book download at 77p from which my royalties will be 20p. I am going to promote it using income to help finance the project.

The week after next, once lock down is over, I am going to visit the home of Agatha Christie, the all time best selling author, soak up the atmosphere ready to include that along with 

many others in a 2021 ONE MILLION KISSES  project  ICONS LEGENDS AND LANDMARKS.

Throughout the project every book I sell will give 50% of the royalties to the hospitals within the project and 50% to help cover costs.

On Monday I am going to send a reminder letter to each hospital - that will cost £10 - need to sell 50 books to cover the costs of the letters.

ANYWAY - getting a bit bogged down - move on.

The first book to be published in 2021 blowing kisses of love to our NHS will be re-publishing IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS which was published in 1991. Thirty years ago.

I am a bit disappointed that even though 26

people yesterday read the blog page nobody gave me a Leon memory to include in the book. Sad that.

Oh well - what a shame - never mind.

So watch this space .........................

MONDAY Billy Westall will be punching you all between the eyes at 77p per download.

Now where was I ?

Oh yes.

Let me explain that I have written this story for  my grandson Adam. Adam is bright beyond his years so it will work for him. However, I think it would work best for older teenagers and for adults.

Get you 77p ready.

To embarass Adam here is something he and I did together four years ago.

He he he !

Leonites are very, very special people

When the 2021 writing project starts blowing one million kisses for our NHS - CHECK IT OUT - the first book to be published on e-bay will be our 1991 IN SEARCH OF THE LEIONS. Yesterday I was reading the book and making mental notes for additional material to add to the re-write. I am not going to change the original text but there is a need to add to the content things that have come to light and things that have hapopened over the past thirty years.

I need some very special people, our LEONITES, to help me with the additional material.

If it had not been for this book part of the history in Bletchley The Home of The Code Breakers would not have seen the light of day. Pardon the pun but the LEION FAMILY, which is central to the development of Bletchley in the early 20th centurey, would not have given us the area we know today.

These are the sections within the original 1991 publication:

Foreword By Sir John Leon

From The Headmaster

Introduction

Bletchley Park

Herbert Samuel (Sammy) Leon

In Politics

The Leon Estate

The Leon Mansion

Benefactor Of The Town

Fanny Lady Leon

Sir George Leon And The Sale Of Bletchley Park

The Leon Line

To Conclude

That's fine, those chapters will remnain with the original text but additional small chapters will need to be added.

Extending The Conclusion

Enigmatic Memories Of Bletchley Park

The Search Goes On

Leonites Are Speial People

Memories Of Leon School

Brainstorming new content: ALL the original secondary schools in Bletchley - Wilton,

Denbigh - Bletchley Grammar School were built on former Leon Land. So when Bletchley Road School moved to its new home on The Lakes Estate and took the name LEON it was leading all the rest.

Sir Herbert (Sammy) Leon gave us Leon Bridge which I am determined to bring out of obscurity, he placed a water trough hear the main line railway bridge for horses to drink after climing the hill, sadly this is lost. Sammy played a significant part in setting up Fenny Stratford War Memorial. He and Fanny Leon gave is Bletchley Rec after which Leon School was originally named. It was Headmaster Bruce Abbott who linked the school with Sir Herbert, taking him as an inspirtion for the school.

I have twice been honoured to fire the Fenny Poppers, surely Sir Herbert must have fired them. We need to research this.

Lady Leon sacrificed land for the building of factories at Denbigh, not for profit but to bring employment to the area.

Does the ghost of Lady Leon still wander around the area ?

LEON SCHOOL - our Leon School: Did you know we kick-started Milton Keynes Community Trust ?  Do you know the part we played in the very first Comic Reliefv Red Nose Day ?  One of the very first fund raising events for Willen Hospice was run by our school. We are all familiar with The Food Bank but who remembers our tinned harvest festivals for local people ? We must not forget Leon

Dinosaur,

Who remembers Leon's performance of The World of The Worlds staged at Bletchley Leisure Centre ?  Who remembers Leon's Pirates of Penzance ?

Brilliant !

The centre of the original book showed a map of the Leon Estate. It covered much, but not all of West Betchley where I am proud to serve as a councillor. It covered a siginifiucant area of Central Bletchley.

Amazon is useless when it comes to formatting images around text so I will not be able to include this map, I will have to describe it ion words so present day residents can find out if they are living on Leon Land or not.

SPECIAL PEOPLE - the thing that strikes me so much is the love of our former pupils, I have experienced it in my life so many times. I am proud to have invented the name LEONITES. Did you know a Leonite is currently Deputy Mayor of Milton Keynes. We have many Leonites working in our NHS. We have Leonites in just about every area of life you can think of and we have Leonites all round the world. How many tines have I said IF YOU NEED SOMETHING DOING ASK A LEONITE.

I am here asking Leonites to do something special for the re-publication of our book.

I want every LEONITE with whom I am in  contact to share with me a memory of their time at Leon.  Message me on Facebook or drop me an e-mail: dashford566@gmail.com 

I am in contact with a small group of Leon Teachers:  Mrs Capp, Mrs Salver, Mes Anderson,

Mrs Ray, Mr Riddy, Mrs Palmer - my secretary. Are any of you in contact with former staff members ?  Draw them into this project. Get them to add me as a friend on Facebook.

I want an absolute minimum of FIFTY memories. Keep them fun but do not slag anyone off. 

Any Leonite who does not send me a memory, I will send the ghost of Lady Leon to haunt you and did you know that during the Cold War the nuclear attack siren for the area was located on top of the tower block ?  Need I say any more LOL ?

I am NOT cheating preparing the re-write and gathering information. I will not put down the first word until the early hours of  Friday1st January 2021. I want then to publish this book within the first week of the New Year.

As an e-book down,oads will sell for 77p with royalties pre-tax at 30%.  That 's about 20p, I plan to keep half for myself to cover the costs of running this project with the other half being donated to a hospital within ONE MILLION KISSES FOR OUR NHS.

FINALLY (Almost): These words will appear on the first page of the re-published e-book:

The republishing of IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS is part of something I am doing during 2021. I am going to write one million words which I will publish in a minimum of twenty-four e-books on Amazon. I am calling this task ONE MILLION KISSES FOR OUR NHS. I am inviting people across the year to support a number of hospitals up and down the country, blowing one million kisses of love and appreciation for the work all staff at every level within our Amazing NHS.

CHECK IT OUT - www.nhskisses.com

PS: I am still in contact via Facebook with Sir John Leon 4th Baronet of Bletchley Park. John is the actor John Standing. In his 80's he is very much into painting these days.

New friendrs needed

I need to roll out Plan B  for NHSkisses. My best friend Jake is helping me with one book for 2021 - JAKE'S DOGGIE BLOG.

Jake The Dog, Jake The Dog - There's No One Quite Like Jake The Dog !

Unfortunately Jake does know how to use a laptop and he does not use social media. DO YOU ?  Will you become my friend ?

I am running a bit behind schedule setting up this project. Basically I ran out of printing ink, Morrissons did not have any in  stock so I turned to my usual on-line supplier where I ordered £70's worth. Normally theirs is a next day delivery but now they have changed to THREE WEEKS ! I ordered another £70 from Amazon which should have turned up yesterday but no show.

This means that I have not been able to get launch material out to three hospitals and some areas of the media. Time is not a pressure right now.

I have been reseraching donation systems and find that some, not all, hospitrals are already

linked in meaning we could go ahead and set up our own donation button. HOWEVER, I can not do this without a designated person for each who will monitor the in come and promote what we are doing.  COULD YOU BE A FRIEND ?

It is colour ink I am out of so I have been able to do some black and white printing.  I have made 12 log books like this on the right, one for each month in which I will keep a record each day accross 2021 of the words written and books published.

I am still working on a file where I can assemble notes for the books, nots I can gram when I

come to write each.  Yesterday, I put on my old school's facebook page the plan for ALBERT THE SNAIL. I left school at 16 years of age and am now an old boy of 70 but there was a tremendous response from my fellow teenagers.

Another school. The first book within the project will be to re-publish IN SEARCH OF THE LEONS so all you Leonites watch this space. 

I have read through the original book from 1991 and will have to add some updates. All will kick off at one second past midnight on Friday 1st January 2021.

LEONITES - will you help an old man ?  Anyone willing to take on managing a donation page

for one of the hospitals ?

My love affair with our NHS is well known and now coming up to 38 years duration. This is no flash in the pan. I am NOT running this project in memory of Rebekah, to do so would be selfish on my part. This project is operating for ALL people EVERYWHERE who have experienced the love of our NHS.

Do you have a special hospiatl which is precious to your family ? TELL ME and I will bring it into the project.

So I need friends, I need lots and lots and lots of friends. I can write one million words, I know I can and of course I will be blowing kisses for our NHS but I need friends to help me blow one million kisses.

I need your friendship.

www.hnskisses.com

Boldmere High School - does anyone remember Mr Fairbairn

 

Albert the snail - L'escargot Albert

I am going to share this on the Facebook Group of my old school asking if anyone remembers L'escargot Albert so let me explain.

I attended Blodmere High School for Boys in Sutton Coldfield from 1962 to 1967. If any readers were there at the same time as I was do you remember Mr Fairbairn ?

Fairbain was form teacher for 1A1, he taught French and English. Do you remember the little stories he used to tell about a snail Albert ? It was his way of trying to teach French.

I don't speak French, his lessons were not a success for me. In actual fact I hated school, strange how I ended up as a senior member of staff in a large comprehensive school !

Anyway, that is me on the right of the page. the picture was taken in  the area by the Terrapin huts.

Since I was an older teenager writing has been a hobby of mine. My name is David Ashord but I write under the pen-name of Max Robinson. I write for fun and these days publish my scribble as e-books on Amazon. I write for fun but the monthly royalties allows me to enjoy a little treat or two.

Over the year of 2020 - THE YEAR THAT NEVER WAS, I have written some 600,000 words. Accross 2021 I am going to write one million words which I will publish in a minimum of 24 e-books on Amazon. I am doing this to support our amazing NHS.

Please have a look at what I am proposing: www.NHSkisses.com 

One of the e-books I am going to have some fun with is Fairbairn's L'escargot Albert. This is not going to be a kids book but a tongue in the cheek series of adventures for old boys like me !

Albert is French, of course he is. The French eat eat snails so when Britain voted to tell the EU to sod off Albert told France to sod off and moved to England.

Part of my planned NHS support will include Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield.

I wonder if Fairbain is still around. Does anyone know ? I am guessing he would be in his mid eighties.

Mr Fairbairn, if you are still about do you remember L'escargot Albert  ? Have you got any adventures I could include ? When I have finished the e-book some time in 2021 will you spend 77p of your pension to doenload a copy ? Mr F check out my HNS writing project: www.NHSkisses.com 

Billy Westall

I planned this story for my grandson Adam, who is eleven years of age, to read. As the story has developed I am not sure it will work for someone of his age. Indeed I am not sure which age from zero to one hindred years it will work !

I have been writing each day but I have not been composing anywhere near the number of words needed to achive my 2021 target of 2,740 a day.

Monday 16^th November 2020 - 390 words
Tuesday 17^th November 2020 - 70 words
Wednesday 18^th November 2020 - 328 words
Thursday 19^th November 2020 - 491 words
Friday 20^th November 2020 – 597 words 
Saturday 21^st November 2020 – 1,291 words 
Sunday 22^nd November 2020 – 775 words 
Monday 23^rd November 2020 – 1,554 words 
Tuesday 24^th November 2020 – 1,507 words

There is a reason for my low output. I am building emotion within my reader and so am having to write my own emotions into the story. This is not the genre of writing I originally intended.

That's Adam on the right by the way.

My 4am moment today came today at 5am. The next chapter in the book burst into my head. 

Today I am going to be a busy boy today as I empty my head into the story.

There is, of course, music in the story. It would not be me if that was the case but the music is incidental. This is one of the pieces of music.

I am a bit emotional right now as I listen to the music. I am wondering if the title of the book should be changed to Billy Westall A Vision Of Utopia.

KISSES FOR OUR NHS - Lots to share today

THANK YOU to all who have been reading this page each day. I have a lot to share today.

Firstly I have decised to name the 2021 writing project KISSES FOR OUR NHS. I have purchased the domain name nhskisses.com but have not finished writing the website yet. You can check out things so far by CLICKING HERE.

I have run out of printing ink so as soon as Morrissons is open I will be buying more so I can print off invitations to post to:

• Sheffield Childrens Hospital
• The Churchill Hospital - Oxford
• Alder Hey Hospital - Liverpool
• Great Ormond Street Hospital

I am also hitting the media in the hope it will support the project.

STOP PRESS:  Morrissons have no ink cartridges - had to order on-line. Hope I get a quick delivery.

My 4am moment came today at 4.35am - bit late. On the website I explain how I got into writing as a teenager and walk through some of

the steps I took to become an Amazon writer. Within the writing accross 2021 I will be visiting the home of Agatha Christie and of Daphne du Maurier, I plan to visit the grave of Saumuel Peeps and many icons and story settings which have brought me where I am. 

At 4.35am I was hit with the idea for a book to add to the project walking readers through these steps and doing my best to inspire them to start writing for themselves.

I am spending a lot of time structuring a plan within which I can work across 2021 and achieve the one million words. I think it will work.

Incase the hospitals do not catch on I have PLAN B which I will share tomorrow, a plan where I find individual supporters who will manage a donation page for a hospital.

I worte 1,554 word yesterday for my current book BILLY WESTALL. This will be the last book before I start blowing the kisses for our NHS.

More later:...............................

Up close and personal - AN UPDATE

When the virus took effect in Britain ten months ago and I was forced to stop the work I was doing in the community I found life hard. Because working with teenagers and the homeless, visiting every week a Food Bank outlet was up close and personal Zoom was of no relevance. How I would LOVE to return to these activities but realistically we are speaking some time in early 2022 before there is any change in the present situation. When the possibility of a vaccine hit the media everyone got excited but now the reality is understood. 

What the government is proposing for Christmas is riddiculous, we can anticipate a huge spike in the New Year. That is a case of up close and personal being negative !

My proposed writing project for 2021, writing one million words in stories to be published on AMAZON with people blowing kisses of love to our NHS hospitals is remote but for it to be a success it must become up close and personal.

I have run out of printing ink so need to order some today then as soon as it is delivered more copies of the projevct propsal will be sent to hospitals bringing the total to ten:

• University Hospital Milton Keynes
• Luton And Dunstable Hospital
• Stoke Manderville Hospital Aylesbury
• The Churchill Hospital Oxford
• Good Hope Hospital Sutton Coldfield
• Alder Hey Hospital Liverpool
• Sheffield Childrens Hospital
• Birmingham Childrens Hospital
• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• Guys Hospital London

I am very nervous, very worried that within each hospital's administration my proposal will not be given due consideration. What if not a single hospital takes up the challenge ?

I would like to include many more than just ten hospitals but asking on facebook and here on

the blog page for people to come forward and tell me about hospitals which are dear to them has yielded a zero response.

One week today I am asking the media to announce the projects. Will any areas of the media engage ?

Friday 18th December I need to know which hospitals are joining me so I can get ready for 1st January when everything will become up close and personal.

I spent a lot of time yesterday writing a plan so I do not hit 1st January in chaos. I also,

yesterday, purchased the domain name www.NHSkisses.com. Today and tomorrow I will be writing a website to detail the project and through its duration keeping it up close and personal.

Every day I stop and think that it may be best to abandon the idea and not be left with egg on my face when the hospitals fail to respond to my invitation and te media turns a blind eye. TWENTY-FIVE days for everything to drop into place. Twenty-five days for everything to become up close and personal.

I want to give a year of my life to this project.

If just one hospital becomes involved and makes £1,000 I will be happy.

If ten hospitals join in and each makes £10,000 I will be dlighted.

If fifty hospitals joinn in nand each makes £1,000,000 I will be pinching myself for the rest of my life to check it is real.

FINALLY an apology that Google Blogger has its own geeky idea when it comes to up close and personal - it simnply has no idea when it comes to page formatting.

Today's 4am LOVE FOR OUR NHS

I went to bed last night worrying what will happoen if I fail to get hositals involved in the writing project and fail to get the media onboard. Should In just give up and save face ?

During the day I had been planning the ideas I have for books and putting them into a diary. At the moment I do not have enough books to hit the target of 24. Even with twenty-four books, given that some will be short stories for children I can not possibly reach one million words in 24 books, I am going to need to write 30. 

Can I do this ?

I spent time in the evening working on my current book BILLY WESTALL. Billy os onboard Vostock 1 with Juri Gagarin. Juri is talking about food and is about to serve a meal of Russian Blini. The story which is an adventure for a teenager through the Multiverse will soon move to talk about the most widely eaten food worldwide.

Right on cue at 4am I woke with my daily serendipedy moment having an idea about food.

Born in 1950 food rationing was in place. I remember my Nan serving bread and dripping, as a little kid it was delicious but today it would be vile.

In my book NOT THE CONCRETE COWS I published a number of wartime recepies. What did people eat in the trenches of WWI ?  What was on the table in Dickensian London ?

I was born into a world without the internet and the smart phone ?  I was also born into a world without McDonald's.

Pandemic permitting I had as I awoke an idea to be a fly-on-the-wall in a kitchen, why not a hospital kitchen ?

Then as I prepared to get out of bed I had an idea for a food quiz. This is just the start.

1. I like bananas, monkey nuts and grapes. That’s why they call me ?

2. From which town did George Formby buy his stick of rock ?

3. According to Lonnie Donegan’s Father how ho you know the dustbin is full of toadstools ?

4. What will happen to you if you eat the crusts off your bread ?

5. SPAM. What do the letters S-P-A-M stand for ?

6. What will grow if you eat fish ?

7. Which vegetable gives you nocturnal vision ?

8. What food is supposedly eaten I  prison ?

9. What is the colour of the soup eaten at the Queen’s Berkshire residence ?

I will take that to a minimum of 50 questions, hopefully 100, before publication.

What are the favourite foods among celebrities ?  SOD THEM, what is the favourite food among ordinary members ?  What memories do they have.  I plan to put out a survey and drawing experiences.

I wonder what will be tomorrow's 4am moment.