Evening Strumpets,

It is late in the evening, and I have so much to tell you all. The article was on page 5 of the Evening Gazette, and had, frankly, a huge picture of me playing an F chord (the "chord of death", an in-joke for a friend on my behalf) followed by a really sweet article about this crazy adventure. A massive thanks to John Sutton for writing a great article, and Andrew gray for turning up in the pouring rain and managing to get a picture where (nearly, Hal you are a bugger)all of my family are looking at the camera. a big thanks for all the facebook mentallists who have sent messages of encouragement following reading the article.

Which leads me onto my first point.

Before I was a nurse I was a labourer. And one of the jobs I was working on was a hospital for adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours. I was a hod carrier at this job, which entailed, daily, lugging a thousand bricks via a hod
(twelve bricks at a time, a torture device designed to be carried on the shoulder)to bricklayers daily, and also responding to the cries of "MUCK" whenever the bricklayers required cement. It was during the Summer of 1996, England were hosting the European championships, the lightning seeds and Skinner and Baddiel released "Footballs coming home", Gascoigne scored that goal, (American strumpets, Youtube Gascoigne goal against Scotland 1996, honestly, bliss), I was twelve and a half stone, and had just moved in with a person who turned out to be my wife and Mother of my two children. Basically it was a good Summer.

But, the Hospital manager, informed his staff to not talk to the builders. We were perceived to be a bad influence. One member of staff ( a care assistant at the time)said balls to that when she saw how hard we were working during times when the temperatures were almost Continental. She brought out glasses of lemonade, freezing cold (Christ i can almost taste them now) and spoke to us. She`s called Teresa Hannaway. Tree. She`s now a fully qualified nurse, and a massive supporter of The Great North Strum, and I want her to know how much i appreciate all of her efforts. Thanks Tree. you Mental Sparky loving singer.

Secondly,

I`ve completed a half Marathon.

On Tuesday Night I walked for 13.1 miles. it took me 3 hours eight minutes (a time I will never begin to get close to in the GNR) and along the way i encountered many magical things. Young Goth girls trying to make a "Tarzie" in a tree on Marton Road, and wetting themselves laughing when one of them snapped the rope landing on her backside. A guy who knows me from years ago, and saw me in London outside Harrods two weeks ago. Upon going to greet me discovered that the fella was in fact Jack Black! and this rainbow. my filming of which cannot begin to give justice to the natural beauty that occurred at about quarter to Six at Ladgate Lane,



So now I know i can do it. I can`t begin to tell you how that feels. And by the way Ian Golden aka my good mate Iggsy, I managed to run the last half mile.

Till the next one keep smiling and learn something new.

P.S.

Patrick Costello can now hear!