One of the things on Matt’s bucket list was to drink a pint of Guinness in Ireland, so when Peter and I went to Dublin earlier in the year we decided that we would do that on his behalf … Dublin – August 2017 Day 1 – August 25th After a short flight, […]
Matt was an in-patient at the Young Person’s Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for over four months. During that time we got to know many of the staff very well, in fact many made us feel more like family whilst we were there. They were always prepared to spend time with us; […]
We were delighted when Holly asked if she could take Matt’s ashes with her when she went to visit South Africa for six weeks. Holly was one of Matt’s oldest and closest friends, and they thought the world of each other. Matt would have loved nothing more than to have accompanied Holly on her travels, […]
Matt was very interested to hear about the adventure his Aunt Joy was planning in Borneo. He was a great advocate of people who were prepared to try something new, especially when it meant pushing themselves out of their comfort zone. Operation Raleigh is a very good example of the sort of thing that Matt […]
Matt had always wanted a bow and arrow. In fact, he had persuaded his Dad that they should make one together. He even went walking with me in our local park to find a piece of suitable wood, unfortunately we never found one straight enough to be of use. So the prospect of having a […]
As I was sorting through the photographs to go with today’s journal entry I couldn’t help but notice that all of the locals had their photograph taken wearing Matt’s hat! Matt did mention that there had been several people who had made offers to trade for his hat. I’m not sure why they wanted it […]
Today was the half-way point for the group’s stay at Oronkai. After spending so much time painting and digging it must have been quite a refreshing change to get the opportunity to explore the local countryside and meet more people – all of whom continue to be so friendly towards the group … Day […]
Matt had many talents, however getting up early in the morning was not one of them. He often had to run the twenty minute walk to school because he had to have several “just another 5 minutes” in bed! So for him to have to be the first up must have been quite a challenge. […]
Interacting with the children had a huge impact on Matt. I remember how animated he was when recalling the events at the school. I think it made him really appreciate the things that we take for granted – textbooks, pens, pencils, paper. These things really are such a fundamental part of being at school, and […]
One of the things about today’s post which made me smile will seem very inconsequential to most – the use of gaffa tape. For the uninitiated amongst us who do not know what gaffa tape is, it is an extremely strong heavy duty cloth tape, easy to tear and apply. It is very versatile, and […]