Here I am again trying to part you from your cash! This time I'm going to Morocco to trek the Sahara Desert for five days from November 6th to 10th. I start by flying to Casablanca, then another flight to Ouarzazate at the edge of the desert. (Just remind me who it is that's scared of flying. Oh yes, ME). Then it's a six hour drive into the desert, followed by another couple of hours walking. Next follows a few days of walk walk walk, probably followed by sleep sleep sleep! Eventually returning back to Casa via Ouarzazate, and home. Sounds easy enough don't it?

This really is THE big one for me. Trekking across the Moroccan Sahara for a whole five days, away from the world and all those mod cons. There's nowhere to plug the mobile charger in, even supposing there was a signal - ha ha.  Can forget about flush loos and hot showers too. But I really have got to sort out the hot brush for my hair....I mean, can't go across a desert with my hair looking a mess.  No taxis, curry takeaways, Sainsbury's or Tesco and definitely no pub across the road!

Now you might be thinking that this is all rather an extreme way of getting a suntan. Well........ yes, I s'pose it is. But if I don't get on and do my big adventure now, I'm going to be too damn old!  By the time we set off from Ouarzazate I'll have turned 60. But at least I'll have a bus pass; maybe I can use it for a free ride on a passing camel???

That's what appeals about this one. Wide open spaces, big skies, camp fires, sunrises and sunsets to remember for ever, peace, and the company of a few like minded people. Oh yes - and the camels.

Now camels don't figure on my need to know list, but then like all creatures in this world, they were probably cute when they were little??? and I guess their their mums must have loved them - probably. Anyway, I'll reserve judgement in that department for now. Watch this space in November and I'll update you.

Now for the serious stuff. There are several hospices in the UK. Marie Curie have 10, providing  respite, palliative and terminal care for people, and are the largest provider of hospice care beds outside the NHS.

The Bradford Hospice costs £7000 a day to run. Yes, £7000 a day. The hospice not only cares for cancer patients but also for people with heart disease. Care is provided as inpatient and outpatient, as well as homecare  nursing services. They offer social, spiritual, family and breavement  support too.

I believe that it's vital that the work of the hospices can carry on  without having to turn patients away because of funding shortages.  In an ideal world, adequate funding would come from central gvoernment, but there just isn't enough to go round. That's a sad fact of life. So they have to rely on donations.

Just about everybody knows someone who's been affected by cancer or heart disease, or have even been affected directly themselves. So that's why I'm doing this. If my efforts help my local hospice to carry on for another day,  giving the fabulous care that they do then, although it's only a drop in the huge financial ocean, it'll be well worth the effort, and probably the pain too. So please try to see your way to making a donation. If everyone gave just a pound it would soon mount up.

Finally, if I've already sent this page to you before, please accept my apologies. Of course, you can donate more than once!

Thankyou in hope,

Lynne