sheekbiker
All Weather Rider, well hard
Posts: 155
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Post by sheekbiker on Feb 18, 2009 22:01:28 GMT 1
Don't know if anybody on here is a disc world fan. I love the books and the knowledge that Terry has old timers decease saddens me. However today I heard that he has been given a knighthood and I thought how nice that he has got it while he can still enjoy it. Mick.
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Post by Buzzin (^_^) on Feb 19, 2009 10:03:02 GMT 1
Didn't he receive it a while ago? And yes, I am a discworld fan Just finished Reaper man, lovely story about death becoming a farmer's help and stuff not dying properly I hope Sir Terry will live long despite his decease and hopefully he can write a bit more too...
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sheekbiker
All Weather Rider, well hard
Posts: 155
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Post by sheekbiker on Feb 19, 2009 23:30:38 GMT 1
Hi Buzzin, I've just read Reaper Man for the second time I have all the books on my shelf and every so often I get one down and read it again. Many of the books are for young adults but as I'm approaching my second childhood thats fine. I first got hooked by "Wyrd Sisters"with the image of a witch on a cold damp morning running up and down her garden path with her broomstick trying to get it fired up, as a biker of many years it struck a chord with me and I had to read the book. I'm reading "The Folklore of the Discworld" at the moment and it tells you as much about this world as it does about the Discworld and where Terry gets his ideas. Mick.
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Post by Buzzin (^_^) on Feb 20, 2009 10:13:13 GMT 1
I would be reading a lot more of them if I wasn't dislexic. So now I only read every so often, and mostly on holidays....well, non-bike holidays....which I don't really have anymore I started reading the discworld novels after heaving read the hitchhikers guide (and other books by d.a.) and being told by friends the humour was comparable. (which I think is true) My bookshelf is only filled with about half the books, but added to that are all the non-standard books I can find (death's domain, nanny ogg's cookbook etc) I hope to get through them eventually
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micawber
All Weather Rider, well hard
No longer lurking in the shrubbery.
Posts: 151
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Post by micawber on Feb 20, 2009 15:14:13 GMT 1
Terry Pratchett's brave public announcement that he has Alzheimer's saddened me. I have not been a reader of his books up to now but a for man with such a rich, active imagination to face the prospect of progressively losing all that made him an interesting and well known author, all his memories and abilities and uniqueness, must be doubly devastating for him.
Fortunately he can afford the best care and treatment which while not being able to reverse the course of the disease, should help to keep him functioning and enjoying life for some years yet.
If his situation brings attention to the plight of the many thousands of less financially fortunate Alzheimers sufferers and their carers in this country then it is all to the good. You might think that keeping an active mind and being stimulated by new things and experiences would ward off dementia; obviously it does not provide an absolute guarantee. Eventually it is the carers that take the brunt because towards the end:-
"They tell you that you’ll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don’t tell you is that you won’t miss it very much." (Malcolm Cowley) It is something that we all dread happening to us, and are uncomfortable thinking or talking about. That is why I say it is a brave thing that he has done. We can think about being physically disabled more easily than we can think about losing our essential "self".
I think Terry Pratchett's contribution to literature is (from talking to fans)that he has probably encouraged countless people to read, and continue reading, because his work seems very accessible and makes you want to find out more. I look forward to reading some of his stuff to find out for myself.
Micawber.
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Post by Jaz66 on Feb 22, 2009 5:21:52 GMT 1
Hi all Saw this and wanted to post but just took a day or two to think it through. Knew of terry Pratchett re; books but not read discworld, but have to admire the man for coming to terms with the illness and tackling it head on, by going on the record. Micawber you say more eloquently what i wanted to say regarding Mr Pratchett as a writer, So I will let your words speak for me, if i may. And while i have the greatest compassion for Mr Pratchett and fellow sufferers, i think it sometimes gets forgotten that this disease can be a heavy burden for partners as well, as cruel as that sounds.... I had the misfortune to have to watch my dad cope with my mothers slide into Alzheimer's/dementia. It has been particularly telling on him, as while mum has drifted off into her own little world, and wonders who he is, he carries the awful Guilt that he could have done more, despite caring way beyond what could be reasonably expected of anyone, he is still torments himself with the idea that he has let her down in some way by letting her go into a home. In many ways the story of John Suchet and his wife's dementia is a classic tale of dementia, showing just how difficult it can for, loving caring people to really get to grips with this disease in the early stages. . The frustration at his wifes lapses until he was aware of her condition obviously play on this loving husbands mind. And now while he is still honouring his wedding vows, his wife, due to her illness is no longer able to recognise him as her 'Husband'. How sad for her to live in a world where people she believes are alive have long passed away , but how doubly sad for him, to still have the memories of just how vibrant and full of life she was, and yet still be devoted to someone who considers him (after all those years together) as a little more than an acquaintance. We just don't know what is around the corner, and perhaps we should all make time this weekend / this month / this year, to tell those we love, just how much they mean to us while we can, and while it still means something to them.
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Post by McF on Feb 22, 2009 8:36:07 GMT 1
I lost a favourite Uncle to a pretty horrible mix of Parkinsons, Alzheimers and other elderly afflictions. It was cruel watching a larger than life character fade away into his own dimension. I watched his family have to come to terms with grieving for him three times: When he was diagnosed and early onset When they accepted that his mind had gone When he finally died Fortunately this was all in less than 3 years. It seemed like forever at the time, but knowing some families bear this burden for much longer, this seems a relief. People who share their suffering in the public gaze are very brave; celebreties get ill too. They're entitled to their privacy, but if they choose, can give a lot of visibility to the fraility of life.
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Post by Jaz66 on Feb 22, 2009 16:47:45 GMT 1
McF sorry to hear about your uncle, remember you talking about him in an earlier post.
True that it must have been very painful for the family, with several different grieving processes going on during the illness.
Major respect to any celebrity who forgoes the privacy they are entitled to, (just like the rest of us) and shine the light on various causes, some deeply personal.
They can achieve so much more and be the catalyst for open debate.
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sheekbiker
All Weather Rider, well hard
Posts: 155
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Post by sheekbiker on Feb 24, 2009 0:44:53 GMT 1
Hi All, Just got round to reading these postings after a weekend away. I as you know am getting on a bit but I still work for people who are considerably older than I and they all say the same thing, DO IT NOW, whatever it is you want to do in life if you can see a way of doing that thing go ahead DO NOT put it off for later, later may not arrive. I didn't foresee this thread becoming this serious and had intended to lighten things up a bit so go read some of the mans humor and when I start writing in complete nonsense send in the white coats. . Mick.
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Post by Jaz66 on Feb 24, 2009 3:44:49 GMT 1
Sheek....like it Probably more true of bikers than others, we can be as careful as we like but the 'IDSY' drivers will always be a threat... Know what you mean about 'serious thread' but any topic like this is going to have touched some one on the forum, unfortunatley We are not always in charge of our lives, and none of us wants or really expects to get seriously ill, but it happens. (Besides If we all lived for ever, think how crowded the roads would be.. ;D) I know you wanted to lighten the mood with a bit of humour, and i love humour but i like the human spirit a bit more, because it always helps us make the best of a bad situation. So on a positive, I think the thread came down to this: *Hats off to those who take a stand on their illness (Public or Private) *And that Families Suffer as well. two points that are very positive : Resilience / Stubborness / Bl00dy mindedness or whatever word you think fits... from those who are ill And solidarity and sense of Purpose and Duty against a common enemy.. No matter how poor the odds, from the family and loved ones Two Pretty positive thoughts, and in Mr Pratchetts case Fecking Amazing that he thought of others at a time like this. May the breakthrough in medicine (and it will happen ) come about because of his unselfish deed, and may it be in time for him, so we can enjoy many more years of his writings... So to quote you one more time.... So those who haven't (me ) Go read / Go Borrow / Go Buy one of his books today..and Enjoy. And Sheek, IF you do see the men in white coats, remember we haven't grassed you up, it might just be the milkman looking for you to pay the bill... ;D ;D
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sheekbiker
All Weather Rider, well hard
Posts: 155
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Post by sheekbiker on Feb 26, 2009 21:26:05 GMT 1
And Sheek, IF you do see the men in white coats, remember we haven't grassed you up, it might just be the milkman looking for you to pay the bill...
Or just to call son eh Jazz ;D
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