I have exciting news, the 6th book is out and ready for download on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com for just £1.90, this is the 6th and final book in the Forum Publishing range and not to be missed.

Sorry for the absence

Well where to start! Things have been very chaotic the last couple of months it started with my dad taking ill back in July and he passed away peacefully on the 22^nd July there was all the emotions to deal with and preparing for the funeral then the day itself, which alone was exhausting. 

Vegan Gluten Free Carrot cake cupcakes.

These are absolutely delicious and I adapted the recipe to make them gluten free, they are really moist and light and much too edible, I wanted to eat them all in one day, they lasted two! so do not ask me how well they keep as they do not last that long.

Motorcycling and CFS

The following was sent to me by one of the forum members ian2008 and it shows that we dont always have to give up what we love, we just have to find a way to manage it.

One of my great pleasures and passions in my life is motorcycling. Prior to getting CFS I would ride my motorcycle (bike) as far and as often as I could. My wife and I would go to many race meetings, go on holiday and ride out to quiet country spots and have a picnic. Many pleasurable hours were spent cleaning and repairing the bike. However, since CFS, my riding and enjoyment has been somewhat curtailed. 

To Be A Man, YouTube Video

Coping with emotion.

This post sort of follows on from Kooky's post, we must both have been on a similar wavelength today.

People with CFS have to deal with all kinds of emotions in relation to dealing with chronic illness, theirs and their partners/families lives can be turned totally upside down, which in turn puts immense  strain on relationships and mental well being.

Add to this the fact that some degree of emotional lability is not uncommon in CFS and what would normal be small things can upset someone with CFS greatly or make them angry. I think the main base of this is frustration and grief for your former life. Frustrations that you cannot do what you did before and anger as you want to be able to do things. Grief is a strange emotion not just appearing when you lose someone, I find I almost mourn for my old lifestyle, the old Carrie.

ROFL

I was reading through the funny posts on the forum today and there was a joke about a petrol powered dog, it really made me smile.  Laughter being the best medicine I thought I'd relate a couple of anecdotes that will hopefully have you ROFL.  (That's Rolling On Floor Laughing for those of you who don't speak Internet or Text.)

Day 7 of quitting smoking, updates and learning to say no.

Morning friends

People with CFS have a hard lesson to learn, saying ‘No.’ Most of us want to please and want to be of use to people especially those we love.

A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
Mohandas Gandhi

Three years of CFS.

This was sent to me by Ian and I thought it would be great to share his experience of his life with CFS/M.E. If you want to read more about pacing visit our forum

Day 4 of quitting smoking

Morning friends.

Today is my 4th day of stopping smoking and so far everything is going well. This is starting to enter my danger zone, in the past I have become complacent at this point thinking it is easy, then got overwhelmed by sudden cravings, and then being unprepared I have ended up caving in and smoking. This time I am ready for anything life and my body throws at me, I feel I don't need to smoke. I am as strong as I choose to be and I can do anything I set my mind to, (Sshhhhh I know, just let me convince myself LOL.) I'm still using the 25mg patches and the occasional spray of the quickmist, but I think I only used 4 or 5 sprays of it yesterday.

Vegetable Goulash

This is another of MrsMittens favourite recipes, I haven't tried it yet but it sounds delicious, she assures me it is good and quick and easy to make. I think this is definitely one to try soon.

Vegetable Goulash

Gluten-free vegan Banana Loaf

This a recipe sent to me by MrsMittens that she enjoys as a treat, it is easy to make and tastes great. Just be careful not to eat it all at once.

Friday the 8th July, Quit day.

Today I am starting on my thousandth attempt at stopping smoking, with help I have received from Roger and the relaxation and hypnosis tracks he pointed me towards, I have renewed enthusiasm and belief that I can do it.

Okay realistically I have absolutely no will power hehehehe, but I can only try, I have to get the defeatist attitude out of my head when and if I have a slip, one cig, doesn’t have to mean another 5 years of smoking, hiccups happen to the strongest of people.

Vegan sugar cookies

These are great as an occasional treat and my friends and family that have tried them love them. I adapted the recipe from one I found online so that it was gluten free, and I use butter in the recipe as I tolerate it and am not Vegan, but if you do not eat it a good dairy free margarine does just as good a job. You can add what ever flavours you want, maybe dusting with cinnamon sugar or icing, if you're feeling especially energetic you could colour your icing.

We tried making our own 'Jammy Dodgers' out of this recipe, they tasted great but were very fragile and did not firm up, so be careful if like me, you have a habit of coming up with crazy ideas, hehehe!

Spoon Theory

Mon mentioned the Spoon Theory in her story, so thought I would direct you to the article that she referred to. It is a very useful tool in explaining CFS to people who do not understand, or ask, how we are feeling. I have heard it talked of many times as helping people grasp what we have to deal with and how our energy reserves work.

Click here to learn about the Spoon Theory. I would strongly recommend that people trying to understand how people cope with CFS have a read.

Happy reading and remember, don't use too many spoons today!

Forum Publishing You Tube video:- Broken Cats and Cowboy hats

Broken cats and cowboy hats

Hi folks.....

Recently your favourite support forum has taken a new venture onboard, "Forum Publishing", the reason being that we have an author in our midst... Most of you will already know him from his posts on "Pacing" "Meditation" and his section on the forum’s "Mind/Body Interaction" board, along with his more light-hearted posts and his silly sense of humour... Yes, you are correct! It’s Roger...

Recently, Roger has rewritten the second edition of his novel, "Broken Cats & Cowboy Hats", which was originally published in paperback in 2000 and which received a very good review on Amazon as well as an excellent Press review – Roger will be happy to send anyone a copy of the press review on request.

The re-written book has recently been republished in Kindle format by "Forum Publishing", and with Agapanthus’ tremendous help in seeking out typos etc, it is now available to download at the very low cost of £1.71p inc VAT, of which the forum will receive 50p, the hope being that enough copies will be sold to provide the forum with much needed funds.

Kindle books are e-books that can be read via free apps on Kindle Reader, iPhone, Mac, iPad, Blackberry, Android and PC – most people will use the free PC app, which provides a great reading experience and, when closed, will re-open on the last page you read.

For those who like to indulge in a captivating, hard and violent "Crime/thriller” with a message, I highly recommend this book, and for anyone who’s intrigued, here is a short blurb -

"While he’s still a baby, Mark Doughty’s family is torn apart by domestic violence. With his abusive father in police custody and his mother institutionalised, Mark is abandoned to an indifferent care system. Only one concerned social worker, Jackie Shannon, attempts to connect with him during a bleak childhood, but her attentions aren’t enough to prevent him from gradually hardening into a man whose only means of communication is through violence and intimidation. Doughty’s frustration with his dead-end life finally culminates in a brutal and unprovoked murder. His arresting officer, DI Jack Hogg, is pleased to see Doughty put away for life. But his worst fears are realised when Mark escapes from custody, obsessed with exacting retribution on the people he feels are responsible for his incarceration."

This will not be the only book published by Forum Publishing, as in the next two or three weeks, another of Roger’s books, "The Naked Emperor", will be released – this one is much lighter than “Broken Cats & Cowboy Hats” reflecting Roger’s silly sense of humour. Details will be sent to all following its release. And hopefully, others will follow that.

So folks, can you help the forum become more financially stable by buying the book? Then, if you like it as much as I do, can you give it a good review on Amazon, tell your friends and family, and link this book to all your favourite social networking sites, such as Twitter or Facebook? If we can set a big enough ball rolling, it will be of tremendous help in keeping your favourite "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support Forum" up and running.

Broken Cats & Cowboy Hats

THANK YOU.

~HUGZ~

Angeleyes40 xx

Forum Publishing

Hi folks....

Forum Publishing is proud to announce the release of Roger's new book, "The Naked Emperor" and again, with Agapanthus’ tremendous help in seeking out typos etc, it is now available to download at the very low cost of £2.13p inc VAT, of which the forum will receive 50% of any proceeds from the book. I hope that enough copies will be sold to provide the forum with much needed funds.

Whilst "Broken Cats & Cowboy Hats" was a hard hitting novel with a message, "The Naked Emperor" is more lighthearted, guaranteed to bring a smile or three along the way...

This book has the full package, as not only does this book deliver humour, there are also a few touching and thought
provoking moments...

Intrigued?

Well here is a short blurb about the book....

"Tired of aggressive, ungrateful customers, hapless motor-cycle repair shop owner, Simon Jones, decides that enough is enough. Encouraged by a newfound ‘gift’, he decides that it’s time to seek a new and better life.

His savvy wife, Hazel, isn’t impressed by his ‘gift’, but agrees that a week’s holiday in Cornwall with the kids, Becky and Ben, and their delinquent golden retriever, Orpheus, would be a good idea, a chance to consider their future.

During the holiday, an incident in a gift shop sparks an entrepreneurial idea, and they return home full of plans to set up a new business.

Initially, the business goes very well but an unanticipated disaster strikes, leading to near bankruptcy.

Desperate for money, Simon has a short spell working in a factory warehouse followed by a longer one as an unsuccessful insurance salesman.

One day he returns home from work, broke and full of despair, to be met by someone from the past, someone who, with the help of the naked emperor syndrome, eventually leads Simon and Hazel to a new life of fame and fortune."

This book is highly recommended as not only has it just been released, there are fantastic reviews on Amazon

Well, what are you waiting for?


For anyone who hasn’t got a reader, this is the answer – click Here to view the free kindle PC app post.

Okay, okay... I hear you telling me to get on with it, now the moment you have all been waiting for, the link to Roger's new book...

The Naked Emperor