Sponsorship requested - for I am going to Abseil!

22 May.  Now, I want you all to hurry off and put that date in your diaries - and no excuses about how that's your third cousin's dog's birthday and you have to be on alert and keep the day reserved in case they have a big family party...

22 May is noteable for a couple of reasons.  Firstly. This is the day I am abseiling down a building.  Oh, it's all right, I'm doing it for charity and everything, it's not a whim.  Actually, if I had whims, and I'd not had them all surgically removed, I don't think I'd go down the side of a building on one.  I'd more...I dunno, sit in a warm bath and eat cake, or go for a walk on a beach and eat cake.  Not jump off a building where no eating of anything is even mentioned, let alone cake!  I know, right?

This is the building in question. 269 feet high, apparently.  Or 'down' as I like to call it.

Now, if you 'd like to sponsor me (because it's in aid of the Red Cross, so very good cause and everything, and anyway, I know you'd pay to see me go backwards off a building), there's a link here.  Please do.  We're abseiling to raise money to combat loneliness (which is slightly odd, it's not like abseiling is a team sport or anything), and we'll be doing it in fancy dress. I'm hoping my fancy dress will include a parachute, but I promise not to make a fuss if it doesn't.

It's billed as a 'Fun, Exciting and Challenging Experience.'  I presume they mean for me, although I can promise them that two of those adjectives will apply to anyone trying to get me over the edge of that building on the day.  There may be biting involved, although I note they don't use that on the cover blurb.

This is abseiling.  Try to imagine it with 100% more screaming and 50% more wee.

So, you know, good cause and everything.  Please sponsor me.

Other noteable thing on 22 May?  Well, it's World Goth day, of course, surprised you didn't know that, why is it not in your diary?  Oh, because you've written in 'Today, Jane falls off that building' in such big letters, obviously.  Anyway.  It's World Goth Day, and an anthology of stories called 'Dare to Shine' is released, to raise money for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, the charity set up to combat prejudice and intolerance (it's set up in honour of the lovely Sophie Lancaster, the girl killed for 'looking different'). The book is full of stories celebrating individuality and, again, it's in a good cause.  If there's one thing we writers know about, it's being a wee bit 'different', after all...