Greetings All, from the new South Wing at Benjamin Mansions in sunny Weston super Mare in south west UK.
Well, yes. It’s been a busy time recently, what with moving home (exhausting but worth it), practising my Martial Arts and un-armed combat techniques with Tedski (mainly for fun but also to remind him who’s Boss), doing some ambitious DIY projects (alternative acronym for some: ‘Don’t Involve Yourself’?!), reluctantly handing myself-over to occasional but increasingly brief bouts of the dreaded Deathly Fatigue (before you say it, Aunties - not surprisingly in the circumstances), and simultaneously flirting with The Pred Club (2mgpd) AND Pred Club Zero like a confused teenager with two Sweethearts (I remember it well, but that’s a story for another time..).
As for sunny WSM: all’s well, all considered. Today, from my balcony, I was busy observing some educationally and socially ‘challenged’ adults playing on the beach. Building sand castles, throwing mud-pies at each other, chasing the famous WSM seaside donkeys, stealing holidaymakers’ wallets and mobile phones, and much more mischief. But that’s enough about the local Town Mayor and Councillors - I just hope that they get back to their official work tomorrow 
As a result, I’m sorry not to have been as active on the forum as I would normally like. But I’M BACK! - and open for PMR/GCA Community Forum Business as Usual. I can already hear a few of you groaning and pleading for mercy…
All I can say is: if you’ve summoned enough PMR / GCA / Pred sapped energy to read this far - and even if in the middle of the night - you’re either in-tune with the topic or plain bored-to-death with all of the stuff in the News 'Mee-Jaaa' about trivial things like the Brexit negotiations and the International Footie Championships, or plain terminally weary of reading about learning how un-washed supermarket Lettuce can kill you due to bacterial bugs.
So, to (hopefully) lighten the load:
Here are a few quotations from some famous (and not-so-famous) people in History. Then, a possible alternative interpretation in our PMR / GCA context. Please keep-up - there is a Test later.. 
“I have a Dream…” (Martin Luther King)
- Yep, I have a Dream too. A dream that I’ll soon kick this PMR / GCA into touch and get back to a normal Life. That said, what was ‘Normal’ in the first place? I can’t remember. Pass me the Preds please….?
"We'll fight them on the Beaches.." (Winston Churchill)
- I have NO energy to fight anyone, anywhere. BUT... even with PMR I am still perfectly capable of aiming a ‘killer’ look at ANYONE who crosses me. Be warned…
“Trust, but Verify..” (Ronald Reagan / as advised by Susan Massie)
- Clearly, this is a very good phrase to use to send my Doctor or Rheumy into an apoplectic Fit of Rage when I know they are giving me bad advice about Pred tapering. I will deliver it in a calm voice and with a satisfied smirk. Watch their reaction, and Enjoy!
“ Talk Softly, and carry a Big Stick..” (Theodore Roosevelt)
- Did he say “Talk Bigly, and carry a Stuffed Sock”? I don’t get it. Ohh no, I think the Brain Frog has got me again. There's no Hope... :-(
“Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers..” (Alfred Lord Tennyson)
- Yeah, yeah, yeah - Blah blah blah. Nice idea, but obviously he didn’t have PMR or GCA, nor was he on the ‘magic’ Preds. End of.
“Fortune favours the Brave..” (Aeneid Virgil)
- Never mind Fortune. I Favour a nice glass of the Red Stuff. As the Spanish say, “Bravo”. That’s good enough for me (hic / glug)!
“Everything is Funny - so long as it is happening to someone else..” (Will Rogers)
- So, is that why my family and friends seem so amused all the time?
"I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.." ( Mae West)
- Listen ‘Missy’: when you get to our age, Snow White is the default Hair Colour. So, stop playing Mind Games with us and stick to what you’re best at.
“In the end, everything is a Gag..” (Charlie Chaplin)
- Hey, Whaaaasup?! Aren’t you supposed to be the Pioneer of Silent Movie Comedy? Practise what you preach. Grrrr….
“Life is like a can of sardines - all of us are looking for the key" (Alan Bennett)
- Cheap Gag for a respected and usually eloquent English Playwright? A friend of mine’s teenage grandson recently came-up with a better play on words. It goes:
'Two Dyslexic ski-ing enthusiasts were at the top of the French Alps. One points to the slalom run and says, "fancy zig zagging down the slalom run?!" The other replies,"Zig- zag" - don't you mean "Zag-Zig"?"
After ten minutes arguing whether 'Slalom’ means to ‘zig zag’or ’zag zig’, they decide to ask a chap at the bottom of the slope which version is correct. Goggles on, and down the slope they go..
At the bottom, they ask: "Excuse me, mate, just to settle an argument: when on a Slalom run do you "zig zag or zag zig"?" The confused guy pauses for a moment and says, "I'm sorry I can't help you I'm a Tobogganist.
So the pair reply: "Oh well mate, never mind. In that case can we have 20 Rothmans and a box of matches please?!1
(*My apologies if this old gag offends the sensibilities of anyone here with Dyslexia, or who knows someone who is affected by it. It’s simply intended to demonstrate how, sometimes, innocently-intended jokes and inventive /elegant word-plays by children can eclipse the more shallow of those of the supposed Philosophical Gurus..?).
“First we take the Test, then we Learn the Lesson..” (Chinese proverb)
- Try saying THAT to the MOT (for those of You Lot overseas - Ministry of Transport) Vehicle Inspector when your trusty car fails its annual Safety Test. And then watch his expression when you explain that you’ll pay him 2 years later for the repairs once you have 'Learned the Lesson' about maintaining your car adequately….
“In spite of the cost of living, it’s still popular.. (Kathleen Norris)
That’s easy for YOU to say. Come over to my place, look at my bank statements, and you’ll experience a dose of Reality!
“Do not be afraid of going slowly, only be afraid of standing still..” (Chinese proverb)
With PMR and GCA, neither going slowly nor standing-still are ANYTHING to be afraid of. It’s getting in and out of bed and putting your socks on that are the true Existential Challenges. Sorted. Get a Life, whoever you are. Next Inspirational Nonsense please..? 
“*Life is a state of Mind..” (Jerzy Kosinski / ‘Being There’ movie screenplay 1979)
*Now: on a rare (for me) but serious note: do try to watch this enchanting comedy / drama movie starring Peter Sellars, Shirley Mclean and others - and work-out the intended message for yourself? ;-). It should appeal to many of Us Lot of a certain generation in the UK - and in the US especially.
So, that’s it for tonight PMR and GCA Crusaders / Survivors / Warriors, or however you like to describe yourself. Enjoy your weekend, and try to keep seeing the Positive / Lighter Side of PMR, GCA - and all of the Stuff of Life. Some Fun and Enjoyment (however Daft) might not change or fix anything medically, but it might just help you to cope on the Journey. That's my Philosophy, and I'm sticking to it - for better or worse
Best wishes and keep smiling
'Uncle' MB 
Hello from fellow GCA/PMR sufferer in New York (US)
Pacing - I'm always on about it in PMR/GCA, here are some tips
An idea to get GCA/PMR more visibility (but only if there are Archers fans among us)! 
Actemra infusions approved.
