I found an absolutely brilliant website whilst browsing in my lunch-break yesterday. I suggest you check it out but make sure you read from the bottom of the page upwards - that puts it in chronological order.

I received lots of congratulatory emails yesterday on account of my third trade so thank you for that. It is up to you to keep the trading going by bidding on my next item. I will be putting it out to all of the groups that I think will be interested in it in the next couple of weeks, so you may not have too much time.

Tim at The Special Zipper has received "talk of a second trade with exciting possibities" and I wish him all the best on quickly catching this blog up on the trading front.

Finally, if you missed yesterday's news of my trade then you can see it here or you can just scroll down a little.

Have a great day.

Now for the big reveal...

I have traded the Sydney Olympic 2000 games shirt for a signed photo of Peter Beardsley provided by SoccerBid.co.uk (Not the photo pictured below!!!).

"Who?" Some of you may ask. Peter Beardsley was a footballer (soccer if you are from a country other than mine), a great footballer who played for England and countless club teams and is regarded as one of the best players this country has ever had.

Who is the photo signed by? Peter Beardsley of cousre!


He doesn't sign many photos, some say that he is happy with the amount of money he has - unlike other footballers who are desparately trying to clear their gambling debts - others say it is on account of how ugly he is. I'll let you decide.

There are signed photos of Peter Beardsley on ebay but they are tatty and flea-bitten on the whole. What would you give for a signed photo of one of the greatest footballers to grace the pitch. Remember the eventual aim is to make as much money for charity as possible by getting to a great final item so please think of things that you would like to trade and email me or leave a comment to take part in the next trade.

Until then, enjoy my Peter Beardsley fascinating facts below.

Peter Andrew Beardsley was born January 18, 1961 in Newcastle, England.

He played during his teenage years for Wallsend Boys Club where the likes of Alan Shearer and Michael Carrick also started out

Peter Beardsley has played for the following clubs:

Carlisle
Vancouver White Caps
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Liverpool
Everton
Bolton Wanderers
Manchester City
Fulham
Hartlepool United

That's a lot of clubs. The move from Newcastle to Liverpool in 1987 was for a then record fee of £1,900,000 - seems like small change now.

Peter Beardsley played for England 59 times, his most prolific times coming whilst working in a partnership with Gary Lineker.

He has two goals in the top 50 England goals of all time.

He is one of only two players in history to have scored against Liverpool while playing for Everton and against Everton while playing for Liverpool.

He played in the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups.

He was awarded an MBE in 1995.

I hope you have more of an idea about just how much this item is worth now, please bid generously.

Thank you.

Hello from a stranger,

I know, I didn't leave a post yesterday and I'm sure that you were expecting me to say "hooray, my trade arrived today" but it didn't. Sorry to disappoint.

Maybe it arrived today while I was at work and I will let you know if it does. I have jazzed the site up a bit for when I get an influx of new people after I announce my next trade on every web forum that I know; that is why I did not post yesterday.

Three people have now signed my Guest Map out of the 100 who have visited since I put it up and one of those people was me! I know that there may be a problem with some viewers not seeing it properly but hopefully the providers will sort that out. I have put it into the top bar now so that it can be seen by all.

I have also moved my archives to the bottom of the screen so that the side-bar has much more relevant information and is much easier to browse.

Things are a bit quiet at the moment so that is why I am telling you about the blog and not exciting stuff like trades.

Check back tomorrow to see if the trade arrives.

I got my first hard-copy news story a couple of weeks ago. After writing to my local newspaper and TV stations I got nothing but GUCH put me in their newsletter. I have copied the article below for the world to see.

"Paul Youngson has come up with a novel fundraising idea on the internet for GUCH PA. He is hoping to swap an old rope for something slightly better, in fact he already had had a response -- someone has offered him some craft scissors for the rope. He will then swap the scissors for ???? This will continue on for 18 months and the final article will then be auctioned off and the proceeds will go to GUCH PA.

At the time of this going to press, Paul has already 'swapped' his scissors so if you would like to check out his progress or join in and offer something, please visit Paul's Website"

Granted it is a little out of date but I am proud.

Next to my little article was an article about chest pain. I have been experiencing chest pain for some time; it is not very often but when you have had problems with your heart in the past it really freaks you out. I went to the cardiologist recently and was given the all clear but I still get chest pain now and then. I believed that it must be muscular but it was exactly where my heart is.

Anyway back to the article. It said that one big cause of chest pain was a legacy of open heart surgery. If your bones do not heal properly then you can have pain there. I think this explains it for me, and I am so happy about finding this out that I have to put it here in case it helps someone else.

There have been a lot of changes to the site recently including my piece of rope used as a border (look upwards) and a Guest Map in the right-hand sidebar. Please sign my Guest Map because I would love to know where you are from, it works off Google Maps and I think it is an excellent tool for any website so feel free to steal the idea.

Tim - my trader for the scissors to the tee shirt - has received his first offer of a trade; he is trading by starting with a zipper to signify the scar that many of us have on our chests as a result of open heart surgery. Please support him by going to his blog.

That's it for now, have a great day.

I traded a number of craft scissors for a piece of old rope. I was the first one to trade to get this project going. I hope it will be a huge success. Since then Paul has asked if I will write a short piece for his blog. I am happy to oblige, however, there was a delay as I thought for a theme. Then it struck me, stick with the rope theme. No need to reinvent the wheel.

1. You can throw someone a lifeline, a piece of rope.

2. You can send someone a present, a piece of soap on a rope.

My lifeline was thrown by my Grandfather in 1966.

My Grandfather was a very practical, clever, resourceful gentleman. He was chief engineer for a shipping line in the once great port of Liverpool. When he was told the sad news of my congenital heart defect in 1966 along with the news that there was nothing to be done, he literally threw me a lifeline. “Rubbish”, he said! The heart is only a pump. I can not give up on a pump if we are out in the middle of the ocean, miles from shore. It would have to be fixed. There was never any doubt in his mind that further action must be taken. So, on his next shore leave I was taken to the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London. I was reviewed at Dr Bonham Carter’s Private Consulting Clinic. A diagnosis was confirmed and a plan of action was agreed. Here I am forty years later, still sailing the seas with my repaired pump. Thanks to my Grandfather (sadly now deceased), my Family and all the wonderful medical professionals.

My piece of soap on a rope is Port Sunlight village

I was born on The Wirral and lived in a beautiful village called Port Sunlight, famous for Lever Brothers, soap makers. Now called Unilever. Hence soap on a rope! If anyone lives in the UK and has not yet visited Port Sunlight, then they ought to visit on a sunny day. It is a model village built by the first Lord Leverhulme, a local lad made good. His parents owned a grocers store in Bolton and he along with his brother bought some marsh land on the Wirral side of the River Mersey and put their plans into action. The boggy land was reclaimed, a soap factory was built and a model village designed by architects was built alongside for his workers. The homes are no longer tied cottages, but many people who live there still has ties to the factory. It is well worth a visit.