133 - Garry, Kieren & Brandon Jack signed PHAFC jumper

A Pennant Hills AFC jumper, signed by former Australian Rugby League fullback Garry Jack, and 2 of his sons Kieren (Sydney Swans co-captain) & Brandon (Sydney Swans player), highlighting the Pennant Hills football clubs reputation as "The family club" - Kieren and Brandon both played for Pennant Hills before being signed by the Swans.

I am auctioning this jumper to raise funds for the Pennant Hills Demons AFL club to say thanks for helping me reach my 100th game after thinking I'd been forced into an early retirement when I was bashed and had a stroke when I was 4 games short.

The sale of this jumper will be finalised at Give it a crack on Wednesday November 12 at 8.30 at the Sydney Comedy store. The jumper can be picked up from the comedy store on the night, or other arrangements can be made.

To give yourself a chance of securing this 100% unique piece of Australian sports memoribilia, place you bid at www.32auctions.com/BarnabyHowarth

132-The Goods Factor wins the Howarth and Phelan medals

At the Sydney AFL best and fairest dinner last night, I was honored to present a former team mate, Alex Goodall with the Howarth medal, then was filled with pride as he backed it up by winning the Phelan medal for the best player in the competition.

Alex was just a kid when he started playing first grade for Pennant Hills, he was this stocky little unit whose skills were rough around the edges, but during games he would throw himself into situations that I thought were far too dangerous to even consider. After spending the next few seasons picking "Cheese" up from off the bottom of packs, he earned himself the trait that good footballers seem to share...reliability. The gap between Alex's best game and his worst game is tiny - every time he runs out, you know what you're going to get from him.

So congratulations the Goods Factor for the Phelan, and I couldn't think of anyone I would rather have presented the Howarth medal to.

131 - Baptism as a Coptic Christian

Driving with my FIANCE to get baptised yesterday, Angela told me that in the Coptic church, a baptism is at least as significant as a wedding. I think I had underestimated how meaningful a step being taken in as a member of the church was, but after coming out of the baptismal waters, it hit me all at once.

In a beautiful, intimate ceremony, the differences in the appreciation of the significance of the situation was obvious - Angela's mother came up to me after I was baptised and told me I was looking at Father Matthew while he was reading a prayer with such reverence that I "looked like an Angel." While my nephew, Adam Junior, said to his Dad, after I came out of the waters in a white robe that had become see through, ""I can see Uncle Barns' undies."

If you were deeply into this blog and hanging to see where it ends, I apologise - I need to go and sent out some wedding invitations (bit excited just quietly!)

130 - "Davo's Bloody Donors" bring happy to the world

My friend Edwina Dighton's father, Davo was diagnosed with a blood cancer, MDS, but rather than sitting around feeling sorry for herself, Edwina starting making the world around her better...

Edwina started "Davo's Bloody Donors", a group that regularly gets together at the Chatswood Red Cross and gives blood to help people like Davo who desperately need it. A friend from high school, the wife of a very good friend and former AFL team mate, and the MC of Give it a Crack last year, I've always thought Ed's devotion to helping her father during his battle with MDS was impressive, but today I saw this video she has made...:

http://vimeo.com/105537856

...and my opinion has gone up immeasurably.

Ed didn't want to change the world when she started "Davo's Bloody Donors" (which you can follow on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DavosBloodyDonors), she just wanted to help her sick Dad, but she proved to me after watching this video, that you don't need to aim for huge things to change the world, small acts of kindness can make yours, or the people around you's lives better.

129-The Wedding ball starts rolling-Barnaby's baptism

My Pharonic princess of a fiance is of Egyptian culture, and is a Coptic Christian, so if we want to be married in her church I need to get baptised, and next weekend, that's exactly what I'll be doing.

The Priest at Angela's Church, Father Matthew is a sensational bloke who I was friends with long before talk of joining the church, so I feel like I'll be in good hands when I get baptised at St George Coptic church next Sunday after mass.

This baptism is the first official part of Angela and I dedicating our lives to each other, so I couldn't be happier - the two of us have almost identical views on the world - we love our families, we try and be compassionate to others, we think there is good in every situation no matter how grim things look, and we both think I'm right every time, so the two of us being part of the Coptic Church is a beautiful and natural step.

We can't wait to be married as Coptic Christians.

128-Give "give it a crack" a crack

Angela and I have selected the song we'll be swing dancing to, a Pennant Hills AFL jumper signed by former Demons now current Sydney Swans, Kieren and Brandon Jack, and their Father and former Australian Rugby League fullback Garry is at the framers, the comedians are hilarifying their jokes, and tickets are being sold for Give it a Crack 2014.

Six tickets have been sold online already, and given the event isn't until November 12, I'm getting pretty excited about the night. The fact that 75% of the profit will go to the Pennant Hills AFL Club means that confidence is high, I repeat...confidence is high.

If you'd like to see what the event is all about, go to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1_6n4pYVnDNZUFJN0dEaE5aVTdiYnZkTFExNU5mVDhQRXkw/edit?usp=sharing,and if you want to see Angela and I embarrass ourselves with our swing dance routine, if you want to support the Pennant Hills AFL Club, if you want the chance to bid for an AFL jumper signed by Kieren, Brandon and Garry Jack, if you want to hear what my BIG surprise is, or if you just want to laugh, come along to Give it a Crack at Sydney's Comedy Store on November 12. Tickets are available at: http://sa2.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest;jsessionid=4967D57F8E1AC69B8E3C3D6B53E53711?eventId=100729193&presenter=AUCENTURY&venue=&event=&version=

I hope to see you there.

Barnaby

127-Diabetes good news story

After bringing a plethora of diabetes horror stories over the last few months, I'm pleased to report that after seeing my diabetes Dr yesterday, I have some sensational news.

My HBA1C - a 3 month average blood sugar reading - was 6.9%, my best reading in 5 years. In layman's terms, an HBA1C, or Glycosylated Hemoglobin is a simple way of reading average blood glucose levels over 3 months. It is the best way of evaluating the risk for glycemic damage to tissues (eg. nerves and small blood vessels in the eyes and kidneys) and thus, risk of complications of diabetes. A non-diabetic's HBA1C is ideally between 4 and 5.6%, and diabetics aim for readings under 7%.

So after months of roller-coastering between levels over 20, to plumetting so low I've passed out in alley-ways, this result goes to show that when everything around you looks miserable, you can still find good things if you look hard enough.