Being Connected

My course last week was run by two very professional and passionate people, Jeff and Paul. Jeff has worked for some time helping people with emotional and mental difficulties and does a tremendous amount in the community, known and loved by many. Paul is a psychologist and is based at Lincoln University, his role to support students during difficult and stressful times. I was impressed by them both and their commitment and enthusiasm for what they do was clear to all. Some would argue that it is their purpose in life to help others.

What struck me as peculiar and difficult to accept was the fact that Paul kept himself dis-connected from all types of media and the news. During a discussion on whether suicide was wrong, I brought up the example of Tony Nicklinson who suffers with locked-in syndrome and I was quite taken aback that Paul was unfamiliar with the case. He really didn't seem to have a clue who I was referring to, or the condition. As a result the topic of situations where suicide 'could be justified', wasn't discussed and we continued with the course on the assumption that all suicide is wrong and needless.
How can someone separate themselves from everything that's going on in the world? When questioned by a member of the group, he responded by saying that he didn't trust the media and that much of what is reported is biased. He preferred to make up his own mind. But can you live devoid of information and still be in a position to judge?
I think of myself when I come across people like this, people who choose to live isolated from media. I come to the conclusion that for me life would be very difficult, almost impossible. I have to know what's going on. I'm curious. When I'm away from the news, and away from sources of media and the Internet, I feel dis-jointed. Sometimes I become quite frantic and I'm longing to be able to catch up on what's been going on. I simply cannot imagine a life where I'm without news. Even if I was isolated, I'd like to think I would have access to at least a radio.
So I do struggle to understand people who can separate themselves from the rest of the world. There is of course no doubt that a lot of the media we digest is biased and what we are fed is what we want to be told. But in a world of instant news and media from so many international sources, we do have the choice to compare what we're being told and get different perspectives to situations. At no time in history has the information available been so diverse and so accessible. So I do wonder if the media integrity argument can still be used. I really don't think so.
For me there is a feeling of security and comfort when I'm in touch with what's going on around me. I rely on my almost hourly fix of international, national and local news. I have my preferred sources of course. But any major event in the US for instance will send me searching for news and comment from their own local news sites and newspapers. Similarly with regard to Syria, I seek different perspectives by visiting regional news sources and Russia Today. In this way, my information is balanced but I still choose what to believe. I have the choice, and I think that's really what is missing from a life without media - the right to choose.

Didn't We Do Well...

This weekend, like many others, I find myself a little more proud to be British and reminded of just how good we are as a country at putting on a good show. The opening ceremony for the Olympic Games on Friday was nothing less than stunning. It would be a waste of time to describe any of the content as no words of my own could really do it justice though I do feel TV viewers literally had the better seat as so much was going on in the display that being a live spectator would have afforded only a limited view of the whole thing.
It was very clear that, in addition to the very well choreographed history lesson, some of Danny Boyle's own passions were catered for, particularly the NHS and Great Ormond Street Hospital. This is of course at odds with our government, which up to now has been hell-bent on destroying it.

I do begin to find pessimism and a certain level of criticism giving way to pride and an acceptance that despite the glitches and doom laden predictions, the event is already a success. There are of course several weeks to go until the closing ceremony, but if things carry on just as they are then we should be able to look back on having hosted a Games event to be remembered for many years and for the right reasons.
The star of the show, it can be argued, was the Queen who starred alongside Daniel Craig in a James Bond spoof. This was itself a work of genius and I believe has shown us as a country that doesn't take itself too seriously. A great start.

Monday and Tuesday of last week were taken up on my ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) course, held at the Johnson Hospital in Spalding. The course complimented SafeTalk and provides the skills required to recognise suicide risk and intervene.

Essentially, the initiative is being run in response to the increasing numbers of people who attempt to take their own lives each year. The training was excellent and very well organised. It's certainly not for everyone, and the subject matter is dark and at times runs quite deep. Many attending the course had experience of suicide and mental illness, and it provided a valuable opportunity for some networking and to inform others of the work I do in helping to run an Anxiety & Depression Support Group here in Spalding.
At the end of the course, we were invited to register as a responder. This involves being placed on a nationwide list of responders trained to intervene in situations where suicide is a risk. I did register myself, though I really hope I will never be called upon.
I will be developing a section on my website containing information about SafeTalk and ASIST over the coming weeks. Visit http://www.pcknowledge.co.uk/health

Thursday saw another meeting of our group and in a diversion to the norm, we all had a go at painting with acrylics. Emma had very kindly brought in some materials and somewhat tongue-in-cheek, we all produced a  mini work of art. Speaking for myself, it was about 25 years since I have done anything 'arty', and the other group members a great deal longer. Despite this, it was very much enjoyed and kept us all quiet for an hour while we concentrated deeply on recreating the images in our mind's eye.

Yesterday I did mention we'd had a go at painting to my dear friends and they have kindly agreed to come along one Thursday to give us some tuition . Quite why I hadn't thought of this before now, I really don't know. Their support and friendship in the group will be valued and I am confident they will fit in very well.
I'm hoping that painting and other crafts will catch-on and become a regular thing. We intend to put in a bid for arts and crafts materials in September when the second round of funding for mental health projects becomes available.
I have rather ambitiously added an arts and crafts section to my website and a gallery where our paintings will be displayed. I have uploaded our first attempts and these can be found on my website.

It is raining here as I type this, and we have had some heavy storms. As a result, I have a 'storm head'. It's a type of headache I get when the weather is stormy, probably caused by some kind of atmospherics. I did manage, before the storms arrived, to dig-up my first crop of potatoes from my patio grow bag and though not a huge harvest, I am very pleased with them.

I intend to have them with a pie later in the week. Having already tasted one, I can confirm they taste divine.
Also, I just had to include a photo I took earlier of a rather peculiar carrot my father dug-up...

While I have been typing this, I have forgotten to remember to bid on eBay for a truss girder bridge I've seen that would be ideal on the model railway layout I'm building. I've just taken a call from my friend asking if I was successful and had to admit that it had completely escaped my mind, like so many things lately. Such a shame as it would have been ideal for the position I have created for it.

My wife has had me trawling the Internet for cheap caravan breaks in Norfolk. Even the most basic of accommodation command ridiculous prices, some as high as £600 for a few days. I've left her with the laptop as I type this as there is only so much trawling I can bear, and after all she does know how much we have to spend, whereas I do not. So it looks like we may be having a mini break at some point in the next month. More details to follow, no doubt...

So the G4S Olympics Fiasco Continues...

Say's it all really...

A Tearful Appreciation & A Commons Grilling

I have just returned from my son's school leavers & awards assembly, and very emotional it was too. What struck me straight away was how well attended it was by parents. The largest room at the school was full with the children squashed onto the floor in front of the parents.
Awards were given by the head teacher for performance and for reading skill. In addition, there was an attendance certificate which my son was chuffed to receive for zero absence. He also received a rather nice reading medal.
I've attended a couple of these events as a parent and I've been struck each time by the level of dedication shown by the teachers and how much they are affected when the time comes for their pupils to move on. I suppose it should come as no surprise really given that most of their time is spent with them, preparing them for the journey of life and finding their way in society as we know it. I am always so respectful of teaching staff. The amount of work, care and attention that goes into their work cannot be underestimated. A great many, like carers and nurses will describe their jobs as a vocation. This is easy to understand.
So there were certainly tears, from pupils, parents and teachers. But there was also a feeling of tremendous pride for all the children had achieved and an appreciation for the teachers we trust our children to.

As I type this, we are surrounded by storms locally and the power has already had a small blip so I half expect everything to go off as I continue typing. Having said that, our weather is actually set to improve and this is to be the last day of the wet spell we've endured for the last few weeks. It is actually very warm and conditions are set to improve further next week with the promise of sunshine.
The weather lately has certainly taken its toll. Numerous events have been cancelled due to water-logged fields and their have been deaths due to flooding and landslips. The latest event to be cancelled locally was the Sacrewell Farm Bus Rally, which we attend every year.

There is one week to go until the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. Despite the assurances that the country is prepared, we have discovered that huge gaps in the security contingent are having to be filled by police officers and army. Stories are also emerging regarding poor training and I read today that our failings have begun to appear in the foreign press with Germany printing a particularly damning article.
I do think there will be further problems to emerge from what is when all is said and done, an enormous event, but I really don't see anything interfering with the actual running of the games themselves. The problems I envisage will be more to do with transportation and the sheer numbers of people expected to attend.
One person wishing he was somewhere else has to be the current target of the country's anger, Nick Buckles - Chief Exec of G4S, the firm contracted to provide security for the numerous events taking place across the country in the coming weeks. It is clear that G4S have failed in their obligation to provide sufficient numbers of security staff and the publicity surrounding the fiasco will have done irreparable damage. Yesterday he faced a Commons Select Committee like a naughty child in front of a row of seething headmasters and the whole spectacle was quite agonising to watch. I see that he's been called to appear before them again in September when the games will be part of British history, so I suspect Nick Buckles will have many sleepless nights ahead of him. I have to confess that part of me does actually feel sorry for him. He has clearly bitten off more than his company can chew and in pursuit to be the best, like so many others, he's come unstuck.

We had a great visit yesterday to our group by Linda O'Hara of Healthy Hub and representing mental health services within the NHS here in Lincolnshire. I had asked her to come and see us to make her aware of the work we do here in South Holland and ways in which we could attract new members to the group and publicise what we are doing. We are the only group in this area to be providing support and Linda was keen for us to be recognised. It was also clear that funding is available for such groups and related initiatives so we will certainly be producing a bid for funds in September. We're not looking for anything as big as a minibus, more materials for drawing, painting and crafts. I would also like for the group to have access to computers so I can provide training and, using Skype, set up meetings online with other groups in the region. My suggestions were I felt very well received and I hope that we will be seen as part of the overall county provision for mental health support and awareness. So that's all good...

I met with my psychiatrist yesterday to check my progress and she was pleased (I think) to find me well and involved in helping others. I did ask about the medication I'm taking as one of the tablets I take, Mirtazapine, though it has a calming sedative effect, often knocks me out so I fall asleep during the evening. I was told sadly that this couldn't be changed for the foreseeable future, so I will have to endure it.
I was also reminded of my weight and the fact that exercise and a healthy diet would further help my condition. I do unfortunately take little advice on this subject. I know I am unhealthy and despite wishing I was more athletic, I simply cannot summon the enthusiasm or motivation. Depression does that. It's a struggle to do things sometimes and today, frankly, I consider it an achievement that I was able to run the vacuum cleaner round. This is of course where psychiatrists and doctors generally lack the understanding of what it is to actually live with the condition, and how it controls how you feel on a near daily basis. I've often mentioned about 'being in the mood' to do things, and this is exactly what it is like. If I'm not in the right mood or frame of mind, I won't do it. It's like writing my blog. If I'm not engaged then the words simply won't come out. Today just happens to be one of those days when I feel in a writing mood, and I expect it shows... I now have to think up an appropriate title - often the most difficult bit!

A Misleading Provider, Olympic Predictions & A Fond Farewell

A pretty stressful week so far which has been dominated by a red reminder from our new electricity provider for the princely sum of £900. This was actually the first notification of any kind that we owed the money and following a call to them querying the amount where I was asked to provide a meter reading, we then received a revised bill for the ludicrous figure of £1,047!
I probably covered this some time ago, but we decided to switch to NPower due to EOn's inability to distinguish me at my address from my father at a completely different address. This persisted for some time and they managed to confuse the two accounts causing enormous stress. They weren't at all interested in retaining us as a customer so we jumped ship to NPower having been promised by them that they would provide a better service with lower monthly bills. How wrong we were, and instead of realistic charges, we were charged double. What's more, they didn't choose to inform us of these charges until now.
So following another stressful phone call yesterday by me (as the account is in my name), it has been agreed that we get moved to a lower tariff and the debt be added to the monthly payment in manageable amounts. Why they didn't put us onto a lower tariff right at the start I do not know. One thing's for sure though, they will be getting a letter of complaint next week, and if we aren't compensated I'll event be writing to the Ombudsman as this has to be tantamount to mis-selling. NPower... not a good advertisement for you, is it?

As we edge closer to the biggest event this country will ever hold, there are mounting concerns over security provision, traffic and transport concerns and the placing of missile systems in residential areas of London. I find it very had to accept any notion or guarantee that the event will pass without incident. I doubt very much whether anyone will attempt to disrupt the games purposely - I suspect our defences will be one of the few things we would have got right. Instead, I suspect that the event will fall foul to at least one of the following (assuming the weather doesn't ruin the whole thing)...

• Traffic congestion  & gridlocked roads.
• Overloaded public transport system and overcrowded stations.
• Failure of mobile phone networks due to overloading.
• Overloading of Internet services.
• Overcrowding and delays at airports.
• Flooding of road and rail routes affecting transit.

I don't wish to be pessimistic, but I really believe that the impact on our already stretched infrastructure have been hugely underestimated. I wonder how many of these I will be ticking?

Yesterday we held our first A&D Support Group meeting at our new venue, the IVO Centre in Spalding. I hadn't been there before and did have trouble locating it at first (due mainly to an upside-down map), but I was very impressed when I finally arrived. The facilities are excellent and we were able to spent the duration of our time there in the garden, a bonus considering the diabolical weather we have been suffering.
I have a feeling over time that our regular venue at the hospital will fall out of favour and that the preference will be to meet at our new venue. There was certainly a general view that we could all 'be ourselves' and not feel slightly intimidated and restrained by our use of NHS premises. In summary, it went well, very well and the atmosphere was a complete contrast to what we have been used to. The group was relaxed, at ease and unencumbered by their surroundings. I look forward to our future meetings there.

It's difficult to believe that the school Summer holiday period is to begin in a week's time. All over the country arrangements are being made for the six week period and many will be taking time off from work for breaks by the sea or at activity or caravan parks. A very lucky few will be off to foreign shores escaping our wet British Summer and the Olympics.

Many parents of school-age children received letters from Lincolnshire NHS this week explaining where their children sit on the Body Mass Index Scale designed to separate the fit from the Obese. We received one of these letters for our son. He scored 99 which places him at the 'Clinically Obese' level. There is nothing of him. OK, he has a little puppy fat, but that's all. He eats a balanced diet and he is healthy. I really don't think letters like this serve any real use other than to turn people against the government led 'nanny state' that is pervading more and more of our lives. Obesity needs to be tacked at source, namely the food industry. Allowing McDonald's and Coke to be major sponsors of the Olympic Games says everything about our government's commitment to tackling obesity.

Finally, it was so sad to hear that Eric Sykes had passed away this week. I'll always remember with fondness his gentle humour and unique talents, much of which is recorded for future generations to appreciate and enjoy as much as I have. Rest In Peace.

A Very Nice BT Engineer, Rain & Strawberries

Firstly, do I comment on the weather? Surely enough people have already done so. Is there any more that I can add to the many diatribes and doom-laden predictions that our Summer is ruined? I doubt it. One thing is certainly clear... our weather is changing. The government and environment agency need to wake up to this and begin identifying the areas of the country that are at risk of flooding and where flooding has already occurred. Whatever funds are available should be urgently focused on these areas to improve flood defences if we are not to have repeated misery for business and home owners such as that we have witnessed over the last couple of weeks.

The fiasco that is our banking industry is something I would normally comment on, but to be honest, enough has already been said in the media and across public forums. My views won't alter anything but I do wonder if all those Occupy protesters, somewhere amongst all the jumbled rhetoric were actually on to something.

I've been without my full set of toys for a few days due to what I'd assumed to be a faulty phone socket. This meant I had to move my ADSL router to another part of the house but in doing so, I had to disconnect it from the network I have running here. This meant I couldn't use any of my desktop computers or servers. I was though able to use a solitary laptop, but the service was very poor and intermittent. I did have a go at repairing the socket myself having been a novice network engineer in the past, but it beat me and I had to succumb to calling on the services of a local engineer. Luckily, he lives local just a few miles down the road and was able to visit yesterday. He diagnosed the fault in no time at all as water ingress which had corroded the junction box and damaged the connections. The whole lot including the extension to my office, upon which I rely so much, had to be replaced. To cut a long story short, it was replaced and I now have brand new sockets ready for fibre and fully functioning connections. Wonderful, and the whole lot for just £40! Of course I gave him an extra £10 which I thought was warranted given he'd been here for three hours and worked through a torrential thunderstorm. A job very well done indeed, and by an 'old school' engineer who takes pride in service and the quality of his work. Certainly a dying breed.
When you are used to things being there and working on demand, it is so difficult to function normally when things break down. I've always considered Broadband to be on a par with water and electricity. I think of it as a service and an important one at that. I know many would not, favouring pen and paper and letters over e-mail. But for a growing number of people, constant unrestricted access to the Internet is now a given.

Last Thursday saw our first A&D group gathering outside of our normal venue. We decided to meet at Ayscoughfee Hall Park in Spalding, a delightful place with five acres of landscaped gardens, lakes and a Grade 1 listed house and museum. It made a very nice change to meet somewhere else and we were extremely fortunate with the weather, remaining dry and sunny for the duration.
From next Thursday, we have a new venue in Spalding which has been provided free of charge. We will meet there each Thursday and at our normal venue on Tuesdays. I'm keen for us to do more outdoors so hopefully, weather permitting, we may be able to vary our venues in the coming months.

I'm sure I've mentioned this before and whilst trying to avoid a sales pitch for Morrison's, I do believe I have finally found my holy grail of beef burgers. Specifically they are 'Butcher's Hand-Made Steak Burgers' at 45p each currently. Add a little fried onion and they are simply wonderful.

We did the family pleasantries earlier and visited my parents. Now my mum simply loves baking and claims to find it therapeutic. We often come away laden with cakes and savouries, and very welcome they are too. Today's offering was quite exceptional and I simply had to take a photo before we cut into it...

And finally, this week I have been mostly eating... strawberries & Kelly's Cornish Ice Cream...

Our Little Piece of the Olympics

I'm not one to get very excited over the Olympics and until this morning, it really hadn't touched my life at all, and probably wouldn't have. However, I do confess now to feeling a tad impressed with the whole thing having seen for myself the torch relay as it came through Long Sutton here in South Lincolnshire. What really struck me was the sheer number of people who came to see it, lining the roads and cheering as the convoy of vehicles appeared led by various police vehicles and motorcycles.

The role of the police in all this has to be praised as they seemed to be having as much fun as everyone else and making a point of stopping to talk to the numerous groups of school children full of excitement and anticipation. A Coca-Cola and Samsung float served to further excite the crowds and heralded the arrival of the torch bearer who jogged past frantically waving at as many spectators as she could. The photos taken must number somewhere in the thousands as almost everyone tried to get that special shot. I managed to capture the whole thing on video which is now preserved for ever thanks to the wonderment of all things digital.
For me, the atmosphere felt electric. There's something about an event like this that does rally people and it was wonderful to see so many people gathered to witness the event. The significance of the whole thing was lost on the groups of 4-6 year old's from the local schools and they seemed more interested in the police vehicles and their playful sirens and flashing lights. Whether they will witness another Olympic Games here in the UK is difficult to know, but it's unlikely. Their memories will be bolstered by the countless numbers of photos and hours of video making today truly unforgettable.
Has it changed my view of the Olympic Games? Yes, I think it has...