A Red Warning & When Asking Advice Isn't Always the Best Thing...

There's no denying it, it's cold... very cold. Group today was not very well attended though I suspect the weather is just one of the reasons for staying away.
The drive to Spalding was without event, apart from having to stop once or twice for the screen wash nipplets to thaw out. Luckily I'd had the sense a couple of days ago to fill it with concentrate.

View looking towards Gedney Church from A17

Tomorrow looks set to be dicey. There are warnings of heavy snow for most of the UK and the highest level red warning has been issued by the Met Office. Thankfully I don't need to venture out tomorrow and I made sure I collected a couple bags of firewood on the way home today, so I should be OK.

A friend is looking for a new car and we were asked our views and advice at Group on a particular model she had seen. Having the laptop with me, I looked it up on the What Car? website. The ratings were not very good. It scored just one star for reliability and quality and the same for its interior and features. This didn't go down very well and I did wonder whether it is practicable to ask someone their views and advice when buying something as big as a car. I know from experience that ratings and reviews are normally the last thing one consults when buying a vehicle. Often, we are sold on looks and appearance failing to take into account miles per gallon and ride comfort. As well as the crass reviews, the garage she was intending to buy it from was also lampooned.
The whole thing left me wondering if I would seek advice when deciding to buy a new car. I soon came to the conclusion that I would not, preferring to trust my own instinct and experience. After all I've never had a bad experience buying a car and they've always lasted a few years without major incident.
Sometimes it can be highly beneficial to invite the views of others. But there are occasions when some things should be handled alone.

An Unremarkable Tuesday

An event-free day. The weather behaved itself despite it being bitterly cold. We didn't have any more snow today though there is more forecast for the coming days. I did pass one casualty of the weather as I neared Whaplode on the way to Spalding earlier today. Thankfully the driver escaped without injury.

We welcomed a new member to our Group this morning, the partner of one of our existing members. I'm hopeful they will want to keep coming and that they will find the talking therapy we provide to be helpful.

I'm in a pensive sort of mood today. There's much I want to do but I tend to spend much of my time thinking about it. The fact that much of it involves money keeps it from becoming a reality, but I will continue to hope and wish as many others do.

The Coldest Night

Temperatures here dropped to -16 degrees C least night making it the coldest night so far. This temperature was recorded at the Holbeach weather station, just a few miles from here. The intense cold coated everything in a thick white frost making for some stunningly beautiful scenes and transforming the landscape all around.

Long Sutton Church

B1359 Gedney Drove End

Road conditions are actually pretty good this year. I really think the message has finally gotten through to the council and greater priority is being given to keeping the roads clear of snow and ice. I know in previous years that roads have been left un-gritted and impassable and I believe lessons have certainly been learnt. Even the minor side roads are clear in most cases indicating a definite change in policy., which is good.

CBT and an Eastern Front

Not a bad day really. A little shopping in Wisbech and it was the first time our new little car had been used. It performed very well, very well indeed in fact.
I had my CBT assessment in Spalding at 2pm. It was just a load of questions about the problems I have and how they affect me. I scored quite high on the depression and anxiety grade and the woman who assessed me did remark that I may benefit from some different medication. She said she would make a note for my doctor.
I did have some difficulty locating the place at first. I had thought it was on the main road, but it happened to be tucked away down an alley way. I did in fact notice one of my support group members departing the place and that was how I managed to locate the entrance. Despite having the assessment today, there's a long waiting list for the CBT service and it could be many months before I am next seen. It was suggested that I try to find a book called 'CBT for Dummies' at my local library. I'll do this on my next visit.
A bit of a to do in Sutton St James today. Someone has taken a shot at a police officer and armed police have now closed the village and access to surrounding roads. It's an ongoing situation as I type this and negotiations are apparently underway to bring the situation to a peaceful end. It's really strange when you see a local village on the TV news. My sister lives in the next village at Tydd St Mary just a few miles from there.
We are once again being warned of some severe weather. It's possible we will have some heavy snow over the weekend but it's by no means certain at the moment. The weather system is coming from the East where temperatures across Russia and Eastern Europe are as low as -30 degrees C. It's looking at the moment as if this could be the worst winter in many years. We'll see...

Photo of the Day 18

Model trains, and lots of them. This is just one of my pal's display cabinets containing just a small part of his collection of model trains. If they're not on the rails, they should be displayed like this.

It was cold today, very cold. If my camera-phone hadn't decided earlier to delete all my photos then I could have posted a photo showing just how cold it was. We had one of those very sharp frosts overnight giving everything a coating of whiteness. If it happens again, I'll endeavour to take another.

Really awful news today regarding the Costa Concordia which has run aground as a result of hitting a sandbank. As I type this, 70 are still missing from the 4,000 passengers on board. What I find extraordinary is how in the 21st Century a ship that is only 6 years old and fitted with the most advanced navigation and safety equipment can fail to avoid a sandbank. Something has obviously gone seriously wrong, something as fundamental as that which caused the 'Herald of Free Enterprise' disaster. Lessons, it seems, remain to be learnt. An appalling needless tragedy. As I post this the Captain and 1st Officer are under arrest...

Photo of the Day 17

This is a gift from my son for Christmas. It's a painting he created himself of Santa water-skiing. It's actually one of the most precious things I have and I will soon arrange for it to be framed properly and hung on the wall.

I'm still wrestling with the idea of contacting one of my past work colleagues and friends. I see they are now involved in running their own little business and if what I've read is to be believed, they are doing very well. I see that they run a blog and the fact that it's been updated recently tells me they are not affected by the economic downturn. Good for them! I always knew they'd end up doing well for themselves. But the dilemma is to whether or not I should make contact. Do they want to know about all my problems? Probably not. Perhaps I should just be content in the knowledge that no harm has come to them and that they're out there somewhere working hard and enjoying what they do.

I've booked myself an appointment for the 31st January for some CBT. I'm hoping it will help with my anxiety and worry issues. I'm pretty open minded to it all really and if it helps me to get where I want to be, then great. I copied this from Wikipedia to explain a little more about it;
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach: a talking therapy. CBT aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviours and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure in the present. The title is used in diverse ways to designate behaviour therapy, cognitive therapy, and to refer to therapy based upon a combination of basic behavioural and cognitive research.
It does go on to get rather more technical, but I won't do that here. It's all there on wonderful Wikipedia.

 

A delicious little news item today. Parents have reacted strongly to the use of a new narrator for the children's TV programme Waybuloo. Parents have flooded parenting websites and Twitter with comments criticising the move claiming their children have been left confused and bewildered.
Personally I'm convinced that anyone capable of creating such a show must be under the influence of something pretty strong. If you've ever attempted to watch it, you'll know exactly what I mean.

Cold weather is on its way again we're being told. Any excuse for a roaring log fire here!