Snowy Sunday Thoughts

There's a a lot going on at the moment. The weather has brought snow to many parts of the country and as usual, it has caused travel disruption and what can only be described as farcical scenes at London's Heathrow Airport. Should we be surprised? No, it happens every time we have snow and the slightest amounts result in cancelled flights and misery for travellers. Why do we get it so wrong every time. It is true that we are the laughing stock of other countries used to snow. Maybe it is just a British thing. We like to suffer and make things as difficult as we can. Snow is inevitable, especially in a changeable climate such as ours yet I read that we choose not to invest in snow clearing equipment as it is rare and wouldn't justify the expense. Try telling that to the passengers, many of whom have spent at least one night on the cold floor of the departures terminal.

On my mind this week have been money matters, specifically being asked for money we don't have. I know this causes my wife stress and she often spends sleepless nights worrying about how she is going to make her meagre part time wage stretch to cover our outgoings. With me, the worry is always there but it manifests itself as anxiety which will often build until an event such as a final demand letter or a threat of legal action sends me over the edge into a pit of despair. We've managed to keep the wolves from the door until now but I do feel we are headed for just such an event. In an attempt to prevent a crisis developing, our defence has been to send letters pleading our case. For the most part, this has been successful though there are cases where I am left wondering whether the letter has actually been read - as is the case with South Holland District Council. They are insisting we pay hundreds of pounds in council tax despite being told we cannot and having been sent a copy of our financial statement. They were also told of my delicate mental state which they also seem to have ignored. They will certainly be getting a very strongly worded letter.
I do try to reassure myself by realising we are not alone and that there are many thousands of families up and down the land in a similar situation. It doesn't stop me fearing every letter that comes through the door.

Therapy for me is the things that I enjoy, such as writing, listening to the radio and music - specifically finding music in the form of vinyl records in second hand shops. Saturday morning saw me again rummaging through a box of LP's in my favourite second hand store in Long Sutton. There is normally something new each week and out of five or six records, at least one will turn out to be a real gem. My gem(s) this week were a record of Henry Mancini's music which included the 'Pink Panther' and 'A Shot In The Dark' themes, and another K-Tel LP containing various well known songs.

A piece in today's Sunday Express highlighted the link between the effects of the recession and the rising suicide rate. This is something many have been aware of for some time, especially those who work in the field of mental health. It's a startling reminder of how things like financial well being and job security can push many to the brink and beyond. Those seeking re-employment having been made redundant are likely to become depressed as being constantly turned down for jobs leads them to view each day as pointless, often remaining in bed. I recognise and understand this very well. The numbers seeking psychological therapies has rocketed from 92,000 in 2009/10 to 320,000 in 2012. The figures speak volumes.
Yet there is no easy solution to any of this. The economy won't miraculously improve creating thousands of new jobs so the numbers of those suffering mental illness is likely to increase further. What makes life worse for so many of those affected is the poor care and support given to the mentally ill. The assessment process for benefits is so demeaning and flawed that many are made worse or pushed over the edge. Others simply decide not to go through it and end up in relative poverty. The system has to change.

Finally, I am utterly disgusted at hearing the new that Camelot are increasing the cost of lottery tickets. Surely this decision is simply based on greed. After all, they have failed to provide any satisfactory reason for doing this. I am sure I won't be alone in voicing my disdain at Camelot's decision and I for one will be boycotting the National Lottery in favour of the ethical alternative The Health Lottery who have also made public their views. So there.

I failed to record an audio journal this week, so I'll make sure I do an extra long one next week.
My Moodscope rating today is 61%.

Thoughts on Sunday

Christmas has certainly arrived at Asda. The store is decorated and the staff are all wearing Santa hats. I doubt whether this is optional judging by the look on some of their faces. Shoppers are definitely in that Christmas frenzy mood. They have no consideration for anyone or anything else. They are now simply programmed to get whatever is on their lists and at all costs. The ones in Asda today probably all had the same idea - to shop early in case anything runs out. It was busy, verging on overcrowded. If more than one person stopped in in aisle this would cause a bottleneck. Yet supermarkets are very much like roads. People drive about like idiots. They meander about in their own little worlds, their eyes fixed on their target - a box of sage and onion stuffing or the current two for one offer. I was glad to get out. I can stand those places for a limited amount of time I'm afraid and my clock was ticking.
Argos was pretty much the same but a little less organised. The store layout lends itself to chaos with people crossing each other and others just looking confused. Today we had a clear objective. We had to collect a toy dinosaur our son had set his heart on. It had been out of stock for a long time at all the local stores and it was only by chance that I was able to reserve one last week - the only one remaining. It has become so rare that examples have begun to pop up on eBay at ridiculous prices, £80 being the highest I've seen so far. The toy is just £39 normally. We also bought a nice portable CD radio which I don't think he's expecting. So I'm quite pleased with our work today.

No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot escape the fact that Christmas is almost upon us. For some, it is already time for celebration. My wife had threatened to begin putting up the decorations and assembling the tree this afternoon. This would have entailed a visit to the loft and the precarious job of balancing on the ladder whilst wrestling with boxes and bags of tinsel and other paraphernalia. It's looking likely that we'll do this on Wednesday. Our Son can help us after school - he'll love that.
It feels as if we've had just a couple hours of daylight today for it's now beginning to get dark once more. I do have a sense of what it must feel like for people who are affected by the lack of daylight. I really don't mind it too much. I preferred it when I was working as this would herald the winding down of the working day and home time. For me it was a 45 mile drive back from the outskirts of Lincoln. I loved the drive, it was the best part of the day.

It looks like we could see our first snow of the winter this coming week. According to the forecast, the temperature will fall and snow will begin creeping further and further south. They've already had a covering in many parts of Scotland. It'll be nice if it arrives in time for our trip on the Santa Express at Sherringham next Sunday.

It's a slow news day. The top story is the arrival of two Pandas from China, on loan to an Edinburgh zoo. It is ridiculous how much coverage is being given to this. People have been lining the route from the airport - as if they will be sitting in an open car waving at onlookers. With everything that's happening in the world at the moment, I suppose it's the only real bit of good news so I suppose we should enjoy it while we can. I'm sure it'll be back to doom and gloom tomorrow.

I won't give much time to this but I read an article in the Mail on Sunday and The Express newspapers regarding an attack on a toddler. In fact it is so horrendous that I won't repeat the article in any detail suffice to say that it sickened me to the bone and produced a feeling of anger and disgust I've seldom experienced before now. All I will say in response to this article is this. If there was ever a reason needed to justify the use of capital punishment, then this is it. I only wish that our pathetic justice system had the powers to inflict the same level of pain and suffering these people have inflicted. But it doesn't and the tragedy is that these scum will be served a slap on the wrist and be released into society. These 'people' are not human, they are wild animals and should therefore be treated as such.