A Meeting of Dear Friends

A change of location this week for my support group. Instead of our normal, formal setting in Spalding, we all met at the home of one of our group leaders. We had all been determined the week before for the meeting to go ahead despite the extended Bank Holiday here in the UK.
Our discussions were far more relaxed than normal, seated on the most comfortable of leather sofas and though we would have disbanded after a couple of hours at 12pm, many of us stayed long after, myself until well after 2pm.
This was a special meeting. I think there was an understanding amongst all of us that there is now a strong bond of friendship that holds us together. There is also a bond of trust which has given the newer members of the group the confidence and strength to open-up and I feel I know them and can support them all the better for it.
I'm hoping that over the coming months, we can arrange some walks together and perhaps a visit to Hunstanton. I get the impression sometimes that the gap between our meets is too great so by arranging some social events, this should help.

The Jubilee celebrations are now over. Some would perhaps say 'thank goodness'. Others would be content for the celebrations to be without end. For me, I am somewhat relieved that a sense of reality has been restored. Yes, the events were in their way spectacular and I agree the anniversary had to be marked. But I would be quite happy never to see another boat ever again, and as for locally held celebrations, well they really were quite pitiful.

As I type this, the storm clouds are gathering overhead and the next few days are predicted to be very stormy and very wet. A thunderstorm has darkened the sky and the wind is now gusting.
The weather is a mirror of my health. My throat feels as if it has a razor in it and my joints ache constantly. It is only my determination to complete this post that has kept me from curling up on the sofa. If it doesn't clear by Friday I will visit my GP. A flash of lightning... 'sniff'. I'm heading for my sofa.

Smaller, fewer and less

You hear it all the time, how things have become smaller and how you get less for your pound. I've certainly noticed it. Everything seems to be shrinking. I am very fond of a local Long Sutton curry house and their food is quite simply wonderful. Delivered to your door piping hot, it is a Saturday evening luxury and something I very much enjoy. How shocked I has therefore to find that instead of the six poppadoms I would normally receive, there were just two and to greater disappointment, there was no salad in its separate container complete with a lemon quarter. Cuts are being made everywhere.
Little did I think however that these cuts to our staples would extend to the humble packet of crisps. I snack a lot, particularly when I'm writing and lately I have begun to try baked crisps for their lower fat content. Despite their blandness, they're not at all bad. But I have to say I near fell off my chair when I opened my last packet and peered inside...

Life in my view is like a packet of crisps... full of promise, but in reality, sadly lacking!

Local Festivities... If You Can Get There!

As with all major towns and villages around the UK, celebrations are taking place for the Queen's Jubilee. Long Sutton, my nearest small town has a programme of events spread over the weekend which promises something for all, young and old. Sunday sees a tea party, children's games and music well into the evening and Monday hosts a display of vintage tractors, proms party and beacon lighting.

Of course it is good to see events such as these being held and I have an appreciation of the work and effort that goes into arranging them. But, I cannot help but be incensed by the lack of available public transport enabling people of this area to attend the events. I think it is ridiculous to host an event such as this with scant disregard for transportation. Many people fortunate enough to own and run a car will of course drive to the event and park in one of the three main car parks or park within walking distance of the events. But for many others, the local Call Connect bus service is their only means of transportation and they rely on this service to get them into town to visit shops, banks and the post office. The value of this service should not be underestimated though I do think that greater consideration should be given to those who need the service as much at weekends as they do during the normal week.
The weather will of course play a large part in determining the amount of people who attend and I know that the forecast for the coming two days is far from favourable. Despite this, I am convinced that by providing a bus service between the event and surrounding villages, any such numbers would be significantly increased.

It's Funny How Things Develop...

Tuesday this week saw another meeting of our anxiety and depression support group. I know when I started attending, I wasn't too sure as to whether the group would help or whether I would stick with it. In reality, I cannot now imagine leaving the group or be in a position where I am unable to help fellow sufferers or talk openly with them about the illness. Far from being just a group of like-minded people (literally), it has become a group bonded by friendship and understanding. My role in the group has developed and I now have the task of welcoming new members by contacting them before attending and introducing them to the other members. I have a new person to contact tomorrow. I'm very aware of how daunting it can be to join a new group and be introduced to people you don't know. It can be very scary and for someone who suffers with anxiety, it can seem an impossible task and one they would prefer to avoid. I understand this, I've been there.
After our group meeting, we had a volunteer meeting straight afterwards. This was run by the chap who manages volunteers in Lincolnshire and he updated us on initiatives, general news and provided information on new training courses enabling  staff, volunteers and carers to spot the early signs of suicide and prevent it from happening. We've all signed-up for the course and they'll be taking place during the coming weeks.
My own induction, I found out, will take place in September but I was given various forms to record my volunteering activity and expenses so I'll be carrying on as normal.
An idea suggested by one of my colleagues is to open a working farm to provide mini allotments and craft activities for mental health patients and the disabled. Her parents own several acres locally and they are keen to open-up their land so it may be used for a worthwhile cause. I'm very keen to get involved with this and I think this is an excellent opportunity to engage with others and to provide a focus for people who would otherwise sit at home alone or pass the time drinking. Of course, like everything, funding will be needed to get the project off the ground and it was suggested at our meeting that this may be forthcoming. There are several similar projects running in other parts of Lincolnshire under the 'Green Fingers' banner. I did suggest that I could produce a website for the project as well as growing seedlings to provide starter plants for any new budding gardeners.
I really do think this could develop into a fantastic project providing a safe environment for people to practise various skills, grow their own produce and more importantly engage with others to hopefully develop lasting friendships. I have seen first hand how friendships develop and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity of meeting some wonderful people, who I am proud to call very good friends. It is my intention to stay very close to this project and I'll write more as things get off the ground.

No news yet regarding my application recently to King's Lynn NHS. I'm a little worried that, if I am successful, whether I will have to give up my time on Tuesdays. I do believe the role to be quite flexible so I'm hopeful that I may be able to fit it in somehow. We will see.

I've been busy once more working on my website. I did take the site down as I was struggling to get the various links to work between the pages. I've now opted for a simplified design with simple links and I'm quite pleased with the design. I'm uploading the first pages as I type this so it should all be up and running some time this evening. There's much work left to do but it's a start. I will add a section in the coming days devoted to mental health, and more specifically, the services available in the South Lincolnshire area. Having spoke to many people over the last few months, it is clear to me that there is an urgent and pressing need for more mental health awareness and for people to know that help is available. For many, a sympathetic ear is all that is needed and the knowledge that is somewhere to turn to in time of need. So there is much work to do to keep me busy for the next few months, and that's good.

Local Jubilee Fever

I'm not hugely excited by the Jubilee and I've never really been one for parties, so I suspect my celebrations will be limited to a bottle of port I've been saving in front of the TV. I know for others, the coming weekend will be a huge celebration. If the weather is fine then I may locate to the garden. There are local events so I expect we'll pay a visit to one.
Here in South Lincolnshire, bunting is beginning to appear across shop fronts and flags are being hoisted in gardens. It really does look rather good and there is a palpable feeling that something important is happening soon. Of course it is important and a major milestone in the history of our country. I've been trying to explain to my five year old son just how significant the coming week will be, but he still doesn't quite appreciate it yet.
A visit yesterday to the ATM in our local town provided a glimpse of what we can expect to see as Long Sutton celebrate the Jubilee. The decorations were really very tasteful and I don't think I've ever seen it looking so smart.

An event in Sutton Bridge on Saturday included a fly past by a vintage Lancaster plane and I was fortunate enough to catch the moment on my camera phone. The noise was incredible and I regret not being able to capture the sound from the engines as the plane passed gracefully overhead. A wonderful sight indeed.

I will endeavour to capture some of our local Jubilee spirit this coming weekend...

A Syrian Massacre

I've taken my time in deciding when to start this blog entry. I, like many millions of others, have been appalled and frankly sickened by the images that began appearing on the Internet following the latest massacre in Syria. I pretty much knew what to expect as I had seen many images from the Kosovo Crisis in the early 90s and I thought I was hardened enough to deal with the new evidence. I couldn't have been more wrong. The images were far worse than anything I had seen before, and my reaction was severe. On reflection, this is probably due to the fact that the images I saw from a shattered Yugloslavia were of charred remains, almost impossible to identify as being human. The images I've seen over the last few days are quite different. They are clearly identifiable. The young faces tell their ages to be under 10 years of age, and many under the age of 5. My son is 5 years of age. To think of the fear and terror these poor children suffered, it makes me feel physically sick. I look at my son and I cry to imagine what those poor souls have witnessed.
It would be all too easy to forget what has happened and I suspect that in a week from now, minds will be focused on other things such as the Jubilee celebrations and the run up to the Olympic Games.
Something must be done. Diplomacy has clearly failed and the harsh words and inaction by the UN give the Syrian regime and their supporters free license to continue murdering the innocent.
I chose to see the images and the videos. I wanted to see what had happened, what had really happened and not the stuff we are fed by our homegrown media. I wanted to see the raw footage taken by people who were really there, recorded for the most part on camera phones.
What I have seen has made me question my faith in a God. For it is difficult for me to understand how any God could possibly allow such horrors to occur, and to children so innocent and so beautiful. It is beyond humanity to imagine the fear these poor souls endured. This has to end and the Assad Regime must be brought to justice at the Hague. The time for talking is over.

Vegetable Plot Survivors

It should be pretty clear that I have a little time on my hands, hence that abundance of posts lately. Of course, it's a pleasure to write and I enjoy it immensely. It's also a way of clearing the mind and highly therapeutic, for me anyway...
I wrote some time ago about my attempts to grow vegetables and 'have a go' at self-sufficiency. History shows that it didn't go very well. Most if not all of what I was growing above ground was eaten, despite attempts to protect the plants. Well, last Sunday, we decided to level the plot and grass it over as it had become very over-grown. Whilst removing the weeds, I did manage to pull out of the ground what I first assumed to be carrots, but on closer inspection, they appear to be radish. To have recovered anything from my plot the least bit edible is a triumph and I'm mighty proud! The sad thing is, that of all the things I attempted to grow, radish is the one thing I simply won't eat...

 I'll be giving these to my father...