Understanding depression

Unless you've suffered with it, you're never going to understand it. Neither will you understand the person you know who has it.

Allie has been there, is still there, and this is the best, most honest and helpful guide to depression I've ever come across.

I think she should write a little book, that doctors and psychologists can give out to people who know someone with depression to help them understand just what their friend or relative is going through. I'm sure that there's more than one publishing firm that would take it up and produce such a book.

I wish Allie well for the future, but, until she's completely recovered, I hope she continues to update her blog. It's going to be so helpful to so many people.............


Hyperbole and a Half: Depression Part Two

Meanwhile, down at Paradise Park...

Mindfulness and Meditation

This years' learning task is the Buddhist way of mindfulness and meditation.
OK, so you've now got an image in your mind of someone sitting on the floor in the Lotus position, with their hands stuck out at an awkward angle gently hummimg 'Omm'

Well, if that's your thing, then go do it, but it's not what mindfulness is about, and not the only way to meditate. Meditation is about freeing your mind and learning to focus on the here and now; and the way to do this is by following the 9 steps to Mindfulness.

Let me explain further........................

Focus on the Present Moment—When your thoughts get lost in thinking about the past or worrying about the future, you bring them back to what you are experiencing right now. You try to remain open to how things unfold in the present, rather than having preconceived ideas about how things will or should turn out.


Being Fully Present—You are spaciously aware of whatever you are experiencing in the present moment as you go through your daily life. What do you feel in your body? What are you seeing, hearing, doing - right now?

Openness to Experience—Rather than dreading and shutting out your own feelings and experiences because you think you can't handle them, you welcome with curiosity any thoughts and feelings that naturally arise, knowing they are merely sensations in the moment and the next moment can be different. You create mental spaciousness to contain these thoughts and feelings. Become aware of your experience as a flow of sensations, thoughts, and feelings and watch how these change and transform naturally over time.

Non-Judgment—You don't categorize your thoughts and feelings as good or bad, try to change them, or feel compelled to act on them. All feelings have a purpose, whether to protect you from danger or open you to love. You watch and accept whatever arises in consciousness with an open mind. You extend this non-judging attitude to other people and things.

Acceptance of Things as They Are—You don't try to force or change reality to fit your vision of what it should be, feel like a victim, or bemoan the unfairness of life. Instead, you try to see reality clearly and let it be as it is, knowing that you can tolerate whatever it is that comes up. You extend this acceptance to others, knowing they are the best judges of what is right for them.

Connection—You feel connected to all living things and nature in being part of a larger whole. You reflect on and feel grateful for the cycle of life and the food, beauty, and protection that nature gives us. You know that all living beings want to feel happy and secure and avoid suffering and you feel connected by similarity of needs and experience.

Non-Attachment—You do not try to hold onto things, people, or experiences, knowing that life is in constant flow. Attachment comes from fear and is the basis of suffering. You learn to surf the wave of life, going with the flow and being confident in your own ability to adapt. When one door closes, another opens.

Peace and Equanimity—You maintain an even-keel, not getting too swept up in life's highs and lows. You know that life is a cycle and you can't see the whole picture at any one moment. When things don't go your way, you stay firmly rooted in your own clear vision and values. You walk with a peaceful heart and adopt a non-harming, non-violent attitude.

Compassion—You deal gently, kindly, and patiently with yourself and others. Rather than judging, or condemning, you open your heart to really listen and try to understand your own and other people's experiences. You allow yourself to feel other people's suffering. You love people not for what they can give you or because you need something from them, but because you connect and empathize with their experiences.

If you've been reading this blog, you will have already seen that one of my favourite pieces of prose is Max Ehrmann's 'Desiderata' - and how well that sits with the whole mindfulness experience!   Even if you have no desire to follow the Buddhist way, it's still worthwhile trying some of the mindfulness ideas. Even eminent psychologists recommend it as a way of calming the mind and the self-state. Dang me, one university is even offering a degree in Mindfulness!   Oops, sorry for such a long post, but I hope you've persevered with reading it, and tried to understand

Grrr.........this is soooo annoying

There's this picture. It's all over Pinterest. It's Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters.

And it doesn't matter how many times you correct it, and explain where it is, the next American comes along and renames it the White Cliffs Of Dover.
Well, I wouldn't like to walk between the two, would you? It's got to be over 70 miles!
One lady who lives within sight of Beachy Head has also told them, and the person who had pinned the picture (and a beautiful one it is too) duly apologized and corrected it.

Guess what? Yep, the very next person came along and renamed it the White Cliffs of Dover! One person even claims to have been there, and is looking forward to going back! I wish him/her luck with finding it. If they go down Town Wall Street in Dover, out onto the A20, and then turn left onto the A259, I'm sure they will - eventually.................

Ah well, it seems most Americans know our country better than those of us who were born and raised here.

I think I'll post a picture of the White House, and call it the Empire State Building

A Complete History of Music

As a sideline to our A - Z of Music, I came across this short film, giving a complete history of music in a fascinating and totally unique way. Enjoy!

A-Z of Music - M

hmmmm......seem to have gotten way behind with this, but anyhow - here we go with M.

It seems that M stands for marvelous. There are just so many famous composers whose names begin with M - like Mozart, Mendelssohn, Mahler et al. But we had one of the top names last time, so this time I thought I'd go with a biggish name. Modest Mussorgsky. History doesn't record whether he was Modest by name and modest by nature though.
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky 1839 – 1881 was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five". He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music.
Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other nationalist themes.
You may well know some of his music, even if you don't realise it. Probably his most famous works are 'A Night On A Bald Mountain' and 'Pictures At An Exhibition'

Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano in 1874. The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists, but it is best known in its' orchestral arrangement by Maurice Ravel.

Here are 3 movements played by Lazar Berman

Now, on a lighter note......down in deepest darkest Cornwall, is a tiny fishing village called Mousehole. And Mousehole has a wonderful male voice choir. They're so good, they're the only non-Welsh choir to have been invited to perform at the Welsh National Eisteddfod.

Unfortunately, there's not much on YouTube, but anyway - enjoy them performing actually on the Harbour at Mousehole, complete with screaming seagulls

So.... this is 2013.....

It hasn't started too well. The CBF1000 has developed an electrical fault and won't start, and the little Hornet is feeling very neglected because I haven't ridden it so far this year.

However, what have I got planned so far?

Well, first thing up will be the Annual MayDay extravaganza at Hastings. Now that's a day I really love. If the weather's good, there'll be 20,000+ bikes there - a chance to see what everyone has been working on over the long, cold, Winter months. We always go with two of our best friends, and inevitably end up going for a meal at the Woolpack, in the middle of Romney Marsh.
Don't want to be too late getting home this year though, because the very next day, I leave on the Hornet for Derbyshire for a few days. I've booked myself into a nice pub in a tiny village well out of the way, and hopefully the weather will be nice enough to do some serious exploring of the High Peaks and the moors.

June will see the two of us heading North. We're having a few days in the Lake District - with a diversion for me to Samye Ling for a bit of soul cleansing, and then on to Harrogate for a few days playing in the Dales, and on the North Yorks Moors.

July? We're off for an extra long weekend in Cornwall. We'll be staying in Bodmin, as it's more or less central, and will give us access to the whole of Cornwall.

Both of those trips will be done on the CBF1000, with him on the XRunner.

Then, end of August, I will make my annual pilgrimage to North Wales, staying, as always, with Chris at her pub in Knucklas. Another one for the Hornet. I really can't get enough of the Welsh roads and scenery. Just never tire of being there. And, of course, one of Sue's delicious curries will be partaken of.

Then, September, first the Ace Caff Brighton Bash, and then the Steelers finally come to Wembley! At long last I'll get to see the team I've supported for nearly 30 years, in the flesh. And I've got a new team top to wear, courtesy of Rene and Brooke, my Christmas present from them. This will be followed by another trip to Wembley in October for the 49ers match - that's Brooke's team.

Interspersed with these trips, will be Hornet's Nest events - which I really must try to get to this year. Throw in one or two bead fairs and the such, and you can see I'm going to be really busy this year.

Talking of Ren and Brookie, it doesn't seem possible they've been married almost a year! I envy them the trip they're doing for their anniversary. They're flying out to Vienna, then back packing up through Salzburg, Bratislava and other places, to Berlin and flying home from there.

I say I envy them, but of course, I would if I could do it by bike. There's no way I'd walk that kind of distance!

I wish you well with whatever plans you have for this year. Here's hoping we finally get some decent weather.

Theatre times two....

I've been fortunate in having the chance to go to the theatre in London either side of Christmas, and the two shows could not have been more different.

Late last year, we took ourselves off to the Savoy Theatre to see Soul Sister, the early days of Tina Turner and her disastrous relationship with Ike. I quite like the Savoy. It.s small and intimate, if a little formal. But it does have a wonderful Art Deco interior.

Oh sorry, getting sidetracked - the play. Not really my cup of tea, but the Other Half is a keen Tina Turner fan, and I suspect this is a show that will only appeal to other Tina fans. Her rise to fame and violent relationship with Ike Turner have been well documented, and this show didn't have anything new to say.

That doesn't mean it's a bad show - far from it. The band are really, really good, and Emi Wokoma, who plays the lead, really is excellent. She has Tina's movements and idiosyncrasies down to a T, and the voice almost. If you're a fan of the music, you will really enjoy the performance. However, for me, there wasn't enough of a story to keep me enthralled.

4/5 if you're a Tina fan, 3/5 if you're not.

Now, Saturday night, we went to the New London Theatre to see Warhorse.

What a fantastic experience! It tells the story of a boy and his horse in the context of the Battle of the Somme and World War I, and if you ever want to see an entire audience with tears rolling down their cheeks, then I beg you to go and see this play.
Mind, the tears are often of laughter, as well as sorrow and horror.

The animals are represented by mechanical puppets, and although you can see the puppeteers at all times, within seconds you're oblivious to them. The story and the actions of the puppets are unbelievably good. From the look of indignation on the face of the goose, when the wife slams the door in its' beak, to the appalling tragedies of the battlefield, the show is non-stop, gripping, enthrallment.

If you saw the film, and didn't care much for it, go to see the stage show. It's a whole different stable of horses. I defy you not to be moved by it.

The end of the show received a standing ovation, and never was one more richly deserved.

A stonking 6 out of 5

YES! It was THAT good.

The Five Golden Rules

1. To protect life and refrain from killing.

2. To respect other's property and refrain from stealing.

3. To speak the truth and refrain from lying.

4. To embrace health and refrain from intoxicants.

5. To respect others and refrain from sexual misconduct.


I aim to be a better person this year.

Om Mani Padme Hum

So, Ferry 'Cross The Mersey.............

Well, actually, not. I didn't take the ferry, but I have just come back from a few days in Liverpool.
Can't make up my mind whether I like Liverpool, or not. It has its' good and bad points.

Since we were last there. it has undergone some remarkable modernisation and regeneration. Unfortunately, this has left the main shopping area seeming no different from other cities and towns. I regret the loss of Lewis's department store. We went in there just before it closed its' doors, mostly because I wanted to see inside the wonderful Art Deco building that housed it, and it is sad to see such an old family-run firm gone.

However, the regeneration of the waterfront, particularly around the Albert Dock, is excellent. As well as the new Arena for events (what imaginative person thought up THAT name?), there's the new Museum of Liverpool. We thought we'd poke around in there for an hour or so, and ended up being in there for over 4 hours! We'd done the Museum of Slavery and the Maritime Museum last time we were in Liverpool, so didn't expect much more of interest to come from this new collection.

How wrong we were! It gives a fascinating insight into past ways of life in Liverpool's heyday, as well as feature areas dedicated to the cities' more famous sons and daughters.  You can't escape the Beatles. From the Beatles Story at Albert Dock, to the Cavern Club in Matthews Street, they are everywhere. And rightly so. They are, after all, the most important group in the history of popular music. But, down by the docks, between Albert Dock and the new museum, is a statue of Billy Fury. Long one of my all-time favourite singers, he is much neglected in my opinion. It was good to see him featured in the Museum.

The other person featured, who gets an entire gallery all to herself currently, is the late Dame Beryl Bainbridge. Yes, I'd heard of her, but no, I was not over familiar with either her novels or her paintings. The gallery was quite an eye-opener. I can't say I liked all of her work, but one or two really made an impression on me, such as this - 'Boarding The Titanic' from the late 1990s.

Anyway, the upshot of this is, I've been researching Dame Beryl, and I now have a thirst to read some of her novels. Apparently she was runner-up for the Booker Prize 5 times! How has she slipped through my net?

Well, so, the trip wasn't an entire waste of time, from a cultural point of view.

Oh, and did I mention the plethora of SuperLambBananas? If you've never heard of them, or seen them, they are everywhere in Liverpool. There was only one, when we first went there, now.....oh dear..........