mental health

Recently in the news we have heard about people have carried out extreme acts that have led to a lot of sadness and fear for other people. I am thinking most recently of the plane crash in The Alps where it appears that the co-pilot was suffering from depression.
It also appears that he was hiding this fact from his employers. There may be many reasons why this happened but the end result was tragic.
I think mental ill health is not understood as well as physical ill health.A real taboo surrounds mental illness and people worry about letting others know that they are ill in case it affects their relationships and employment prospects.
This is an area that is very close to my heart as I know an increasing number of people whose lives are affected by mental health problems.
Young people appear to be struggling a lot with mental health possibly due to the unique strains and uncertainties of Modern Society with many young people feeling disconnected and lonely.
Unfortunately at a time when the need for support is high the support services are faced with budget cuts and so there simply isn't enough preventative work being done.
We cannot afford to let this continue as in the long term failing to address the issue at an early stage leads to bigger problems and an even greater strain on the services in then near future.
There are so many lonely people out there of all ages and I think if everyone spends just a little more time looking out for and communicating with people that they know who seem lonely or isolated then gradually the issue will be addressed.
I obviously don't know the details of the plane crash and am unable to say if anything could have been done to prevent it but it has really set me thinking that mental health issues will not reduce until we change our approach towards people suffering with them.
I realise that in many cases medication can help but I can't help feeling that this is only one part of the solution. For many people it helps to know that people like them, want to understand them and do not judge them.

Lucy was fine today

Today I drove to work hoping that Lucy would be able to maintain her speed. I am very relieved that she was fineboth to and from work. It seems that replacing the fuel filter was what was needed and if that is the case then I have been very lucky as many of the other possible faults would have been much more expensive to fix.
Let's hope the rest of the week goes well and I will gradually forget the sensation of driving along a motorway and suddenly losing speed!
I was quite surprised to find ice on the windscreen this morning. It must have been pretty cold in the night.
When we were walking in Greenwich park on Saturday we saw what looked suspiciously like snowflakes so I guess anything is possible.
I can remember waking up in a hotel in Eastbourne one Easter Sunday and looking out of the window at snow falling but I can't remember many incidents of snow this late on in the year.
It is lovely seeing daffodils poking their heads up and all the other Spring flowers growing in the woods.
Spring is a lovely time of year!

Soon be time for walkies

The dogs are looking cross. They have had their breakfast and are now looking expectant. They want to go for Big Walkies.....We are going out soon. They love it in the woods. It looks good outside today. It has been a bit cold lately but hopefully today it will be a bit warmer.
I am dreaming up all kinds of ideas for my new garden. I would like to be able to sit out after work and enjoy a nice glass of wine sometimes.
Graham suggested putting down pebbles and having plants in tubs which sounds ideal as I am really not fond of mowing lawns.
There are some really sweet gardens on the site and I don't want to let the side down!
I will also look out for some suitable garden furniture to put in the garden.
( How exciting!)
I am anticipating some lovely warm summer evenings just around the corner.
I hope my weather forecast turns out to be true!

Greenwich here we come!

It is Saturday morning and almost time to go to Greenwich.
Ollie loves running around the park with Burt and Rufus and then we check out Greenwich market where Ruby Tuesday sells delicious vegan cupcakes and there is an Ethiopian stall selling delicious vegetarian food so we tend to go there for lunch.
I like looking at the craft stalls too and the dogs go into sniff mode looking out for any scraps that have been dropped.
I am hoping the sun comes out. It does look like things are warming up and it has all the makings of a lovely day.

My caravan life begins!

Graham and I drove out to view a site today with Ollie and the boys. The site is in Lydd. There are 30 plots and mine has a shed and garden. The only slight issue was that the caravan currently on the plot needs to be removed and a new one purchased and re-sited. We went with one of the staff to view a caravan and it is ideal for my purpose so I bought it! It will be delivered and connected up in the Easter Holidays and all being well I will move in on around 18th April.
I am so happy about this as I have wanted to move to a caravan for a long time and now my dream is coming true!

I am very grateful to Graham as he has helped me a lot this week. He has arranged for a mechanic to fix my car, He has ferried me to the train station every morning so I could go to work and he fixed my boiler when it sprang a leak!
I have just driven to Essex in Lucy and am happy to say she drove here without any problems so I am very hopeful that her mechanical problem is fixed.
Ollie has enjoyed spending time with Graham and the boys. he keeps sighing and looking very pleased with himself.