Dealing with depression - suicidal thoughts - Join the conversation (including helpline details)

It’s been quiet on here this week. Hope you’re all doing well

As @Christoph1945 has said we are probably all around and feeling sufficiently resilient that we haven't felt the need to post.

Thanks for asking though. Always post if you need to, you won't be alone for long. Also remember most of us are happy to PM. I know my alerts for the thread don't always flash up on my phone which is seriously annoying but a pm will flag up in my email, too.

I was going to tag @Cowslip and ask how things are going for her so I'll do it here.

Chris, that sounds like a lit of whammies in one go. Most people seem to really benefit from the cataract opp. so fingers crossed for all the procedures.
 
As @Christoph1945

Chris, that sounds like a lit of whammies in one go. Most people seem to really benefit from the cataract opp. so fingers crossed for all the procedures.

Both procedures are well practiced these days and just at the moment I'm not too concerned about them; I was more concerned about night driving, when the cataracts scatter the light of oncoming vehicles but new, unscratched, specs with anti-dazzle coating have improved that situation.

Still ok to drive at the moment but if there was an eventual loss of driving licence later it wouldn't be too great a cross to bare; inconvenient though.
 

BlueSupreme

Member
Location
Cheshire
Most are still around on other threads and appear to be doing fine.

Me, I pent a couple of hours in a local hospital and agreed to having cataracts removed from both eyes and having holes drilled in both my eye balls and stents fitted.

Also discovered that both my strength and memory are fading with equal speed. Most folks hate growing old but when you point out the alternative they tend to buck up a wee bit.

Psychologically ...... providing that I continue to avoid aspartame, wheat, gluten, alcohol, and caffeine, I'm in quite an amicable relationship with the rest of the world and getting bye.

PS ..... how are things going for your self?

ah I’ve not spent much time on other threads other than lurking on some interesting topics. Sorry to hear about your eyes, but hopefully things will improve afterwards for you.

As for myself I’ve been doing ok this week. Work is good and the workload is quite relaxed. Some apprehension around getting back to ‘normal’ life as it sets off my social anxiety a bit but maybe that’s something to discuss in my first therapy session on Monday!

I have built a vegetable planter from old decking and flooring which should keep me busy this weekend. They say gardening can be good for mental health after all
 
Having both had our two Covid jabs and also tested negative for the dreaded infection, Margaret and I jetted down to North East Wales to spend a week in the countryside and perhaps take in the bright lights and local delicacies of Rhyl.

Most places were closed and shuttered and with some demolition taking place on the front, even the seagulls were looking sad; all that was missing were some tumbleweeds blowing down the streets! To be fair, all shop staff that I spoke with were upbeat and seemed genuinely pleased to see us and made us feel welcome but our favourite Asian restaurant in Kinmel Bay was long gone and replaced with a cocktail bar.

It was refreshing to smell the country air and watch the tractors busily ploughing the earth opposite where we were staying. I suppose that the seagulls are missing the scraps from the tourists and that was why so many of them were following the plough; the seagulls that is, not the tourists. ;)
 
Hiya @Christoph1945 . Glad you've had a chance for a break. There's always a risk the sea side will look grim out of season but Wales is so beautiful there's always something to take pleasure in as I was reminded on our trip to deepest Rondda last week.

I'm back doing community work for a bit and the view from my office (car) has been stunning this week. I think tomorrow is forecast grim but we do so need the rain.
 
Hiya @Christoph1945 . Glad you've had a chance for a break. There's always a risk the sea side will look grim out of season but Wales is so beautiful there's always something to take pleasure in as I was reminded on our trip to deepest Rondda last week.

I'm back doing community work for a bit and the view from my office (car) has been stunning this week. I think tomorrow is forecast grim but we do so need the rain.

It was interesting to watch a local ploughman turning the earth ready for the next crops; with all those knobs, levers, and switches he handled the big machine so deftly it was almost like watching a large mechanical ballerina and as it passed me, lifting the plough blades, changing direction, and lowering them again, it was shear poetry in motion. I even got the opportunity for a quick, socially distance, chat and Bill (the ploughman) explained his theory for why there are no longer lapwings in the area and why hedgehogs are also in decline.

I'm tempted to think that with farming being such an isolated profession you folks haven't felt the impact of lockdown as much as some townies and flat dwellers but am certainly ready to learn how the pandemic has affected the rural communities. Both Margaret and I have laptops and Margaret frequently sits in on a Skype meeting with friends but the internet connection in our accommodation was very hit and miss but Margaret did manage one Skype meeting.
 

shearerlad

Member
Livestock Farmer
It was interesting to watch a local ploughman turning the earth ready for the next crops; with all those knobs, levers, and switches he handled the big machine so deftly it was almost like watching a large mechanical ballerina and as it passed me, lifting the plough blades, changing direction, and lowering them again, it was shear poetry in motion. I even got the opportunity for a quick, socially distance, chat and Bill (the ploughman) explained his theory for why there are no longer lapwings in the area and why hedgehogs are also in decline.

I'm tempted to think that with farming being such an isolated profession you folks haven't felt the impact of lockdown as much as some townies and flat dwellers but am certainly ready to learn how the pandemic has affected the rural communities. Both Margaret and I have laptops and Margaret frequently sits in on a Skype meeting with friends but the internet connection in our accommodation was very hit and miss but Margaret did manage one Skype meeting.
In many ways I agree with your last paragraph, certainly this time of year, as was the case at the start of COVID, during lambing I only see family and the vet (as little as possible).
But I think that the vast majority of the farming community really missed the summer shows, our chance to relax, rewind and meet up with friends.
 
Long before Covid arrived in these shores I had been desperately attempting to convince Margaret, my wife, that we should have been practicing what we now call social distancing during the influenza season and also be practicing better hand hygiene. Mind you, did anyone catch influenza last year?

With reasonable caution I imagine that the summer shows may well be back on schedule this year; even if slightly reduced in size and numbers restricted.
 
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I lifted the above photograph from an other site that was using alternative shots to depict depression and found it to be very thought provoking. Some of the thoughts that came to mind were .......... up to ones neck, sink or swim, all at sea and upon reflection.:)
 
Pictures, and thousands of words...

The scene looks tranquil to me, too, although, being me, I can well imagine the effort of staying afloat that's happening beneath the surface.

Very often it is the same with people, we just can't see what lies beneath. How often have we heard people say he/she seemed fine and who would have guessed that they would commit suicide?
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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