70 cm in length

I seldom spend money on myself but I made an exception and bought a hot water bottle with a difference. I find it a relaxant to have a hot water bottle against my spine at night. This one does the job. If you think this is a bit bizarre, why not try putting a hot water bottle as I have described and see if it makes any difference. NB Any resemblance to a snake is purely coincidental.  I got it from Amazon for £16.

I rise to view a wonderful clear morning with the sun shining behind the clouds which are scudding across the sky in grand formation. Here is a lovely rendition by Cat Stevens ‘Morning has broken’ with lovely imagery.

I don’t know what prompts me to watch more Al Jazeera news about Gaza. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, two of the hospitals have been surrounded by Israeli troops and none are functional anymore. How can they be without electricity, water, food. I noticed rallies all over the world including Cape Town, a town where I stayed for some months in my South Africa period.

I remember a sign at the airport saying ” you will leave South Africa, but South Africa will never leave you” that was an inspired statement and how true because of part of me would love to go back. Unfortunately you cannot ‘pop’ to somewhere 12 hours away by plane. I somehow think my long distance travel days are over. I have been to USA at least 30 times, and to South Africa at least 20 times. Those were the carefree days of travel

I am partly an enthusiastic cook especially when it comes to Sunday lunch but I am partly a reluctant cook when it comes to learn about new things to eat. However, I recently I created a vegetable hot pot which basically consisted of anything that had not been eaten, bits at the bottom of the fridge cut up and slow cooked. I add plenty of herbs, salt, rich gravy, and leave it bubbling away for a couple of hours and then if you want some meat or fish with it, then that will add something. The hot pot is not the most original idea in the whole world but it certainly fills me up and I’ve had no Ill effects to date.

Bland – yes.   inexpensive – yes.   Filling – yes.    Nutritious – mostly yes.

I topped up my spirit by listening to Julius Reubke – Sonata on the 94th Psalm performed by Richard Gowers. You might want to check our a Youtube channel Beauty in Sound, curated by Richard  McVeigh.

A well organised sheltered living estate

I was waiting for my tyres to be serviced in the local tyre garage so I decided to wonder around and poke around in odd corners that I hadn’t investigated before.

This is an estate for retirees with about 40 units just off the top of the High Street in Midsomer Norton. Sometimes I don’t need to meet the people in charge to know what the quality of service is. This was a notice in the warden’s flat which is I think the best monthly newsletter I have seen. I have not looked at the website but it looks to me as if this residence  is one of a chain. I wish all units were as well organized as this one. The poster above shows the services and when they will be offered, it talks about parking, about events and it talks about how they can be contacted both locally and nationally. The roads were very clean and tidy so ‘well done’ whoever it is . I suspect that good central management attracts good wardens.

The Annual Midsomer Norton Carnival

This is happening this evening at 7.30 . I feel the same as I felt when we attended the Frome Carnival. I may be a snob but I found the vibes rather low. It is good for kids but after 6 or 7 years we are going to give it a miss.  We have two ZOOM meetings, one each, so that is more important plus I need to write my diary before the next tranche of inspiration arrives tomorrow.  PS You have guessed it – it rained during the Carnival.

Keeping sane (but all is relative)

Mike Adams, The Health Ranger, gave seven pointers on how to manage in the current turbulent world situation.  Mike lives on a ranch in Texas, so his living circumstances are not ‘typical’ but the suggestions he makes are applicable to all.

# Discernment. We have to distinguish between fake news and real news
# Control over our emotional state,  because so many of the images that you see on the news are designed to control your emotional state and to whip you up into a rage or reduce you to fear
# You need a strong sense of self-worth to protect you against being manipulated by globalist forces
# We need to be prepared to endure not just food shortages but a draconian legislation
# We need faith in God and recognition that there is a divine plan for you and a divine plan for Humanity
# We need a self-sufficiency of faith and an ability to solve problems with limited resources
# We need resilience and recovery to enable us to bounce back from failures and losses

To listen to the full 2-hour podcast I refer you to the video I mentioned a couple of days ago

My (hopefully inspired) take on all this

The world is full of books on how to avoid depression, live a full life, manifest money, become more spiritual. I’m just going to write as thoughts come to me knowing that whatever I write, some people will be helped, while with others it will not ring a bell, and others will feel that they are sane enough not to need to read my impressions. What’s the worst that can happen? Nothing. So with that in mind I  will now tune in.

<pause>

We speak of people of having a sound mind or soundness of mind. This includes the appropriate manifestations of soundness in the judgments you make gamma the actions you perform and your reasoning for the same. Ill people will do inappropriate things during which they become disconnected with other people. A person who is confused and muddled cannot – as the saying goes – see the wood for the trees. Basic functionality is required in order that we are part of society which includes a good dose of common sense and rationality.

I cannot see a situation where everybody is solely responsible for their own condition and to ignore everyone else. It behooves us to look after each other; I am reminded of the frequently quoted gospel statement that ‘we are all members of one body’. The so-called insane person may have become separated from the rest of society by a traumatic event. I am thinking of those who hoard compulsively in their homes and you find that this was when they separated from their partner, lost a child, or some other unforeseen event for which they were not prepared. You could say that they blew a fuse.

I believe we have a duty to look out for each other and spot the symptoms of a breakdown. When a person is actually breaking down they are not in a position to help themselves appropriately and may take to drink or drugs to try and ward off some of the more obvious symptoms of loneliness and depression. Am I my brother’s keeper? Most definitely yes. The story of the Good Samaritan is one of the most famous in the New Testament of the Bible for a reason.

For the sane person, vigilance is the word. Don’t wait until you are pulling your hair out before asking for help. If you find yourself thinking thoughts that go round and round in your head and you cannot stop them, that is a sign you need some support. So-called pain killers may suppress the symptoms but they will not deal with the cause. Antidepressant pills can make you depressed. A cup of tea and a good conversation we’ll not make you depressed.

One of the most difficult things for the pride is to ask for help, if not in words then in our behavior and it is up to those of us who are conscious and aware not to ‘pass by on the other side’. We are social animals and this need for support is wired into us.

We in society stand or fall together. A chain is only a strong as the weakest link and whether we like it or not we are all dependent on each other. This is I suppose what socialism is about. We cannot separate society into two parts, the sane and the insane. Supposing the insane had a lot of money and were able to hide their condition? How can you divide up society using any but the most arbitrary criteria? You cannot just eliminate those who are not productive, the so-called ‘useless eaters’ that the globalists are so fond of talking about. The Christian believes that everyone has a value before God and has been sent into this world for a purpose.

To exclude any group of people is in the long-term tantamount to destruction because society will separate into factions that will fight each other or try to marginalize each other with nobody gaining. In the sane and the insane we see aspects of ourselves. When the so-called insane person is seen behaving strangely, when have we been tempted to do the same but have not done so due to self-control.

Since I changed my attitude, I learned a lot about eccentric people and those who do not fit in. I find that inevitably  they have an interesting story to tell. So long as they are not too aggressive, I will talk to them and hear their story. I consider many street people are far more able to maintain themselves because they have fewer possessions and when times get ready tough they will be the survivors.

Long live tolerance, acceptance, inclusivity and the wish to reach out and understand someone who is different from ourselves.