I am becoming so far Left in my Political thinking that I may yet fall off the cliff.

So, what has made me so?

Well, I could say corruption at the highest levels of government but then it’s probably always been there, just not as obvious. Or I could say lack of governance over Fiscal Budgets, but then I might have to include the Scottish Government in that also.

No, the things that are sending me more and more to the left are a lack of compassion and care caused by the greed of those who think they are above us. They forget they are there to serve……serve the people….us!

Apparently, Labour has lost over 100, 000 members, why, because they have lunged to the right. They have forgotten their roots. If you are a Labour MP and stand on a picket line you will be suspended from the Party.

Come on Mick, get the Unions together and form a new Party.

People are talking about a Winter of discontent, I am more concerned about deaths and starvation as near impossible decisions will have to be made by so many.

People like Truss and Sunak still believe we are Better Together, well they would as Scottish assets pour into the coffers of Westminster and we get peanuts back.

When you get the likes of Gordon Brown asking for temporary Nationalisation of Energy firms you know how bad things are!

We are indeed going back to the Victorian era.

PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] does not only affect military personnel, the clue is in the words. “Traumatic Stress”

This may come as a surprise to many, it certainly did to me when my doctor said I was suffering from it 3 yrs ago. How can that be I asked, I’ve never been to war. He then reminded me that I had lived through my own traumatic wars or battles for year’s and at some point, the stress had to come out.

PTSD affects different people in different ways, a lot of sufferers don’t display any symptoms for long periods, there has to be a trigger, usually, a sudden memory triggered by an actual live event no matter how unrelated.

In seconds one can be transported to the actual events, that’s how powerful our minds are. From there on the race to the bottom is at full speed and many times only medication can help. There is no stigma attached to anyone who seeks help in this way. PTSD takes many prisoners.

Counselling helps but only in that you know how to respond to such attacks. No amount of counselling can erase the memory of the trauma.

Accepting you suffer from PTSD is half the battle and nothing to be ashamed of, there are many out there who don’t even know they suffer from PTSD and try to battle on, some take to alcohol, some to drugs to drown out the inner pain of past trauma.

Abuse as a child or an adult whether male or female are two very common triggers. Sadly many don’t even realise they are being abused and when they eventually do fear sets in, the fear of not knowing what to do, where or who to turn to.

We all have a responsibility to watch out for each other and see the signs. The signs are always there, we just don’t want to see them!

A hug can say a thousand words!

One of the hardest decisions one has to make in one’s life is whether or not to end a marriage, and the one thing a friend should never do is to tell them to do so!

Ending a long-term relationship isn’t normally a sudden reaction to something, the thought will have been lodged in the back of one’s mind for a long time. The one thing I have said to people contemplating this action but are afraid to make the move is, you will know when the time is right when staying is harder than going.

The first emotion is one of relief, the freedom is almost exhilarating then comes the hard bit. Ending something has the same emotions as someone dying and going through those emotions is always tough, you even question your judgement especially if you are the one who has ended it.

The problem with emotions is, that they can creep up on you when least expected and can crush you. Therefore it is important to build a support group around you. It is also important to remember this journey you have chosen is a long one with many highs and lows. Why is this? The decision you have made does not just affect you and your ex but also your children and your inlaws.

Young people today don’t always have those emotions because they haven’t had the years of building those relationships, therefore divorce or separation comes easier…..too easy in some cases!

My advice to anyone contemplating or questioning the decision they have made is, to hang on in there and remember how bad things were and all the possibilities that lay ahead of you.

Macron has a huge grin on his face these days, he looks across the Channel at the chaos and now and then twists the knife just to prove a point.

Perhaps he would do better to look within his own country and the EU itself, for all is far from we’ll. This has been a very messy divorce with no winners. However far from both sides trying to compromise we have entered into a tit-for-tat battle which will end up in tears for both sides. As I said, there are no winners only losers.

Sadly in all of this, the leaders will lose nothing. It is we the people who suffer from this game of brinkmanship. Holidays are ruined, food rotting on lorries and shortage of medicines.

Somebody needs to come up with some answers and soon because when winter starts to bite desperation will hit and desperate people will do desperate things and I don’t just mean strikes etc. Violence is already on the up, people no longer feel safe on our streets. Chaos can very soon turn to anarchy. Solutions must be found quickly, but with these two wannabes don’t hold your breath!

Today we are expecting a visit from my son Kev and his two youngest children, Emma and Tom for the weekend .

Apart from Marshall we have got out of the habit of having people to stay even if it is family. So it was up early, well early for us to do a bit of extra housework, floors cleaned, beds changed etc, now I am knackered before they even arrive.

On the whole our lives have become very sedentary , so a houseful of humans will no doubt be quite a challenge as far as energy is concerned. Having said that we had another first this week, we were out in town for a meal and few drinks with friends on Wednesday night, I say a few drinks, some had more than others which in turn made for an interesting journey home by train…..I will say no more😂😂

Don’t get me wrong I am looking forward to seeing them, thankfully like us, they are never in a hurry to rise in the morning. Can’t remember the last time we had teenagers staying, one of which is a Vegetarian so I hope I have managed to meet her needs, her dad on the other hand will eat anything!

Not sure how to engage with teenagers these days, I am told they will be glued to their phones so no need to worry! Either way, I am sure it will be enlightening and I can always spend next week sleeping.

Nearly everybody has experienced bouts of depression in their lifetime, but bouts are not the same as being prone to depression or living with it.

Living with it affects your daily life and the lives of those around you and when you are at your lowest everything around you seems hopeless.

So, what are the triggers? Stress is one of the major triggers as is family history, combine both of these and the problem intensifies therefore finding the triggers is important.

On a personal level, as one who fortunately only tends to have short bouts of depression I find so often my mind is the trigger, a thought that I allow to grow can take me into a dark place very quickly. I say ‘allow’ because I have had to train myself to recognise the negative thought quickly and stop my mind from taking control by changing the thought quickly. It does work!

However, for those who are prone to depression, it’s not that easy because very often the cause is not just a thought but rather a chemical imbalance, therefore medication is required and, this is very important, an ear to listen! Often the thoughts of those suffering feel scrambled. So many different thoughts very often with no connection whirl around in your mind and you see no escape. Therefore having someone to sit and listen and unravel some of those thoughts does help.

Small things become big things, even overwhelming at times because there seems to be so many problems to deal with, but once you start prizing them out one at a time the fog clears.

Sometimes the problems we see ahead of us are indeed problems we will one day have to face and sometimes not.

I find that the word ‘problem’ in itself is a problem because that immediately suggests I might not be able to figure it out or get through it so I am defeated before the incident even starts. This is were others can help by reminding their friend of all their past achievements, the big things in life that once seemed unthinkable were conquered.

Age should not define our determination to go on living and achieving. Pain whether physical or emotional will ebb as the days go by, it may take a little longer, but go it will.

So walk with your friend and be that ear!

Yesterday I became a great-grandmother. Meet Issac J McDowall.

He arrived a little earlier than planned due to medical issues, come to think of it so did his grandad, Dougie. If he has the personality of his dad Joseph he will do well in life and bring us all great joy.

On another positive note, well positive for me at 77, I have just enrolled on an online course. The course is “ Introduction to Political Psychology”

I suppose the reason I am doing this is because the psyche of people fascinates me, particularly the psyche of Politicians.

Once these people walk over the threshold of Westminster they seem to become entirely different human beings. No longer motivated by those who chose them, instead part of the herd that obeys a master.

Anyway, it will get the grey matter working again. Or have I gone completely mad🤭

• WordPress

Planning a girls night out is not something we have done for a very long time, mainly due to COVID, so this could be fun.

We used to entertain a lot because both Ray and myself love the company of others, especially those who like us have a sense of humour. On this occasion, we are meeting new friends, this will be fun.

Photos might follow!

Friendships are important at any age, fun is important at any age they keep our equilibrium on an even keel. We are allowed to just be! They say laughter is the best medicine, well I am sure our two new friends will make sure there is plenty of that helped on no doubt by a little alcohol.

I am back on WordPress trying out a new format. Help😳😳