David's blog

I went for a walk yesterday along a local river I had not been up and down it for a couple of years, its quite hard going going back up it but it was a nice walk, I was looking also for pool that is quite iconic round here as it is where a lot of local children go swimming in its called Llyn Sgowt, its not a lake just a big pool in the river. I think I might have found it but I am not too sure, it was made famous round here by the children of the Summer Hill school which here over the years of the second world war, they made it famous by going swimming naked in it, and it shocked the local community. Summerhill School really was evacuated to Ffestiniog, Wales during the Second World War, and it spent several years there. The move was disruptive, emotionally difficult, and marked by illness, loss, and the challenge of running a radically “free” school inside a small, traditional Welsh community.   

Last week I got a text from the housing association saying someone would be coming round to do some plastering, which I assumed was to deal with the damp in the living room walls. I wasn’t looking forward to the disruption, but figured it had to be done, so I agreed. I remember someone coming over to talk about the damp problem, explaining what they planned to do, and we both agreed there was no point plastering until the issue was fixed. On the day the plasterer arrived, I told them they needed to sort the problem first.  They eventually agreed and left, but came back a few minutes later claiming someone would be coming to fix some slates and put something on the roof, and that the boss would call me. I let them go ahead as they sounded plausible enough, but later it hit me they were probably just messing me around. I haven’t heard from the boss or seen anyone working on the roof, which is frustrating and makes me feel conned by these cowboy builders.  Now the job is done, an...

A long time ago, I had a mental health episode and began reading self-help books. I came across a writer named Dorothy Rowe, who discussed mental illness in relation to introverts and extraverts, drawing on Jungian theory later expanded by Eysenck. According to her, people are divided into two types: extraverts and introverts. This book had a real impact on me, and after reading it, I discovered that I am an extravert. This I calculated from a test that was in the book. From what I gathered from the book it was about different realities that people experience, one sees the outside world as real and the other as the inside world, your mind as real, I guess one fact I omitted from my understanding was that this was theory and not actual fact I think I took it too literal   I asked an AI chatbot about this, and they said the theory is correct, but there’s a tendency to box yourself and others in, which can limit growth. I guess, according to the criticisms, it’s a bit too black a...

 I I went for a walk yesterday with a few people around a village not too far from here. When I first heard about it, I had a feeling I’d been on this walk before—well, at least started it—about three years ago, just after I’d been in the hospital for treatment that left me temporarily incontinent. At the time, I hoped it really was temporary, but no one at the hospital bothered to reassure me. It turned out it was, but back then I was still dealing with anxiety over the incontinence. The whole thing had been a horrendous experience, and the hospital staff hadn’t prepared me for it at all. The words “temporarily faecally incontinent” didn’t even begin to cover what I went through, and it messed with my head.   Yesterday, as I started the walk, the route began to feel familiar, and I reached the point where I’d panicked and turned back before. I told one of the guides about it, felt a bit of panic again, but managed to keep going and finish the walk. I’m so glad I did beca...

I played a gig at a venue on Thursday with a few friends, but we were stuck in a corner and had to move furniture ourselves. The person who booked us wasn’t even there, which wasn’t a great start—especially since the place clearly had a lot of money put into it. We played, but hardly anyone paid attention, and we didn’t get so much as a thank-you drink for playing for free—or even a simple thanks—which doesn’t exactly inspire us to speak well of the place.   Lately, I’ve been feeling tired of playing the same old songs, and when no one’s enjoying it, it feels even worse. Maybe that shows in my performance, I’m not sure. I don’t know how to get the group to try different material, but after years of the same routine, it’s starting to feel stale. I wish I could find a new group to play with and mix things up, but there aren’t many music setups around here. Moving is an option, but it’s a big step.   The most disappointing thing about last week’s gig was the lack of gra...

I went out on Tuesday and saw a chap I know who had a stroke a while ago. He was in his chair and doesn’t speak too well, and since my hearing isn’t great, I didn’t stop to chat. I’ve been thinking about how he could manage not being able to speak and came up with the idea of using the Google keyboard, where you drag your finger along the words. Today at Tesco, I saw someone who was his friend and told them my idea. They said his motivation isn’t great, and honestly, if I were stuck in a chair, I don’t think I’d be that motivated either—especially at his age. I might even be wishing I hadn’t been found. I hope the finger thing works and it helps the chap get some control of his life back its very sad to see him like that