af Saturday 29 March

[treetops]

Quick hello as its Saturday night here. I appreciated everyone?s posts yesterday because I think the issue of staying sober is really what we face here. I liked your post SF and I am afraid that I agree with you on the advice about avoiding social situations where one knows they might slip up ? as they have in the past. This doesn?t have to be forever. Thats been my experience at least. I can?t see the logic in sort of being tested or confronted in difficult situations when you are really vulnerable. I once had a therapist who used CBT. It didn?t work for me and in my situation it was because said therapist clearly did not understand. He tried to equate quitting AL with him giving up caffeine. And he was a very respected therapist. Still is but I wouldn't ask him for help. But then he also tried hyponosis tapes (with his smarmy voice on them) on me and that didn?t work so I probably was not ready to change (that would be the therapy-speak).

I am not trying to derail therapy and I truly hope that if its working for you Bear, then that's fantastic. If you have a good relationship with the therapist and you are in-tune with the 'package' on offer thats the main thing. Hows the weekend lined up?

How?s the garden Mick? I bought a few plants at the school fair today. Alls OK here on the home front. The family has found a new unity in arguing over curtain decisions:H. We have put off getting new ones for so long that the existing ones are falling to bits. Now what would my ex-therapist make of that? Hang-on, he wasn't into the symbolic interpretations.

Det ? good luck with the garage sale next week. I wouldn't like to be the sucker who tries to argue with you over the price of anything these days :H Esp if you are brandishing one of your new toys.

How?s ?Vegas baby? (I saw that post!)?:yougo: Hope you are not getting sad about your baby moving away. It will probably be good for her (and that means for you too). I bet you two are on the phone or txting away all the time!

How?s everyone else?s weekend? You OK SL? Sam? It will be good when PPQP and YahYah return to the Boards. Hi there if you are lurking away!

Things to do now but you all have a lovely Saturday rain or shine. Or murky grey wobbly clouds in-between.

[Mick]

af Saturday 29 March

mae all..how are we then?ok well tis Sat morning and just on my way out to paint up the last fence panel...really windy so no doubt will get covered in it...

so on with the show ...clocks go forward tonight..so lose an hour in bed and Im out early doors tomorrow..so in reality will be up at 4 am!!oh well..

brew time before I go out...
hiya Lav hows you today?ok ..take it you still cant get any planting done?Im at the stage now of thinking about putting a heater in the greenhouse ..see if I can get some plants hardened off...

Hiya Det.....reckon I will pass on your culinary dish from Indonesia!!!..if you get time ..go on to you tube and type in Monty Python..its only a flesh wound!!!give you some food for thought next time you are fencing!!

hiya tt ..hows you doing ok? peace and quiet reigns does it?

Hi SF glad the stressy headed things are sorted out for you...yes sometimes our own ideas aint that clever ..we all think that we know it all ..and despite the amount of well meaning advice ,hints and tips that people put up on here ..unless you have got your own act sorted out, you are wasting your own time, everyone elses and bluffing yourself can feel a rant coming on ..time to move on!!!! not you as directed at you if you get my meaning!! kinda like a sheep farm this ...lotta yous in it!!:H

Hiya Sam hows things doing with you today? able to get out and about or has the weather closed you down?

Morning bear ..how are you today?ok..whats on the cards for the weekend?

right peeps for all those here and missing ..have a great day..time to go ..will try n pop in tomorrow but Im driving so may bee hit and miss ..hopefully not too much hit!!!:H

cyawl.

Somerset people are said to be delighted that the floods have finally receded.

Now they can go back to using their 4x4's for the purpose for which they were originally intended.

Taking the f.cking kids to school.

Daily Mail online: "Father builds a guillotine and chops off his own hand in bid to end 16 years of agony after doctors refused to amputate."


Anyone got this guy's address? My wife's had a headache for the last twenty minutes.

Just seen a Scottish ?10 note in the street and took the appropriate action.

I left it there.

Me and the wife like classical music and she asked me if I could get some CD's by Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert while I was out.
"Certainly Dear", I replied, "I'll add them to my Chopin Liszt."

I've just bought one of those new Dyson vacuum cleaners that are advertised "for animal lovers."

Talk about false advertising.

The f.cking thing won't fetch a stick or anything.

My wife's just come back from the doctors', where she was told she had incredibly low blood pressure.

Can't say I'm surprised though.

She's got eight pints of the stuff going round a twenty five pint body.

A man is in his plane seat and the flight attendant comes up to him and says "do you want head-phones"
the man replies "how did you know my name is phones?"

My wife came back from the hairdressers today and said, "I feel like a new woman."


"Me too." I replied.

[Lavande]

af Saturday 29 March

Good morning Abbers!

It's going to be one crappy weekend for us east coast residents, lots of rain, darkness & of course the mud

SF, in response to your post last evening I have to say I totally agree
I really do not want opinions or instructions on 'how to fix my problems' from someone who has no experience or true understanding of said problems. I'm like that with everything, believe me! I even searched out female healthcare providers because men just cannot possibly understand the body aging stuff we go through.
I have to say creating new headspace with hypnotic recordings, meditation, keeping my thinking positive & all that have helped me handle my stress without turning to AL. Drinking was the old way of handling everything & I don't do that anymore. Keep trying new things & you'll find what works for you!

TT, I hope you are having a good weekend!

Hi Mick, nope no gardening for me this weekend!
I'm considering putting life jackets on the chickens so they don't float away :H
Hope your fence is sturdy enough to withstand the winds!

Sam, are you in this line of rain coming up the coast? I imagine the farmers are chewing their fingernails around here. Planting has been delayed, delayed, delayed!!!

Greetings to one & all - hope your weekend is good

Lav

[TheSunFlower]

af Saturday 29 March

I don't have the stress thing sorted out quite yet. I came home from work literally sick from stress. I like what I do, but I can't stand all the new corporate bullshit. They are threatening over half the staff (me included) with write ups for being under budget. Being under budget is completely normal in first quarter and is usually made up in the later half of the year. I absolutely loathe it when FEAR is being used as a tactic. Motivates me to get my resume together

I dragged my butt to a free recovery yoga class that was being offered at my studio. A very respected yoga teacher taught the class and "yikes" she is in recovery. The neatest people came out to the class. I left feeling kinda hip...because I was in recovery. All the cool kids are doing it. Recovery is being used for all sorts of things these days. As she said....'everyone is recovering from something.....and if you aren't then you are still in denial". It was a whole new perspective that I needed. I am now working on my recovery from stress actively. AL recovery is still there, but I recognize that stress is now the thing that is killing me.

Bear please don't take what I said personally. It is strictly my experience. I fell over and over again in social settings. I couldn't bear the thought of not going....so I kept drinking. Once I quit I gave up going out to anything (I did not care how much I was expected to be there), until I built up the tools and an escape plan. Now I can go to all the things....I thought I would never ever be able to do. It did suck at times not going....but I am so grateful now.

Recently I went out to Music Row to hear a friend play. Posted a pic....and my phone blew up from my recovery group. It was nice to know that people cared. A tiny part of me was kicking myself for not hitting up Music Row in my drinking days. But in truth....90% were not drinking. The few that were I was rather fascinated with. They had a drink in front of them, but clearly were sipping it very slowly. I was there for over an hour and none of these people had finished the drink they had. I clearly still have an issue with drinking....as I sucked down 3 waters...and they barely drank theirs

[TheSunFlower]

af Saturday 29 March

I don't have the stress thing sorted out quite yet. I came home from work literally sick from stress. I like what I do, but I can't stand all the new corporate bullshit. They are threatening over half the staff (me included) with write ups for being under budget. Being under budget is completely normal in first quarter and is usually made up in the later half of the year. I absolutely loathe it when FEAR is being used as a tactic. Motivates me to get my resume together

I dragged my butt to a free recovery yoga class that was being offered at my studio. A very respected yoga teacher taught the class and "yikes" she is in recovery. The neatest people came out to the class. I left feeling kinda hip...because I was in recovery. All the cool kids are doing it. Recovery is being used for all sorts of things these days. As she said....'everyone is recovering from something.....and if you aren't then you are still in denial". It was a whole new perspective that I needed. I am now working on my recovery from stress actively. AL recovery is still there, but I recognize that stress is now the thing that is killing me.

Bear please don't take what I said personally. It is strictly my experience. I fell over and over again in social settings. I couldn't bear the thought of not going....so I kept drinking. Once I quit I gave up going out to anything (I did not care how much I was expected to be there), until I built up the tools and an escape plan. Now I can go to all the things....I thought I would never ever be able to do. It did suck at times not going....but I am so grateful now.

Recently I went out to Music Row to hear a friend play. Posted a pic....and my phone blew up from my recovery group. It was nice to know that people cared. A tiny part of me was kicking myself for not hitting up Music Row in my drinking days. But in truth....90% were not drinking. The few that were I was rather fascinated with. They had a drink in front of them, but clearly were sipping it very slowly. I was there for over an hour and none of these people had finished the drink they had. I clearly still have an issue with drinking....as I sucked down 3 waters...and they barely drank theirs

TT-- I really will be glad to not have a view of the bar from the pool. I had a hard time in Therapy as well. I would try to work on issues, but clearly al was the issue....and I could tell they had not walked in my shoes. That said....we are taking my teenage son to therapy. So wish I would have had one at 13. I get 5 free sessions in my healthcare package.....so I think I am going to give it another whirl....at least I can believe they have suffered from stress.

LL...I am starting to put things in my routine daily for recovery from stress. Recently I saw a cute caption..."don't have time to meditate? Then you must have time to feel like shit." I am liking some of the new self help books....these young gals tell it like it is. It is refreshing. Striving for balance? Balance is an illusion that will never be attained. Do the best you can. My new favorite..."Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life." And I can still be happy even when I am stressed to the max.

Mick-so your side of the world changes clocks now. I wish they would do away with the whole thing. Nobody's body clock seems to do well with it.

Waves to everyone....I'll check in later.

[scottish lass]

af Saturday 29 March

silly busy couple days - work and home life....struggling along, but managing. Am ok thx TT - just completely exhuasted - I am sleeping pretty well, but wake up tired
Almost finished a calendar month...yeah!
Need to go back and read - had a list of things to get done, but it is pouring rain - bet you have a lot of snow Det!
SF - got a message today from one of my staff with the daily activity report - "I am in charge of how I feel, and today I am chosing happiness" - goes along with your sentiments - I did not do a good job today, not quite happy but trying to make a concious effort. I had warned her I was a bit of a bear yesterday!

[Samstone]

af Saturday 29 March

evening all
rainy day here.
Lav, it is raining here today and tomorrow. I've gotten roped into doing farmers' market in DC again tomorrow. Rain and wind, should be a good time!! Hopefully we get some sun next week and get some grass growing. Almost out of hay.

Watched the Ken Burns film on Shakers last night. It was made in the 80's, very interesting. I remember passing by the settlement/now museum in Maine on a motorcycle trip. Couldn't get my other friends to go look. The huge round barn was very unusual looking. Maybe some other time! Another bike trip?!!

off to bed soon, early morning.
Hope everyone is doing fine in AF'ville.
Sam

[Lavande]

af Saturday 29 March

Hey Sam, if you're taking a road trip be sure to stop & visit this place near me:
Ephrata Cloister - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rain, rain & rain today & mud :H
Next week does look promising though & I really hope the ground dries out enough so we can actually plant something!

SL, waking up every morning & choosing to be happy is exactly what I have been doing these past five years! It's all part of my staying positive mission & it works

SF, music, yoga, therapy - whatever it takes, right?
Keep working on it & you will succeed
I no longer have the job stress but I did have it for decades. I really feel for you & SL in that department.

Have a great night all!