S.A.D?

[Dave McCormick]

Hey Shirley, your cat sooty looks identical to the cat we used to have "Sooty" until he ran away. Actually I have had 4 cats and all males ran away, but the only female, "Tiny" , stayed with us. I'll show you a pic when I can find one of her

[Shirley Roulston]

Now Dave, that's very interesting. First sooty lived for 14years, second Sooty was killed on a main road quite some distance from home, so someone told me tabby cats don't wander, so I got a tabby but she does a bit and not allowed out after 5pm, so she's giving my house hell, clawing at the wall paper, scratching anything and everything but its better than looking for a black kitten in the dark. She give the dog hell but as a labrador Rosy is very good with her. Anyway we'll see. Regards Shirley

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Rabbit it is then!
And there I was thinking I had come across something unusual!

Ha very good Neil. 'I t'ought I saw a bunny wabbit!!'

So is this Sooty the third Shirley?

I haven't had any of my pets run away.

Nice day today wasn't it? Clear blue sky and everything, so today I didn't feel SAD at all

Em

[Shirley Roulston]

Hi Mouse,
The weather for down south tomorrow is sunny and dry but up in Scotland lashing wind and heavy rain. To-day we had cold wind, so no gardening, no butterflies just work making 'things' that I do for the new year. When I am a bit low I go to the local swimmimg pool in Pwllheli, do you like swimming mouse?

If Dave is online to-day, could I in some way remove the butterfly larva from my poly tunnel without killing them all, I really need to wash the plastic inside. Perhaps put them in a box in my shed where its dry but cold, any suggestions? Shirley

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Funny you should say that Shirley! I love swimming! We only had three para olympic swimmers this year, so there is certainly room for another. So I am training hard and hoping I can get lucky and get good leads!!
how offen do you swim?
Em

[Shirley Roulston]

Hi Em,
I don't do much swimming in the summer we have hundreds of visitors down here but it nice and quite in the winter, so the pool is not too busy so its nice to go once a week, something to look forward to. I like to walk the dog on the beach but sometimes she runs off if someone has a ball and then it becomes a pain in the neck. I'm 5 mins away from this beach its called Nefyn.

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[KeynvorLogosenn]

you're so lucky! I would love to live near the sea! Every time we go on holiday and we are near the beach, I am always the one to go running along the beach and sometimes straight into the sea. This year when we were on holiday, I would go for a walk/jog/run around the village and along the beach
I can't go swimming everyday like I want to, mainly because of time and it gets too expensive otherwise!

Em

[Pete Eeles]

could I in some way remove the butterfly larva from my poly tunnel without killing them all, I really need to wash the plastic inside. Perhaps put them in a box in my shed where its dry but cold, any suggestions? Shirley

Hi Shirley - minor point - but I think you're referring to pupae (chrysalides) and not larvae (caterpillars). Anyway - the good news is "yes", you can remove them. They're fixed at 2 places; there's a "girdle" of silk around the "waist", and a pad of silk at their tail-end (where the cremaster of the pupa, that contains many hooks, catches on the silk pad).

If you're very careful, the best thing to do is lift the silk from the polytunnel by using a fingernail. This will require removal at both ends of the girdle, and at the cremaster. You may find that the girdle snaps - but that's OK.

Once you've detached the pupa - keep it outside somewhere cool (and safe from predators). In a shed is fine - but don't forget about them when spring comes around! There should be enough moisture in the air for them to get through the winter without any intervention. I've kept hundreds of pupae of the "whites" over winter in such conditions - although I don't tell the allotment keepers around here

Cheers,

- Pete

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Okay, who is feeling it now?
Start of November - Start of March are tough times for me anyway, but who else is really feeling S.A.D as a result of awful weather these past few days?
Everyone else around me appears to be really cheerful for some reason, or do I just get this earlier
Em

[Susie]

Nope, still happy, happy, HAPPY! It was such a beautiful day today, the sun shone and the last of the autumn's leaves looked amazing.

The weather on Monday was horrible but so extreme it was fascinating. I don't get to see horizontal torrential rain very often. It was good to see the plans I put in place to stop the back lawn flooding work (to a degree anyway).

So, what's making you feel so down, Mouse?

[KeynvorLogosenn]

So, what's making you feel so down, Mouse?

Loads of things Susie, would you like me to list them , but I'll fight on anyway!

I haven't noticed the weather these past couple of weeks, all I know about today was that it was cold and I didn't like it we are not allowed to wear coats around school, even when outside!

Em

[NickB]

Yeah Mouse, Low mood definitely kicking in!
Guy (and others) can dream about butterflies instead but I just can't wait for Spring and the chance to get out there!
But - getting out and into the country (with my camera) does help, as does cycling at the weekend... but I still get down about the lack of sun and warmth (and butterflies)!
Keep smiling tho' - it is clinically proven that laughing and smiling helps your well-being
N

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Okay, who is really really feeling the effects now?
Just a question, as I am new to the SAD experience, how badly is this affecting you? I don't know if it is just me, or are other SAD people feeling the way I am?
Em

[Dave McCormick]

I am starting to feel it at moment, I have not had a real chance to go for a walk or be outside except coming home from school, but I have been so busy latley with schoolwork, had not much chance to feel sad, just more tired. I have a great friend though and she is there for me and I can't feel sad when I know we have our friendship and that keeps me happy .

Having good friends and family always is a good thing to negate the effects of this.

When I am free, I am practising my flute and working on my new website update, so things are doing ok here.

I don't actually have to wait long for seeing butterflies as my speckled woods I am breeding are alive and doing well and its my first good success anyway.

Hope you keep well Emily. I was told the best thing to do first thing in the morning is to step outside for a little bit (if its dry) and it wakes you up well. (It helps me as I have to get up at just after 6am and need waking up well)

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Some great things there Dave!

I think that today was a pretty good day in my SAD calender. For nearly a whole 24 hours, I haven't had one depressing through cross my mind (bar a couple of minutes ago).
I have been doing a spot of local traveling, London. There was the Excel Skills London 2008 Careers event that I thought would be great to go to. It is a drop in and you can find out about courses, careers, job skills, wellbeing etc etc. I heard it on the news yesterday night, and decided that was what I was going to do tomorrow (today). If I was feeling SAD I probably wouldn't have been able to cope with the amount of disruption to my journey a number of times due to engineering work and the replacement buses not coming, or maybe I was wrong!

Woke up early, normally Saturday + Early = disaster. But it was fine. Got to the station, where it was freezing. Here is the picture of me waiting for the train.

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Then came the underground. I am never normally good with the underground at the moment, the levels of infrasound can be pretty high, and to me it smells weird as well, gets busy and then I have no idea where the edge is. So I get nervous, but I was fine. Here is the pleasing proof.

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Here I am back on track of Skills London, admiting I am lost.

And I am usually very unsure on the tube trains as well. But once again, I was fine and I think there may be a smile. This was before I realised that this route will never get me to my destination because the platform was closed.

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And my face being priceless when three routes out of four have failed. Basically the three easiest and fastest. Here I am stuck at White Chapel because the train terminated here as a change of plan half way through the tunnel

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Found myself at the German Christmas Market on the South Bank, not that I was complaining or anything!

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And then finding myself in Camden outside the coolest shop ever, Cyberdog. I couldn't appreciate the things properly, but the DJ was awesome. Not only could I hear the music, but I could also feel it!

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Here I am back on track for Skills London, and admiting I am lost.. somewhere.

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Then, actually at Skills London half an hour before it closed. I have my pass and everything, don't know if you can see it. And I think I am also very happy in this one too . Yes, I believe it is a hummer. Comfirmation would be great!

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Then stopped of at Angel. Only because I was in my immature mood and wanted to go on the undergrounds hugest escalator. It was on the way. Some how I wouldn't totally agree with this one!

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And then me answering the biggest question on the underground. At Angel, is it faster to use the stairs or the escalator? I ran up all the stairs and won! Very tired, but a winner nevertheless. Therefore it is faster to use the stairs if you can run up them all.

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And finally back where I started!

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And then back at home after walking from the station, telling my brother all about where I went.

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So that was how I combated SAD for the day, can't say the same about tomorrow. Do you find that after one good day, the next day is alright?
Em

[Shirley Roulston]

Thanks for a wonder tour of London, I enjoyed that and also your photos, I'm glad you had a nice day. I don't think this cold spell will last long it'll blow itself out. Christmas will be here soon, I like seeing the Christmas trees in everyone's house and the lovely displays with the outside lights. Then it'll be January, then Spring . I wonder who will see the first butterfly.

[Susie]

Thanks for posting your photos, Mouse, it looks like you had a good day. I take it you had someone with you to help you around?

I used to get the train to Whitechapel occasionally when I worked near there. My oldest is now nagging me to take her to Camden Market but it isn't so easy for us to get there now we don't live in London anymore. I miss going up to town.

I can't wait to see my first butterfly of 2009!

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Hey Shirley and Susie
I was going by myself, then I thought that this event would benefit many others, so I avertised it. One person wanted to go to London as they are not allowed by themselves, and wanted to go to CyberDog, Camden. So hence why we ended up there before the skills event. When they got bored waiting for the tube, these were photo oppertunites.
Had a great day anyway.
Yeah, Camden is amazing, so different that I can walk down the street and be excepted for who I am, because no one there is the same. So it is normal to be different. The waffles there are fantastic and so is the orange juice. There is a real nice German Christmas market on, on the South bank unil Christmas that I can recomend.

I can really recomend the Skills London 2008 to all of yous with kids aged between 14 and 19. It was a really great way of getting info, talking to people in that job, what Universities, the alternatives to Uni. Really, really good. PM me and I will give you all the info.

I told yuou guys I don't use a cane Neither did I wear shades like I normally do. Mainly because there are depressing for me. I want to take off the dark shades see again. But every time I take them off, I am still VI.

Em

[Dave McCormick]

Thanks for posting phots, looks like you had a good time. I always find, no matter what you have to do, you gotta make the best of it, if its something lik you did that day.

I remember a trime a few years ago, I had to wait 2-3 hours for my bust to come so I could go home after leaving school and found myself on many times walking around the town there quite a lot, it was tiring and made me feel low as I was fed up with doing that.

But I got fitter because of the amount of walking I did and except for cold days, the walking and waiting was not so bad.

You said you got a bit lost in London? I had a similar problem back in August. I had to go to an interview in passport office in Belfast to get my passport. I got lost there, 3 hours it took find the building (which I now know is beside BBC building and can find it now if needed) and I missed my appointment date by 30 mins or so. But the security guard there told me not to worry as he just started working there that day and could not find the place either and took him forever to find it.

[KeynvorLogosenn]

Hi Dave
I think I got lost for the same reason! I couldn't see it either! Got there in the end though

On the topic of SAD, have any of you felt SAD at Christmas?
I am asking because I have been told that this is different from depression and that I will be okay. Last year Christmas felt like any other day to be honest, but I had proper depression then. I remember them coming to wake me up to go get the presents, to be faced with me refusing to get out of bed because I couldn't face the day. Looking back on it, it's amazing to see how depression can really take a hold of you. Crazy. I didn't celebrate my 16th either (may), and to be perfectly honest I haven't celebrated my birthday from about the age of 8. I either grew out of it, or was in fear that no one would turn up.
So who else finds that SAD impairs their ability to celebrate, putting it that way?
It would be great to know if this is all part of the experience!
Em