Staying well - lockdown week14


Keeping active








Senior moment - father's and grandad's day - grannie's hatkeeping active and connected in lockdown



Family fun in lockdownfootball supporter

Garden glimpses   The men

Garden glimpsesClimbing 

                                                                                                                   step up step on
                                                                                                                   in step not so quick step
                                                                                                                   paint job the prize


Garden glimpse
Jenson's bridge

wood stone pebble
from here to there
link with grandad  








Staying Safe - lockdown week13 - not so inspiring




Old Father Time - senior moments


An older perspective on where we are in lockdown
A partial image, but I quite like it


I went to the dentist today. I asked 'do I have to wear a mask?' The receptionist said 'no'.

I apologise to all the bereaved and disadvantaged families for my facile remarks for lockdown 12. Who cares we can't get away for weekends - ludicrous and not funny. Lockdown has lead to a loss of personal perspective. I thought it would be life as normal. It hasn't been. My pal big Dave misses his mates. I can't quite put my finger on what I miss. Sense of purpose is forever an issue, pandemic or not, but I've lost my way just now. We haven't knitted or sewn or gone back to work - just sat at the window whilst others looked after us. I made a video with Rod Gooch, but no one seems to have watched it that we know. So I think I'm a bit angry - useful energy for doing something. What? Carrying a massive sword round maybe. I think it's a scythe.

There is yet another old persons' guide in the Times June 13th - 'How fast are you ageing?' by John Nash, quoting research by Dr Daniel Belsky of Columbia University. Usual suspects - lower the calorie intake, sleep quality and regular exercise. Meditation makes another appearance based on a Buddhist monk study. Newish to me is skipping breakfast, restricting eating between 8pm and the following noon. This, apart from calorie restriction, is counter-intuitive. Everyone says breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but this is the second study I've read that suggests the opposite. The final recommendation is banish negative thoughts. Optimists live longer. It doesn't say how you do it.

Radio4 Wednesday More or Less sort of answered my query from last week 'What constitutes a premature death for a 75 year old'. An actuarial expert said something along the lines of 'an 80 year old obese male smoker has on average 5 years left'. So where do we stand with the NICE guidelines that tell us all not to enjoy ourselves?

Anyone else had a scam attempt from someone pretending to be Amazon Prime. Tried to give me a refund for a fee I hadn't paid, but I didn't twig immediately. Thankfully no harm done, but waring.



Garden glimpses

squirrel wars - 

Garden glimpses

Is it insectivorous?




Garden glimpse

Another pile of stones

Honley ladies tea party and a stone circle

The men and some random geraniums

More haiku and some rescued flowers



Staying well - lockdownweek 12



Don't let the covid in



The advice on covid is still pretty confusing. We are as frustrated, not just with limitations on our personal lives at home, but we usually plan to take regular short breaks every month. We are unsure when we can restart.


Black lives matter

8 mins 46 secs - the length of time the policeman knelt on George's neck.

My current 2000 metre time indoor rowing is 8mins 42 secs. I don't know why, it just makes you stop and think.

I agree we may all need to examine how we feel about stuff, including racism. I am cautious about saying anything further, other than slave owners are part of our heritage, an unpleasant part. Join the list of unfairness and privilege. There is a saying 'Behind every fortune there is a crime.'

8 minutes is a long time to struggle breathing.


Staying mentally and physically active

I came across these recommendations for good habits in older people. It appeared on my email app - some are a bit much

Watching too much television

We live in the golden age of television, and binge watching has never been better. But there are limits on the amount of Netflix or Amazon Prime that your health can bear.
So what do these clever people suggest? BBC 4?
Having poor sleep habits
Early morning routines followed by burning the midnight oil can take its toll on your skin.
Poor sleep creates total havoc with me as a person. More than grumpy if that's possible.
Making unhealthy choices

Smoking, physical inactivity, high alcohol intake, poor diet, prolonged sitting worked synergistically to increase risk for all-cause mortality.

  Okay we all get this. You have to have been down a coal mine for the last 20 years to miss it. Add in high cholesterol, premature death in a relative, being over 75, hypertension, diabetes. 

When you are 75, what constitutes a premature death?

Not feeling your age
People who felt older than they actually were had increased rates of hospitalisations.
Maybe they were sick.
Ask yourself how old you would be if you didn't know the day you were born? (from 'Don't let the old man in - Toby Keith).
Holding grudges
With respect to your lifespan, it’s probably a good idea to let grudges go.
I get that.

Barbecuing

However delicious, barbecuing might burn away years of your life.

It's a joke, right?

 Eating sugary food

  Yes okay.

Not meditating

  This is a new one for me. Do I have time in my day?


Not detoxing - no idea what this is.

Overworking - no idea what this is.

So it's still not rocket science. Some lifestyles are key along with staying in the present moment (if you can forget the past).

We watched a rerun of Deep Space Nine last night. Exploration of non-linear time - specifically living permanently in some past event whilst inhabiting the present. Time somehow isn't happening. I think I get that some of the time. It's adventure, scifi and occasionally asks a question or two.



Lockdown week11 - sketches can capture moments and staying active

Glimpses, sketches

Short form - Clear and concise. Getting your point across, rather than showcasing expertise. It's a skill in itself. Drawing, image, story, poem, lyric, microblog.

Keeps the old man mentally active.

Leaves stuff out to let the reader in.


Current events/corona-wise

Dom

Durham bound
or maybe the Lords
he's not leaving
To summarise Giles Coren, the Times May 30th 'everybody decided to break the rules too,' thereby ruining 'my lovely lockdown'. 'Empty roads, empty parks, loads of exercise in the sunshine, didn't have to meet my dreary friends or review poncey restaurants ... '

To paraphrase Matthew Parris, the Times May 30th 'The ordinary people' chose 'how to interpret the advice ... "29% of Britons admit breaking lockdown" ... This relaxed approach is not available to our masters ... '

As I said last week, a range of opinion. Dom was not appointed because he is a paragon of virtue. Looks like he will survive.

There is a new distance and time measurement - London to Durham.
As in 'how long does it take to get from London to Durham'.


Anybody else confused by the mixed information coming out of briefing sessions - none of it hangs together to make a coherent story. Multi-author, committee or some other many limbed creature.


For all those who can stomach unplanned variation in pitchclic here for 'Don't let the covid in'

Garden glimpses



Not many people are aware of the close relationship between weight lifting and keeping wicket.












  Tomato 1 - Dave 0


  bit of a quiet circle this week


grasses nearly my height - no cutting just yet


5 o'clock