Intermission

  

A mini-blog/reflective journal from a self-confessed air-head.

Intermission

Possible forthcoming topics (though I make no promises)

V	Visualisation ?  Visibility ?  Or viewpoints ?
W	Waste ?  Water = my element?  (Tbc)
X	X marks the spot
Y	The Yawn (might sound tedious, but I think it'll be more  interesting than it sounds, as I got on a bit of a roll while  drafting it...)
Z	It's a surprise...

A note about 'subscribing' to or following this blog:-

Blogger have taken away the feature to follow a blog via email.  Therefore, if you'd like to follow this blog there are a couple of ways I can suggest:

1) The 'Reading list'

If you've a Google account (or more specifically a Blogger account), you can add this blog to your 'Reading list' and check back periodically for updates (you don't have to have a blog to have a reading list).  It's my aim to post roughly fortnightly the majority of the time, but there may be times when it is more or less frequent.

2) Via the comments

If you're content to share an email address with me in the comments, please do so and I'll compile a list of people who'd like to be notified when I upload.  Unfortunately, the comment may initially be publicly visible, I'm not yet certain (I have it set up so that I need to approve comments, but yet to see it in action).  So you may need to be prepared that your email address might be seen by others if you choose to provide your email address this way.

I'll do my utmost to keep the ultimate list secured and will not share your email address with anyone else (nor sell it, never ever!).  But I cannot guarantee that someone else who's potentially spotted it in the comments won't do so.  If you'd like me to delete your comment once I've seen it and noted down your email address, please say so in your comment (but please note it could be a period of weeks in between you posting it and me doing so).

Finally...

I'm still currently trying to generate extra publicity for this GoFundMe campaign; please visit the site, read about & share it (and consider donating) -- thank you, very much, on behalf of the fundraiser.

And I'm now also trying to promote this Social Fund campaign.  Again, please visit the site, read and consider donating if you can.  Thank you, again, on behalf of this fundraiser.

Photo credits: Markus Spiske on Unsplash (notebook); Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash (pencil); Google/Blogger (screenshot); Markus Winkler (list); Steve Johnson (cash).

Cookies/data
European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.

Travel

A mini-blog/reflective(ish) journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

Travel

Places I've travelled:

~ Wales, Cornwall, Lake District, London, Yorkshire, Oxford (among other UK places)

~ Paris, France

~ Holland, including Amsterdam

~ New England (New Hampshire, New York State, Maine, Massachusetts (including Salem),and Vermont) (in the summer); also New York City (again, in the summer)

~ Montreal

~ Dublin

Places I'd like to travel (travel wishlist):

~ Canada, again

~ Croatia

~ Egypt, including Cairo

~ Italy

~ Lebanon

~ Madagascar

~ Morocco

~ New England, again (in the fall this time - maybe New York City again, too)

~ New Orleans

~ Peru, specifically Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines

~ Rio de Janeiro

~ Scotland

~ Thailand

~ Tibet

~ New Zealand, but only if I've won the lotto and can afford to fly first class (that's a long, long flight).

In recent years I've come to settle for local travel, only.  And then only fairly rarely.  I've an agoraphobic spouse, and it's tricky to plan travel without one's spouse.  (Though not impossible, of course.)  But it's not only my spouse's issues which prevent me from planning travel.

In truth, I've developed some anxiety about it myself latterly.  Not so much the travelling part itself (though there's a bit of nerves around that).  But in the main it's the planning and preparation.  It's easier not to bother.  Why expose myself to the pressure of organising, double checking, and prepping everything ahead of time?  Just skip the travel, and stay local, where everything is comfortable & familiar.

And there's nothing wrong with that, if that's what you prefer.  Or if your anxieties are on a level that preclude travelling, as for my spouse (for the most part).

But the pandemic has made me realise that opportunities to travel may not always be there.  Hopefully this situation will pass and travel will open up again for us all.  And when it does, I've a new motto:  no longer will I be too timid to travel.  If an opportunity presents itself to visit somewhere new, I'll try and take it (finances allowing), for starters.

And perhaps I'll set myself a goal of visiting one new place (here in England, for the most part) each year.  As a minimum.

Where in the world would you most like to travel, if money (and logistics) were no object?

Photo credits (all photos from Unsplash): Scottish castle title pic by Connor Mollison; Niagara falls by Edward Koorey; Egypt by AussieActive; wedding bands by Sandy Millar; tube route by M. B. M.; step free route sign by Yomex Owo; map etc by Annie Spratt; Rio by Leonardo Marinho.

Bonus rainforest photos by: Mandy Choi; Maggie Collins; and Kyle Cleveland, respectively.

Cookies/data

European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.

Searching for a 'cure-all'

A mini-blog/reflective journal from a self-confessed air head

Searching for a cure-all

If you read my earlier blog post on Gizmos and Gadgetry, then you may recall that I've a chronic health condition.  And I've tried all sorts seeking to alleviate my symptoms.

💤 Also, if you read my 'I' post you might recall that I'm a chronic insomnia sufferer, too.

I almost called this post 'Snake Oil' because it struck me as a somewhat amusing catch-all phrase for a title!  🐍

But, I realised it would've been misleading, as some of the stuff I've tried has been helpful.  (And my odd sense of humour may not come across well in the written word!)

My mini reviews are in the associated Google doc, which can be found by following this link:

🠞  Sick and tired, of always being sick and tired.  🠜

I've reviewed more thoroughly the things I've found most helpful.  I'm not very consistent at remembering to take stuff regularly.  Especially if there's not clear results showing it definitely helps (&, consequently, little incentive to keep using a thing).  So, the ones which weren't helpful tend to just sit on the shelf (or get given away or whatever).  They may consequently have much shorter mini-reviews.

Here are the highlights of the associated doc/list.

Top picks:-

• Breathing exercises
• Cinnamon, and ginger
• Guided meditation (see also, relaxation response)
• Patting – Luohan Patting Method
• Physiological sigh
• Phytoncides / forest-bathing
• Qi Gong healing sounds
• Sports massage
• Tai chi
• Vagus nerve stimulation
• Yoga / pilates

Plus, a salt pipe inhaler (with Himalayan salt, or rock salt) for allergy/respiratory issues.

If you know me, it shouldn't come as much surprise that my top picks are mostly things which are available either free or at a very reasonable cost / online.  (If you don't know me personally, I'm known for being a huge tight-wad!)  And that should therefore also show you just how highly I thought of the sports massage!  As that's much more costly than the other top picks, above.  (Actually, that's me being a little bit flippant; I did in fact go through an objective-ish process to select my top picks based on what works for me and is good value for money.)

Conclusion: I can't recommend any one thing which has fixed everything for me, sadly.  No cure-all to date.  But, I do want to share one final tip.  This is for anyone else who may be in the same position as me, or who has friends/family in my position.

I've been reading up on 'functional medicine'.  And whilst this also has yet to present the single 'cure-all' I've been seeking, it does sound rather promising.

So here's my recommendation, which is the YouTube channel where you can find the podcast of The Doctor's Farmacy:-

Mark Hyman, MD - YouTube*

I also recommend Dr Cynthia Li's book Brave New Medicine, if you're interested in this sort of thing.  It's very good, written in a really readable and relatable style.  So, even if there's no single 'cure-all' in its pages either, it was time well spent.

Do you have a favourite sort of 'snake oil'?  Or any book/podcast recommendations in this area?  Let me know in the comments, if so.

No snakes were harmed in the production of this blog post!  :)

Photo credits (all photos from Unsplash): 'snake oil' by katrin hauf; green cross by Justin Chrn; heart by Sharon McCutcheon; typewriter by Markus Winkler; hightlighter pens by Mitchell Luo; money/pills by Marek Studzinski; coffee by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis; pages by Hush Naidoo; *logo is the intellectual property of the channel/podcast mentioned; neon sign by Kah Lok Leong; snakes by Anne Nygård.

Tree photos: David Clode, Emiliano Lucas, Dan Meyers, Gerrie Van Der Walt, Tim Mossholder and Nicolien Botha.

Song lyric from Anastacia ('Sick and Tired').

Cookies/data

European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.