Confidence

 

A Brief History Of The Charity Shop

Charity Shops (aka Thrift Shops) started as something quite different to what we know today.

Fundraising shops started in 1870 with a shop that sold flowers to support a mission in East London. This was the beginning of the charity shop.

In 1899, The Wolverhampton Society For The Blind set up shop to sell goods made by blind people to raise money for the society.

The Salvation Army also started running second hand shops in the 19th century. This meant the poor in the cities could get affordable clothing. 

The second world war was what made the charity shop go nationwide. Charities such as the British Red Cross, operated charity shops as a way to raise money for the war effort and to relieve the inevitable hardship caused by war. More and more charities started selling second hand clothes.

Then in 1947, Oxfam opened the first modern charity shop, accepting donations of clothes, books etc. And, the rest is history.

By Redrose64 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18505257

Why we need men to help overcome violence against women

Calling all men

We need everyones help to overcome violence against women. The men that verbally or physically attack women will not listen to a female voice. It's like talking to a brick wall. That's why we need men to help. We need men to hold others accountable for their actions. We need men to share the newspaper articles, to share the social media posts. We know most men are not violent, we know most men aren't abusive. We need men to help other men see that this behaviour is not ok. 

This isn't a solution, but it's a start. Teach your sons, brothers, fathers, cousins, friends to treat women as human beings. We're not asking to be treated as princesses, just as an equal. 

The Winter Queen

Elizabeth Stuart, aka Queen of Bohemia, The Winter Queen.

Born 19th August 1596 to James I of England (James VI of Scotland), Elizabeth is a queen that history has forgotten.

Growing up in Scotland, Elizabeth was destined to be a powerful force for the Protestant cause in Europe in her later life.

Elizabeth had a pretty standard upbringing, for a princess. Her father being the target of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Elizabeth was just 9 years old. Her education consisted of geography, natural history, languages, theology, writing, music and dancing. The only thing missing was Latin, as her father believed that “Latin had the unfortunate effect of making women more cunning”. Her father, James I, was responsible for the Witchcraft Act of 1604. Just saying.

Elizabeth became fluent in many languages, including French, which would become useful in later life, as this is how she would talk to her future husband.

As a young princess, Elizabeth was quite a catch in Europe. The lucky winner of Elizabeth’s hand was Frederick V, Count Palatine of the Rhine. The couple got married on Valentines Day 1613 in the Royal Chapel at Whitehall Palace in London. The lovebirds were both 16 years old when they got married, pretty standard for the time. In November 1619 Elizabeth became Queen of Bohemia when her husband accepted the throne. Their reign was short, ending in November 1620. Elizabeth became known as The Winter Queen because her reign only lasted one winter. No prizes for guessing that Freddie was known as the Winter King.

Both were exiled in 1620, retreating to Germany from Prague. Elizabeth and Frederick were not idle whilst in Berlin, producing 8 children, which made the grand total of 13 children during their marriage. No TV back then. 

Frederick died in 1632, Elizabeth living on for another 30 years, in mourning. Her rooms were draped in back until the day she died. During the Thirty Years War, Elizabeth was a staunch supporter for the Protestant cause in Europe, inspiring both poets and statesmen as well as becoming a patron of the arts. Elizabeth also managed to secure her son, Charles Louis, as The Electorate of the Palatinate, as was his right as Frederick's heir.

In 1660, things had calmed down in England and Scotland (long story) and Elizabeth returned to England in 1661. She set up house in Westminster, where she would spend her final days. Elizabeth died 13th February 1662 aged 66.

Elizabeth’s youngest daughter, Sophia, later Sophia of Hanover, gave birth to a son who would become George I, King of Great Britain and Ireland. Our reigning Queen Elizabeth II can be traced back to Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia.

Star Trek, Patrick Stewart and Pockets

Sir Patrick Stewart posts about going to the Emmys. 

The post gets shared to a Star Trek fan group.

And the most important thing? 

Pockets! 

Apologies, Saint Sir Patrick Stewart, on behalf of all ladies everywhere...

 

Anxiety 2021 Update

 I'm back!  

I'm in my 3rd week of sick leave, and I am feeling so much better. A few weeks ago I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but now I feel like I'm at the end of the tunnel, maybe even out in the light. I'm not confused or scared. I'm not stuttering, or holding my breath. 

My GP increased one of my medications. I allowed myself the time to recover. I didn't punish myself for having a bad day. I didn't rush my recovery. I just let my brain reset itself in it's own time. I'm reading and crocheting again. I'm sleeping better. 

I'll be going back to work once my sick note is up, assuming I don't get any worse of course.

To anyone out there suffering with mental health issues. Things will get better. Ask for help. Even if you don't know what help you need, a professional will be able to point you in the right direction. Speak to your doctor. Don't worry if you don't know what to say, just tell them you are struggling with your mental health. They will know what questions to ask you to find out what is happening.

Keep going. Keep talking. 

Anxiety 2021

As I said in my previous post, I am going through an anxiety relapse. I've been off work 9 days now. Today I went out for the first time since my meltdown. It was only to the supermarket, but it's the most I've done in over a week. I thought I did really well. Got everything on my list. Couldn't process buying something that wasn't on my list though, that was a weird brain process. I didn't realise how much just that short trip took out of me. I ended up having an afternoon nap and have felt anxious all evening. It feels like one step forward, two steps back. Feel almost like I've let myself down. I was so happy thinking I was a lot better. Seems I underestimated just how sick I am. I might be off work longer than I thought. I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but I can't see it yet. I'm exhausted. I'm tired of feeling tense all the time.

Anxiety Update

My anxiety is really bad. I'm scared. I'm tense. I've been signed off work. This is the worst my anxiety has been since I was first diagnosed. It feels like I'm losing my mind. I'm not sleeping well. My stomach is in knots. I stop breathing randomly during the day. My hands are clenched. I'm mis-reading, mis typing. 

I'm exhausted. I forget things. I don't hear things. I can't figure out the simplist of things. I wake up with a clenched jaw.

I tried to cross an empty road. I could see it was safe. But I didn't trust myself, I had to use the crossing. 

It feels like there's a delay between me and the rest of the world. A bit like a long distance phone call used to be like.

I hate this. I hate my brain. I wish I could reset it. 

Anxiety. AKA a Toddler....

Currently on furlough. Have been for about 3 weeks. My anxiety is really playing up. My anxiety is basically a toddler. Any change to it's routine and it throws an absolute strop. It plays ups, refuses to listen to reason, refuses to sleep and isn't interested in it's favourite toy anymore. 

Seriously. Furlough obviously means I'm not in my usual routine. This causes some strange side effects. I'm physically tense. I can't sleep even though I'm tired. My usual coping techniques aren't working. My hobbies don't either relax me or interest me. 

This also happens every time I take leave from work too. Usually I'm not off work for long enough for the 2 year old that is my anxiety to throw it's toys out of it's pram.

But, I know that once I settle in to my new routine, it'll settle down again. Just like a toddler.