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Top of the Stelvio pass 😎

Yesterdays early finish - time to play in the Sun

Waun y Gadair view point above Lyn Clywedog on the mountain road between lLlanidloes and Machynlleth. Too good a day to miss Gary

It's also not too shabby at Ynyslas... Gary

Seeing you all in your shorts, reminds me. I think I am having chicken tonight.

Stelvio Pass here we come 😎

Reinsured the Westfield today with @A-Plan Insurance THATCHAM, same as last year, and the year before. In fact, the same for the last 5 years. Can't complain with that, thank you.

Edit: crossed posts with Chris above, how strange! Its been a while so though it was time for a bump... thank you to those who have contributed so bravely, I hope sharing your stories has helped. I had a really tough couple of weeks, then a bit of time being insanely up and down, but have been in a good place for a couple of days now - head feels clear, I'm not rushing around as much, I've been able to make decisions (including one rather big one!), I'm being pragmatic when things have gone 'wrong'. Perhaps the weather helps! Anyway, main reason for my post... my partner recommended a book to me called Quiet, by Susan Cain, which I've been working through. It deals with the differences between introverts and extroverts, and how - despite some cultures and societies being set up to try and persuade introverts to act more like extroverts - there is a lot if power in being a quiet person. I feel like there may be a strong link between introversion and depression / anxiety. We (I say we because I am definitely down the introverted end of the scale!) tend to focus a larger portion of our energy internally for consideration and thought, which isn't too much of a stretch to get to overthinking, and thus anxiety, and then depression not a great distance from that. There's a little test here which can reveal where you sit, if interested: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/tests/personality/extroversion-introversion-test Armed with some of the knowledge and viewpoints in the book, I have started to look at a few situations differently. I find there's something strangely calming and comforting that comes from knowing yourself better - I think it's worth looking at 👍

Good move and well done, hope you got a BIG bonus. Been out of business so long I had to look up SLT.

What beautiful weather!!! Finished work a bit early and scooted off to Ardnamurchan again. Beer and BBQ now, cutting the grass will have to wait 😁

Living in soggy Scotland, we use our full hood quite a lot and have got very slick at entering and exiting our respective seats. But if we try to do it when we’ve swapped seats, we look like baby giraffes exiting the womb!

@IanK (Bagpuss) Going for it!

On the way to work...... ....I may have got lost..... ........ and taken a longer route..... ..than the tintop takes.

Wasn't sure where this should go... Stuff? Yeah I guess so. Nonsense? Not a bit of it! Anyway, perhaps I'm a day late with this as Mental Health Awareness week was last week, but here goes I've recently (almost) finished building my car, and all along the way this has had me dancing along a psychological tightrope. Due to various factors I have a tendency to strive for perfection, and this can get me into a lot of self-inflicted trouble (and has done in the past!). In a recent post I decided to 'come out' and share a bit of my story, in the hope that it would help others to be more open about any sort of mental struggles they have had, or are currently dealing with: https://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/topic/130867-the-lobster-88-se-rebuild/page/41/?tab=comments#comment-1422129 This can be anything from suicidal thoughts, right through to relatively-harmless-but-totally-draining overthinking (something I still do too much - mentally composing email replies at 3am while I'm lying awake, or practicing phone calls in advance!). If this describes you then you're not alone - even within this club - and I have always found the support that comes from all angles when I 'break cover' to be overwhelming, completely the opposite to my original fear of being seen as 'crazy', or being ridiculed, or even excluded. In fact it kinda makes you feel like you're in some sort of exclusive club when people pop up (both 'publicly' and privately) offering similar stories or support and understanding. It's extremely heartwarming. So, I guess the over-riding message is that it is perfectly normal to feel like cr@p sometimes, and that it's absolutely OK when that happens. There is support available all around if you allow it to come into your life. I will personally offer myself as one of these support mechanisms if I'm able to at the time, I'm only a PM away Feel free to share any stories here, you won't be judged and as I said, we'll be part of a (relatively) exclusive club, haha. And don't forget that whatever happens, there's always a fun and engaging toy with a shouty engine sat in / on your garage / shed / drive to allow you to clear your head at the end of a bad day Take care everyone, x

Kanderstag in Switzerland on this years trip.

Yes .. great day.. can’t complain about the heat when the alternatives are wet n cold. I did want to stay longer but ...a) it’s best to leave before break something especially when Blyton is so close... b) end on month means I need to start of various reports.. c) I still neeeded to lock the factory up end of day... its nice to be there with a group of westfields and folk you know. Mmm ice cream

In... fairly easily. Out...with zero dignity and great difficulty.

Just as I do, just need to keep my toned body in shape 😎

Yep, time to go.

I was up there about midday. Very nice bit of road. I went up through Corris afterwards.

If you get served chicken legs like mine, I’d take them back to Aldi and get into M&S for some with more meat on 😜

Trade Fezza in for £70k, chuck £20k on top, get a 12C. Only spent 20 grand. Wahey! I've seen them as low as £75k now, and still dropping. Staggering performance and technology for the money!

I have some Ferrero (Rocher)... does that count? 😉

Stunning car well done. That's the beauty of man maths it can be fudged to suit any situation

It’s called a Ferrari 🤪

The cheapest 12C i found was around £80k - pleeeeeaaassse teach me your man maths! :-) I don't envy your situation, I used to practice matrimonial law about 10 years ago, very messy! I'm sure the 12C will help alleviate your situation.

Thanks for the positivity guys! Hard to explain what I mean with the 650, Nick. I guess it felt way too easy to get into serious trouble on the road. Despite the trick suspension it was pretty firm, with the increased spring rates over the 12C. Would love a go in one of the newer ones sometime though! The sound it makes is, in comparison with my Ferrari certainly, probably the least exciting aspect of the car - for now at least. I've long been in the 'turbos suck' camp, but there is something interesting about all the other noises you get from it so I'm going to go into this with open eyes (ears?). Chris, I actually spent less than half my budget. Just had a little trump card to play that's all. There's man maths at its best 😂

Handing in my notice. 9 and a half years of working with a great team. Taking a small £1.5m business to £60m in the last 5 years. But alas the SLT dont want to back the new growth plan or our market intelligence so I'm out. On to pastures new in a months time. An emotional day. Half of my working life so far and just under a third of my entire life. Oh well onwards and upwards.

Glad you made it on and off the train OK @IanK (Bagpuss)

I wait whilst the sage puts her handbag on my seat.... it stays there until she's lashed herself in..... then I sort of step in, lean back, slide 'n' wriggle, I'm sure one of these days I'll do myself a top notch injury..... Nem..........

Replaced the old mechanical clock with electronic hence the lower mileage

It's a skill (art) you quickly learn and BugMans description is pretty much spot on. You'll also learn that almost everyone who wants a ride will try and lower themselves in using the screen. Slap them... hard...

You mean try and CHASE a 675lt one day 🤣🤣

Let’s hope @IanK (Bagpuss) had the one and only hiccup and the rest of the trip goes smoothly. looks great so far

Improving my Tig skills.

Before getting in, take your phone out of your pocket and keys or anything else you might need as one your in, forget it. Hang the seatbelts out both sides, over the tunnel and hanging out the side as once in getting hold of them is bl**** impossible and I always forget and think I look like a right whally trying to get the belts out from behind me. In, no problem, try to stand on the exposed chassis rail just in front of the seat, and then hands on tunnel and side, slide your backside down into the seat, then start fiddling around to get everything in place. Out, not so easy. Bring your knees up if you can to get your feet on the same rail for getting in. Belts hangin to either side and then I sort of "shimmy" up the back of the seat using my hands on the tunnel and side panel and pushing with your legs. Once your legs are about straight you should be able to maneuver a let out, followed by the other leg. I've yet to see a way of doing this by anybody that does not make you look a bit clumsy, let alone with a roof on. One thing I would get in your head is not to touch the steering wheel during either operation, and keep a check on the wheel as WF had a recall notice on the one I was supplied with, where basically the rivets holding the outer wheel to the inner failed and I ended up with it in my hands. (Mountney Classic Steering Wheel) https://westfield-sportscars.co.uk/downloads/mountney-steering-wheel-recall-notice.pdf Graceful is not a description you can use

I stand on my seat and slip elegantly down... Well that's the intention. Same in reverse to get out holding on to sil and tunnel as per Nigel0. Of course getting in or out with the roof on is a whole different event, one that results in one limb being left out... Usually a leg Still working on that maneuver...

probably depends on the seats - I have JK Composite seats, so I just stand on them, then lower myself into the seat by holding onto the tunnel and the sills Getting out is rather less elegant though, as gravity isn't assisting and my old bones aren't as strong as they used to be....

See you all there

Look on the BPS website, find a registered Clinical Psychologist in your local area and reach out to them. Be prepared as they are expensive - but like all things, you get what you pay for. Counsellors/therapists are someone to talk to, Clinical Psychologists will help you understand why you are where you are and how to break the cycle. Invest more in your mind and I promise you, it will be the best money you've ever spent. For reference, to qualify as a Clinical Psychologist takes 7 years of academia and at least 3 years of professional experience. A counsellor or therapist can set up tomorrow. So you really do get what you pay for, but in the best possible way, and from personal experience, if you commit to it, it can change your life.

Your tale Dave sums up why we need to make mental issues easily talked about and to do things differently. As I posted in the other thread my parents were from a generation where there were nutters who were locked up and those who just needed to pull themselves together. Being told to just get on with it and pull yourself together works for some but they still have that there lurking in the background hidden as there was some sort of shame attached to admitting you were struggling. Thankfully we have moved on from that. I have unfortunately had a driver killed and two involved in fatal crashes that were not their fault in the time I have worked for the company I do. On all those occasions we provided the opportunity to those involved to have help and therapy immediately and thankfully that helped them to deal with everything and move on. We also give time for bereavement because everyone is different, the loss of a parent in old age is expected, the loss of a child completely different so why try to make 5 days off with pay a limit, the last thing people need on top of that is stress of having no money. Also as Jude (The Mad Widow) ironic name now we know the story, highlights mental health professionals are in short supply. My daughter is a Dr and did a rotation in Psychiatric and she hated it, listening to everyones misery is soul destroying so when you add in the workload and that it is one of the lowest paid specialities is there any wonder there is a shortage. With Charlotte I always make sure I am there to listen whilst she vents as even in hospitals Dr's do not get the support they should get when faced with things everyday they deal with. Imagine working in A&E and having a 5 year old die, then having to go to deal with an obnoxious woman who was kicking off as she had been waiting three hours to be seen and at the end of the shift just be expected to pack up and go home as if nothing has happened. It is a reason why so many health care workers have their own demons, drink drugs and comfort eating are all mechanisms they use. Our ex soldiers get poor help and end up with similar problems or homeless to boot where help is even harder to access for them and woefully short. I don't want us to get like it is in the US where in some ways it has become trivialised, and example of this is the help line set up for Game of Thrones fans who need counselling as the series has ended or a broken finger nail sends them to therapy, but where we are now is not good enough and many lives would be saved and thousands improved if we continue to build on what we have to get where we need to be. Those who survive cancer wear a badge of pride as a survivor and turn what has happened to positive things, mental issues are still by many seen as something to hide. To all those who are touched by this thread you are part of a very big but quiet group, but not alone

It’s probably thirteen years now, since I was diagnosed with PTSD and what was was patently obviously clinical depression to even the most unobservant, after a massive accident. Like you, I was fortunate to receive private treatment courtesy of the other drivers insurance, quite quickly. I also got a good assessor who quickly realised that the NHS approach at the time would never have worked with me and eventually sorted out an excellent Cognative Therapist. (I get trapped down mental avenues, and have think my way back out, if that makes sense, no one can really do it for me? But they can teach me how to think and work it out). He was puzzled at first though, as he couldn’t get certain things to add up. So we just went, conversationally, back and back, and a bit further back. Long story shortish, I was the driver in a fatal accident with a twelve year old pedestrian when I was seventeen and in freshens week at university. Had to do the whole Police investigation, coroners court etc. and try and look the grieving parents in the eye, as my insurance appointed solicitor asked me if I wanted to claim damages from them to recover my insurance excess, expenses etc. (the dead lad was found at fault). I declined. However, back then in the mid eighties, that was it. You just got on with things. My therapist in the 2006 accident basically worked out I’d still been suffering from symptoms of PTSD and various issues since that original accident, and that this one had simply blown everything wide open again. Of course nothing is ever quite that black and white, those events just served to exacerbate underlying odd ways my mind works, anyway. Not a good cocktail when you mix them all up.

What an amazing tale, you have done so well Dave. After the car accident which killed Brian I was treated for PTSD for 2 years courtesy of the insurance company of the biker that caused the accident. A 6-month waiting list for psychology from the NHS. I was shocked about this and at the next governors meeting, I let rip my outrage. In fact, I signed myself off from my mental health team of 30 years standing and I am going it alone. I take mood balancing drugs but keep trying to get off those... I try to take daily doses of the yellow easy to take meds on wheels. I have issues when on the road but just have to get on with it. Niki Lauda was sat in a burning car for the same amount of time as Brian... seeing it on the tv today brings everything back. AGAIN! I do offer advice regarding mental illness, I am happy for anyone to contact me should they need to share or enquire. I did mental health unit assessments for 4 years plus a variety of other NHS mental health related stuff.. I am confident that the comments on this forum will have helped someone and having battled for mental health services I am just so chuffed to read it all. Thank you all so much.

Couldn't agree more. And without wanting to disparage the general NHS, who after way more experience of, through family illness etc than I’d like, I’m aware have good and bad people, good days and off days. Do be be careful who you reach out to. With hind-site, maybe either a more specialist organisation, or at the very least, someone who you know and trust. Like a damn idiot, I spent months early last year, the end of the year before screwing up the courage to admit to a problem that had spun outside my usual control and to ask for help. I had a different nurse from my regular one at my six month check up, and pretty much managed to force myself to blurt things out. To my horror, she pretty much brushed things off with a “there are lots of people worse off” speech, handed m the samaritans leaflet and punted me out the door. I already had the metaphorical pistol, she basically cocked it and passed it back. I sat for more hours than I can remember staring at my “easy solution” on the dining room table. (Stockpiled morphine from after my Mum had passed away). And in the end, the only thing stopped me taking enough, was the thought of who would look after my pet cat, (who doesn’t meet new people well). It was as close as that. In fact in my head, I was already over the line, and just waiting for the actions of my body to catch up. My regular nurse was absolutely horrified when I asked to never be seen by the other one again, (she dragged the real reason out of me eventually). And set I should have just come straight to her, or the Samaritan’s or similar, and that they would have helped. She also told me one of the nerve pain meds I’ve been on carries a heightened suicide risk anyway, so I should have been immediately fast tracked for treatment. Thankfully, twelve months or more on, im still here, and it’s been a better year, but it still has its moments, and the problem with depression and it’s related issues, is they never seem to entirely go away, but creep back up on you when you don’t expect them. I can’t pretend to offer expert advice, and I know how little you do want to reach out when it gets bad. But do make those calls, and if you can’t think of anyone else, i’ll Listen. (Though you’d be desperate by then!) Oh well, I guess that’s more than five people who know now.

I posted on the other thread so I will not repeat what I wrote there, but over the years I have had issues myself but have seen the struggle of others as well. At the moment mental health is the trendy subject to discuss, but we need to ask why does it take a celebrity or royalty to highlight what is around us all everyday? If you saw a person with a missing limb or hair gone due to cancer many would be happy to talk to the person, yet with mental health issues to often we shy away from just asking how they are now, fearing not knowing what to say. And mental health is a huge issue which can touch anyone, from women after giving birth to soldiers having PTSD and every type of person between. It does not discriminate between rich and poor, young and old or intelligent and stupid it just happens, more often than some will imagine. It has a wide range from mild to suicidal thankfully most are not at that end of the range. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young men under 35, not car accidents or other such things. These young people are our brothers and sons and they aren't nutters as used to be thought but ordinary people who need help understanding and support. There is help out there but the trouble is many sufferers do not know they need help, bottling it up until it is too late and then everyone is shocked. Worse still you will hear comments about how selfish these people are if they commit suicide which inconveniences us if the road is closed or a train cancelled. The Samaritans do a wonderful job but the best help is friends family and work mates who will notice things and just talk to people and push them to seek help. .

Adam, I am hugely grateful for your post, I have always tried to share my own mental health issues with people I hope will become my friends and acquaintances. Having been a governor on the Bucks & Oxon NHS Foundation Trust for 4 years I have heard so many mental health patients say that no one understands them... that's because we don't share it! Of course, we don't always feel like we want to share, we feel isolated, alone and unable to put it out there - we may never be able to share our own mental health issues... I have spent all of my adult life battling with depression, anxiety and then bipolar. I was lucky to have a husband who supported me through the down times and grounded me during high times... of course, he is no longer with us so I am finding my way forward alone. Yes I know people think I am a bit quirky, a bit unusual but let's face it I am never boring! My grandchildren call me Nana Fou Fou ( google translate!) So thank you Adam, for putting this out there... few of us are 'normal' but it's taken me a very long time to feel at one with my own personality. The Westfield is great therapy, better than meds!

Its never too late to discuss anything. I think there is a bit of this in everyone. Everyone's life experience either exacerbates or subdues these feelings to different degrees. I started my first kit car build at age 19 and (wasted) five/six years of my early twenties whilst my mates were off to Ibiza, partying and catching diseases! :-) But I didn't waste that time, I learnt so so so much. I come from an engineering family but I taught myself everything. I recently qualified as a welder/fabricator using knowledge I picked up 15/20 years ago. Why did I choose to do it? Because somebody told me I couldn't. Not content with putting a straight forward Pinto in the car, I bored it out to 2.1 and strapped a turbo on as well. Why did I do the qualification? Because it was never good enough telling people you can do it, but a piece of paper will shut them up! I was always very hard on myself, and still am, I guarantee I would have been diagnosed on the "spectrum" if it was around in the days of black and white. I was always worried working full time would limit me reaching goals outside of work. In 2008 I went self employed and my perspective changed entirely. I was the only person to limit myself, but with that I had to learn to be easier on myself otherwise I would burn myself out mentally and physically. So long as I could go to bed knowing I had given 110% then I would sleep well. They say Rome wasn't built in a day, and the long game always yields better results. The other revelation I had was reading lots of autobiographies. From Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alan Sugar to Guy Martin etc they all have similar traits. They all have this desire to succeed, or they need to prove themselves, which drives them. This allowed me to take a view and understand that its entirely normal to be so driven. My other half laughs at me all the time, I cannot sit still, I rarely watch tv and I am lost without a project to do. I bought a house last year which is filling the project quota no end, but I still lay awake analyzing every detail of all of the projects. The trouble I have now is that working full time leaves me less time for "extra curricular" activities and I do sometimes feel like I dont have enough time, but I know that it will all work out in the end and fret much less about completing everything yesterday. The other thing I learnt during my self employed phase is to not care about what anyone else says, feels, thinks or wants. I was never one for really caring for the opinion of others anyway, but being utterly selfish about what makes your life better and is best for you is the best thing you can ever do. Your family will always understand and support you (if not they should), as do loved ones. Your true friends will also do the same, those that don't are not worth the time of day. I'm not afraid of saying no to people, and always tell people what I think, whether they like it or not. People may not always agree but they will respect you for it. I never really tried hard at school either, but did well. I started my masters a couple of years ago and I was always outspoken in class, challenging the material and asking questions of the lecturer. I saw other students rolling their eyes and tutting, mostly the basics who would prefer to discuss their holiday plans than study. Anyway, I actually applied myself for once, just to see if it would make a difference. I was mortified to only just make it into the distinction category, which I took up with the examining board having spotted errors on their model answers. It was then they told me I was one of the very few to get a distinction and had the highest marks of any other student nationwide, with some 65% failing the exam entirely. So that shut me up. My point being is that its fine to push yourself hard, don't be afraid to raise the bar higher and higher. Even if you fall short of the bar, you'll still end up higher than the next person. Be humble, ask questions, learn new things and above all ENJOY it! So long as you do your absolute best, thats all you can ask of yourself. Once you learn to realise the things that genuinely matter you wont be so hard on yourself and then you will be in an upwards cycle instead of a downwards cycle. I'm approaching 40 in August and must say that it doesnt daunt me at all, the only concern is of course - do I still have enough time to get all my plans done! 😉 Anyway, thats my lunch time thoughts .... :-)