Mr T – ‘A man on edge’

This week I nearly hit rock bottom (or hit someone/something, I used to be a lover not a fighter), farming for over 20 years is starting to break me, I am turning into a grumpy old man!

When I was getting Tinky ready for school this week I came across this poem she copied at her young careers club:

Wow, so true…… it is normally Rachel who says things happen for a reason, but I think I was meant to find Alice’s poem.

I went downstairs took the kids to school with Rachel and we went for a cupper; mum always said a cup of tea can sort all problems, didn’t really know what she meant until this week.

Usually I don’t like to put any more pressure on Rachel as she broke over a year ago and walked away from her professional career to come home and be a mum/farmer’s wife!

Since then we have given the ‘Ballakelly’ thing all that we have, it was our last chance to make the farm support the family.

From the outside everyone thinks ‘Ballakelly’ is cooking on gas (all those hog roasts we do!), but on the inside we are often crumbling.

Luckily, we have a great set of family and friends, often referred to as The Meat Heroes. Without these guys, especially in the last 3 years we would not have made it as far down the path as we have.

I am not sure if anyone listed to Geoffrey Boot on Manx Radio they interviewed him about the support for the farmers this winter. After listening to that and reading this in my farm paper:

‘Farmers face increasing challenges with falling incomes, higher costs, increased regulations, unpredictable weather, isolation and long working hours. Learn how to recognise symptoms of stress, identify the causes and take steps to reduce and manage it. By doing these three things you will improve your quality of life and make your farm a safer place.’

I knew I had found my blog topic!

I did my usual weekly google: ‘Mental Health and Farmers’ some of the top 10 are scary articles:

• Farmers urged to speak out about their mental health as shocking statistics show one dies every week from suicide

·      Farmer Groups Call For Mental Health Funding As Economic Stress Increases

·   Depressed on the farm: ‘Horrible crop’ takes its toll on mental health

·     Growing levels of farm paperwork ‘significant factor’ in mental health issues

·     Get talking: Young Farmers tackle mental health issue

These were some of the scary ones then I saw one that made me smile, Claguer will be up for this one, let’s hope Callum is also up for taking the photos:

• Farmers strip down to help mental health services in rural and remote Australian farming communities

I think next year the meat heroes will see if we can get the local farmers to revel all and raise some money to cheers us up!!! (volunteers welcome)

For the last month I have been worrying how Ballakelly is going to get through the next 12 months. I was viewing it as the glass was half empty but realize now that I need to take advice from my daughter, stand on my head and view it as the glass is half full! I have to look at all the positive things I have, use them to grow the things that are working rather than let the negative stuff pull me down. Simple hey!