DEPRESSION SUPPORT- Anonymous posting is possible, see note in post #1.

A cow called Daisy · 03-01-2015 11:22pm

Willothewisp wrote: »

Finding things very difficult these past few days. Had a little happiness in life before Christmas which has now gone. No stranger to the black dog they call depression. Fair able for it most times but I'm struggling today. Safe to say I feel quite lost now. I am sure tomorrow will be better but today is hard.

How are things with you today. Hope you're in better form than when you first posted. Personally I find it easier to talk to people I only kinda know and would suggest talking to a doctor different from your own. The folks on here are BRILLIANT. You get some problems of your chest and nobody judges you and you also get their experiences. There are a lot more of us out there in similar situations than you think.
Unfortunately the 'black dog' has been calling this last 6 weeks or so, but thats a story for another day.

greysides · 04-01-2015 1:44am

Given the time of year and the scarcity of day light and brightness, has anyone tried the lamps that are meant to simulate day light?

whelan2 · 04-01-2015 7:38am

greysides wrote: »

Given the time of year and the scarcity of day light and brightness, has anyone tried the lamps that are meant to simulate day light?

think you hit the nail on the head there "time of year" yes short days , too much time sitting around over christmas. Think new year is a great time to try to make a change, new year , new you.

Bullocks · 04-01-2015 8:14am

Willothewisp wrote: »

I won't be entertaining any scripts, personal thing with me I have been there before and resented it, it's not my answer. I have some idea on what might be a solution, something I want to try at least. That will probably need a referral by GP to someone who is trained in that and that's ok. The isolation is not really farming related, it is more personal. But this forum is invaluable for people to come talk who maybe have nowhere else, it really is. I believe that I have to get my thoughts right first or I will just repeat the same learned bad habits and get the same bad results.

Hope you are feeling better today , I know a girl that didn't want any medication either and got that CBT that Timmay mentioned , even afer a few sessions it had helped her a lot .

Feckthis · 04-01-2015 11:42pm

Willothewisp wrote: »

I had poor experience with doctors in the past most offering drugs as an answer. I think that masks the problem, my thinking. I need to change my mindset. But I probably have to see a GP to get a referral about doing that. My sleep is haywire, work is not getting done. The work doesn't concern me yet. Eating is alright, diet needs a change for the better.

Hi willow, hope your doing well today. CBT is meant to be effective. Have you had much alcohol over the festive season? Although it might seem good to drink at the time alcohol is actually a depressant and the next day can be hell. I have been in a bit of a slump myself over Christmas. hopefully when I get back to work I will be fine.

LegacyUser · 05-01-2015 7:07pm

Years ago I had a brilliant book on CBT but lost it along the way. That is the path I am interested in following, it makes sense in my head. I believe the interest is important in making it work. I will have to find a good practitioner.

Feeling a lot better thanks to the kind people here. More interest in things and getting jobs done.

Not much alcohol over the holidays, I am not much of a beer hound.

Thanks everyone.

grazeaway · 06-01-2015 7:57pm

eric prydz wrote: »

Keep on trucking grazeaway and hopefully yourself and your wife had a good Christmas.
How did Christmas go for everyone else?
Happy new year everyone.

Happy new year.

Yeah Christmas came and went but so too did the flu not exactly what I needed but hey we all get it at some stage.

Back to work this week but did nothing worthwhile over the break was too sick to do much but feck it will have to get to it over the next weeks.

Graces7 · 07-01-2015 4:40pm

greysides wrote: »

Given the time of year and the scarcity of day light and brightness, has anyone tried the lamps that are meant to simulate day light?

This has a bigger effect than many realise and more o if you ar working the land and thus deep in nature and its seasons. I have M.E and it brings SAD ( seasonal affective disorder) which starts as soon as the days shorten. It is crippling but I know what it is and that helps me get through.. Many find the daylight lamps a great help .. The good news is that days are lengthening now. I even managed to do a little garden work this week before the rains started again! Take heart..hold on!

Timmaay · 12-01-2015 11:12pm

Friend of mine has been going through an extremely rough time of it the last year or so. He decided to put up a blog about it, (here), he had told me alot of the story in pits and pieces over the last few months, but seeing it wrote out as such stocked me 2bh. It puts any of my issues into perspective totally.

Greengrass1 · 28-01-2015 10:31am

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/farmer-speaks-out-about-his-battle-with-depression-173388/

Feckthis · 28-01-2015 8:15pm

Greengrass1 wrote: »

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/farmer-speaks-out-about-his-battle-with-depression-173388/

Fair play to him. He realised he had a problem and took action. And to then come out and talk about it takes balls!! I take my hat off to him. Well done bud well done! Now if only I was brave enough to do such a thing.
This time of year I find is miserable and to couple that with anxiety and/or depression it can be a rough time so take care people

Timmaay · 28-01-2015 10:40pm

Anyone else think this thread is a little lost here in the offtopic subthread, there are a lot less posts in here since it was moved over here, as people probably don't bother looking in the offtopic forum, especially not on mobile devices where you don't get any notification of new posts until you open it. I think it would be better off moved back as a sticky on the main f&f forum, and if anyone has a problem and wants their own thread they should post it up in the offtopic forum with a link to here.

Anyone else agree?

whelan2 · 29-01-2015 2:06pm

find january a very hard month, cant wait for it to be over

greysides · 29-01-2015 3:35pm

Timmaay wrote: »

Anyone else think this thread is a little lost here in the offtopic subthread, there are a lot less posts in here since it was moved over here, as people probably don't bother looking in the offtopic forum, especially not on mobile devices where you don't get any notification of new posts until you open it. I think it would be better off moved back as a sticky on the main f&f forum, and if anyone has a problem and wants their own thread they should post it up in the offtopic forum with a link to here.

Anyone else agree?

The moderators have discussed this post. We still feel this thread is best located here in the OS sub-forum but we understand the point raised. Consequently, we've put a redirect in the main forum to keep the thread visible. We'll see how that goes for a while.

_Brian · 19-02-2015 10:21pm

Amazing how much the longer days feel better...

bigtomm · 28-02-2015 11:04am

I heard a nice line yesterday about Depression from a lady...
Depression is Lack of Expression...

and yes the longer days are welcome,as is the rise in temperature

A cow called Daisy · 17-03-2015 9:24pm

For those interested there is programme on BBC 1 later tonight called 'Life after suicide' which explores why people do this and how those left behind are affected by it happening to a loved one. Time seems to vary from 10.15 to 11.15 depending on area you in IYKWIM. (BBC 1 Northern Ireland is listed as 11.15 but check ijust in case)

Won't watch as I'm bad enough as I am at the moment but maybe some of you might have an interest in it.

TomOnBoard · 19-03-2015 1:17am

A cow called Daisy wrote: »

For those interested there is programme on BBC 1 later tonight called 'Life after suicide' which explores why people do this and how those left behind are affected by it happening to a loved one. Time seems to vary from 10.15 to 11.15 depending on area you in IYKWIM. (BBC 1 Northern Ireland is listed as 11.15 but check ijust in case)

Won't watch as I'm bad enough as I am at the moment but maybe some of you might have an interest in it.

Thanks for the 'heads up' Daisy. I noted that you said that you wouldn't watch it as you are " bad enough as I am at the moment".. I would respectfully suggest that if you feel that you are in a good place and receiving all the help/services/support that you need, then you should be well able to watch programmes like this. If such a programme give you the "heebie jeebies" on any level, you really need to discuss it with your confidential advisor just to ensure that you are maintaining a 'healthy' attitude to the issue of Suicide.

mike hilux · 13-04-2015 9:36pm

Hello again. I haven't been around for a while on this, iv been doing what I could to try to sort things. As the saying goes "things will get worse before they get better" iv tried to concentrate on the second part of that saying and convince myself that things ate on the up but at times iv lost my bearings.

Well to be honest over the calving period the workload has been intense and I've struggled and muddled through but I have a department inspection on the horizon and im terrified.

I rang the department and explained what iv been going through and my hat is off to them as they were very understanding and assured my that they weren't coming out tomake hassle and now realise that I have taken steps to right the wrongs of the past!!

I've told the inspector about my financial situation and explained that at present I realise im over stocked and how this was my last big push to get out of the hole im in. He was sympathetic to my story but pushed the point that maybe farming isn't for me and assured me he would do everything he could to help me out but hos words about leaving the farm behind, even though they were meant well has cut through me keener than any blade could.

I wanted to explain that over the last few years I have given everything I have to the farm. Financially, physically, mentally and nearly even my health and tell him that I feel like an island and the farm is the sea that has battered and pummeled me and how I have done all I can think of to weather the storm!!

I told him of my depression and how I was feeling, and also that I realise that his job is not to council me or hold my hand and that I understand that he has a job to do. I explained at length how I got the farm and the depth that came with it, my lack of hands on experience and everything I could think to mention and he sympathised but he made the valid point that even when all this is back on track, that there is no guarantee that a person in my position and mindset won't let it fall apart again.

The thoughts conjured up by that statement has rattled me to my foundations, I used to think that if I make it through this then I'll be ok but now all I can think about is what happens if this may only be the warm up act.

All comments and advice are appreciated.

Sincerely, Mike.

whelan2 · 13-04-2015 9:46pm

mike hilux wrote: »

Hello again. I haven't been around for a while on this, iv been doing what I could to try to sort things. As the saying goes "things will get worse before they get better" iv tried to concentrate on the second part of that saying and convince myself that things ate on the up but at times iv lost my bearings.

Well to be honest over the calving period the workload has been intense and I've struggled and muddled through but I have a department inspection on the horizon and im terrified.

I rang the department and explained what iv been going through and my hat is off to them as they were very understanding and assured my that they weren't coming out tomake hassle and now realise that I have taken steps to right the wrongs of the past!!

I've told the inspector about my financial situation and explained that at present I realise im over stocked and how this was my last big push to get out of the hole im in. He was sympathetic to my story but pushed the point that maybe farming isn't for me and assured me he would do everything he could to help me out but hos words about leaving the farm behind, even though they were meant well has cut through me keener than any blade could.

I wanted to explain that over the last few years I have given everything I have to the farm. Financially, physically, mentally and nearly even my health and tell him that I feel like an island and the farm is the sea that has battered and pummeled me and how I have done all I can think of to weather the storm!!

I told him of my depression and how I was feeling, and also that I realise that his job is not to council me or hold my hand and that I understand that he has a job to do. I explained at length how I got the farm and the depth that came with it, my lack of hands on experience and everything I could think to mention and he sympathised but he made the valid point that even when all this is back on track, that there is no guarantee that a person in my position and mindset won't let it fall apart again.

The thoughts conjured up by that statement has rattled me to my foundations, I used to think that if I make it through this then I'll be ok but now all I can think about is what happens if this may only be the warm up act.

All comments and advice are appreciated.

Sincerely, Mike.

what is the inspection for? Try and have some one else with you when its on, maybe contact ifa or teagasc and see what they think, best of luck

mike hilux · 13-04-2015 10:01pm

I had an animal that couldn't get up after calving. I was lifting it every day but to no avail and ended up loosing her. The guards called out then saying they got a report of "ongoing cruelty" to an animal and wanted to know what was going on, I explained and then they told me that since it wasn't their field of expertise that they would be forwarding it to the department of agriculture. I had the animal out in a field beside the road and the whole parish could see me lifting this cow every day. I rang the department to explain and they told me that they would probably be calling out.

whelan2 · 13-04-2015 10:06pm

mike hilux wrote: »

I had an animal that couldn't get up after calving. I was lifting it every day but to no avail and ended up loosing her. The guards called out then saying they got a report of "ongoing cruelty" to an animal and wanted to know what was going on, I explained and then they told me that since it wasn't their field of expertise that they would be forwarding it to the department of agriculture. I had the animal out in a field beside the road and the whole parish could see me lifting this cow every day. I rang the department to explain and they told me that they would probably be calling out.

sometimes these things seem worse than what they are, you where doing your best to aid the animal, once you put your case forward on the day it will be fine. i had an inspection a few years ago over calf deaths, dept man was very good and was very understanding about it

TomOnBoard · 13-04-2015 10:11pm

whelan2 wrote: »

Try and have some one else with you when its on, maybe contact ifa or teagasc and see what they think, best of luck

I think this is good advice. If you could have someone who would support you on the day and be there if you get stuck, it might help a lot. Even a buddy who would be there for you on the day would help.

mike hilux · 13-04-2015 10:22pm

Im hopeful that this cruelty thing is only a minor thing but I needed to put my point across to the department that I am trying to pull the farm back together before they showed up on the day. I know when they see how run down the place is that they won't be impressed and I suppose I went a bit overboard on telling them everything that's happened in the past and how I let the place go and don't have the money to sort it, but I felt that if they knew then it wouldn't come as a complete onslaught to the senses.

TomOnBoard · 13-04-2015 10:23pm

mike hilux wrote: »

The guards called out then saying they got a report of "ongoing cruelty" to an animal and wanted to know what was going on

Perhaps the Dept of Agriculture inspector will explain what was alleged by the report of ongoing cruelty, and whether the report was made by someone who could differentiate between animal husbandry (which can often seem quite brutal to a watching 'lay person') and simply a 'do-gooder' passing by who knows little or nothing about tending for livestock. We've all seen instances where animals howl in distress and fear, even though the farmer may be trying their best to provide kindly assistance. That is not cruelty. However, there may be other times when ongoing assistance appears to be doing no good, and regrettably a beast has to be 'put down'. Such circumstances should be judged by a professional however, and not by a casual observer.

I would be appalled if the dept of Agriculture Inspector would not see these distinctions and would therefore sympathise with your loss of the animal and not add to your woes.

mike hilux · 13-04-2015 11:02pm

I really do hope and trust that the inspector will see the situation for what it is but my main problem arises when the walk into the yard, I have animals everywhere in sheds that were built in the60s and 70s which are less than adequate. Iv out wintered stock also and im still in the thick of calvin. Once they arrive it will be obvious im struggling. I don't have the time to fix everything before the inspection, couple that with the fact iv left so much slide due to depression and financial troubles.

I know that if they see fit then they can nail me to the wall. On telling him of the depression and money troubles and how I was going suckling and had a loan pending to build q new shed he told me that weather im dairying or suckling I still have daily challenges to face. And from the story I told him and the way I came across on the phone (as while telling him everything I got fairly emotional) he questioned if I was actually fit to carry on farming, also if building up the farm and construction of a new shed was just throwing good money after bad.

greysides · 14-04-2015 1:02am

mike hilux wrote: »

I had an animal that couldn't get up after calving. I was lifting it every day but to no avail and ended up loosing her. The guards called out then saying they got a report of "ongoing cruelty" to an animal and wanted to know what was going on, I explained and then they told me that since it wasn't their field of expertise that they would be forwarding it to the department of agriculture. I had the animal out in a field beside the road and the whole parish could see me lifting this cow every day. I rang the department to explain and they told me that they would probably be calling out.

In cases like this the Dept is obliged to send out someone to check as a matter of routine. They will be well aware from previous experience that a lot of what's reported as 'cruelty' isn't really cruelty but it was reported as such by someone who doesn't known the realities of farming. The Dept man will have a lot more practical experience behind him. So I don't think you should worry too much about that.

In terms of his advice to you ... it's just that advice.. he's not a councillor, as you said, and while well-intentioned he may have wrong. Only you can judge that.

Most people will do their best to help you.

mike hilux · 14-04-2015 2:01am

I agree with you sir and maybe im letting my imagination run away on me. Iv been thinking about it all day I suppose. He assured me that they will do their best forme but warned that since their stepping in, if I let it fall apart again then there will be repercussions.

He told me that I need to have a serious think about what im going to do in the future which I agree with but I feel a safety net has just been pulled away.

When he explained how he thought spending more money wasnt the answer and how people are crying out for land these days. Also how I may make the same amount off leasing land instead of farming it, a part of me wondered if the right thing to do would be just give in and loosen my grip. But another part of me asked what the hell have the last nearly 5 years been about so??

I've been through the phone book to see who I could ask to come out and give me a hand on the day and I can't bring myself to ask anyone. All names I landed on are either elderly, not into farming, working or abroad!!

And I suppose that's the reason im on this forum tonight looking for advice. I even fell back on old habits this evening and approached my mother for her opinion on the matter. It was short and sweet, I said how they were coming out and how the inspector put forward the option of getting out of farming. The reply was"are you singing that tune again, didn't you get the land so can't you farm it and be happy. Bring up the chainsaw tomorrow, I have no sticks for the fire"

I suppose that's my moan over for the night, sorry to go on so much.

Kind regards, Mike.

whelan2 · 14-04-2015 5:33am

have you actually got notification of an inspection, i was flagged for an inspection but he left coming out to do it until there was another reason-post abortion blood- as i hadnt been on their radar before.Tey will have an idea from knackery records etc if there is a problem. I know myself i worry and over think things and they always seem a million times worse than what they are, you did your best for the cow , what would annoy me more than the inspection was the fact that someone who probably knew nothing about animals reported you for animal cruelty, you are doing your best

mike hilux · 14-04-2015 9:33am

Im not sure if my best is good enough any more if truth be told. Their coming out tomorrow to see me anyway, he asked me over the phone if Wednesday suited and I told him that im here every day so what ever pleases him to do so. Im on the radar with them because the year I took over it turned out that animal registrations were in a bit of a state, the uncle was sick and sure he was dying and didn't register a heap of calves so when I took over I didn't know about it and had to go to them and explain everything as I couldn't register the next year's crop of calves. It was all over the place but it was sorted in the end. But yes the farm is known to them.

whelan2 · 14-04-2015 9:35am

is all your paperwork up to date now?

Reggie. · 14-04-2015 9:43am

mike hilux wrote: »

Im not sure if my best is good enough any more if truth be told. Their coming out tomorrow to see me anyway, he asked me over the phone if Wednesday suited and I told him that im here every day so what ever pleases him to do so. Im on the radar with them because the year I took over it turned out that animal registrations were in a bit of a state, the uncle was sick and sure he was dying and didn't register a heap of calves so when I took over I didn't know about it and had to go to them and explain everything as I couldn't register the next year's crop of calves. It was all over the place but it was sorted in the end. But yes the farm is known to them.

Chin up mate. Whatever is meant to be will be

greysides · 14-04-2015 9:51am

One thing to check is that medicines records/prescriptions are in order.

Timmaay · 14-04-2015 11:22am

Mike that dept lad sounds as if he doesn't have a clue about mental health etc. Your defo taking the advice off the wrong person. He probably has his cushy 35hr working week and doesn't have a clue the mental demands of running a dairy farm and being self employed either.

But it does definitely sound from your posts that you could do with someone proper to talk to and get issues off your chest, likes of proper counselling etc. 2bh I think you need to worry about yourself before you worry about the farm etc, however you certainly aren't the 1st person to be depressed, it's thankfully an illness that with some correct help, likes of CBT etc, you can get on top of it.

whelan2 · 14-04-2015 6:58pm

best of luck tomorrow

yellow50HX · 14-04-2015 8:35pm

Mike,

Try not to stress about it (easier said then done I know).

Anyone that knows anything about life stock and calving cows knows that they sometimes go down. You need to get them standing and what you did WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Putting the cow into a field on her own and looking to lift her was what we all have and would do.

You said the cow died so have you the knackery form. Get all the vet/ meds info for that cow so you can show what she got. The guards unless they are from a farming background wouldn't be able to say it was cruel or not, they have to act on reports.

They say it was ongoing cruelty then you need to know what they mean, if there have other reports they must tell of them. TBH the lad from the dept will want to see that your cattle are in good order and have access to water and feed. So long as they are not wandering the place trying to eat the hedges and drinking dirty water then how is he to say they are neglected.

As for your conversation on the phone just ignore it, he probably wasn't trying to be condescending or a smart arse but most people don't know how to respond when you say depression as they don't understand the nature if the illness. I'm always amazed how different people react when someone says they are addics trying to recover as people are very supportive, but when you mention the dreaded D word you get a different response.

As for his comments about leaving the land and people crying out for it, f**k that. As a part time farmer I get that sh1te all the time and how full time lads are being stopped from expanding by part timers/hobby farmers not selling or leasing to them. It's your land and your the one trying to turn it around.

Any way good luck with it, be honest, polite but stand your ground. If someone has reported you for cruelty then demand to know the full report, the time, date and who.

No man is a island and no farm is an ocean

Reggie. · 14-04-2015 8:37pm

Don't think the info on who reported him would be released tho

yellow50HX · 14-04-2015 8:47pm

Reggie. wrote: »

Don't think the info on who reported him would be released tho

Reports can only acted on by reliable sources, they can't act on innuendo so someone would have had to make a formal report.

whelan2 · 14-04-2015 8:55pm

yellow50HX wrote: »

Reports can only acted on by reliable sources, they can't act on innuendo so someone would have had to make a formal report.

would the guards not have made the report to the dept? edited to say we where reported for something years ago and they could not tell us who it was

yellow50HX · 14-04-2015 9:06pm

whelan2 wrote: »

would the guards not have made the report to the dept? edited to say we where reported for something years ago and they could not tell us who it was

So were we but I told the gaurd that unless he could say it was a proper report I wasn't entertaining it. There are a number of kranks and nosey busy bodies round here. To be fair to the guard they were fed up with having thier time wasted too. Found out who it was too, same woman used to bully my younger sister, guards don't take any notice of her any more.

Reggie. · 14-04-2015 9:59pm

yellow50HX wrote: »

Reports can only acted on by reliable sources, they can't act on innuendo so someone would have had to make a formal report.

Yes but they can't release the name or identity of the complainant

greysides · 14-04-2015 10:26pm

Reggie. wrote: »

Yes but they can't erase the name or identity of the complainant

I imagine you meant 'release', which is my understanding too.

Reggie. · 14-04-2015 10:30pm

greysides wrote: »

I imagine you meant 'release', which is my understanding too.

Bloody autocorrect

TomOnBoard · 14-04-2015 11:55pm

Hi Mike

When the inspectors arrive, don't forget- they're on your ground. They have certain rights as to what they inspect etc. and they can only operate within those rights. You are the landowner and you are the professional. They are NOT farmers- they are inspectors. They will have points to make, observations to record, advice to give. They may refer to the incident with the cow. Allow them to do all that. That all lies within their rights. If they make any allegations, ask them for evidence to support such allegations. "We received a complaint" type comments simply don't cut it.

They do not have any rights to tell you what to do with your life or with your livelihood. Be strong as you can, listen to them but don't get into an argy-bargy. Remember, you inherited the farm... its yours... AND, despite what they might say, you've been able to pay off €100k of debt in a relatively short time while the country has been going through economic hell. So, you must be doing something right! If there are still deficiencies in your work- practices, so be it. You inherited a very poorly run operation by all your descriptions. Are you making it better? So long as you are making a reasonable effort to do the best you can to improve what /where you can, the inspectors can't really crib. Instead, they may well signal that you are improving the situation, despite the difficulties.

Get past the inspection, and take note of their comments. WRITE DOWN ANY SUCH COMMENTS MADE. So that a) you can revisit them after the meeting and b) have your own record of what was discussed. You can be sure that they will maintain a record of everything that is discussed for their file.

After the inspection is over, you will need to look at the bigger picture, but that's not for now. Be well tomorrow, face the inspection head on, and try not to over-think it all beforehand. Good luck and let us know the broad strokes of how you get on..

whelan2 · 15-04-2015 7:39pm

how did it go?

mike hilux · 15-04-2015 8:37pm

Hello, it went very well in honesty. They knew from the word go that I was stressed out about it. The dept man and a vet came out and both men were more than understanding, we walked the animals and apparently I have grand calves and yearlings. Some of the cows they said we're a bit on the thin side and could do with a bit more feeding but nothing major.

They viewed the layout of the place and strongly suggested that I cut back a bit on stock numbers and make life a bit easier on myself bit understood that it's hard when you owe money to people. They pointed out a few things that they wanted me to address and said they would be back in late autumn just to see how things are going and if there is anything in the meantime then to get in touch.

The department man even apologised and said that he wasn't trying to come across as dismissive but only put forward an option. The line of the day was when they were saying everything to me and I was nodding along and we were all in agreement, I didn't want them thinking I was only being a yes man so I said "I hope now that yee don't think im only feeding you a line of sausages in order to keep you happy" it sounded so good on my head!!

I didn't even ask about the complaint and they never mentioned it either, I suppose that's really all the jigs and reels of it.

whelan2 · 15-04-2015 8:41pm

well done, i bet you're glad its over

Reggie. · 15-04-2015 8:57pm

mike hilux wrote: »

Hello, it went very well in honesty. They knew from the word go that I was stressed out about it. The dept man and a vet came out and both men were more than understanding, we walked the animals and apparently I have grand calves and yearlings. Some of the cows they said we're a bit on the thin side and could do with a bit more feeding but nothing major.

They viewed the layout of the place and strongly suggested that I cut back a bit on stock numbers and make life a bit easier on myself bit understood that it's hard when you owe money to people. They pointed out a few things that they wanted me to address and said they would be back in late autumn just to see how things are going and if there is anything in the meantime then to get in touch.

The department man even apologised and said that he wasn't trying to come across as dismissive but only put forward an option. The line of the day was when they were saying everything to me and I was nodding along and we were all in agreement, I didn't want them thinking I was only being a yes man so I said "I hope now that yee don't think im only feeding you a line of sausages in order to keep you happy" it sounded so good on my head!!

I didn't even ask about the complaint and they never mentioned it either, I suppose that's really all the jigs and reels of it.

Excellent. Great to hear it. Things will always be worse in your head than in reality. I know as I'm terrible for it. Suffer from anxiety myself. Learn from this and know that at least you know now your doing a good job and anymore complaints will have less weight behind them.

Well done and fair play. Your are reaping the rewards of your hard work.

yellow50HX · 15-04-2015 9:10pm

mike hilux wrote: »

Hello, it went very well in honesty. They knew from the word go that I was stressed out about it. The dept man and a vet came out and both men were more than understanding, we walked the animals and apparently I have grand calves and yearlings. Some of the cows they said we're a bit on the thin side and could do with a bit more feeding but nothing major.

They viewed the layout of the place and strongly suggested that I cut back a bit on stock numbers and make life a bit easier on myself bit understood that it's hard when you owe money to people. They pointed out a few things that they wanted me to address and said they would be back in late autumn just to see how things are going and if there is anything in the meantime then to get in touch.

The department man even apologised and said that he wasn't trying to come across as dismissive but only put forward an option. The line of the day was when they were saying everything to me and I was nodding along and we were all in agreement, I didn't want them thinking I was only being a yes man so I said "I hope now that yee don't think im only feeding you a line of sausages in order to keep you happy" it sounded so good on my head!!

I didn't even ask about the complaint and they never mentioned it either, I suppose that's really all the jigs and reels of it.

Good to hear, glad you have some good news at the end of the day lad. You can sit in at home tonight put up you feet stick on the kettle open a packet of biscuits and enjoy watching Messi and co on the telly and have a good nights sleep, tomorrow can wait till the morning.

TomOnBoard · 15-04-2015 10:27pm

Well done Mike. Hopefully that visit will give you a bit more belief in yourself and in what you are doing. Clearly, in their view you're doing a good job in a very difficult situation, given how you're managing the stock.

As the other posts said, clebrate today with a cuppa and a biscuit and have a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is another day.

DEPRESSION SUPPORT- Anonymous posting is possible, see note in post #1.

Comments