Gum on My Shoe

Here are the rules: Put the logo on your post Thank the blogger who nominated you Write 5 facts about yourself Nominate 5 to 10 bloggers Thanks to my friend jenasauruswake for my nomination! Five facts about me (no one said they had to be interesting): I once banged my big toe in the shallow end of the swimming pool. I naively anticipated sympathy from my wife Pam: it took her about three days to stop laughing! Favourite nicknames include Marty, Hairy and Fluffy. Right now I am drinking a bottle of Guinness West Indies Porter. I am never more than 12 feet from my mobile phone. I ran a JRR Tolkien fan club called Middle-earth Reunion for ten years. Now to nominate five of my fave blogs. In no particular order: Moody Mu: www.moodymu.com Marla and Kasha: theglobalsunriseproject.com Gabe Howard: gabehoward.com Anne Goodwin: annegoodwin.weebly.com Johnny Two Hats: hashtagenjoythelittlethings.blogspot.co.uk  

I was deeply honoured that Sherry Joiner , renowned painter and author of Sherry Goes Sane: Living a Life with Schizo-Affective Disorder , chose to paint my portrait — and blown away at the result! I asked Sherry for a few words to accompany her painting. Here’s what she said. To a fascinating person, Martin Baker, an inspiration to many in the field of mental health. I enjoyed painting a portrait of you. Thank you for appearing from the UK to sit for me while I painted. Even though you were invisble and we had never met before, a photo brought me closer to you and we connected on my masonite board. More people should meet like this! Thanks again! Sherry Check out Sherry’s website and blog at artsandwritingbysherry.com .

Fran and I are delighted to appear in the Summer 2015 Carers edition of mental health charity Mind ’s Membership News magazine. “ My situation is unusual in that I live 3,000 miles from the person I care for. Fran and I met on Facebook; we like to say that the internet means no one is too far away to be cared for, or to care. Fran has moved through episodes of mania, depression and debilitating fatigue, and while she has local friends and a great team of professionals, I’m the person she is in most direct and constant contact with: the one she relies on to be there day or night.” Martin  

i’m flat.. the result of too much good going on.. this is what always happens.. the hypomania everyone loves me.. the jokey.. the push push push to be a part of life with all my friends.. the being involved in everything that’s going on.. running to catch up.. the overspending of energy that can’t be caught up.. to...the flat.. the no one loves me.. the everyone is doing everything fun and not inviting me.. the i can’t get out of bed.. the i can’t stop eating.. or drinking.. this my friends.. is the joy of bipolar.. and there are so many more words.. Fran