VillajoyosaCal

DJ,Singer. Burnley fan. Working hard in Spain. Love Asian food, humour,music,treking. I try to make each day important to my loved ones & friends.

[Dr Helen Ingram @drhingram]

Am I doing this doomsday stockpiling right?

[VillajoyosaCal @181057CAL]

I am realising that I am spending too much time stressing out about a bunch of useless players kicking a bag full of air. Ridiculous when you reflect on it. Love my club but need a break from it all.

[VillajoyosaCal @181057CAL]

Getting away from the crap football drama probably the best thing I have done in ages. Lovely walk in the lovely countryside in Spain. A breath of fresh air

[VillajoyosaCal @181057CAL]

@SamMcCartney Hey Sam. I say let's concentrate on the positives at this time..the Xmas markets are opening and we can all for now put the footie to one side and spend some quality time with our besties. Forget the footie. I will be doing the same in Spain. 😊

[VillajoyosaCal @181057CAL]

@SamMcCartney @drmartens @Metallica Awesome 👌

[FTBL_Planet @FTBL_Planet]

When Gary Parkinson woke up on the morning of September 7th, 2010, he had a horrendous headache and could barely open his eyes because the room was spinning.

The former Middlesbrough defender was 42, working as Blackpool’s head of youth and had been fit and healthy.

At first, nobody realised just how serious it was.

“For the first 12 hours he was being treated for an inner ear problem.”

Then Parkinson started having seizures.

He was put into an induced coma and taken into intensive care, where doctors discovered he had suffered a massive stroke in his brain stem.

When he woke up, Parkinson could still see and hear everything around him.

He just could not move or speak.

He had locked-in syndrome.

His wife Deborah was eventually asked whether she wanted his life-support machine switched off.

She refused.

Parkinson survived, but the stroke left him completely paralysed and reliant on 24-hour care.

The only way he could properly communicate was through his eyes.

But the personality his family knew was still there.

“He still has that sparkle in his eye.”

“We have a laugh and a joke.”

The football world had not forgotten him either.

Four days after the stroke, Blackpool went to Newcastle in the Premier League.

Charlie Adam scored a penalty just before half-time, lifted his shirt and revealed a message underneath.

“4 Parky!”

From there, former teammates, clubs and supporters started raising money to help Parkinson and his family.

At Middlesbrough, it meant even more.

Parkinson had been part of the young side that helped save the club after liquidation almost finished them in 1986.

Tony Mowbray had been his captain.

Twenty-five years later, they were still close.

“Parky’s one of us.”

The Class of ’86 reunited at the Riverside for a charity match to raise money towards Parkinson’s rehabilitation, with Gary Hamilton even flying over from America to take part.

Between them, they raised £35,000 for the Gary Parkinson Trust Fund.

When Mowbray became Middlesbrough manager, he went to visit Parkinson at the neurological rehabilitation centre in Bury.

He could see that although Parkinson’s body had been devastated by the stroke, his mind was still there.

So Mowbray decided to put it to use.

“We were determined to give Gary a role where he could feel involved and have something to concentrate on.”

“Not only that, I genuinely value his opinions.”

Parkinson became part of Middlesbrough’s scouting team.

Mark Proctor would finish training, get into his car with a bag of DVDs and make the 110-mile journey across the Pennines to see him.

Each DVD contained footage of players Middlesbrough were considering signing.

Parkinson would watch them from his rehabilitation centre and produce his reports.

His wife would work through the letters of alphabet and Parkinson would use his eyes to select the ones he wanted.

For the scouting reports, they found an easier system.

The players were rated from one to four.

One meant stay away.

Four meant Parkinson liked him.

Deborah would count through the numbers and Parkinson would raise his eyelids when she reached his rating.

And Middlesbrough quickly realised he was still very good at spotting a player.

“Around nine times out of 10 Tony and I agree with him.”

“He can identify exactly the sort of creative and technical players Tony needs.”

For Parkinson, it also gave him part of his old life back.

“You can see Gary’s mood picking up when he works on them.”

The doctors could see the value in it as well.

“To use his mind to give his life some remnant of structure and to provide a focus is what he needs.”

“It can stop him lying there thinking his life is over.”

Mowbray never saw the scouting role as something they were doing simply to make an old teammate feel better.

Parkinson knew football.

Middlesbrough valued what he had to say.

And when the attention around his condition eventually disappeared, Mowbray wanted him to know that one thing would not change.

“Long after he ceases to be headline news, we will still be there for him.”
#football

[Chris Boden @bodenknights]

Not at Norwich, but can’t apportion all the blame on the manager. About time the chairman and board stood up. The ‘culture’ has been destroyed. What happened to Legs, Hearts and Minds? What happens when you recycle the squad every window. Utterly pathetic

[Schnitzel @Schnitzel63]

Sex Pistols (Jones / Cook) - Silly thing

[MP10 @MusicPills10]

Amazing guitar cover of The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary by Fabio Lima. This one deserves a high score! 🔟
Rate it 0-10! 👇

[The Best @TheBestqueenx]

😂😂

[James Walker @jwalkermobile]

This is the greatest thing I’ve seen in awhile…

[🍀Louie Kerr 🇮🇪💚 @LouieKerr8]

😂

[The Best @TheBestqueenx]

He learned his lesson. 😂😂

[🌴ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ🌴 @TheArtOfWar6]

I’ve had 3 plates of Christmas dinner but someone brought out Ferrero Rochers

[archivetvmusings @archivetvmus71]

The Kenny Everett Television Show (11th March 1982). A problem for Spiderman.

[LEGO DEALS & NEWS UK @icklebricks]

R.I.P. Chris Rea 😭

#rip #chrisrea #drivinghomeforchristmas #restinpeace

[Prog Rock Songs @progrocksongs]

David Gilmour - High Hopes

[The Best @TheBestqueenx]

So, already, between humans this game often ends in a fight, but also between cats. 😂

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

Suicide.

I'm choosing to be deliberately blunt and provocative in this post because it's necessary. Government, charities, football clubs are all pushing water up a hill in highlighting what is undoubtedly a major health crisis.

You take a rope.
You put it up in a garage or a tree nearby or far away.
You're thinking about every loved one you'll leave behind as you put that rope around your neck.
Then you drop.

Some are decapitated.
Some aren't.
All are found by someone who has a lifetime of trauma that will never leave them.
A son.
A daughter.
A brother.
A sister.
A mother.
A father.

I know 2 men who hung themselves.

One was found by his Mom.
One was found by his brother.
Neither have recovered fully. 20 and 30 years on.

A life sentence for people who were already worrying, terrified their loved one may do something.

So just visualise the above and ask, "is there another way"?

A segway for a moment.

I do a few Q&A's every year. Tales of yesterday with a 99% male audience of my age group.

After the stories and fun, my last question back to the audience is..

"Hands up if you struggle with a mental health issue".

Nobody ever puts a hand up. Despite 1 in every 3 of 500 attendees statistically struggling.

"Ah, nobody, that's fucking brilliant! Well I do! ". I then graphically tell people, stunned into silence about how a rope around my neck in the middle of nowhere jolted me to go home and cry like a baby to my Mom.

After the Q&A has finished, something always happens. I'll be chatting to a few guys, saying bye and one by one, men will come over and whisper " I struggle".

Or my mailbox the next day will have 30 emails from guys, their partners or kids saying " Dad/Uncle /Brother was there last night and what you said hit them hard".

And that's how some people realise that it's time to speak to a pal or family member or even rant to me in an email. It works, I often get a follow up email a year or 6 later saying that they took responsibility for their suicidal feelings and are now flying.

Humans are programmed to want to live, to have families and to keep the species growing and thriving. So for a human to want to short circuit that desire isn't normal, and it should never be spoken of as normal. It's the ultimate red flag.

If you suspect your mate, Dad, Brother, Uncle is struggling mentally, they deserve your intervention.

They deserve a " are you OK, please tell me what's up".

They deserve an opportunity to get past wanting to hang a rope over a tree or in a garage and slowly struggle until they die and you find them.

If you've been there and trust me I have plenty, then you'll know that text out of the blue, or a footie mate or one of your kids asking jow you are can open the curtains to some sunshine.

Because when suicide is your only answer, the room is already dark, and you can't see a way out.

So please, fucking pretty please, ask that husband, Dad, Uncle, Cousin, footie pal TODAY how they are.

You may be shocked what comes back but extremely glad that you asked.

For those who struggle, you're not alone.

[Prog Rock Songs @progrocksongs]

Porcupine Tree - Buying New Soul