Totnes FM

This afternoon I finally got round to listening to the Dr Stephen Hopwood interview on Totnes FM's listen again facility. It's my first experience of Totnes FM and I'm very impressed with the interviewing of David Parsley.  David Parlsey claims not to have medical knowledge yet interviews on the subject of the Totnes cancer care conference with style and clearly has more understanding of the subject than he thinks.  The demand for this interview was so popular that they reached their 2,000 stream limit leaving some of us unable to listen.

You can listen again by clicking on listen again, the news hour http://www.totnesfm.co.uk

Great stuff.

Doctor Woo?

This weekend Totnes would have seen  the launch of the new Totnes Cancer Health Centre with a day of lectures, power point presentation, films and healing on the relationship between alternative medicine and cancer care. The Totnes Cancer Health Care conference speakers will cover topics such as 'Mistletoe therapy' and 'How Cancer health care cured my son'.

Local MP and Doctor, Sarah Wollaston tweeted her concerns staing 'This would be funny if it didn't target cancer sufferers at the most vulnerable time in their lives'. After reports to the trading standards and totnes town council the event has been cancelled as it contravenes strict laws against advertising cures for the disease.  http://www.totnesfm.co.uk/#/hopwood-cancer-event-shut-down/4562179220

The speakers included the Italian Dr Tullio Simoncini and his presentation "Cancer is fungus" and Sodium Bicarbonate Therapy. Dr Simoncini has been struck off the medical register in Italy.

Organiser Dr Stephen Hopwood was quoted in the Totnes times today prior to the announcement saying, "We do live - apparently - in a society of free speech. We haven't actually descended into outright military fascism yet, have we?"

From a personal perspective I'm happy to see that Totnes has taken a responsible attitude to the risks involved with non evidence based medicine. I'm happy to see that Totnes takes it's reputation as a centre for alternative health seriously enough to question the professionalism of those responsible for the promotion of alternative medicine.

Today I met a man in the supermarket buying scones, clotted cream and jam and after I'd invited myself to his house for lunch, he told me he had cancer and that he had to eat a high calorie diet.  I wished him well and praised him for his choices.

He could be onto something you know, who could argue with devon cream tea therapy?

Nevergoogle x

Knitting

I'll let you into a deep dark secret of mine... I knit.
I didn't knit, then I moved to Totnes, and now I'm a knitter.
I'm now part of an underground knitting movement in Totnes. It's invitation only, and I was so flattered to be invited I agreed to go along. And it wasn't long before the others noticed I couldn't actually knit, and they've been so kind to their newest recruit that I can now cast on, cast off, knit and purl and as far as I'm concerned that's as much as I'll ever need to know. You want knitted squares? You got it.  You want a fancy cable knit cardigan with button holes and maybe some batwing sleeves, go to the shops and buy it thank you very much.

Lots of lovely wool to be found at Creative Crafts and Needlework, Totnes.

The coffee is mostly hot, and the chat is good with the majority being mums of children at various schools, mainstream and not so mainstream, including the local steiner school and the park democratic school. All perfect opportunity for a competitive parent meltdown, but no sign of any brewing resentment (for now at least).
Lacking in any actual talent for knitting I'm able to offer enthusiasm and ideas for world domination through knitting. I'm rounding up some of the ladies for some Gangsta style knitting graffiti. Knittaz in fact.Watch this space Totnes.

Iz it coz we iz knittaz?

Nevergoogle x

Totnes Comedy Club

This has actually been my favourite evening out in Totnes so far.  The Bigmouth Comedy Club live at the Seven Stars Hotel presented by Chris Brooker and 3 other acts. We were treated to the delights of Red Redmond, Rog Monkhouse and dammit I can't remember the third (who was very good but his name has slipped my mind). Chris Brooker, "happy to be amongst company where a large percentage of the us had made their own shoes".
Red was dying phenomenally, but pulled it back towards the end taking us from cringe to howling in about 30 seconds before leaving the stage. He tweeted afterwards, 'You haven't died on stage until you've died on stage in a leotard'. Rog Monkhouse saved the day and was great even whilst unleashing an anti-scottish diatribe in my direction.

The Seven Stars Hotel, Totnes

Bravo! The next comedy club is in April.

Meditation

It's fair to say my first experience of meditation wasn't a great one. I wore just the right amount of wool for a totnes evening class and everything, but I think I attended the class expecting tantric relaxation and actually found the whole experience a bit frustrating.
I want to learn how to relax, I really do. I'm a busy type with my mind hopping from one not so important concern to the next and I'd love to learn how to switch off the thinking part of my brain and just 'be' every once in a while.
I suspect my compadre for the evening was thinking too much too. She admitted to adding up the admission fee multiplied by the number of participants and coming to the conclusion that we were all paying too much for 8 minutes of silence and an hour and a half of buddhist philosophy taught to us in stunted sentences.
I actually agree with what was being taught. Love is good. Jealousy, attachment and anger are bad. I'm fine with that, but I want to learn to sit so still my mind flies out of my body and is only brought back to consciousness when a small bird lands on my head (i read somewhere this is the ultimate in stillness).
Anyway, it was all too reminiscent of attending church as a child with my slightly pissed grandad at his tiny rural highland church, with him slipping off the pew and getting the giggles. The topic all too obvious and the temptation to start fidgeting in my chair was too much. My friend whispered 'I don't think this is for me', careful not to offend me as I clearly had my 'hmm, how very interesting' face on.

We left and saught solice in a large glass of sauvignon blanc.

Totnes Shop Window

 Nevergoogle x

Settling in

Totnes from Kingsbridge Hill

Back in August I was full of good intentions of keeping you up to date on our arrival in Totnes. But moving is so energy sapping it's taken until now to get the creative juices flowing again. The move was seamless anyhow, so maybe wouldn't have made such interesting reading. The children have settled into their school and work is good. So now it's time for the fun to really begin.

Totnes does seem to be fulfilling the bohemian expectations on the surface at least. There's a lot of wool, hair and dreadlocks involved from a fashion perspective. The bearded and dog-on-a-string-tastic types add a darker edge but I wouldn't be too surprised to discover they were trustafarians trying out homelessness as a social experiment.

Mosaic, Totnes

The Mayor has pink hair and I can't think of anything more marvellous than that and there has been an outcry, not at the Occupy Totnes movement who camped out in town, but at the blue clay gnomes used to decorate the biggest roundabout in town. Incidentally as a fan of silliness for no good reason, I think the gnomes should stay, or at least be replaced with something equally as smile inducing.

The contraversial roundabout gnomes.

The atmosphere around town is cheerful and expectant of greater things, although that might just be me. The market is always worth a mooch and the variety of shops and cafes is reassuring. Of particular interest to me is the events and clubs file held at the tourist information centre. It is a glorious sight to behold full of meditation events, classes of yoga for a healthy menstruation cycle, the laughing club (laughing for no reason, well that's funny in itself) and make your own shoes workshops and anything else you could possibly think of.  Sign me up to everything immediately!

Laundrette Window, Totnes

Nevergoogle x

Moving on!

Totnes is 500 miles away in South Devon. And in a matter of weeks my family will be living, working and attending school there.

It's not just 500 miles away.  If Totnes' reputation is to be believed then our lifestyle will be lightyears away. 

The reputation is for music, art, theatre and natural health. A haven for those seeking an alternative lifestyle, with a flourishing new age community. It is known as a place where one can live a bohemenian lifestyle. Of course that all sounds interesting enough, but if I'm honest I'm not entirely sure I know what that means or why it attracts me?

I have lots of friends who I would confidently say would fit right in. A steiner teacher, photographer friends, painters, and a vegetarian self-sufficient nutritionist. All of whom I love.

Me, I've always chosen the sensible option, the vocational qualification, the public sector job, the functional car with my creative side only a fuel for hobbies. But I have exhibited art, and surprisingly found buyers willing to pay me for my hobby. I have a healthy respect for the environmental cause and am an avid recycler. I also practise some traditional chinese medicine, although have always thought of myself as the 'skeptical acupuncturist'.

Are these things enough for me to fit in? I've never felt like I fit in anywhere so far, so I have my doubts that my 'home' exists. But at 34, with my friends and family's address books filled with addresses tracking my nomadic search, I want to throw myself into something which might, maybe, possibly be 'it' this time.

Call it a midlife crisis, call it taking control of our lives, call it a niaive search for something that doesn't exist. I'm looking for fun, creativity and above all, I'm looking for my home.

Whether you want me to fall in love with a town that I so want to love, or you want to watch reality bite me on the arse, you are most welcome to join me.

Nevergoogle x