JasonJRogers

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Name

Jason Rogers

Birth

18 Sep 1985

Gender

Male

Location

Dagenham, Greater London, England (GB)

Job

Author

Hobbies

Writing

11 photos

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

Not a lot of people know I suffer from this, It's a personal struggle that I'd like to deal with in my own way.

What is OCD?

They say OCD is a mental disorder (I do not like to look at it in that way) It's when someone repeatedly performs routines and checks things over and over until it feels right. It doesn't mean you're mental It means you like things down in a certain way.

Anything I put my hands to I do so easily (everyone calls me the Jack of all trades, because I can do any professional job that is put in front of me)I even show up professional plumbers and electricians with my extraordinary thinking and magical hands I call them. I do dirty jobs all the time, but with me I clean and tidy up my way, more thorough then most people you could say.

When you hear Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, they make it sound so bad, like your different when first approached, it's not that at all. I'm a very normal guy and if you met me in life you wouldn't even know I had OCD.

OCD is like this:
'You may have set those cushions out on the couch, but something inside is telling me that's not right, I need to start over'  If I left them alone the first time I would start to feel a little unsettled and agitated. 
I would not panic, but I would not feel calm inside either. I start to breathe a little heavily and stare over at the cushions, I know they're not right and will not settle.
OCD is when people arrange and align things in order and if a pen or book is out of place you straighten them, repeat over and over if until you feel it's right.

Some of the things I constantly do?

Everything I do has to end in and even number, and the amount of times need to be exact. When I'm in work and I wash my hands I always take 4 hand towels in total from the dispenser (It has to be 4 no more) If I accidentally take an extra one, It messes me up, so I have to take another 3 to make it four again. 
I know, that's eight sheets, that's fine because Its an even number and I think of it being two lots of four. 
Taking too many does sometimes irritate me, but this Isn't a problem. I don't take just 2 sheets on their own either because it doesn't feel right to me. If I walk out of the toilets with only taking two sheets from the dispenser, I am then constantly thinking about those other two sheets, I go back in specially to take two more to make it up to four.
If there is a situation where they're ain't enough hand towels, I check the bog roll and take four from there instead.
My scenario is wash hands, 2 hand towels, wash hands again straight afterward, take two more hand towels. In total that's four, I then walk out feeling content.

Doing things in even numbers is very important to me.

- Eating 2 bags of crisp at a time rather than one (Messes me up if I only have one)
- Backside wiping is a bizarre one, it has to be an exact number of wiping (Not telling you how many, too personal)
- Already mentioned above, 4 hand towels or bog roll sheets to wipe hands. Wash hands twice all the time, no more no less, otherwise it messes me up.
- Two pens laid out equal length, no more than two pens and no less. (If I see one out of place I will straighten) I do this with everything.
- An even amount of squirts I do with my shampoo bottle, I keep count, If I accidentally do an odd squirt of the bottle it annoys me, so I have to squirt the bottle again so it's even.
- When I log on to sites: The first time I log out, then I log back in again (It has to be an even amount of logins as well)
- Two coasters either side and in middle of my table, a cup on each one. One coaster can't be empty whilst there's a cup on the other.

Why does it give me slight anxiety when things isn't done correctly?

Everything has to be in order at all times. I file everything. As soon as I receive a confirmation from Amazon or bank statements I file them away in their very own folders. All ring binders need to be marked also.
I know that nothing will happen if I don't do things a certain way, but I feel comfortable, settled in my mind knowing that everything is neat, tidy and in order. 'I do not want chaos of mess surrounding me.
I can't stand the site of seeing just one item in the washing up bowl, it needs to be washed up, dried and placed away neatly in the cupboard immediately. When I see the guy from work come into the kitchen with his empty cup, I wash it up as soon as he puts it down.

Tea bags in the washing up bowl tip me over the edge 'Why does people do that?!'
I can't stand seeing our bar stools cluttered up with newspapers, bags and worst of all...My fathers trousers. It does my head in every time I have to tidy up others mess, at least if I do it I know it will be done right.

How I keep it under control?

I remember in class, finishing my work before some and then sitting there for ages in boredom. I would move books, papers and pens around on the table. I had them laid out neatly, straight and a couple of inches from each other. It felt right and I focused on this. It seems that by doing this on a regular basis it has led me down the OCD path.

I still have worries that everything is not correct or clean as I would like it, so I have to go around everywhere and check.
I deal with it really well because I always make sure everything is in order and make sure every routine goes accordingly. It makes me a much better person and I am able to relax more, think a lot and concentrate on what I am doing.
When everything's clean, tidy and in order...so am I!

To me, this is minor OCD because of the way I control it. If you're in control of the surroundings and situations around you then OCD doesn't become a massive everyday problem. If you have OCD, get into a routine. Meditation is also good for OCD sufferers, well...It works for me!

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Not a lot of people know I suffer from this, It's a personal struggle that I'd like to deal with in my own way. What is OCD? They say OCD is a mental disorder (I do not like to look at it in that way) It's when someone repeatedly performs routines and checks things over and over until it fee... Read more

7 years

Violeta › Thank you for info

7 years

Smokey2017 › This is a great article Jason

7 years

soncee › Yes very good artikle

7 years

Deepizzaguy › Have faith that you will get better.

7 years

cathydkreations › Thanks for sharing I Pray that you will overcome this disorder. God Bless you my friend ??❤

7 years

DAIANAGABAR › Very good article dear ??

7 years

RalRey › Thank you, jasonjRoger, for informing me about this matter that I did not know, very well explained everything. I admire how well you know your situation and how aware you are of everything, and how well you handle it, truly admirable.

7 years

Deliana › Interesting article! Praying for your health, dear Jason! ???

7 years

JasonJRogers › Thank You for your kind words @RalRey

7 years

sabtraversa › I like even numbers, especially when it comes to audio volume or tasks I complete. Well, not enough to call it OCD, it is rewarding to make things neat but nothing really happens when things aren't perfect. I'm likely to have OCPD, it's different though it may sound similar. I agree Mental Disorder doesn't sound good. I prefer to call OCD a behavioral disorder and OCPD a personality disorder, but "disorder" only means the behavior or personality can affect life negatively, but a behavior or a personality is not wrong by itself, it can be good if one uses it positively (as you said, you have talents that probably come from that OC behavior), and can be bad if one isn't able to manage/cope with it.

7 years

JasonJRogers › Thank you for your kind words dear! @sabtraversa

7 years

Justin › Very interesting

7 years

NyishaHv › Excellent article Jason! I really thought it was fascinating, I think you're extremely brave to write about something that effects you so personally. I think your articles are amazing, I think much more light needs to be shed on mental health, and there should be of an more understanding of it. Having depression is something I have had to cope with since the age of 19 I am now 23, I have had post traumatic stress disorder from a terrible experience that had happened to me, I think as the days and weeks, months and years progress I am able to accept that depression has been apart of my life for a long time, and all I can do is focus on overcoming it and being the best person I can be. You are a wonderful person, and you are not alone! xoxoxox

7 years

JasonJRogers › Thank you for your kind words and support dear :) @NyishaHv

7 years

NyishaHv › @JasonJRogers youre very welcome my friend :) xxoxox

7 years

carmen3521 › Very interesting

7 years

ORourkeDesigns › Wonderful that you are sharing! In Sharing we help with the healing. My husband has very bad. I'm use to it but I'm a neat freak so we get along just fine. And yes everything has to be on the right place right away or I do freak out. I too never think of it as a sickness because to me it's not! I just like things a certain way every has it spot for a reason. As a child most kids did not enjoy my company I follow the rules and I oppose of not doing things right. Keep doing what makes you happy and comfortable me dear there is noting wrong with it. I also don't like labels and too many are very fast on labling people. Hugs sweetie.

7 years

JasonJRogers › Thank you for your kind words and support dear, and thank you for sharing too ? @ORourkeDesigns

7 years

ORourkeDesigns › Bless you always dear. Now I have a question you do also shower 4 times daily because I do it twice and most think that is bad thing @JasonJRogers

7 years

JasonJRogers › I use 4 towels when drying my hands, but only shower twice a day. @ORourkeDesigns

7 years

ORourkeDesigns › Cool same here 2 showers 4 towels each time. You know hair has one feet have one hand has one and the other for the body lol @JasonJRogers

7 years

JasonJRogers › Lol I use 2 towels when drying, one for hair and one for rest of body. I should have said 4 hand towels from dispensers when i wash my hands throughout the day lol @ORourkeDesigns

7 years

ORourkeDesigns › Yes I knew what you were saying @JasonJRogers

7 years

5 years

Strabunica013 › Very interesting article !?

5 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

My Method to the Madness:

Sometimes I have a blood rush to the head...a moment of madness you could say, I seem to get some rather unusual ideas and start to set myself certain goals for me to achieve. Even though it does come with a bit of madness it's also something a lot of people wouldn't even think about trying, that's the good thing about me I don't just set normal goals and targets I always have to have a bit of fun and be creative and adventurous with them.

I'm not just going to say "I'll jog here or I'll jog there" to me I want a bit of excited whilst trying to achieve it and reason is because it motivates me and pushes me more and more. When I'm over the park I have a little motivational way of pushing myself to do more laps, it's the best way to reach a target. So what I do is say "right I want to run 36 laps around the park" and "I want to do it in 3 days" so what I do is make out I'm jogging for a bronze, silver and gold medal and each target of laps I do will soon get me to the medal.

So if I do 6 laps, that's a bronze, 8 laps is a silver, 12 laps is a gold, 16 laps is another bronze, 20 laps is another silver, 24 laps is another gold, 28 laps is another bronze, 30 laps is another silver and of course 36 laps is another gold.

I want to reach my 3rd gold in three days so what I do is this...I don't think about doing the 36 laps I just concentrate on each medal, I do the first 6 laps and then I say "COME ON" only 2 laps until silver and once I've reach silver I then say "Push yourself to gold" and then I end up do 2 laps over reaching 14 so far setting me up the next day half way to my next bronze. I can do all 36 laps in one day if I wanted to but I don't want to push myself too hard and kill myself for the next day so it's best to just split the laps up into three days, so then you haven't done too little and haven't done too at once.

That's the strategy I use to complete some of goals, stay fit and strengthen my body...My legs are one of the best parts I love, they're powerful, strong and has lots of muscle, I call them "Legs of Steel" and that's where this challenge came in...

Globetrotting to Coral:

I honestly don't know what made me do this because it seems like something any normal person wouldn't do, but I like to challenge myself sometimes and when I have spare time on my hands I tend to have a moment of madness. To do this I had to get there in record time so what I did was put on my jogging gear and headed out with at least a ten pound note zipped up in my back pocket. I know at least ten coral betting shops around the 5 mile area, probably more but I wasn't about to go that far.

I wanted to test out my speed and fitness by setting myself a big challenge and at the same time have a bit of fun, I like to push myself has far as possible and I do try and make things has hard and challenging for myself.

Right...I had ten horse's that I wanted to do written down on ten separate betting slips and placed them in my back pocket zipped up with my ten pound note. There was only one way this was going to go wrong and that's if I had to wait a while to get served, but luckily I pulled it off and only took a couple of seconds to get each bet on. The first race was starting at 13:30 at a seven race meeting and I left my house at 12:30 and jogged to the furthest Coral which is about a 40 minute walk but I got there in 20 minutes jogging.

I had to pass one Coral and come back to it so I could reach the furthest one first (the Coral I passed was on the way back anyway) It's at least a 10 minute walk between the two. I got in the first Coral at just before 13:00 and put on my bet for £1 using the £10 I had in my pocket and left the shop. I darted down to the Coral I passed and put my second bet on which will go off at 14:05 for another £1 stake, I got there very quick around 13:10 and left the shop.

In order for me to see that first race I had to race quickly to the next betting shop which was about a 15 minute jog (that's why I choose the furthest...first) I had to do some rapid running in order to see every race I put on. I just got there with 6 and a half minutes to spare before the race and even had time to put my 3rd race bet on, the 14:40. The next Coral was only 4 and a half minutes away if I jog, so I was crafty and said to myself I will watch that 13:30 (the first race) in the next betting shop even if I only just miss the horses going off, as long as I see the finish.

It so happened that I didn't miss the horses going off I watched my first race which finished in 5 minutes and put my next bet on straight away, This was the 15:20 race I was putting on. Now comes the hardest test, I left the betting shop at 13:37 and I had to put some pace in to get to the next Coral and see the 14:05 race. The next Coral I wanted to get to was about a 45 minute walk away and the 14:05 was going off in 17 minutes time, I don't know how I made it because I deliberately passed three Coral's to get to the furthest one (this was my strategy and my test) But I made it though...only just.

In the 5th Coral betting shop I watched the race which finished in 7 and a half minutes and then put on my next race, this was the 16:00 race. I deliberately wasted a couple of minutes in the shop because the next Coral betting shop was only a 5 minute walk around the corner, I left the shop at 14:20. I got in there at 14:23 because I lightly jogged (even had the chance to take my time) I placed the 16:40 on and left the shop at 14:26. The silliest part about it the very next Coral was only a couple of doors up (this one is slightly bigger than the other one) so it only took me a few seconds to jog there. I got in there placed the last race of that meeting on which was the 17:15 and left.

That one out of the three Coral's I passed was only 10 minutes away if I jog again (it was on the way back as well) and my next race was starting in 10 minutes time. I kept saying to myself "should I do it or stay in here and watch the next one" but I was so confident that I would make it...and of course I was right to be confident because I did get there in time with half a minute to go. I watch the 14:40 and then I had to put on my next race which was a 17:05 race at another meeting because I'd already done the horses for that 7 race meeting.

My next race I had to see was the 15:20 and I had to dash quickly to the next Coral shop, this was 40 minutes away walking and half of that time jogging so I did get there alright. I watched the 15:20, put on the 17:25 the last race at yet another different meeting and then headed off to the next Coral betting, which was of course the 10th and last one. Luckily enough that Coral was only 15 minutes away jogging and I had I still had over 20 minutes to get there.

I reached the last Coral, had time to put the last and 10th bet on which was the 17:40 race (last race at the meeting) and then I sat nicely in front of the large screen and watch the remainder of my races, I got to see the 16:00, 16:40, 17:15 at the 7 race card meeting I done and also watch 17:05 and 17:40 at one of the other meetings and the 17:25 which was the last race at the other meeting. After I saw the last race I came out of the betting shop and lightly jogged home.

It was just crazy what I did and in some ways I thought am I going to be able to place 10 bets in 10 different Coral betting shops and be able to see everyone of my races, but it seemed in the end I got there all so quick I still ended up having a bit of time to spare and still got to see all of my last races in that last shop. When I set myself a challenge I don't just about achieve it I end up smashing the task I set myself...Maybe next time I should test myself again and go a little more further out.

*@JasonJRogers*

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My Method to the Madness: Sometimes I have a blood rush to the head...a moment of madness you could say, I seem to get some rather unusual ideas and start to set myself certain goals for me to achieve. Even though it does come with a bit of madness it's also something a lot of people wouldn't e... Read more

7 years

DAIANAGABAR › ???

7 years

Deliana › Very interesting article!

7 years

soncee › Interesting artikle

7 years

Smokey2017 › Interesting article dear Jason

7 years

Justin › Interesting???

7 years

NyishaHv › Awesome article!!

7 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

Accidents and near death experiences:

Sometimes in life accidents can occur innocently when you least expect it. Sometimes accidents happen due to the silliness of mucking around. Their are all kinds of ways to face accidental injuries. The most common can be falling off ladders or down the stairs etc... Others occur by going too far trying to muck around with someone. Whether its you or the person your mucking around with, someone can always get hurt by going way over the top or playing too rough. There are other accidents you just don't expect and you just cant prevent them from happening if you don't see them coming.

I'm not just talking about car accidents or setting the place alight. It's the accidents where nobody is to blame except yourself or some accidents aren't anybody's fault, they just happen. Some accidents can be fatal whilst others can be near death experiences. I've had one accident and two near death experiences in my life.

My earliest incident was a near death experience and I was far too young to remember it. The second incident came when I was a kid, that was the accident I had through my own stupid acts. The third incident was a near death experience and the most scariest because I was only a kid and I remember it all to well.

Saved by 7 minutes: Near Death Experience 1.

I was born in 1985. The first near death experience I wouldn't remember because I was only a baby at so many months old. My parents certainly remember it all to well, I was told it was the most testing of times and the most terrifying moment in their lives. My mother told me it all started when I wouldn't drink my milk properly. She kept trying to feed me the milk but I just couldn't digest it, every time I tried drinking the milk I kept bringing it up. My parents said this kept happening all the time, something was stopping me from digesting liquid and something kept making me throw up.

They said I had problems breathing and it was getting worse. My parents took me to King Georges Hospital to find out exactly why I couldn't intake fluids. First of all they spoke to one doctor which came out with such a diabolical idea. I was quite ill and I was chucking up my milk everywhere and what was the doctors ideal prescription? He told my parents "buy your baby a bigger bib" what an idiotic idea! My parents were left totally stunned and angry, I was suffering badly and that doctor comes out with something stupid like that. If I would have been abled to intake the liquid I would have p***** all over him.

My parents seeked further help and advice from the other doctors and they took me in and got straight to work. I had to have a surgical operation on my stomach so they had to open me up. My parents were very anxious and worried, they didn't know what effect the operation will have on me. It was touch and go on whether I'd survive the operation or not. My parents told me they were totally relieved when the operation was over and I was absolutely fine. It was such a frightening experience for my parents, it was an experience they never wanted to happen again. I didn't want to scare my family like that, but I was too young to remember.

I now have a small scar on the front right side of my body where they did the operation. It doesn't really bother me because I've lived with it for so long. The scar hardly ever shows now and I don't even know its there half the time. The doctors told my parents I was lucky they brought me in when they did. If it would have been 7 minutes later my life would have been over before it even begun...7 has always been my lucky number!

Glad it was only light wood: The Accident.

When I was about 9 years old I was mucked around with my brother, he was only ten years old at the time. We decided to play around on the bar stools in the kitchen. We took the four stools in the front room and pushed back the arm chairs and set the stools up in a row. My mum was upstairs and my dad was laying on the couch asleep. I honestly don't know what made us do what we did next. We were only young at the time and we only thought about doing silly things. Me and my brother took it in turns sliding across the stools and down the other side on our stomachs.

I gave this silly idea a name, I called the game snakes and I so happened to be the one who got bit. As I slithered across the stools and reached the end I knew in order to finish the game I needed to slide down the end onto the floor. I slide down onto the floor rocking the last stool in the process. Before I had a chance to get up the stool came crashing down on my forehead. There was a lot of blood spurting out of my gashed forehead. I was crying my eyes out and my father woke up in complete horror, my blood even splashed over him at bit.

Where did my father finish up taking me? King Georges Hospital. I remember sitting with my father in the hospital for ages. I needed several stitches in my head which firmly closed the gash. The nurse was putting the stitches in and I didn't even flinch once. The nurse told me I was a really brave boy who didn't cry or move once whilst inserting the stitches. I remember waking up the next morning and looking in the mirror seeing these dark blue stitches in my forehead. Once I had the stitches removed it left a barely visible scar, it doesn't even look like I've got a scar there now.

After that incident I learned my lesson and I never played snakes again. I'm only glad the stools were made of soft wood and not anything harder, otherwise I may have squashed my brains. After that it made me think more clearly about what games could be dangerous to play before I attempt them. I use to love making up games and next time I made sure I used my head.

I miss my float that saved my life: Near Death Experience 2.

I was about 12 years old and I was away on a two week holiday at Great Yarmouth with my family. Me and my family were on the beach and my parents bought me and my brother two long blue floats. I took my float out to the sea and started surfing around on my stomach for a while. I got a bit carried away and I started drifting out to sea on my float. The current of the water felt heavy and the waves were thrashing back and forwards. I was out to sea a bit too far and I got brushed off my float by the waves.

I thought hard against the waves as I was being dragged out and under the water. At that time I was only twelve and I weren't a strong swimmer. I could just about see the beach and my mother standing up looking so concerned. All I kept doing was waving my arms around trying to find my float. It was a full five minutes of me fighting against the waves. At one point I could feel myself drowning and I was just going to give up the fight. Until I reached out my left hand and grabbed hold of my float.

I started fighting again and pulled myself up above the water. You just cant make it up the headlines in theory would read "boy saved by float!" The float helped me to keep above the surface and I gradually made my way back to the beach. There were so many people on the beach and in the water, nobody else apart from my mum were aware of what almost happened. She was just relieved to see me fight my way back to safety and see that I was ok. Thanks to my float I was given another chance at life.

I'm Still Here:

I guess it will take a lot more than that to get rid of me. The two near death experiences were frightening for me and frightening for my family. To think I almost weren't given a chance at life is rather scary. The strange thing is nearly drowning doesn't make me afraid of the sea or water. It makes me more confident to swim knowing I battled with the sea and won. Since my accident with the bar stools I have not attempted to do anything else stupid. Ever since the drowning incident I've become more aware of how far out to sea I should go.

It's also made me more aware of how precious life really is. I feel more powerful minded and strong inside and out. I must admit I do have a bad temper which I can control a lot more and a lot easier now. Before the drowning incident I never had a bad temper and I was always quite calm. Something brought the rage out in me, but now I'm strong enough to hold it back. Sometimes one incident can slightly change you a bit, it can effect certain people in many different ways.

Thinking back at what could have been I'm kind of enjoying being alive right now. They say you only get one chance at life and I feel I've been giving a third chance not a second.
This life has given me the chance to be an artist, a handyman, a self learning carpenter who can fix and mend anything that I can put my hands to and of course a brilliant computer expert.

I'm thinking right now if I never of made it through that operation I would have never got to know my family and see what the world was like. The old saying goes "the cat has nine lives" well this lion has used up two. Even though I didn't die I felt like my life was flashing before my very eyes. The first incident I was lucky to survive the operation. The second incident in my life I was being a silly little kid. The third incident I was saved by that long blue blown up float.

Lastly I will continue being highly hilarious with my dirty minded humour. I believe that is what life is about, having beliefs on what you'd like to do and achieve in life and having a laugh. I'm just really happy I had that chance to find out what life is really like...Thank God!

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Accidents and near death experiences: Sometimes in life accidents can occur innocently when you least expect it. Sometimes accidents happen due to the silliness of mucking around. Their are all kinds of ways to face accidental injuries. The most common can be falling off ladders or down the stair... Read more

7 years

soncee › Wonderful artikle ??

7 years

kavinitu › Wonderful Article

7 years

Smokey2017 › This is such a wondeful story to learn of your experiences with life dear @jason
Thank you so much for sharing

7 years

DAIANAGABAR › Very good article dear

7 years

luluarte › nice story! ;)

7 years

Deliana › Amazing and impressive life story! You're so young and already mature. Thank you for sharing your experiences! ???

7 years

Justin › Intetesting article

7 years

viktorija64 › Very good article dear

7 years

fabio26 › Wonderful life story, unfortunately a little 'all of the various incidents we are involved in our lives, lived on our skin or on the skin of people we care, unfortunately this is life.
thanks for sharing everything with us :))

7 years

Fesalvia › Very good article

7 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

The Last Battle - Part One

The time has come
To step out of the trenches,
And fight back hard
Along those blood filled fences.

Many have fallen
Crying out in pain,
Stumbling over lifeless bodies
In torrential rain.

Blinded by the flashing
Of unforgiving lightning,
To be hit at anytime
Makes this war so frightening.

You see your comrade buddy
Falling to the floor,
The enemy once again
Has picked off one more.

Screaming out in anger
As you start to fire,
Comrades falling all around you
Body count is getting higher.

As you strike the enemy
With multiple of shots,
Another life being taken
Another life is being lost.

You look around and witness
The blood ridden field in shock,
Many soldiers have fallen
All have been left to rot.

A shot comes from nowhere
Right through the rain and dark,
Hitting you in the chest
Just inches from your heart.

Rain falls down harder
As the thunder continues to rumble,
Clutching at your chest
As you begin to stumble.

You find it hard to breath
And slowly fall to the ground,
Looking in complete shock
At your blood soaked hand.

As you fall back in pain
Your head takes a thud,
Hitting the ground hard
And into the mud.

Your life begins to slip away
As you stare up at the rain,
There's nothing you can do now
To stop this unrelenting pain.

Your eyes begin to close
And you start to drift away,
Why did it have to come to this
Why did the war end this way.

The Fields Of Heaven - Part Two

You begin to come around
You slowly open up your eyes,
You look up at the clouds
Covering up the blue sky.

You slowly sit up and notice
That everyone has gone,
You then begin to question
Have I been here for long.

You look at your chest and realise
You're no longer in pain,
There's no more thunder and lightning
And there's more torrential rain.

Everything seems rather peaceful
So settled and really quiet,
No more soldiers running along
In full force of a riot.

You feel rather unsettled
Not knowing where you are,
I'd give anything to see my comrades again
Right now they feel so far.

The place certainly looks familiar
As you try to remember in your head,
Wait a minute, am I in heaven?
Oh god, I must be dead.

Return To The Fallen - Part Three

You slowly walk through
The fields of heaven,
Counting every step
From one to seven.

Remembering where
Your best comrades were shot,
Hoping the enemy
Didn't wipe out the lot.

They can't all be gone
Someone must have survived,
I know I can't come back
Because I already died.

Not a soul around
No one to be seen,
I'm now standing on the spot
Where my friends body had been.

Please come back
Please give me a sign,
Please don't leave me here
I'm losing my mind.

I can't find my way back
This feels rather frightening,
Back comes the thunder
Back comes the lightning.

The rain starts to pour
And hits the ground fast,
What's going on here
I'm not going to last.

As the lightning flashes
I hit the ground,
Yet once again
This soldier is down.

Everything goes dark
And I begin to pass out,
With eyes shut tight
And a wide open mouth.

What's happening to me this time
Where am I going,
Am I going to live or die
There's no way of knowing.

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The Last Battle - Part One The time has come To step out of the trenches, And fight back hard Along those blood filled fences. Many have fallen Crying out in pain, Stumbling over lifeless bodies In torrential rain. Blinded by the flashing Of unforgiving lightning, To be hit at any... Read more

7 years

TammyWhite › Wonderful poem my dear

7 years

JasonJRogers › @TammyWhite Thank You :)

7 years

fabio26 › also wonderful this description very good :))

7 years

JasonJRogers › @fabio26 Thank You :)

7 years

Smokey2017 › This needs to be published @jason
Why don’t you look into amazon Create space

7 years

soncee › Great this artikle

7 years

JasonJRogers › @soncee Thank you :)

7 years

Lucia5 › Good articole,dear!

7 years

JasonJRogers › @Lucia5 Thank You :)

7 years

Fesalvia › Good poem

7 years

JasonJRogers › @Fesalvia Thank You :)

7 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

A deserted town
Sits alone and scared,
With zero popuation
Breathing in the air.

Not a sound
Not a soul,
Not even the young
Not even the old.

A town sometimes peaceful
Only birds fly by,
Swirling around so high
Through the black clouded sky.

Only a shadow appears
Along the brick wall,
Sneaking around corners
Of the abandoned school.

Crawling through the streets
With every movement it would perch,
Heading through the graveyard
And into the church.

Jesus has lefted
This warm holy place,
Even god himself has run
From this dark evil face.

The altar stands alone
In the mercy of evil,
Smell of death in the air
And blood on the wall.

The home of prayer being tortured
By a sinister sight,
Bibles burning on stands
Setting the altar alight.

Inside the confession box
A frightful scream goes off,
The skeleton of a priest
Sits behind the cloth.

Painful screams are now coming
From the tall tower,
The bell being thrashed
With some force and power.

It then goes all quiet
The evil has moved on,
The flames have disappeared
The skeleton of the priest has gone.

Heading towards the beach
And crashing through the sand,
Crashing below the surface
And tearing up the ground.

A force so strong
It pushes the ocean back,
This sinister existence
Turning the ocean black.

The sinister existence
Rises itself up high,
With a mist clenched fist
Dragging lightning from the sky.

Dragging the lightning down so fast
The ground got thumped, walloped and smashed,
Flames began to rise up
Turning sand into ash.

Another giant hand appears
From beyond the cloud,
It's the almighty god himself
Who is now extremely mad.

God can see the town
Getting more evil and black,
God is simmering red with rage
As it prepares to fight back.

The sinister existence lunges towards god
With a loud blood curdling scream of fright,
Whilst god pushes the clouds apart
To bring in the strong beam of light.

Gods mighty fist grabs the sinister existence
And drags it towards the beam,
And gives out an almighty roar
Whilst the sinister existence screams.

The sinister existence was fading
It didn't take too long,
For god to make it disappear
And send it back to where it came from.

The dark sky soon turned to blue
The birds was once again humming,
God has saved this crying town
And now...A new day is coming.

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A deserted town Sits alone and scared, With zero popuation Breathing in the air. Not a sound Not a soul, Not even the young Not even the old. A town sometimes peaceful Only birds fly by, Swirling around so high Through the black clouded sky. Only a shadow appears Along the brick w... Read more

7 years

DAIANAGABAR › Wonderful photo splendid

7 years

ORourkeDesigns › Amazing writing my friend! You have some imagination to be a great writer. I could never do that not even one verse.

7 years

JasonJRogers › @DAIANAGABAR Thank you :)

7 years

JasonJRogers › @ORourkeDesigns Thank You :)

7 years

Lucia5 › Beautiful post,dear!!

7 years

dorageorg › So great

7 years

JasonJRogers › @Lucia5 Thank You :)

7 years

Justin › Supeeer article

7 years

JasonJRogers › @dorageorg Thank You :)

7 years

JasonJRogers › @Justin Thank You :)

7 years

TammyWhite › A great poem my dear

7 years

JasonJRogers › @TammyWhite Thank You :)

7 years

soncee › Beautiful poem !!

7 years

Smokey2017 › This is so good why don’t you self publish it dearest @jason ?

7 years

JasonJRogers › @soncee Thank You :)

7 years

JasonJRogers › @Smokey2017 I'm planning on doing that, I have many more poems that I've written over the years.

7 years

Violeta › Wow this is beautiful

7 years

JasonJRogers › @Violeta Thank You :)

7 years

Smokey2017 › You shd look into amazon Crete space @JasonJRogers

7 years

Fesalvia › Very good!

7 years

JasonJRogers › @Fesalvia Thank You :)

7 years

fabio26 › Wonderful photo and extraordinary writing, well done my friend compliments :))

7 years

JasonJRogers › @fabio26 Thank You :)

7 years

fabio26 › @JasonJRogers of nothing a pleasure my dear! again congratulations :)))

7 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

If I had a time machine I would teleport back to August 2016...The last time I ever spoke to Alice.

Alice grew up in Spain, but moved to London to study. She was learning the German language. Her love for Tom Cruise movies and our sensational reviews kept the conversations flowing. I had never connected with someone more freely on 'Ciao' than Alice.

When 'Ciao' closed its site for good I never thought I would completely lose contact with all 'Ciao' community. Nine glorious years on the site...I miss Torr (Duncan) I miss 1st2thebar, I miss thedevilinme,  but most of all...Alice.

We stayed up late sometimes and sent messages back and forth. She would tell me how her day had been with her partner and little boy, the activities, the studying etc...I would speak about my day (usual day to day stuff) It seemed that we enjoyed talking about our day to day so much...I never had that back and fourth conversation with other members too often (even though the community was such a warm and friendly place to be) I think they were too busy writing, rating and commenting and planning for their next review. Me and Alice were also doing that, but we did find the time for a natter.

I loved speaking about the 'The  Last Samurai' movie 'The Mission Impossibles'  We both loved Tom Cruise movies, loved talking about our past, loved talking about day to day events, loved rating and commenting on each others reviews...Generally, we just loved to chat. But most of all I helped to guild her across 'Ciao' when she first joined. In return she was there for me when one of my relatives died. The only person who kept me busy with Tom Cruise and day to day events.

I never went to the funeral by the way....All I wanted to on that day was to head down to Chameleons Tattoo parlour and get the meaningful piece on my neck,  then come straight back to write a review on green chilli peppers, and at the same time chat to Alice. It helped me because it took the sting away from the tattoo and the pain of losing a loved one.

It made me smile again...

I don't know where Alice is right now...All I know is that she moved away. A big opportunity was on the horizon and she seemed so excited. We both just drifted away after that. We spoke about skype contact so we can always speak wherever in the world we may be, but somehow we didn't get the chance. Everything went rather quite as neither of us were logged on for months. We slowly grew apart in communication.

If I had a time machine I would relive our time on 'Ciao' once again...

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If I had a time machine I would teleport back to August 2016...The last time I ever spoke to Alice. Alice grew up in Spain, but moved to London to study. She was learning the German language. Her love for Tom Cruise movies and our sensational reviews kept the conversations flowing. I had never co... Read more

7 years

soncee › Beautiful artikle friend ?

7 years

TammyWhite › You should ask for help in Facebook community. Everyone can share your post and maybe Alice will read it. Something símilar happen here and the boy find her after looking her anywhere and publish in instagram and Facebook.

7 years

beatofangel › ??
Do what Tammy said. All of community can help dear, use all social network to find her

7 years

TammyWhite › @beatofangel right, we will make it, of course ?

7 years

Justin › Intetesting ?????

7 years

JasonJRogers › @beatofangel @TammyWhite Thank You, It's been a while since I've checked facebook so maybe I'll look again :) :) :)

7 years

Smokey2017 › This is so wondeful
To read @jason just proves that there are some nice kind hearted people on this world who you just click with
I know how you feel ❤️

7 years

TammyWhite › @JasonJRogers publish it! Made it public and ask for people sharing

7 years

ORourkeDesigns › I fully understand this post we make friends and be become close when this site close it's like we lose part of out family. I will would a great idea to exchange emails or become friends on FB in case this things happen. I hope you do recollect with those that you have been missing.

7 years

JasonJRogers › @TammyWhite Thank You Tammy :)

7 years

Violeta › Very interesting article

7 years

DAIANAGABAR › ????

7 years

fabio26 › I wish you my dear friend to find her through the various social networks, sometimes the friendships that we enjoyed well as by magic and destiny can be reunited, I wish you with all my heart because reading what you wrote must have been for you a wonderful friendship :)))

7 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

I've heard most people have strange dreams and most people have lovely dreams...and then most people don't dream about anything.

Well...I don't know whether its because sometimes I'm stressed or had a strange encounter with something or someone during the day or if I've lost someone close to me, but I can dream about almost anything and feeling any kind of emotion in my dream...it just feels so weird when you wake up and for those first couple of seconds you don't quite know where you are...Am I still asleep or am I going to continuously keep waking up and waking up until I realise I'm in the right world.

I've had some very unusual encounters in my dreams and when I do eventually wake up my head feels so weird, I'm trying to work out whether I'm actually a wake...It takes a while to get my bearings after I've just had a strange dream. I don't know what exactly triggers these dreams, I'm guessing It might have something to do with day to day activities that can tire or stressed you out and then your brain takes over and starts thinking of random or unusual things...Once you've rested your head on the pillow and start to nod off I don't think your brain has quite settled down and these strange activities occur in your dreams.

I don't believe for one second that cheese gives you nightmares, I've tried it and all that happens is can dream of something unusual but not a nightmare. There are dreams that I've continuously had and I have no idea how they re-occur. Here are some of the most strangest activities that have occurred in some of my dreams and those one's I wish not to dream about again.

Electric Dog:

When I was younger I had this occurring dream of me walking on one side of the road and a normal looking white jack Russell dog walking on the opposite side. Every couple of steps I took the dog would swerve sideways across the road and give me an electric shock and then swerve back across the road, I must of been electrocuted about 20 times by that dog until I would wake up. I have no idea what brought this dream on in the first place and why the dog was electrocuting me but, I had that dream countless of times.

My Guess on the Dog:

My uncle used to have a white jack Russell dog called Bonny and it used to snap at people as it got older...Bonny may have triggered the dream off because..the dog Isn't around anymore and I don't have that electric dog dream anymore.

Emotional Falling Tree (He's not there):

I had this same dream twice and it's one I'd rather not have again...It was about this storm in the woods and me trying to find my lost granddad, I could hear he's voice in my ear...just talking, but nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden...tree's started collapsing and I started to dart through them until I came to a fall stop...My granddad crushed right underneath a fallen branch. Somehow I managed to get him out and for some reason afterwards he just stood straight back up and didn't look hurt at all. When I woke up it first took me a few seconds to work out what was going on, the first thing I thought of was...I'm glad granddad's alright...Then I realised...Granddad already passed away a fortnight ago.

Keep Falling:

This one is very short and very unusual...Somehow I have what I call a cotton-on dream where I keep falling, waking up, falling, waking up, falling, waking up, until I eventually wake up and end up falling out of bed...I only had this dream once but...damn, it sure was weird. It was one of those dreams where you fall and when you land you think you've woken up and then you fall again...until you do eventually wake up.

On The Run:

I always have these dreams where I'm being chased...it doesn't matter who I'm being chased by I always seem to be running away from something or someone and when they get too close I always manage to swerve them. It seems has if something's stopping them from catching me, they get near one minute and then the next when I look around, their miles away. I don't see the understanding of what is going on here, I wake up and think "what is all that about" why am I being chased, I never get to find out about that part I'm just constantly moving on my feet making sure I don't get caught.

Conclusion On Dreams:

Some weird dreams I don't quite remember in fall...All I know is sometimes I've felt quite strange when I've woken up, that's how I know it's being a strange dream. It's like, first off you don't know if you're actually awake or whether you're still dreaming because it takes a while to get your bearings. There are some dreams I've had that have been about losing a family member and then when I wake up It takes me a couple of minutes to realise they're ok and they've not passed on...Most of the time I've come down stairs and seen that particular family member sitting out in the kitchen...oh...that's such a relief.

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I've heard most people have strange dreams and most people have lovely dreams...and then most people don't dream about anything. Well...I don't know whether its because sometimes I'm stressed or had a strange encounter with something or someone during the day or if I've lost someone close to me, ... Read more

7 years

soncee › Very good artikle dear ?

7 years

JasonJRogers › Thank You

7 years

TammyWhite › I have a lot of dreams

7 years

Smokey2017 › This is such an interesting article dear Jason I think dreams have something uk do with the life style we might lead
I eat quite a bit of cheese and never have nightmares maybe your dreams are related to what you have experienced in your life

7 years

Smokey2017 › God bless dear Jason

7 years

carmen3521 › ???✔super one ** Tuetego thinks this could be spam **

7 years

LAFFINGKNOME › I have weird dreams too so can relate!

7 years

fabio26 › I believe that dreams are linked, most of them, to our life in the life
sometimes we go to bed with a thought, sometimes it turns into a dream sometimes not, I think depends on our subconscious, however nice article and strange freak dreams, @JasonJRogers
but for me you have not told them all ahahahah, good joke hello evening :) ))))))))

7 years

RasmaSandra › The thing about dreams is that things we dream about but forget the moment we wake up are usually meaningless dreams. The dreams we dream about which we can remember in detail are those that are worth writing down because they can have meaningful messages for us. I have mine all written down and can remember most everyone still today even though I dreamt about them a very long time ago. @JasonJRogers

7 years

NyishaHv › i always have unusual dreams too, especially very lucid ones. Dreams for me are very symbolic and show strong representations of our feelings and subconscious.

7 years

Shavkat › c",)

7 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

The Golden Willy Award:

I purchased this little thing off of the amazon site for about £3.95 plus 3-5 delivery cost of £2.99, in total altogether I paid £6.94. I decided to buy the 'Willy Award' as a joke gift to someone I know, there was another one similar on there which I believe was a bit bigger than this one, I had it in my basket for ages and didn't get around to place my order for it so it became currently unavailable recently by the seller...so I had to order this one instead. I've only just received the 'Willy award' this morning and I've had plenty of time to look at it and study it, so I decided to share my thoughts on this golden member by writing a review on it.

I've always been a bit of a joker and like to insult my friends and family, it's all a bit of harmless fun really...I can't resist buying filthy novelty items, books etc...I do it all for a laugh and the people who receive my dirty gifts know that I'm just mucking around again, some of those gifts I use has part of a prank. I don't just buy things like this and give it to them straight out, I wait for certain special occasions. The person who is receiving this one though is going to have a hard time keeping it down...the thing is just there sticking up proud.

I did think this was going to be a bigger willy than that but it's very hard to judge on the pictures you see on screen and I don't always take much notice of the size measurements, he should still be happy with he's one though...works every time. The 'Willy Award' stands at 2.75" tall...not very big...is it! The golden willy itself looks like it's made from very hard plastic, its very hard to distinguish what sort of material its made from because it also feels like a very hard lead too...so it's a cross between hard plastic and lead.

The silly part about the arrival of the item is it came in a rather big box, I opened the box and there it was inside a small plastic cylinder container with lots of screwed up newspaper surrounding it (all the inside packaging they could of used and they choose newspaper) I don't know how long it stay gold for depending on whether it rusts easily or not, I'll have to see, all I can do is keep it inside the tall plastic case and keep the lid on and maybe it wont get dirty or rust.

The 'Golden Willy' stands on a black hard wood stand and even though it's only a small one...for it's size it does feel quite heavy when holding it in your hand. I know how all this might be coming out but I don't know any other way of putting (that didn't come out right either) Oh damn! I 've done it again...The willy comes with three stickers which has writing on, you can peel these off and place them on the stand...You can decide which one goes on the stand, the read...FOR THE BEST, AWARD TO (name) and TOP DICK.

Personally, for each of the following they would mean:

FOR THE BEST.....penis
AWARD TO.....someone with the nicest penis
TOP DICK.....with the biggest penis

This may be a dirty little adult novelty and a joke gift from someone, but its also a very unusual item to purchase. Only someone like me with a dirty mind would buy someone so elegant like this...that's right! It may be small but it has style. Just look carefully at the way the willy is sculptured into it's natural shape and this one does stand tall and proud. It's a fun adult novelty that I believe every man should have on there mantle piece...when your friends and relatives walk just tell them...you won this at the biggest knob contest.

Also, why not hold your very own little personal award ceremony just for fun...hand the golden member out and wait for the acceptance speech...now that should be fun. The 'Golden Willy Award' is a pleasure to have around it's the most unique award i've ever seen, but then again I love anything like this...I just can't resist a good laugh!

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The Golden Willy Award: I purchased this little thing off of the amazon site for about £3.95 plus 3-5 delivery cost of £2.99, in total altogether I paid £6.94. I decided to buy the 'Willy Award' as a joke gift to someone I know, there was another one similar on there which I believe was a bit ... Read more

7 years

DAIANAGABAR › Good article dear

7 years

Violeta › Very interesting article

7 years

soncee › ???

7 years

fabio26 › ahahah, your friend will be happy to receive this gift, however, sometimes you make jokes to just have a laugh, congratulations for the review you wrote, very well detailed throughout its structure :))))))) )))

7 years

JasonJRogers › @fabio26 Thank You :)

7 years

fabio26 › @JasonJRogers :))))))))

7 years

Justin › ??????
@JasonJRogers

7 years

carmen3521 › ?☺☺

7 years

5 years

mili2020 › ?

5 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

Tattoo Fixers :

Tattoo Fixers is quite a unique and artistic show about members of the public getting cover ups on their bad tattoos, three tattoo artist's cleverly turn a really awful mistaken tattoo into a genuine masterpiece. Some of these people go into the parlour with unbelievable tattoos that they regret having done in the first place and are in desperate need to get rid, whether they've been done whilst drunk on holiday (this is the case for most of them) or as part of a bet or even a joke, these people are in desperate need for these three tattoo artists to cover up their bad mistakes with works of art.

It's quite a clever artistic show because some of the tattoos that need to cover up aren't always that easy to cover, it depends on what part of the body the tattoo is on (the size and area of it can be really painful for the customer) and it depends on certain colouring and boldness which can make the cover up slightly more difficult...but the tattoo artist's don't seem to have any trouble covering them at all, of course. All three tattoo artist's seem have slightly different ways of design and style when it comes to boldness, shine and colour, the new and improved cover up tattoo from three extremely talented artist's makes it seem as if the customers old mistaken tattoo never existed in the first place.

Already having a couple of tattoos myself I absolutely love this show, I would be flicking through the channels on Tuesday and would sometimes find an episode on channel 4 or E4 and usually an episode is on every Thursday on E4 (sometimes it on and sometimes its not) I seen other different tattoo shows, but they're the ones that are normally just to do with first time tattoos (most of them are pop up parlours in other areas and countries and some people only go into the tattoo parlour after they've had a few drinks) Tattoo Fixers is different because they cover up bad tattoos as well as first time tattoos which most are considered as memorial tattoos.

1 of 4 Tattoo Artist : Sketch

Sketch has that bold and powerful looking design to his tattoo cover ups, I remember seeing the episode where he designed a dragon looking tattoo on someone's arm and that was to cover up quite a rude looking tattoo with one that also had small dragon wings to start with, but he completely covered that up with a huge fierce looking dragon and made it really stand out with the bold black and red ink.

2 of 4 Tattoo Artist : Alice

Alice has a unique colourful style to her tattoo cover ups, some of them are rich looking flower designs with lots of colour which stands out nicely. There was one certain episode where she created an awesome flower designed and the thing was big and ever so beautiful, I've never seen a tattoo with so many colours blend in like that.

3 of 4 Tattoo Artist : Jay

Jay is very clever when it comes to photo tattoos, he makes them look so realistic with the shading and colour of the background and the outlines looking very bold and real, the entire tattoo looks exactly how it should in the photo, he takes on many of the personal memorial tattoos which I find a real touching tribute, Jay does them cover ups so amazingly.

4 of 4 Tattoo Artist : Glenn

Glenn has just recently joined the group. From the first moment I saw Glenn I knew I was gonna like him. He seems a very cool and laid back guy. His tattoo covers ups are awesome, his tattoo style is a mixture between Sketch's powerful look designs and Jay's rather realistic ones.

Receptionist : Paisley

I've got to mention Paisley because she's a big part of the show too, and quite funny sometimes as well. All appointments are booked in through the receptionist of course and sometimes she can be the first one to see some of the customers horrendous tattoos. Along with Sketch, Alice, Jay and Glenn they all enjoy a good banter and quite often at times find one another's ways and habits a little strange.

Deciding the cover up :

All three tattoo artists sit around on the couch in the parlour waiting for the first customer to arrive (of course, they don't know what they're letting themselves in for until that person reveals all) the customer tell them the story of how the tattoo came about and now they want to get rid, sometimes the customer gives their own ideas of what they want to have for a tattoo design and some are open to suggestions and ideas from Sketch, Alice and Jay.

Once the design gets decided, they all start to sketch on a pad they're own take on the that design and then the customer has a choice of what one they want to have tattooed on them, the design that gets chosen has to be tattooed on by the artist who sketched it, of course.

Regretful Tattoos :

I can not believe some of the silly tattoos people come into the parlour with, I've seen bad designs but some of these customers take the biscuit. Some people find it funny at the time to have drawings of genitals and dirty words and sayings tattooed on them, I think its just idiotic (there's no way I would ever get a penis or balls tattooed on me) some people have come in with vagina or jizz (sometimes both) tattooed on them, its not a laugh...its not clever...its just silly and so wrong.

One guy even had the word 'suck' on one leg and the word 'this' on the other with two arrows pointing up (which he tattooed on himself) the arrows weren't exactly pointing up straight for a start, the first thing I thought was...OH MY GOD! Who in there right mind would walk around with that on their legs.

One woman had a penis tattoo on the bum with jizz squirting into the crack, I thought...'Who the hell would want a tattoo like that?' And what is the fascination with little stickmen with lawnmower tattoos, I never really them ones before, until now. So many ridiculous tattoos out there that are in urgent need of a cover up and these tattoo artists have seen it all.

Awesome Cover Ups :

The cover up tattoos look amazing, its brilliant the way the artist turn a one awful tattoo into an ultimate masterpiece. The brightness and boldness of the tattoos really stand out a mile, the colours are beautifully done and the whole design of the tattoo is stunning with shade, texture and blend ness. Tattoo Fixers is the Savior of all horribly designed and regretful tattoos, the finishing design of the cover up is so brilliantly thought of and layed out.

I mentioned the memorial tattoos...I absolutely love the end design to a photo tattoo, Jay is always very honoured to take on such a touching tribute tattoo, something that means so much to that other person and to have it beautiful inked onto the body like that is unbelievable and inspiring.

The other cover up tattoos that stand out are the ripped skin ones with armor inside, it stands out because it looks like someone is part robot inside, one of the ripped skin cover ups was of a robotic leg, which did really look amazing...to design something and make it stand out to real you need to be an extremely talented artist.

Conclusion of Tattoo Fixers :

Of course, I will continue to watch people walking into that parlour with awful tattoos and I'll look on as the tattoo artists cleverly covers them up. This show is certainly different to all the other tattoo ones I've seen on T.V before, not only is this for brand new tattoos its also getting old mistaken ones inked over with an extremely talented piece of art work.

I was told by one of the guys at work (also watches the show) that this place is only half an hour drive from where I live, I love the show but I wont be dropping in anytime soon because I've already got my local tattoo place (Chameleons) which is only 20 minute walk from where I live, so If I need another new tattoo I'll drop in there instead...also, I don't need a cover up because the ones I have already are sensible and means so much to me.

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Tattoo Fixers : Tattoo Fixers is quite a unique and artistic show about members of the public getting cover ups on their bad tattoos, three tattoo artist's cleverly turn a really awful mistaken tattoo into a genuine masterpiece. Some of these people go into the parlour with unbelievable tattoos t... Read more

7 years

TammyWhite › Nice show. Time ago i watched similar shows

7 years

Smokey2017 › I guess you live in the uk as this programme is either on channel 4 or
E 4

7 years

JasonJRogers › Yes, correct this is on E4 in Uk.

7 years

Smokey2017 › See I do know ???
Enjoy watching

7 years

soncee › Beautiful artikle

7 years

carmen3521 › Cool one

7 years

JasonJRogers › New article
7 years ago

VALENCE HOUSE MUSEUM.....A PLACE OF DISCOVERY

The Fanshawe Family:

Valence House Museum is located in the South East of London, Its was once the home of an historic family called the Fanshawes. The historic house was built on farm land back in 1700 and the ground used to be covered in more green land than the roads we see today. The Fanshawes were a high status family in the borough of Barking & Dagenham, inside the house is the Fanshawes portrait gallery and the Fanshawe family tree which dates back to the early 1500's, they were also close confidents of Charles I and Charles II. Today, a descendent of the family still remains in the form of writer and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe and back in 2013 he unveiled six portraits of the Fanshawe family.

Historic House:

Valence house used to be a closed and private place with rich history behind its walls but, now and most recently open to the public has a House Museum, where all history of the house and borough is explored. The oldest history of the house was surrounded on Valence farm, but now all history is explored through many different rooms of the house.

- 1700 Valence farm and Medieval times history room with old fire place
- The old panelled guest room containing the Dagenham Idol and piano
- The Excavation exhibition room containing the dig, ancient finds, Roman History, the remains of the Roman Sarcophagus and the history of Barking Abbey
- The two giant stoned warriors battle by the stairs
- Old fashioned settings room with sports and stars history, Mahatma Gandhi related history, the old town show and Barking & Dagenham borough history
- Dagenham Docks history room
- The mayor history panel room with old fire place
- The Dagenham town history room with the story of the mysterious death of a borough police officer
- The historic staircase
- The Fanshawes portrait gallery room with the Fanshawes family tree and travellers chest
- The history of the oldest wall in the house
- The cinema room
- The whalebone history room

Valence House Museum holds so many historic memories and figures throughout its years in the Barking & Dagenham area.

My Journey through Valence House Museum:

As I enter Valence house Museum I head to the left into the 1700 farm history room. A glass case sits in the middle of the room with a model of the old farm inside, descriptions are on either side of the glass, It shows you and tells you how the grounds use to be many years ago. On one side of the room, boards run along the walls with history tracing back to the medieval times, it shows you the growth and prosperity of the medieval times and what it actually means to the Barking & Dagenham Borough. Also, an old fire place sits at the back of the room, its one of many you see inside the house.

I exit the Valence Farm and medieval history room and I head directly across the hallway into the old panelled guest room containing the Dagenham Idol and a piano. This room is considered has the main room in the house (to us the living room) where family use to come and sit to have tea, dinner and family meetings. In the middle of the room is a tall glass cabinet containing the Dagenham Idol, the Dagenham Idol is a mysterious wooden figure discovered in Dagenham's marshes. This wooden figure is the earliest carving and representation of a human and was found in ripple road in 1922, it was made in 2250 bc and belongs to the late neolitic period, it was some kind of gift to the gods. One things for sure, The Dagenham Idol is a thousand years older than Stonehenge.

As I walk pass the piano and exit through the opposite doorway I enter the Excavation exhibition room. This room contains tall glass display cabinets and inside the cabinets are ancient roman pots, vases, stones, fragments, old finds and a tombstone block taken from an old building and the exhibition dig detailing old finds. The walls are decorated with Roman medieval history with the remains of the Roman Sacrophagus in a stone coffin, the stone coffin may have formed part of a burial ground connected to a Roman Villa in the Eastbury area. Also, there is a model of Barking Abbey at the back of the exhibition room and opposite a description of its founding.

I exit the Excavation room through the only other door on the right which leads into a small corridor with two giant stone warriors battling near the stairs. As I ascend the stairs pictures and dates of Barking & Dagenham's people run up the walls to the top, people like an old Dagenham family, a mechanic, Bobby Moore, Victorians etc.....

I walk into the old fashioned settings room with sports and stars history, Mahatma Gandhi related history, the old town show and Barking & Dagenham Borough history. In the middle of this room behind a low glass barrier is an old fashioned living room with fireplace, armchair, radio and war items, and next to is an old fashioned kitchen with stove, cupboards and shelves also behind a low glass barrier...warning! Do not put your arm over the barrier or the alarm will go off. Descriptions on the Living room and kitchen are displayed in sleeved folders and there is a dial on the outside of the Living room barrier so you can operate the radio.  In this room lies a big glass trophy cabinet with all kinds of past trophies and winners on them. The history of the Dagenham Town show and Barking & Dagenham Borough are displayed along the walls and inside glass cabinets...An old fire place also sits in this room along with many other different history activities.

I step out into the small hallway and head left into the Dagenham Docks room, a wooden sloped platform with 5 different ropes tied to metal rings sits near a window. It teaches you how to tie certain types of knots if you were ever out at sea...they are reef knot, bowline, carrick bend, buntline hitch and sheet bend...I've only ever mastered 4 out of the 5, the buntline hitch is proving to be the most difficult. This room has a massive model boat behind the glass display and lots of sea and dockland history, as soon as you walk in the room a speaker goes off telling the story of the life on the Dagenham Docks.  Across from the Dagenham Docks room is the Mayors room with the old fire place, a mayors coat of the borough is seen behind a display cabinet along with a coat of arms plaque behind another. In this room it tells you the history of the Fish to factories and details a history of a new town is born, there is also a rather interesting testimonial book dating back to 1897, it tells you the founder of the ragged school in Barking.

Right at the end of the hallway is the Dagenham town history room with a big model of the town in a glass case. The room explores the rural life in Dagenham, the end of an era, the people of Dagenham and the infamous unsolved murder of police officer George Clarke. A folder in the room documents the history of the town an shows photographs of what it was like in Dagenham many years ago, also an old collection of coins are displayed behind one frame whilst miners gear are displayed behind another.

Walking back along the corridor near the Dagenham Docks room is the historic staircase, its a three turned staircase which had been rescued from another building and brought here by the Merttins family in the 18th century. The staircase was an indicator of the family's wealth and status. It had been carefully hand carved with barley twist balusters and is 100 years older than this part of the house, the family would hang their portraits along the walls of this three turned staircase.

In the Fanshawes portrait gallery are huge paintings of the family along with a travellers chest and the Fanshawes family tree which dates back to the 1500's. The gallery is split in two small parts with other members of the Fanshawes portraits in the other. Standing on an easel is a piece detailing the changing face of the Fanshawes and documents the number of portraits that Valence House has of the Fanshawe family, 54 portraits in all. The oldest member of the Fanshawe family to have his portrait up there is a guy called Thomas Fanshawe, born in 1533 and died in 1601.

Opposite the Fanshawe gallery is a cinema room with two old cinema seats and a flat screen on the wall showing the old times in Dagenham and videos of war, school, work and hard labour. Sometimes I can just sit in here an relax for a while, it has a colourful flip board outside indicating that this is the cinema room. Outside and just around the corner is a very old wall...It's the oldest wall in the house, it dates back to the 15th century and at that time it would of been considered as an outside wall...made from strong oak beams and panels were built of wattle and daub.

Next to this old wall is the Whalebone room...In this room it documents the whaling industry, it tells you how it flourished around Howland dock at Rotherhithe on the South bank of the Thames in the middle 17th century.  Behind a long glass case are two huge jaws belonging to a common green land whale also known as a bowhead whale. They say the jaws of these whales where used as materials for building roads, especially those along Valence Avenue heading up towards Chadwell heath. On the way out of Valence House you see a map of the two floors and all the rooms on the side of the wall, so if you ever get lost (which I doubt it) at least you have the map for guidance.

The Grounds around Valence House:

First off...you have the herb garden which is situated on the right hand side before you reach the house, its a place where you can sit and relax, study, eat lunch or chill out. Volunteers and gardeners are welcome to join in planting and growing of flowers and other green land. Tucked away in an area around the corner is an old air raid shelter surrounded by sand bags, sometimes old war and survival supplies are seen inside the shelter. The herb garden has a beautiful flower arch and beautiful seating area with a rather unusual attraction near a round bench, a mangle...that's right...a mangle is sitting in the herb garden.

Opposite Valence house is an old model car and next to that is Valence cafe....Valence cafe is sometimes a peaceful place to be (sometimes you'll get classes of school children and teachers who come to visit) other times you can go in have something to eat and relax. They also have a study area for courses and students and sometimes provide for those with special needs. At one end of the small building you have a desk and an area where you can purchase small souvenirs, gifts and books, I have already purchased a book on Dagenham murders and couple of Valence house pens. The toilets are pretty clean and the staff are really friendly and helpful and the prices of the food and drink are quite reasonable.

My Thoughts on Visiting:

Back in 2013...one of my relations took my mother on an outing to Valence House Museum and when once they returned they told me all about their experience, they advised me to go down there for a visit because its something they knew I would like. At first I couldn't work where it was because the house is tucked away down one side of Valence library, the times I have passed valence library and never knew there was a museum and cafe there, until recently back in 2013. On my first visit I walked through the gates on Becontree Avenue and headed down the side of the Valence library, I had to pass through a small gate and then through big double gates to get into the grounds. I could see Valence cafe up ahead, the herb garden to my right and the side of Valence House to my left, I walked around the corner to get to the front of the house, I walked up to the front door and entered.

On entering, you get this nice museum house smell and sometimes a member of staff is seen walking around the museum and sometimes is seen sitting in the Valence farm and medieval times history room. Everyone I've met so far in there are very welcoming and friendly, they sometimes leave a guestbook on the table where you can put your name, signature and leave comments about your experience of the day you've had in the museum. I've been to Valence House Museum so many times now I've lost count, its a place where you can go for peace and quite and at the same time clear your thoughts and your mind whilst capturing some history on the borough at the same time.

I remember going there quite a few times when it was hot outside, by far the best time to go because you can sit in the herb garden and relax in the sun, only thing is...watch out for those pesky flying insects, they're always hanging around the flowered archway tunnel. You're free to do what ever you want when you're touring the grounds, you don't have to pay anything unless you want something in the cafe of at the little shop inside where the desk is. Sometimes, I've just gone there to visit the house and come back, I've sometimes not even taken any money with me on visits, but other times I've fancied getting a bite to eat and cup of tea in the cafe...It makes the visit more worth while.

Address:

Valence House
Becontree Avenue
Dagenham
RM8 3HT

Opening Hours:

Tuesday to Saturday
10am to 4pm (except public holidays)
Admission is free except for special ticket events

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VALENCE HOUSE MUSEUM.....A PLACE OF DISCOVERY The Fanshawe Family: Valence House Museum is located in the South East of London, Its was once the home of an historic family called the Fanshawes. The historic house was built on farm land back in 1700 and the ground used to be covered in more g... Read more

7 years

Lucia5 › Beautiful place!!???

7 years

soncee › Beautiful museum thanks for sharing

7 years

Justin › Interesting my friend

7 years

Violeta › Very nice photo

7 years

carmen3521 › good to know..

7 years