The Hermit of Treig

I’ve been having a terribly busy few weeks, and feel like I am out at sea most days. Neurological-fatigue has been ripping through me like nobodies business. Today, as I sought rest, someone said to me, “You are acting like you’ve been at it all day, I’ve been actually at it all day and am knackered”. I kept my cool but responded a wee bit spitefully. I had actually been doing a lot for two hours and a two hour stretch with a post-stroked brain can feel like a week’s work at the time. As a child waking up, my father used to give me a run down of all the impossible things he’d done before breakfast. It is slightly annoying. It’s worse post-stroke because laziness or procrastination just doesn’t enter into any self-justification. The brain has reached its dying embers, it needs to gradually build up its flame again by the billowing reprieve of rest before it can carry on.

But I stray from the reason of this post. I decided to watch a documentary on BBC Four called The Hermit of Treig. I have a fascination, probably due to being a solitary type myself, in people who isolate themselves from the rest of society in some way. So, I thought this would be something jolly to watch while I had my supper. Turns out the chap in the documentary has a stroke. The whole second part of the documentary centres around this issue and his isolation. It was fascinating, encouraging, and a positive story. I thought I would share it with the forum folk.

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I have seen that documentary. Certainly a beautiful place to be a hermit if that is the life one wishes to follow!

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Hi Rups,
Sounds interesting. I’ll add it to my list of things to watch.
Thanks.

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I really enjoyed it, but especially his attitude towards stroke and considering the symptoms and managing his lifestyle, certainly shows courage.

I too will have a look at the programme. Sounds fascinating.
Sounds like you’ve earned your rest @Rups so enjoy it. I think I’d be tempted to tell them just be grateful you’ve not had a stroke & that you can do stuff.

I can’t find the programme on my TV but I’ll keep looking. Sounds very interesting

Hi Fiona you will find it on bbc iplayer if you can’t type the title on the search box it should come up hope this help

Thank you I was looking in the general search feature and couldn;t find it but have done using I Player and will watch it tonight

Just watched the documentary referenced in the title of this thread.
I found it on iplayer after a search and watched it with my Mrs.

It was an hour long, we both found it interesting and enjoyable.
It is a worthwhile watch that I definitely recommend.

I’m pleased that he gets some support now and hope that no-one ever suddenly thinks it would be a good idea to pull him out of there in a misguided attempt to ‘help’ him.

Thanks @Rups for bringing attention to this.

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I enjoyed it. Sometimes when I think about the challenge of doing something, I cast my mind back to Ken, and think if he can walk for three hours across the wilderness to catch a train, I can overcome my challenge too.

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He has an inspirational attitude. I was thinking of him the other day when he said that his visual disturbances were at least not unpleasant. And it got me through a day when my visual-spatial awareness was poorly but it actually wasn’t unpleasant, just a nuisance.