Pete's notes & links
@peteashton.com
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Wrote about my illness.
72.peteashton.com/the-state-of...
This took me a couple of weeks to write and partly in lieu of me being able to stay in touch with a number of friends and family. Chronic fatigue is a fucking arse, but I'm slowly learning how to manage it.
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The state of Pete
I've been unwell, and will continue to be unwell for a while. This is an account of where that unwellness is at.
https://72.peteashton.com/the-state-of-pete/
about 1 year ago
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Notes and links from Fri 22 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/22/notes-and-links-from-fri.html
Rest day, after yesterday’s mild exertions, helped by sunny weather so we’re in the garden in the dome under the giant shade sail. Got a hammock, a beanbag and wifi and everything’s groovy. No...
about 7 hours ago
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Notes and links from Thur 21 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/21/notes-and-links-from-thur.html
Big day today. Spent the afternoon at the allotment with Fi and Lucy moving the compost hexagon and filling it up. We’ve been putting this off for a few weeks, never finding the right time wh...
1 day ago
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Notes and links from Weds 20 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/20/notes-and-links-from-weds.html
After yesterday’s brightness today was a bit subdued. I tried a few things and quickly realised I was going to fuck them up so didn’t push the pottering. Mostly resting and doing my breathing...
2 days ago
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Notes and links from Tues 19 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/19/notes-and-links-from-tues.html
Feeling pretty chipper today, which is perhaps not ideal for a session with my therapist but you gotta work with what you’ve got and we covered some good shit. Later I drilled some holes in t...
3 days ago
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Notes and links from Mon 18 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/18/notes-and-links-from-mon.html
Rough start today but was determined to continue the pottering. After a very slow emergence from my cocoon I resumed sorting out the spare room, doing five minutes and then sitting for 15. I’m ...
4 days ago
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Notes and links from Sun 17 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/17/notes-and-links-from-sun.html
Bit of a slump day. Headache for most of it and didn’t have the energy to go do a thing I wanted to do. Managed a bit of pottering in the afternoon though and cumulatively did a fair bit in tin...
5 days ago
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Notes and links from Sat 16 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/16/notes-and-links-from-sa.html
Having that weird feeling when your neighbourhood is in the national news and people are posting things about it that are just a tiny little bit wrong. It’s taking all my willpower not to correc...
6 days ago
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Notes and links from Fri 15 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/15/notes-and-links-from-fri.html
So the far-right came back to Stirchley yesterday to put up their flags and when they departed a local man was in hospital. Things have clearly escalated. I’ve been stewing on this all day, whi...
7 days ago
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Notes and links from Thur 14 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/14/notes-and-links-from-thur.html
Rest day after two sequential days of therapy sessions. Mostly pottering around the house, half-cleaning and sort-of tidying things.
8 days ago
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Notes and links from Weds 13 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/13/notes-and-links-from-weds.html
The big news today is hedgehog videos. The footage from Monday night was exciting but the footage from last night was astonishing! Our two hogs had a proper face-off at 4am with whole minutes...
9 days ago
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Notes and links from Tues 12 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/12/notes-and-links-from-tues.html
We’d heard from neighbours that hedgehogs had been spotted so I put out the trailcam for the first time since the autumn and caught two of the little buggers! Loads of footage which I will ed...
10 days ago
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Contains my analysis of the popular vote in Birmingham with turns out to be a three way tie between Green, Reform and Labour.
add a skeleton here at some point
11 days ago
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Notes and links from Mon 11 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/11/notes-and-links-from-mon.html
Feeling a bit better today but still pretty low. I tried a couple of tricks to shake me out of it, which usually work when I’m just in a funk, but they didn’t do their magic this time so I reck...
11 days ago
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Notes and links from Sun 10 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/10/notes-and-links-from-sun.html
Well, this is the first time in a while I’ve come to my text document at the end of the day to find it completely empty. It seems I read, listened and saw nothing I felt was worth noting today....
12 days ago
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Notes and links from Sat 9 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/09/notes-and-links-from-sat.html
This quarter’s Rabbiting On from the RWAF arrived which is always a pleasure and I spent the afternoon reading it. As I’ve mentioned before it’s a mix of rabbits care advice and really gruesome ...
13 days ago
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Notes and links from Fri 8 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/08/notes-and-links-from-fri.html
I’ll be honest, today was pretty much spent refreshing the Birmingham council election results and nattering about it on the local chats. I could come to like these daytime counts.
14 days ago
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Notes and links from Thur 7 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/07/notes-and-links-from-thur.html
Bit of a nasty headache today for reasons I’m not sure of. Could be that I forgot to take my morning pills yesterday, but I’m not sure if I did or not. I don’t have a particularly bad memory. ...
15 days ago
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Notes and links from Wed 6 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/06/notes-and-links-from-wed.html
Lavander needed a groom today, as you can see in the above photo. Rabbits tend to shed in phases up their bodies, starting at the tail and moving towards the neck, so we’re at tufty butt stage w...
16 days ago
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Notes and links from Tues 5 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/05/notes-and-links-from-tues.html
Had my first session with my new therapist from Meridian today. They’re a charity that offer means-tested discounted therapy with trainee therapists and it’s been a life-saver for me as I navi...
17 days ago
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Notes and links from Mon 4 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/04/notes-and-links-from-mon.html
Very much a sleepy rest day after yesterday’s crash. Got up late, went back to bed twice, mostly mooched on the internet, watch cartoons and took it easy.
18 days ago
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Notes and links from Sun 3 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/03/notes-and-links-from-sun.html
Definitely a crash day, but I think I’m managing it better than I used to. Doesn’t mean it’s fun though. One improvement in my coping is I’m able to identify the waves of ennui as coming from fa...
19 days ago
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Notes and links from Sat 2 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/02/notes-and-links-from-sat.html
This morning Wally decided to stop eating. Fi took him to vet while I was still asleep because there were some other things she wanted to get checked out. He’s had his recovery food and is fine ...
20 days ago
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Notes and links from Fri 1 May:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/05/01/notes-and-links-from-fri.html
Feeling a little weary today but not in a hugely problematic way. Had to massage my amygdala into letting me go to the pharmacy which was a successful trip, even stopping to chat to some friends...
21 days ago
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Notes and links from Thurs 30 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/30/notes-and-links-from-thurs.html
Went to York Supplies today, the proper old-school hardware and gardening shop in Kings Heath. It was owned by the sort of people you’d want to own a hardware store until they retired and...
22 days ago
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Notes and links from Weds 29 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/29/notes-and-links-from-weds.html
Big winds today, coming from the east, which is unusual, and quite warm with it so being outside has been both dramatic and pleasant. Rest and digest continues so I’ve mostly been in the ha...
23 days ago
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Notes and links from Tues 28 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/28/notes-and-links-from-tues.html
Definitely a rest and digest day after last night’s relative excitements. No energy for a hustings write-up though, sadly. Plenty of pottering around the garden plus a surprise visit from Roo.
24 days ago
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Notes and links from Mon 27 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/27/notes-and-links-from-mon.html
Went to the Stirchley ward council election hustings tonight which was… interesting, I guess? I think I have a clearer idea of who to vote for now, which is the point, but I also have thought...
25 days ago
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Notes and links from Sun 26 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/26/notes-and-links-from-sun.html
Got out of the house this afternoon for a “walk” on my scooter with Fi and great-neph M. M called it my ATV which caused some snorts and it’s definitely not all terrain. Maybe one terrain, tw...
26 days ago
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Notes and links from Sat 25 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/25/notes-and-links-from-sat.html
A rest day, spent mostly in the garden because it’s lovely out there, thinking my thoughts and wondering my… wonds.
27 days ago
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Notes and links from Friday 24 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/24/notes-and-links-from-friday.html
The post-exertional crash came, but of course it was a bit weird and didn’t make sense. Last night I went to bed feeling OK but just couldn’t get to sleep – no wired anxiety, just borin...
28 days ago
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Notes and links from Thurs 23 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/23/notes-and-links-from-thurs.html
I had a thought about managing the compost at the allotment so sent it to my sister who suggested we meet up there and have a chat about it. Which turned into actioning the plan and empty...
29 days ago
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Notes and links from Wednesday 22 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/22/notes-and-links-from-wednesday.html
A pottering day today, mostly in the garden, tidying up the pile of prunings I wasn’t able to mulch the other day.
about 1 month ago
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Notes and links from Tuesday 21 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/21/notes-and-links-from-tuesday.html
Slept in and have pretty much marked today as a rest day, though it hasn’t been the crash I was fearing. Realised I haven’t had a proper crash now for a week, though it feels like lon...
about 1 month ago
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Notes and links from Monday 20 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/20/notes-and-links-from-monday.html
A while back I lent my power washer to a not-so-young-anymore friend who then lent it to another previously young friend whose life has slowed to the point where they’re noticing paving...
about 1 month ago
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Notes and links from Sunday 19 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/19/notes-and-links-from-sunday.html
Decided to try out this new method of doing things I used to be able to do in a different way that doesn’t harm me (needs a snappier name) and got out the woodchipper today. Fi has been...
about 1 month ago
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Notes and links from Saturday 18 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/18/notes-and-links-from-saturday.html
Felt a little antsy so spent a decent amount of time in the shed, slowly levelling this piece of warped wood with the router and learning from my mistakes. Am seeking that balance b...
about 1 month ago
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Notes and links from Friday 17 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/17/notes-and-links-from-friday.html
Slept a lot and feel good for it, like a difficult few days has come to an end.
about 1 month ago
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Notes and links from Thursday 16 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/16/notes-and-links-from-thursday.html
So I may have made a mistake but I guess I was sick of resting and not feeling any better for it so I went into the shed today and spent a not insignificant amount of time flattenin...
about 1 month ago
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Notes and links for Wednesday 15 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/15/notes-and-links-for-wednesday.html
Took a sleeping pill last night because I really didn’t fancy another restless night of stress dreams. (I have a handful left from before I started on melatonin.) It worked, in that...
about 1 month ago
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Notes from Tuesday 14 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/14/notes-from-tuesday-april.html
Rest day? Recovery day? I dunno what to call it. A bit of pottering, a bit of not much more. Feeling OK. Am thinking about making a table top. Found two nice pieces of wood. Now pondering how to sl...
about 1 month ago
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Notes from Monday 13 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/13/notes-from-monday-april.html
Feeling better today but definitely delicate and on the edge, so took things easy with lots of rests. Decided to renew the ash10.com domain after all. It’s too cute to give up and you never know, I m...
about 1 month ago
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Notes from Sunday 12 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/12/notes-from-sunday-april.html
Very much a shite day. Started off feeling not too bad so we took the compostables to the allotment and I worked on slowly filling the compost hexagon. Last time I did this I was able to pace it and ...
about 1 month ago
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Notes from Saturday 11 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/11/notes-from-saturday-april.html
Rest and recovery day. Done nuffink of note. Had a visit from our local councillor, the Labour candidate, accompanied by a bevvy of grandees: a mayor, two MPs, a baroness and a lord (admittedly...
about 1 month ago
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Notes from Friday 10 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/10/notes-from-friday-april.html
Should have been a rest day but I had my CFS occupational therapy session today, which I only remembered late last night and hadn’t budgeted energy for, so I had to push through that on top of a roug...
about 1 month ago
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Notes from Thursday 9 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/09/notes-from-thursday-april.html
Definitely a rest day today with limited capacity for anything, online or off. This morning we (by which I mean Fi) had three of the great-neice/nephs, M, G and R over as part of the Easter holida...
about 1 month ago
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Notes from Wednesday 8 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/08/notes-from-wednesday-april.html
Felt pretty good, and the weather was gorgeous, so a pottering day with an Easter holidays visit from bits of Fi’s family. Possibly did too much as I have a bit of tinnitus and brain fog this ev...
about 1 month ago
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Notes from Tuesday 7 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/07/notes-from-tuesday-april.html
Chum Antonio came over for a long overdue visit today. We became good friends about 20 years ago when I was realising I might be an artist and he, along with the redoubtable Nikki Pugh, gave me a mo...
about 2 months ago
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Notes from Monday 6 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/06/notes-from-monday-april.html
Very much a pottering in the garden day. Fi attacked the plants and borders while I did little jobs, as is my way. Mounted the bee hotel on the fence and rabbit-proofed a tree. Was nice to be outside.
about 2 months ago
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Notes from Sunday 5 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/05/notes-from-sunday-april.html
Many moons ago Fiona heard of a shed that was going free. We collected it, piling it onto the roof-rack of our hatchback and deposited it at the allotment. It was mostly fine but I figured it could be...
about 2 months ago
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Notes from Saturday 4 April:
https://notes.peteashton.com/2026/04/04/notes-from-saturday-april.html
Feeling better again, but still a bit fragile. Was nearly sideswiped by Wally deciding to stop eating this morning necessitating medication and force-feeding. He really didn’t look great and I was...
about 2 months ago
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