Log in to you Bluesky account and head over to https://skyfeed.app put in your Bluesky handle and add an app password you can generate one in your settings under "advanced"

Now you're in SkyFeed click the "Feed Builder" tab you will see the feed "Hello World" it's pretty much self explanatory so have a play with it but here are the basics.

Feed Name: Give your feed a name, I'm going to make one called Merlot

Input: Here you can choose where to look for posts and the amount you want to show, I'll choose "Entire Network" and 7 days.

Remove: I'll leave that as it is for this demo, but like I said you can play with it.

RegEx: I've put merlot|#merlot the | separates each word so my feed will be searching for posts with merlot and #merlot.

Sort by: I'll leave that as is.

You will notice each change you make shows up on the preview. Once you are happy click "Publish Feed" at the top.

Now you can add an Avatar for your feed to make it stand out amongst others (*it can take some time to load) below that you can add a description so people know what it's about. I put "A feed finding posts with the word Merlot and #Merlot"

I leave the licence as it is and click "Publish"

Now look above your feed and you will see a link to your feed. That's it, you and also search in feeds to find it.

Here are some I made:

1960s: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3ixyboa...mv45nrzimw

1970s: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3ixyboa...mktfjqz3mq

Blues Music: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3ixyboa...h3mg7ciqg2

Merlot: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3ixyboa...kb6kt7u5ji

Psoriasis: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3ixyboa...h2xwtv3ncg

Play around with SkyFeed and enjoy feeds to your choices.

*To pin a post to a feed: In SkyFeed click "Add Block"  Input - Single Post click the = sign and slide it to the bottom so it's the last block. Copy the link to the post you want pinned and add it click Publish * It may take a while to work.

If you're vision is going blurry don't put it off before getting it checked out, I've had my first cataract operation last week and it's amazing.

This is how it went.

One eye drop before turning in for the night followed by one more in the morning after scrubbing down with betadine, then Mrs Fred took me to the city hospital.

Went to check in, then to see the nurses who checked everything was in order and they popped the little pill thing in my eye. We both then went off to a waiting room and after about 1/2 hour I started seeing like rainbows around window frames and lights, Mrs Fred then said my pupil was huge, then I got took to a changing room by the nurse.

Stripped down to my undies and put on blue toruses and shirt and some nice little booties and a hat. Then I was taken in to another room and put on a trolley where they checked again all the details were correct, then they put a line in a vein on the back of my hand, put one of those tubes just in my nose for oxygen, then covered me up and doused my eye both open and closed with betadine. I think by then the pill in my eye had numbed the eye as although I could see I couldn't feel them washing it. 

Next I was wheeled into to the theatre, checked again all was correct and then put under what looked like a microscope. By now the sedative had kicked in and I felt very relaxed, I remember something pulling my eyelids open but couldn't feel anything. Then the doctor came in and said we were ready and I should just lay still and look at the bright light.

A bright light came on then it was like 3 small lights grouped together, occasionally the doctor told me too concentrate on one of the three small lights, suddenly everything went an orange colour then there was a hissing sound and everything went black. After what seemed like seconds the bright light was back and the doctor said "See you tomorrow it went well" a patch was put over my eye and I was taken back to the changing room.

Then taken to a room where they called Mrs Fred and told me to sit a while and drink water eat some fruit a brioche bun and a yoghurt. After about half an hour I was told I could go home and to keep the patch on till I saw the doctor.

Got home and had omelet and chips with a two glasses of Merlot then had a nice sleep, till Mrs Fred woke me up again at 06:00.

The only problems(if I could call them that) was, I caught the line in my hand putting my tee-shirt back on and it  bled a little but they soon stopped it. the drive back was horrible because it was chucking it down of rain and everything was blurry, and It felt like my eye lash was stuck to the patch. Apart from that I didn't feel a thing.

Went back to see the doctor  this morning and he removed the patch and checked my eye. He said everything had gone well and it may be a bit blurry or stinging for a day or two, gave me 4 different lots of eye drops to use and a plastic eye shield to wear in bed. 

He told me to take it easy for the next week and he'll do the other eye.

At the moment it's a little blurry and sometimes feels like I have grit in the eye but it's doesn't hurt and I've had no pain. As for the vision, we went shopping and I needed to wear my sunglasses as everything was very bright and on the way home I tried the left eye then the right and there is certainly an improvement.

Some of the eye drops sting a little, but before the next dose I'm starting to notice things at home a becoming a lot clearer.

All in all a long journey, but I felt nothing and I don't really recall much more about it.

Back this coming Tuesday for the second one and I'm so looking forward to it, it's amazing the difference between the operated eye and the one still with a cataract.

I hope someone finds this post and it helps. So don't put it off, and most of all don't worry it's totally painless and you only see some flashing lights for around 15 minutes.

A bit of work but worth it for a treat.

500g Washed blackberries.
100g Caster sugar.
Juice of half a lemon.
15g Powdered gelatin.
150ml of lightly whipped cream.
2 Egg whites.

Put the blackberries, Sugar and Lemon juice in a saucepan and simmer gently for 10 minutes before pushing through a sieve into a large bowl.

Add powdered gelatin to 4 tablespoon of warm water to dissolve, pour into the blackberry mix whisking all the time till it feels like it's starting to set.

Fold in the lightly whipped cream and whisk the egg whites before folding them in too.

Put in the fridge to set and decorate with a few blackberries, once set serve with more stiff whisked cream for a few extra calories if you don't think you have enough.

Made a pizza last night, we usually have one a week and I thought why not share this one.



For the base:

250 g of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper
2 teaspoon of dried yeast out of the freezer for a few minutes before using mixed with 150 ml of warm water and 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar
3 tablespoon of olive oil

Throw it all in the mixer for around 10 minutes then let it rest for 3/4 of an hour before rolling it out and putting on an upturned oven tin.

For the topping:

Our passata from the freezer. See here: Homemade passata
Dried oregano

Then whatever you want, but this one had.

Chorizo, Courgette, Onion, and on one side sweetcorn and the other pineapple. The former for Mrs Fred and the latter for me.
Emmental cheese and a sprinkling of parmesan.

Chuck it in the oven on Pizza mode (if you don't have that just have it really high) for around 20 minutes.

Simple 

Tip: Buy a kilo of dried yeast and keep it in an airtight container in the freezer, it will keep for around a year. Just make sure to get out what you need about half hour before using.

Well Ilumetri failed, I only made 1 year and it's time to move on yet again in the search for a bio that will keep the psoriatic arthritis away or at least let me live with it a bit more comfortable.

You can read my last journey Here if you wish and there are others if you start digging on the Psoriasis Club Forum, but the main reason I use a bio is because I want to be able to do things and move, this will be my 8th bio and I'm really hoping this one will ate least give me some comfort for a few years.

This time I'm starting on the recommended dose two injections of 160 mg each today then weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and every 8 weeks thereafter.



Psoriasis Score: 4

Right Shin



Right foot



Mrs Fred got on of my scalp for me.



Psoriatic Arthritis Score: 7

Hands a bit painful.





One thumb showing the classic psoriatic arthritis lifting from the bed.



You can follow my progress Here

Around 25% of people with psoriasis will go on to also get psoriatic arthritis and believe me, it's a life changer and can ruin your life.

I first got it aged 30 around 5 years after getting psoriasis, it was mild at first and I managed to live with it mostly by taking pain killers but eventually I had to seek help and was put in Methotrexate. I hated the stuff and I'm known for speaking my mind about it being a poison that should no longer be prescribed, anyway I decided to give it up and just try to put up with it which I managed to do for a few years with some days being worse than others.

But once day around 15 years ago know the psoriatic arthritis came back with a vengeance and my whole body started locking up in immense pain, I took loads of pain killers but it soon became obvious I was never going to cope as I couldn't dress myself or even lift a cup to my mouth properly so I decided to beg for help at my doctors surgery.

I was immediately given an urgent appointment with a dermatologist where I was pleasantly surprised to find that things had moved on a lot in the various treatments being used and was offered my first biologic response modifier (Bio) as I refused to go back on Methotrexate. My first one was "Remicade" and it changed my life as after a month I could already feel the pain going and movement getting easier day by day.

My self-esteem was better and I was walking around with a smile on my face again, but it didn't last and I had to try another Bio "Humira" that worked however I had a reaction to it and ended up in hospital for a week. It was around then that I started trawling the internet for advice only to find there were a huge amount of scams trying to pull me in with their so called cures (there is no cure by the way)  or other sites seemed more interested in advertising, sponsorship deals or pesky requests for donations.

I just wanted some good honest advice from people just like me and even when I thought I had found a couple of places I soon realised that I just didn't feel welcome. So after trying another Bio "Enbrel" I decided to start my own forum and see if I could attract other people like me looking for a safe and friendly place away from the scams and fat cats just wanting to get fatter, and Psoriasis Club was born.

Well today I'm on my 7th Bio and so far it's been the best one ever and I'm pleased to say that my quest to find others like me worked and that forum I started almost 12 years ago is still there offering genuine information about psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, and over those years it has gained a reputation of being very friendly supportive and welcoming to new members.

You just need just need to find us, but do to not having a large budget, sponsors or donations it's not easy as I refuse to end up like those sites I first found. But if you do want to find us or read more about my time with different psoriatic arthritis treatments you can do so here psoriasisclub.org

Maybe I'll see you there.

Fred.

My good friend Herbert has started his own forum, he is welcoming friends old and new so go and have a look.

Herbert's Club



*Edit: Unfortunately no one turned up so it died a very miserable death.

Cheese and Tomato Bread

This will make one small loaf.



250gms Sifted flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon white pepper
1/2 Teaspoon sugar
2 table olive oil
1 teaspoon dry yeast
150 warm water
100 gms grated hard cheese (save some for the top)
1 Big tablespoon of blitzed up sun dried tomatoes. *

Put your dry yeast and sugar in the luke warm water to start activating.

Mix the Flour, Salt, Pepper and Cheese. > Add the olive oil and activated yeast > Mix it all together and turn it out and knead.

After a few minutes kneading add some sun dried tomatoes and knead again. Keep doing this till you have all the tomatoes mixed in nicely.

Shape it roughly to fit your tin and throw it in > Cover with a tea towel in warm place for 1 hour.

Put the bit of cheese you kept back on the top > Bake for 40 minutes at 200 C > Turn out on cooling rack and leave to cool. (Though it's nice warm, don't be tempted to cut it too soon or it will fall apart)

Serve warm or cold with butter, also nice toasted if you have any left over. Freezes well too.



*We sun dry our own tomatoes by cutting them in half, put on a rack with a sprinkling of sea salt and place them in the poly tunnel. Usually takes 2 - 3 days, best to bring them in at night in case the air gets a little moist as they will reabsorb the moisture.

These adverts are from a newspaper dated 12 June 1943.

I sometimes notice different textures around our garden, and it always amazes me on the visual pleasing things that are around us.

These can all be found in our garden.

*Enlarge the image to see the detail and enjoy.

I think this is a lichen. Found on our gate.



An old perspex window on the shed.



A rusty old pan found in the garden.



An old wine barrel now used as a flower pot.



A chunk of old tree.



Washing line post.



An old door.



These two are of the house showing a key stone and some render.





*You have my permission to use them if you want. A shout out somewhere would be nice, but not necessary.

*Make sure you download and host yourself as I hate hotlinking and will change the url's to some thing you may not like.