Who, What, Where, etc etc

Who?

Hello, I am Secret Dragon.  Or Dawn if you prefer. I don't mind which.  If you ever read the Narnia books you might get the connection.  It was a rather sad joke but I am quite fond of the name now. Though a mite disappointed I will never be able to set fire to stuff with a well aimed snort.

So!

What?

What, what? Oh the blog?  Well it seemed like a good idea.  The neighbours were possibly wearying of me primal yelling in the back garden at the sky.  On the internet everyone can see you scream but no one really has to listen if they don't want to.  And I really needed a good scream or ten.

I realised I have had this blog for just about a year now and it may be time to put some proper, um, welcome mats out?  Even with my intermittent updates there is quite a chunk of text sitting here and not everyone really wants to go back to the beginning.  Also, it will aid my squirrel brain, which usually sits staring at the internet wondering what the hell I am doing here. And where the exit is.

Why?

OK, I suppose it began with the death of someone close and a final losing of some mental marbles. Correction, it began with more than one death but 2011 was a rough year and capped off just too many funerals. I lost the marbles and gained medication.  Only to finally realise that I had been treading water for quite a few years and somehow while I was mentally absent, my mother, Major Dragon, who has been exhibiting hoarding tendencies for some of my childhood years and definitely the majority of my adult ones, had filled up our house.  Before I had worked quite hard to dehoard the house but when I stopped, well, it was a bit of a shock to wobble bambi legged back into the world and not be able to find it.  Or the carpets. Or anything else for that matter.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not guilt free here.  Far from it.  It appears the mental marbles rolled off with most of my decision making capabilities.  Getting out of bed and getting a shower was quite often and indeed, can still be too great a challenge. And it is has been a rather interesting year of just learning how to cope with the medication, never mind the getting out of bed bit.  Making dehoarding decisions was right out of the window.  (I have a theory that getting the mentals medicated is like knocking a small child out of a tree, on to a mattress below. With a rock.  No matter how carefully things are done, the drugs will always be a rock/mattress combo of varying sizes and it isn't going to be the most comfortable experience for you or your inner mental small child.)

Where?

Well we are on the mattress safely for the moment.  And the medication has let me see my world beyond the panic envelope I was encased in.  2012 for the most part has been slo-mo scenes of me trailing about with binbags trying to widen the goat paths and find us in here.  And posting as I go/discover strange items/argue about Major Dragon's strange love of tables. (a constant blogged mystery)

Where Where? 

Oh, The Secret Dragon Hoard is in the UK. Unless someone moved us while I was mentally out to lunch.  No idea.  This place could easily be concealing portals to various strange lands.  I fully expect to find China in the back of a wardrobe.  If I could get to the wardrobes to clean them out.

Our location was another reason for this blog.  Other countries, particularly the US, are much further on in their awareness of Hoarders, there are tv shows, studies, a fair number of books, task forces, blah blah blah.  The UK has just started to notice the problem.  There have been a few programmes made over the last year or two but it is all still very much in its infancy over here.  Getting on the internet and blogging let me connect with others and learn what the hell all this was.  It isn't just a bit of laziness, or lack of storage space.  The state of a home usually reflects the state of a mind.  Major Dragon needs help and me and Family Dragon are trying to slowly dig us all out of this.  Together.  No Dragon shall be left behind.  Unless they really can snort fire out their nostrils.

Questions? Ask away.  Advice?  To me or from me? Either is fine.  Am findable here, on email, twitter and google +

Next up, should hopefully be a useful information/link list of resources.