It is indeed all very depressing Big Al, and if one isn't careful, one can get bogged down in despair.

I find I can lift myself up again by reaching out to others in tiny ways, looking for the good things to counteract the bad and having a good laugh whenever possible.

TV can be entertaining, not all gloom and doom. I enjoy documentaries on almost any subject, comedy shows like Mock The Week and Mrs Brown's Boys, programmes on music genres (such as those on BBC 4 and BBC 2 recently) and the Music channel with all the latest hits.

I find ordinary people are usually very well-disposed. I natter to anyone on buses, in queues, at the supermarket etc and always come away smiling.
And the odd crumpet dripping with butter cheers me up no end!