Al Ingham

Good Friday Cross 2026

alingham_admin — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:40:25 +0000

Good Friday Cross 2026

This year’s Good Friday was our first at Stonesthrow, due to last year’s vacating for the building work. This year has been all about cutting our own firewood for use next year, and as such, I have spent a lot of time on the chainsaw. This plunge cut into the end of a sizeable log will serve as a beautiful reminder of our Lord and Saviour and his ultimate sacrifice.

Interestingly, this creation wasn’t a creation at all, instead it is more of a removal; the void of anything in the hole left behind ‘making’ the cross.

Happy Easter everyone.

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Good Friday Cross 2025

alingham_admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 07:26:00 +0000

This year signifies a fairly significant building project at Stonesthrow. We’ve gutted the old bathroom and embarked on a complete overhaul of the whole areas, swapping the bathroom with the W.C. and utilising the space a bit better and installing a bathtub.
The process of deciding on paint colours for the walls was carried out, and as luck would have it, we decided on a colour called ‘Divinity’.

The plastic straps from the vanity were used to make the Cross, and the greys are simply shadows from the lighting above.

Happy Easter everyone.

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new life : Life changing

alingham_admin — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 22:50:00 +0000

Vicky and I welcomed into the world Donovan Patrick Flanagan Ingham this morning just after 11 o’clock. He’s healthy and happy and all that we could have hoped for.

For those that know, you’ll know the journey we went on to become pregnant. IVF is not an easy ride. Aside from the financial commitment to it, the emotional roller-coaster of hopes and disappointments definitely took its toll. But when we found out three days after Christmas that the latest treatment had been a success, we were over the moon. Keeping it quiet was difficult, and at the 12 week scan we were able to put together our announcement.

With the way social media is at the moment, and the development of AI making things even worse, we are being deliberate about the photos we share. But here are a couple that we’re happy with being part of the online space.

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Good Friday Cross 2024

alingham_admin — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 21:48:00 +0000

A bit of a shift in focus this year, using digital mediums and screen recording the process of creating artworks.

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Good Friday Cross 2023

alingham_admin — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 07:30:14 +0000

Here’s my created cross for this year. I’m going to building on this concept with my photography over the next year or so, once my creativity leads me down that path. I’ve got the concept, but now just the motivation to follow. Regardless, here is this year’s offering. To God be the glory.

It would seem that I only post on my blog once a year, to post about my Good Friday Cross. I do need somewhere to store them and archive them for safe keeping, so it may as well be here. But it does show that I might need to do a bit more journalling, writing, and musing on my blog.

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Good Friday Cross 2022

alingham_admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 01:14:35 +0000

This year, having begun to get back into painting, it seemed only fitting that the cross I created on Good Friday was such. Inspiration from Hotere’s Black Window series, the red cross coated in the blood of Christ, the black square represents the darkened sun of the Friday. The golden square represents the hope of Sunday’s resurrection.

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Good Friday Cross 2021

alingham_admin — Sat, 03 Apr 2021 21:00:12 +0000

Each year since 2001 I have built, created, drawn, constructed, carved, photographed and even weaved a cross to remember Good Friday on.
This is this year’s Good Friday Cross. It was a bit of a massive project. After coming up with the plan for creating the cross, I was then inspired to write a song, record it, and put a short film of making the cross together.
Have a blessed Easter.

The post Good Friday Cross 2021 first appeared on Al Ingham.

The Fall to Reality: The struggles of going medication free

alingham_admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 08:00:47 +0000

At the end of last year I announced, with much joy, that I was officially medication free. It is something I’ve been working towards and thought I had finally made it.
Unfortunately, no matter how much I have tried this year, it has become apparent that I still require it.
Under normal circumstances, I believe I could probably remain off the medication.
However, as it is with life, sometimes you come crashing back down from a high. The fall to reality.
I wanted to write this to let those who are struggling, or those that are coming off their medication know that it’s not as easy as I made it seem when I put my words down. I wanted to write this to those who are struggling, and who read my post and thought “Good for him, but there’s no way I could do that, come off my medication” that it’s okay if you’re not there yet, and its okay if you’re never there. I wanted to write this to let those who are struggling know that not everything always goes to plan, and that it’s okay.
It’s hard coming off the medication.
It’s hard because you are adjusting to a new normal.
For the first few weeks returning to work, there are certain parts where things do get stressful. I was prepared for it. But was I experiencing the stress because it was actually stressful? Or was I finding it stressful because I was off the medication and not used to feeling this way? That nagging question of Should I power through this because this is normal and I can cope with it, or should I go back on the medication because these signs of stress are a signal that I’m not coping without it?
That question is a hard one, because I needed to give myself a chance. To face the stress. To deal with it myself. Without going back onto the medication. That was the last thing I wanted to do. To admit defeat.
At the same time, I didn’t want to stay off them if it this stress was above and beyond what I could cope with, and would mean that I was slowly and surely going backwards into the pit I was in 8 years ago.
The reality for me is that my work has gone through some significant changes. My role has changed and I’m taking on new responsibilities, ones of which I have no experience in and am learning on the fly.
I have tried with all I have within me to remain off the medication. I desperately do not want to go back on them.
But with the additional stress I’m facing, and given my history, I am left with little choice.

So, I am letting you know, that my success of going medication free was short lived. I thought I could cope. I timed it right, in terms of giving myself the best chance of easing into the year without it. But ultimately, with the added workload, expectations, and stress of my new role, now wasn’t the ultimate time for me to go it alone. I will be going back on my reduced dose to assist me, and keep me level headed while I deal with my new role. Once things settle down, I get used to the role, I gain more confidence and build myself back up, I’ll no doubt move again to coming off them.
But for now, I’m done. I can’t go on like I am. Yes – it feels like failure. Yes – it feels like I’ve let myself down. But I know it’s not. It’s just a pause while I get my head straight with the new issues I’m facing.
Thank you to those who continue to support me. I will try again soon. But for now, I’m going back on the stuff so that I can continue to function in my new role.

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You Matter: Going Medication Free

alingham_admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 03:10:29 +0000

This year has been a challenge for everyone, and I’m sure many are happy to see the back of it.
For me, it has been a year where I haven’t stopped. It has been hard, unrelenting, and full of change.
Over the last few months I have been on a personal mission. Small in nature but big in significance.
On Monday I took the last 35mg of the prescription medication I was using to manage my depression.
This has been a long time coming. I’ve been struggling with my mental health since 2012, and have been on medication for eight years. I’ve quietly been taking steps towards weening off the medication, with advice from my GP, for the last two years.
I hope and pray that I can remain medication free and maintain my mental health better now than I did a decade ago.
To those who have helped and supported me in the past; Thank you. Thank you to those who walked with me for a time, but couldn’t continue on. Thank you to those who tried, but who I scared off or was too much hard work. Thank you to those who offered but who I turned away.
But a special and heart-warming thank you to those who have remained strong in supporting me day in, day out week in, week out; month by month and year on year. I know I’m not easy to deal with and listen to as I continually rant and rage over the same issues again and again. Thank you for standing up for me when I couldn’t stand on my own. Thank you for believing in me when I had lost faith in myself. Thank you for encouraging me as I stumbled along trying to make sense of myself and my life. I can honestly say, I wouldn’t have been here without you. I cannot put into words the appreciation I have for you each.
YOU MATTER. To me.
And thanks to those who will continue with me on my journey as I go medication free and deal with my demons without prescription assistance. May this year be the start of a new journey.

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Good Friday Cross 2020

alingham_admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 00:22:09 +0000

Here is the Good Friday Cross for 2020. We are currently in the middle of a lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus. However, continuing with the theme for this year, running is becoming more and more important to me, both for physical, but also for mental, fitness.
Happy Easter everyone.

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