(Doorstep polaroid taken by Caitlin at Holly Cottage last month, B/W before the transition to Oz)  Hi, its been a while! I see I last posted in May, mid lock down. Well we are still pretty much, like most people, on the Corona-coaster, except it has slowed down a bit and changed direction. Normal life seems like a distant memory, as does shopping and going out to meet friends or going out for dinner. But there are chinks of ordinary life re-appearing. We have had some socially distant visits from family around Elin's 12th birthday. It was good to see other humans (It had started to feel ..read more

Hi everyone! Hope you're all managing to stay safe out there! Someone sent me this today and honestly, it couldn't have summed up my feelings about isolation any better!! Its disorientating, frustrating, annoying, serene, calm, happy, sad, mind-numbing, scary and enlightening ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Who knew one day "Groundhog Day" wouldn't just be a film and that someday we would all be starring in our episode of "Black Mirror"?   The first few weeks were actually ok. We are in complete self-isolation to protect Elin which means not even going to the Supermarket. It's beyond strange to no ..read more

Hi all! Well, theres nothing like a global health pandemic of epic proportion to provide a bit of inspiration for a blog post is there??!!??It's been ages since my last post. I can't really articulate why I just haven't felt the need to blog lately, I love blogging but I only write when I feel completely compelled to, sometimes a post will just sort of flash up before my minds eye and I know I have to write it. If that doesn't happen, I try not to push myself to write because I know posts will end up sounding contrived and I don't want that. I guess I just haven't had that flash of inspiratio ..read more

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Elin sure did. Without wishing to cast the inevitable curse that comes with grandiose statements, I've got to say I think it was her best yet! Aside from a bug she was always bound to get, which thankfully disappeared well before Christmas, Elin has been the happiest, healthiest and most relaxed we've ever seen her. That is ALL we ever want for Christmas. Its surprising, looking back through my posts, how many Christmases didn't work out so well for Elin. I have just realised that three years on the run we had a stint in hospital over Christmas and in ot ..read more

“Relaxed Screenings” or as they are sometimes called, “Autism Friendly” screenings at cinemas and theatres have been widely around, a quick google search tells me,  since about 2011 (although if you think about it, it kind of beggars belief that it took so long!) These screenings have subtle changes to the cinema or theatre environment, which means that people who have sensory difficulties have a more positive experience than they would in a traditional cinema setting. Changes include: -Lights being kept at a low level -Lower than usual sound levels -No trailers or adverts-just the film ..read more

I’ve blogged many times about how much I love Autumn. Part of the reason for that is because it contains Halloween. I have always loved Halloween, I’m not even sure why. Maybe it sprang from a childhood obsession with “The Worst Witch” (books and film equally) or maybe it’s because the decade I grew up in, the 1980’s, was when Halloween really started to take off as a ‘thing’ in this country and anything that came from America and was mentioned in my "Babysitter's Club" and "Judy Blume" books was by default, exciting.  By 'taking off as a thing' I don’t mean fancy costumes readily available ..read more

For mental health awareness day tomorrow, a little story of how sometimes you have to face what scares you, until it doesn't anymore (but only when you are ready) These photographs sat in a drawer in the spare room for ten years. This was my first cuddle with Elin without tubes and wires, when she was still in ICU following her birth, but had finally come off the ventilator. I was 26 years old and petrified. She was still very, very poorly. Paul took them because he noticed the July sunlight was shining through her cot-side window and the amateur photographer in him realised it would make a n ..read more

Happy Autumn! The "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" is definitely my favourite time of year. I adore the beautiful leaves, the first coal fire, the roasted chestnuts, the shining conkers outside our door, the apples, the pumpkin picking, the fading sunlight, the chunky knits, the cosiness of it all. I love it. I think Autumn is also feels special to me because after years in the education system, my brain processes the year as September to September. So the start of this month almost feels like New Year when it rolls around. It feels like a time for fresh starts. Sometimes, it also fee ..read more

Serendipity  noun the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way."a fortunate stroke of serendipity"2 synonyms: 3 chance, happy chance, accident, happy accident, fluke; More Years ago I remember someone telling me that the world of children with profound disabilities was a small one. I didn’t really understand at the time, but as the years have rolled past, more and more chance encounters with families like ours have managed to convince me this is true. Not least last year in Ibiza, when I bumped into a Mum with a beautiful little girl like Elin, w ..read more

In a few short days,  Elin is leaving the class she has resided in for over eight years and in September, is moving to secondary school.Someone once told me they thought we were really ‘lucky’ that Elin had a school she could go to. That there were schools ‘around’ that catered for children with her needs.No.Elin and her friends have a right to expect an education (a good education) just as much as any other child. Its not luck, it’s a legal requirement.What IS lucky is that school happened to be Ysgol Y Canol. That, to me, was lucky. There was no choice for us back in 2011 when we were lookin ..read more