Life skills

I guess the first order of business is to thank everyone for reading last weeks post and the two comments this warm week or at least it was as I type this and not necessarily just down to the suns rays!

Yes, I know this blog is kind of weird compared to most of the others you've seen listed cos it's a slice of life, emotions and smacked behinds wrapped in one and odd life stories tossed in usually cos there's a connection.

A ton of stuff you might take for granted just wasn't in my life.

Take the kitchen for instance. 

Cos I'm not good on my feet with my physical disabilities and not terribly co-ordinated, where as most people would of gravitated to it whenever anything was being made and perhaps of carried things basically I was told to stay out of there.

That meant in the absence of anything else I hadn't any knowledge of something as rudimentary in my late teens as how to make a cup or coffee, make toast with a grill, wash up and so on.

Because I find carrying things difficult, nobody took the trouble to show my how I could carry at least a few things or how to set a table.

In a way I didn't have a place in the home, certainly didn't have any responsibilities and upon seeing that it was said "doesn't do...".

Looking at that illustration even though it's pretty much of the fifties in a lot of ways feels...bitter-suite.

I'd of loved to had been dressed in almost matching dress, with a Mom who would have me in their teaching me these things and having made progress, helping me take some responsibility for doing things in the home so I could at least do something to look after myself.

Ironically it's taken caregivers mixing a chunk of that and some ol' school discipline at times to help me move on so I can do a few things and they have expectations for me just do them without reminders. 

The dance before the sparks fly

It's been a pretty warm week here so I've been sunbathing a little in the park partially for getting a bit of a tan and partly because when I'm doing that actually I'm disassociating from what's on my mind and that which does tend to mess up my behaviours at times.

 

Before we all got dropped into Zombieland  I'd get another kind of a tanning experience which did against the odds help to keep my behaviours pretty much in check.

The great dropping your panties dance before going over a knee is so relatable as you prepare yourself for what is to come.

Strange folks

 

I don't know if it's me, something around my autism or whatever but sometimes you think you're having a pretty decent conversation online and then you find its gone dead and no amount of examining afterwards shows a point you could discern a "change the subject" comment or request for clarification.

You just see this "not following each other" and gone to say their archive has this notice in the top right corner saying you may find more about why you can't access it as it is obvious at some point you were talking, they'd blocked you.

It's just so well, weird cos you'd think they'd say something first but no they block you rather like back in 2015 I remember someone at Experience Project doing just the same even though they'd initiated the conversation.

Still, blow them. I'm not blocking them myself but I'm ignoring them and will reblog anything that they might of direct from the source itself.

Wet weekends

The last few days have been rather wet so I  didn't get around to taking any pictures which was my intention and indeed I was lucky to spot a moment where I could slot in a walk in the drizzle but while doing so I did see a few things that came to me.

I've always had a fascination with snails and I saw rather a lot of them not just in gardens as you would expect but actually on the curb and pavement where they had paused so I had to be careful not to accidentally break the shells which is easy to do.

While aesthetically I don't like slugs I do find them fascinating to watch making their moves taking in their food stuffs on a well lubricated trail.

As well, the Tabby Cat from around the block was hanging about wanting food and shelter having been out overnight looking a little bedraggled from the wind and rain that woke me about 5 am on Friday morning.

It's not my idea of fun at all given this is late spring but we're just trying to work as we've done in this last year and a third with what it is.

All change!

It's a bit of a different post than I'd normally make on here as it's raining cats and dogs here as I type this but as of Monday we can do more NOT that all restrictions have gone away, they haven't but in what ought to had been a moment of celebration that we'd got to a point we could do that, there's a fly in the ointment.

It seems a fair number of people had brought into the UK  a Covid variant from India, highly likely to had been people from that sub continent by not taking tests and if positive self isolating compounded a lowish vaccine uptake in come communities that simply cannot be down to not being able to be vaccinated.

This means the authorities are running round like scolded cats testing and laying on more inoculations, even vaccinating all  17's and over  in households that might have almost adult children, parents and grandparents all under the same roof  in certain areas of concern to both bring down transmission rates with the risks of hospitalization and to try to keep the date we can ease all restrictions around the expected one of June 21st.

It's annoying as many people with physical, mental health needs and issues have struggled through this pandemic, grappled with our own issues around things like generalized anxiety, struggle with social situations with lots of people and noise  to get ourselves vaccinated and it appears others who could of too, did not.

The price of such behaviour is that normality in terms everyday social interactions may be delayed a week or two and for what? Thinking what everybody else was doing didn't apply to you and risking everyone's lives.

Getting out of this thing needs all of us pulling together with no ifs, buts or maybes.

Staying warm - the only agenda that matters

It's been a wet and cold week so far in dodging showers and digging out warm dry stuff which really takes me to the meat and potatoes of todays post.

One area when I tend to disagree with traditionalists is over the idea girls or any other female clothing needs to be all thin and feature either a skirt or a dress at all times not least because I grew up in cold environment where it wasn't unusually for winters to be very white.

What it means is what heat our bodies give out isn't being trapped by materials that would help keep us warm leading to a situation where girls may feel get cold quicker just because of gender norms in fashion.

 In areas like mine, because of the cold, often girls did wear warmer clothing even if over a school dress to stay warm and they did include pants or even snow pants with super warm layers which were more suited for winter play.

You often had a thick padded coat with a hood on too keeping you warm.
Staying warm and looking after yourself should never be limited by ones gender because it is a basic human need for all of us.

 In some school areas uniform policies are being adjusted to allow full gender expression and options for all such as Western Australia that decided in September 2017 to allow pants or shorts to be worn by girls.

To me this is about time because uniform is about setting standards so kids look smart at school and avoiding competition in dress and not about being an instrument of gender stereotyping or oppression.

Because we need it

We're getting towards the point in which the next set of restrictions to be lifted are being evaluated which is kind of relevant for this blog and aspects of my life because as they applied here staying overnight with people unless to use the queer terminology of this pandemic you were in a 'bubble' wasn't really possible and even daytime meetings in peoples houses and the like were off.

That meant chunks of life such as group meetings where we'd have fun playing games, visiting places, making things in arts and crafts were suspended although having spoken with the owner of a place we use, they think our planned visit at the end of July *should* still be on and are certainly looking forward to our return.

That is when we've passed the full restrictions being lifted with the exception possibly of mask wearing in public spaces stage by June.

The one single negative about the place is the rooms are both more spaced about the building with inevitably stairs and close together which isn't ideal when it comes to keeping the noise low with others when it comes to administering spankings.

Given the nature and differences between people it's not unlike some events a setting where everyone is used to and is okay with seeing or hearing people being spanked publicly so any is discrete and in private with consents just between those in it.

Last time we didn't and that was literally last time as lockdown started just a few weeks after so it may not.

Given how this pandemic has messed my head up, I may be looking at some point a weeks before going over to the person who normally would for a few spanking sessions to get me back on track.

Paws crossed the next step happen.