At rest edition

It's a week after the birthday, a cooler weekend as I type this out sat waiting for a few things to arrive before venturing out to the park after just dealing with the washing.

First off, I'd like to thank everyone at FA, GT and EBS for their birthday wishes and friends elsewhere for theirs including my BFF's Moonpig unicorn card which was very much appreciated.

Arrangements for Easter and Summer are underway with discussions being finalized and talk around next year too with all that may bring.

Unfortunately I hadn't been too good with a really bad bout of migraine that's still hanging over the left side of my brain, affecting things like remembering day to day details even the other day looking for switch on a kettle near the base forgetting ours is like many a cordless one.

Thus to a large extent I've be mainly resting this week, somewhat dazed, just keeping things tidy and sorting through anything arriving although one immediate family member hasn't realized that there was a birthday hence no card and the other despite calling round never knocked and even wished me a happy birthday in person!

Families,eh?

My weekend with "picnic"

As mentioned at a few places, I was going away for what a few days which included the annual Ikklespace Picnic but it wasn't as planned starting with being pawley the day before with bad milk making me sick and feeling generally yukky.
Thankfully I had packed mainly the day before so I only had the toiletries to pack and a quick check before leaving Friday by bus to the very best rail station in the North-west Midlands to catch my train to meet up with one person before setting off the next day.
Seeing I was travelling across mealtimes I had a light lunch before setting off and consumed a Oat Flapjack on the station while waiting for my train to come in on time, which it did, observe one that was running thirteen minutes late and another ultimately get cancelled at Nantwich!
When I arrived it was sunny and I changed to my maroon pleated skirt that matched by sweatshirt, settling down to colouring in my "Coloring for girls" colouring book while sipping tea and talking.
Seeing it was not going to be long before our Evening meal, it was time for to help out with preparing  it so I scrapped and chopped the home grown potatoes and cut the cabbage to be put on the boil while the beef was cooked with its own fat for an hour and twenty minutes.
I also made Rhubarb pie by cutting the rhubarb into bits to boil until soft before making the pastry with 6 Oz flour, 3 Oz fat kneading together and adding 2 Oz sugar to caramelize the pastry.
The pie was served with ice cream and was delicious while the beef turned out really well.
In the evening, we watched the highlights of that days Tour de France as person I was with is a keen cyclist apart from being good at looking after me and First Night of The Proms.
The next morning I got, washed and dressed  ready to deal with the overnight washing up, fix my cereal and make some tea for both of us although I didn't find the Tea Cosy that keeps it warmer for longer.
We set off at half past Nine having noted the traffic issues in Birmingham and domino effects across the motorway network across the Black Country and onto Worcestershire.
It was there we noticed the weather that had been forecast to better toward the South East didn't seem to be what was forecast and indeed outside a period in Oxfordshire it proved to be very much mizzy with constant light rain
We stopped at a one village for the General Stores before arriving at the venue only to find understandably it had been moved into Sammy's house which had I of had cellphone on spotted I'd of  spotted a text message advising of the same. There's probably a lesson in that.
So we had to travel a few more miles on, using the stat nav and maps to get to the house.
While it was a disappointment to not be able to play outside with bubbles, kites, teddy bears and the like, actually as the group number was a bit lower people mingled around sharing in interesting conversations while others went out to look at the garden and some big electric  train related equipment her partner has.
It's also the reason rather having a picture of playing with things there's a picture of train instead on this post!
This combination of a smaller gathering probably helped people to feel more together rather than being in small clusters with the food people had brought to event being shared in the kitchen area such as pies, scotch eggs, banana's, crisps and assorted tasty cupcakes and lolipops which it has to be said I'm a great fan of.
We left at half past four after saying our goodbyes as we needed to travel back to South Staffordshire where it was noted as soon as we got toward Worcestershire it was quite bright bringing the thought maybe a picnic up here be an idea?
We called in just leaving Stourbridge to a Fish and Chip shop for Cod and chips for our evening meal that night to save cooking so enabling a relaxed end to what rain aside had been a great day with friends and anyway Fish and Chips always goes down well when you're a Catgirl!
It was scrumptious.
We watched some more Tour de France while sipping tea and fairy cakes followed by listening to some eighties music when I made may way to bed on all four paws.
I woke up about half six after a good night's sleep tm, got dressed  and did the overnight dishes before fixing my cereal and making tea.
I left around of twenty past Ten having left the person I was with a present wrapped in teddy bear paper and catching the Eleven o clock train home plus a a cab to the door well not quite as he overshot the turning for my house so I had a two hundred yard walk!
I'd like to thank Sammy and Mr. P for opening their home when it was clear the outdoor picnic wasn't going to work, everyone there including the new in the flesh to me Miss L and Miss Green for looking after mes on what was a most lovely weekend.
x

On friendship

Here we go again seeing white rabbits as we enter a new month and so start with our first one of July.
Talking as one does often lead to my mind thinking about things that may not of been at the centre of attention  but around the edges.

This was one thing that was revolving around my mind the other day cos we all seem to have different ideas of what a friend is or isn't wherever we happen to be.
For me one important part of being a friend to someone is the extent to which I feel emotionally connected to them and with them, that's to say we feel for each other  in ways that go beyond general sympathies.
Another is that you share a lot in common with that person seeing at least some parts of you in them although you are your own person, both the good points and the bad.
You do have differences but you learn to accommodate them because what you have in common counts for more.
You can argue with them because you care passionately about them and their well-being but you respect boundaries, always making up afterward. When you do that your friendship hasn't lessened-it's grown deeper.
The amount of true friends can be counted on one finger rather than the number of followers on Facebook and Tumblr because they're just acquaintances.
You sure would share the last thing you had with them.

Going forward

Not long before next weeks big event here so here's the post before the last which in some ways at least is connected .

 I recently saw this motivational piece of art a few weeks back and I feel it's kind of apt really not least with me, working with one person to assist me and having a bit to do with others who are working on things that hold us back be it unhelpful attitudes, perhaps learning the 'wrong' lessons from our past experiences or struggling with organizing life.
 Sometimes it's easy to go with easy, to think that the only things to do are just fun things and rely perhaps more than is good for you on others, ignoring the things that others may have gotten their heads around.
But it's never a all or nothing situation as being 'on the move' puts you ahead of those who aren't and as hard as the last two months have been for me making changes, living with rather more accountability than I'm used to, I am making progress which makes it all worthwhile, not least feeling calm enough to do things that have bad memories for me.
Thanks.

A chance meeting

Today I'm off for the day so I'm preparing this entry so it can published while I'm out so I'm going to have to be super careful to proof-read it beforehand.
Earlier in the week something happened that had been talked about before with  attempts to arrange it  made only to be dashed at the last minute.
In the long long history of my being a little once I even founded out what that was, I had never  encountered others face to face and indeed it had taken a lot of time to find others online joining sites to even have any kind of virtual encounter. I'd met with a number of 'mainstream' Ts people face to face in cafés making arrangements via PM's on site but that had been it.
Well, following talk at a couple of sites plus emails, it happened our First former was going to be at the Head Girls at GHS and asked in chat about meeting up, something that I had been thinking off but following a severe four day migraine that had left my mental functioning seriously  impaired,  I wasn't able to think much (it also caught me by surprise)  but said I'd give it some thought later on when I might be better.

 Following some emailing, we decided this would be a workable meeting up point being easy to find and leads on toward the local canal and recreational amenity area as it wasn't far for me to go plus was the kind of place I'd feel more at ease talking in. It also was a place in area the First former hadn't been before.
Having gone for a short stroll we found a relatively secluded place where we could talk about our histories of being littles,what we got out of it, general life experiences which for me includes work background, experience of being disabled as well as being Ts. It didn't take long for either of them to spot my obvious North American accent and quirky pronunciation aided by Canadian rising although most of you are kinda used to my Can-E written English.
The Head Girl talked about the four letters in the name lg meet ups within the UK, explaining what people do, the structure, locations as as other social events that happen with illustrations inquiring  if it would interest me. We also touched on the differences between the UK events and those held in the States. 
Although much of this year is planned out with me, being away for a period where I can be little in the company of others  does appeal because I like being around others in addition to playing especially as it was explained you could do whatever you felt was right for you being based around your 'age' or interests even if it may be that I'd be looking at stopping over with someone part way there because of the time it would take to travel and how tired that can leave me (being really tired travelling across London isn't a good idea) so it's on next years to-do list as for that matter would be paying a social call or two to the Head Girls as I could get a train to the nearest rail station to GHS which is just at the far end of the County due south of me and there are times when overnight stay, something not a million miles from a sleepover is more what I'm needing not least with the issues with and between my family. I just need to be away from that stuff.
It seems to me more possibilities for just being myself are opening up since encountering everyone at GT and IK some two and half years ago.
So as in real time as you read this I'll be playing somewhere - see the next blog edition for more - I'll conclude by thanking the First former and Head Girl for coming on over to see me as it was a great pleasure to actually see and be with them.

Rest day edition

Hi there.

I'm a bit late getting this blog entry started not least with being poorly for quite a bit of the week and then busy with other things like planning a trip out which isn't a strong point but I do really need to work on it if I'm to be more independent.

It's a time a time of year associated with last minute return to school purchases such as pens and geometry sets through to school uniform which visiting BHS stores in the UK reminds me of as that was the first store where the whole pull toward buying actual items of uniform for me came from and it has to be said the quality of their stuff was very good.

I can remember buying lots of stuff around  this time not least long  socks and it would survive pretty much the heavy washing routines at home well

Reading was always a thing with me as much as I struggle with it and this classic novel is a favourite of mine.

I am doing some tidying up tm stuff at various sites altering layouts, changing the odd avatar to spruce it up and help make using it for me a fun thing as with lots of sites you really have pick just a few you can be active on and given the changes that have occurred over the last year that's one thing I'd like to resume in a measured way.

I like to stay in touch with people who care about me more rather than feeling everything's been dropped for those that are really keeping me just for themselves cos surprisingly enough I'm a social creature.