International Women’s Day 2023 In today’s world, where everything happens at breakneck speed, it is important that we appreciate days like International Women’s Day to pause and reflect on the amazing job that women do. This year, I wanted to focus on four women who have helped me personally throughout my life. I have been blessed in my life to be surrounded by strong female role-models. From an early age it was just my mum, my sister and me (if…
Growing up one of my favourite cartoons was Mask. The masks provided the heroes (and the villains) with a cool power such as the ability to levitate things. When I got slightly older, Jim Carrey found a mask that would highlight each person’s inner traits. Little did I know that masks would become a mainstay of my life. Masking, also referred to as camouflaging, is a trait displayed by some autistic people whereby they hide or disguise part of themselves…
2021 a year in review By any standards, 2021 has been a hard year and our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have struggled and continue to struggle in the face of this relentless pandemic. While a lot has been written about the physical impact of Covid, the mental health effects of the virus remain largely unknown. However, if anyone wanted proof that these effects can be radical, Emily went from a person for whom couch to 5km…
The Sibling Staycation 30 years ago and one of us still has the same hair colour 30 years after our last adventure to the Isle of Wight, the exile order has expired! As the ferry sailed out of Portsmouth a tear of pure joy glistened on Grandad’s cheek as his two children, three grandchildren and Muttley were safely onboard, leaving him behind. His only slight concern was that the family doctor had gone with them and she may have been…
The pandemic has affected so many people in so many ways but throughout the dark times there has been hope. Hope of an end to the pandemic, hope not just for a return to the ‘good old days’ but for a better future and hope that the lockdown ‘diet’ didn’t require a whole new wardrobe. The impact of the pandemic on physical health is well documented but the devastating and lasting effects it will have on people’s mental health is…
What is the hardest thing about being a lawyer with autism? Autism presents differently in everyone; it is, perhaps, one of life’s greater ironies that autism is on a spectrum while most autistic people see things in black and white. However, there are some common traits that I have found among autistic people. Recognising these traits, difficulties or even benefits is key in ensuring that law firms help don’t hinder. We like routine and punctuality. 9:30 means 9:30. It may,…
Where does one begin to describe the last 12 months? 12 months ago words like “furlough”, “covid”, “bubbles” and “shielding” either didn’t exist at all or meant something completely different. However, other words’ connotations have also changed: “Luna”, “Hever” and “Zoom” to name but a few. Christmas is a time of hope and rarely have so many people needed hope. In that spirit, this summary of our year will try and look at the positives while acknowledging the difficulties and…
“You don’t understand me!” is one of my daughter’s favourite phrases when she doesn’t get her own way. While, for most people, it is more likely that my daughter’s wishes were understood perfectly well, they were just denied, for me it is true that I don’t understand her. In fact, I don’t really understand anyone apart from myself, and even that is debatable. It is hard to describe what it is like to be autistic because I don’t know any…
In the current world, where money is tight and prospects grey, how can regular people save money while also caring for the environment. There are, of course, a number of choices and I am not qualified to give investment advice but I have been asked to talk about one app I use, Moneybox. Covid-safe gloves were used at all times! What is Moneybox, well hopefully it is a little more secure (but less cute) than the box above. Moneybox is…
“While I was going to St. Ives I saw a man with seven wives..“This well known riddle, which demonstrates the importance of listening carefully rather than knowing your seven-times table, is also an interesting insight in moral philosophy. For the young man, the thought of seven wives might be appealing; for the older, married man, the thought of six more wives is often, um, less appealing. When it comes to listening carefully, are there 5 more annoying words in the…