I’m glad you got that sorted but that sounds utterly exhausting, particularly if you’ve not been well. The NHS is certainly imperfect, but it’s something I’m truly thankful for.

a man in a yellow shirt is kneeling down in front of a pile of mail Alt: a man in a yellow shirt is kneeling down, trying to pick up a huge pile of parcels

When the delivery drivers and neighbours know you work from home.

Thank you!

a little girl is looking out of a window wearing a hat . Alt: a little girl is throwing money out of a window

MCL is not great when my knee hyperextends. Back to NHS orthotics. Not holding out much hope as the plan is to ‘increase the size and bulk of the brace.’ Not sure this will be tolerated by my skin or my brain. Surely, there’s a better solution. I suspect I may be entering custom brace land. #EDS

Everyone’s vs. everyones’ vs. everyones Sometimes singular and plural pronouns and apostrophes can leave you feeling like you’re swimming in a turbulent ocean. Such is the case with everyone’s vs. everyones’ vs. everyones.To begin, we sh…

#grammar #writingtips #amwriting #writingcommunity #writers inventingrealityediting.com/2...

Glad things are more stable, though sore. Pacing! 😘

a red and white flag is waving in the wind on a pole Alt: a red and white Poland flag is waving in the wind on a pole

Duolingo and I are not the best bedfellows. Shouting at my laptop on a Saturday morning wasn’t really the plan.
Wish I could find a local, face to face, Polish class. ‘Trouble’ is that most Polish people have such fabulous English - there’s little demand.

Bet that blew away so cobwebs! I shall be having a gentle walk in the pool, but not until tomorrow, as their boiler broke. A cold plunge doesn’t work for sore joints! Hope you have a good weekend.

Absolutely. I’m so lucky to work somewhere I’m trusted to do my job well, with the usual sensible oversight around things like marking moderation. Even that is ‘light touch’ and discussions are collaborative, useful and involve the whole team.

Nothing kills excellence like micromanagement. Nothing.

I’ve seen it across FE and HE. Talented people, driven people, then a leader shows up who can’t let go.

Suddenly the energy shifts. Questions replace initiative, permission replaces judgement and people stop bringing their best thinking 1/

Hope you’re recovering well. Yup, very very tricky. I tend to end up having courses of physio - always so difficult to fit in.
That’s why I’m never giving up my current job - I’m so lucky I can manage my health without feeling guilty!

Just caught up with this all - glad you are doing better.

It was impossible being a disabled teacher, even part time. I have multiple hospital appointments. The mental load of trying to find clinics which ran on my days off was huge. Now I largely manage my own time and teach in the evenings.

a woman says fingers crossed and toes too in a gif Alt: a woman says fingers crossed and toes too

Progress! I may be able to begin weaning off my knee brace from the middle of May, following my argument with the stairs on Shrove Tuesday. #EDS

Excellent! My eldest is looking for an IT role, ideally service desk.

Hidden costs of disability - travel insurance. I have a £140 surcharge for my ‘conditions.’ Hey ho - lucky I can go away.

Oh, I hope she loves it! Still job searching here. You are right, the graduate job market is tough.

Our regular gentle reminder that autistic people are, on average, more peaceful than nonautistic people. Research shows that it is also generally a protective factor against crime, not a cause of it.
Any person can claim that something 'caused' someone to be violent. That does not mean it is true.

How to Create Micro-Moments of Joy to Help You Keep Going - Tiny Buddha How to create micro moments of joy to support your nervous system, build resilience, and feel more alive in hard times.

“I remember reading this & thinking, “Why isn’t anyone talking about this?” We celebrate #grit & toughness. We talk about powering through, not giving up & being strong. But #joy requires #courage too—especially when you’re #suffering.”: buff.ly/HgseJU4

from tinybuddha
#ChronicPain

you are not required to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm

This is an important lesson to learn when you barely have enough energy to get thru the day

Completely! I can’t imagine life without it.

I wasn’t brave, I actually thought that everyone felt their clothes all the time, so didn’t realise not to say so! Same with thinking in pictures, like hyper-real and usually an action.
It took my lovely ND students asking if I was ‘one of’ them to start me wondering.

They also rustle! Gah.

Glad you are feeling more comfortable. Reminds me of an all-staff CPD session. The OT presenter asked if anyone was constantly aware of their clothes. I put my hand up. At that point, with over 60 pairs of eyes on me, I learnt that was very much not the norm!

'Complex, dangerous, sexual beings': The centuries-old origins of current fairy fiction The fairies in erotic "fae" romantasy are not cute or benevolent. They are dangerous, shape-shifting beings, exactly what they were in historic folklore, according to a new book.

"It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when or why fairies began to change from the capricious and frightening beings of folklore into the glittery-winged, delightful do-gooders many think of today."

I’ve had similar with walking on broken bones and a serious kidney infection. My GP wrote: ‘warning, presents as well’ on my records. I don’t know where that’s gone, now. Can’t see it on the app.

Bendy/neurodivergent bodies are a constant marvel, eh? It’s interesting because there’s not much understanding about how feeling pain differently affects access and outcomes re:medical care.

Having stupidly high pain thresholds is a double edged sword. Fingers crossed.

Oh bloody hell. Hope the referral comes through super quick for you.

I was browsing those on Vinted last night! My eldest is wont to say to me, ‘you do you.’ I think this is good advice, though tricky when you have voices in your ear chipping away at your self esteem. Hope you have a lovely day.