Boxing day 2022

I’m originally from Co. Meath - but since my diagnosis and given the uncertainly of travel since Covid and related to climate change, unchaperoned travel by any method for any distance over 20 miles is now a total no-no - living alone, I’m hoping to get a live in carer, preferably a priest, friar or nun - I’d ended up being stranded in Holyhead for 2 days during the train strike in early October 2022 and not only did this prove me wrong in many respects in the opinions of others, it was also a massive wake up call to me to “cop myself on” and stop trying to do things without help and stop living alone, as my biggest faults are disobedience and creating a (false) sense of intelligence (arrogance) and excessive self-will, as I’ve always been the type that needs to be put in my place and knocked back a peg or ten for my own good, as my condition was caused by lack of proper parental discipline in childhood as per traditional Catholic social teaching 

I'll be attending a Gig, at Gorilla - opposite the Ritz - then.

Get yourself down to Big Hands on Oxford Road or Night & Day on Oldham St

I'll be in Manchester on 15 March.

Thats so lovely, its amazing how people can still be brought together like that even when they cant get home. That really warmed my heart. Whereabouts in Ireland are you from? My family is from Kerry 

I'll have a look at lovatts. They have YouTube tutorials. 

Take a break does free puzzles online.

Christmas 2020 during Covid before my diagnosis was the worst ever here in the U.K. as the Irish travel restrictions were the strictest in Europe, far stricter than here in the U.K.  - in my home Parish in Ireland the Priest was celebrating Midnight Mass and Christmas Day Mass in the church on his own, with everyone else in our village tuning into the Parish webcam - we heard later on that those Irish from our village unable to get home to Ireland had tuned in to the parish webcam from all over the world, including America, Europe, U.K., Australia, Eastern Europe, even South Africa 

I’m originally from Co. Meath in the Republic of Ireland near Dublin, although I’m living in a socially deprived area of Manchester 20 years and yet despite this, I’ve always regarded myself as Irish with a strong connection to Ireland - what has carried me through has been my Catholic faith, which I’d returned to 15 years before my diagnosis at age 52 - the religious aspects of Christmas are hugely important to me given my faith, which grew ever stronger and deepened hugely during Covid - when unable to attend the Traditional Mass in Latin (despite being born after Vatican II) I regularly pray the Rosary in Latin and this is a source of great comfort - this coming year, I doubt if I can get home to family in Ireland on visits until at least Feb or March 2023 at the earliest and given what is currently happening with travel disruptions, I no longer feel confident about travelling alone any longer distances over 20 miles like I used to, on any form of transport, including air travel and trains/ferries/coaches, so travelling with a chaperone is vital 

I love anagram puzzles. My mum used to have a game called bananagrams, that was an anagram puzzle game and we used to play it a lot.

I like word searches but find them too small at times.

I like word wheels ... I like anagram based puzzles.  Have you heard of lovatts? It's a puzzle website with a mix of different kinds but they have a word wheel on there and it's quite addictive! Have a lovely day.

Word searches, sudoku and criss cross. Also spot the difference, word wheel and mazes.

Which puzzles do you like?

No one who was there apart from my partner knows! I think they wouldn't have noticed any difference in me but it was definitely noticeable in myself. I haven't felt nearly half as frazzled today!

I haven't been to the shops yet, I need milk, eggs, bread and if I can find it I'll try to get some cream as well.

I hope you have a lovely day xxx

Went to the shop as needed milk and apples.  Family members will go to the shops later.

Missing collecting the bread from the cheese shop. I've got my Friday  I newspaper bumper puzzles. Only do some of them. 

Hi Rosy, I hope you had a lovely boxing day :) 

I had a peaceful boxing day, mostly napped and watched a couple of films. My step sisters family have gone back home again now so things are getting back to normal.

Hope you have a beautiful day today.

out_of_step said:

I felt in control of the situation for once and did things on my terms.

That's the key isn't it.

Being able to look after yourself too and feeling that things aren't out of control.

A diagnosis does feel as though we have license to tell the truth, albeit kindly, to others.

Or perhaps not always kindly!

I got through an extended family get togethe today and ...enjoyed it. This is usually one of my biggest social difficulties in the year. It's the first one since I was diagnosed in lockdown. I tried less, took more breaks and left when I'd had enough. Still masked my *** off but the breaks were on a bit this time and alowed me to be myself a bit more.. I understand my limits more now and know not to push through regardless. I felt in control of the situation for once and did things on my terms. A massive improvement on years gone by. 

I really dislike having my photo taken too, although it's partly because I don't photograph well if photos are taken indoors with a flash. I always blink and seem to end up looking drunk... or worse. 

Playing party games (like charades) is something else I try to avoid too.

Anyway, I'm glad you managed to spend most of the time in the safety of your kitchen, and that you also had the advantage of another room you could escape to.