Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

At last, things are starting to get a little bit easier and I can start getting on with the whole living thing. After the overly complex stitchery I started on one of the flowers for my embroidered dress at the beginning of the week, it felt like I would never get it either right or finished. My mood darkened, but I kept at it and then suddenly it was finished. The kitchen is no longer the sensory nightmare of the last couple of months, as long as I am the only one in there. I even managed to gather a harvest from the allotment and make a potato curry with my homegrown produce. I’ve also managed to not only go properly outside but took on my own autistic/ PTSD challenge. In true over the top ADHD style, I went on a day trip to The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, the perfect overwhelmingly stimulating environment to anxiously await the boy’s Kent Test results. If I can cope with needle-felted Sherlocks, then I can probably start to engage in some of those day to day act...

This week has been difficult because I had a migraine. There is nothing more grounding than not being able to stand up or sip water without being sick. Strangely though, this I have felt less lost in my own world and there were times, when the headache shifted slightly, that I felt moments of real clarity.  The weather is still pleasant and the light lasts long enough for us to fit in up to three walks a day for Sherlock, although on some days I have been barely able to manage one. Being lost in my thoughts of the woods, the colours of the autumnal leaves and the crunch of acorns under foot, has been preferable to the psychological trauma associated with PTSD. Sherlock, as always, has taken his role of family pet very seriously and even when he’s not been sure of what he’s supposed to be doing, he has shown true collie commitment. Actually both pets have been showcasing their characters this week. Herbie is adamant that the weather is warm enough to remain outside and has moaned ...