Last weekend Norm did a lot of prep for a trip to Switzerland. He was up on Sunday and ready to go to the airport when he received an email from his hotel and noticed they referred to different dates. Luckily this triggered him to check his tickets and see that he flew on Monday, not on Sunday. Can you imagine if he had paid for the Uber to the airport and then had to pay for one back home and then pay for another one the next day?

He had gone to the mall on Saturday afternoon and picked up some new shirts and trousers for his conference and brought some chocolates and proteas for me in honour of International Women’s Day. He often buys flowers before he goes away, I guess to keep him in my mind so I do not forget him while he is away?

On Sunday once we realised he was not leaving that day, we sat outside drinking a coffee and laughing about it. Norm helped me repair my little butterfly windchime. One of her wings had fallen completely off and the other wing was half off. Norm had some wire so we managed to repair both wings. I repair everything and most things become planters or something I can shove in a tree.

It made me so happy as I keep things until they are basically dust. I have metal animal sculptures which are more rust than sculpture in some instances, but I remember who gave them to me and I smile when I see them, so I keep them.

I played with my fairies and adjusted everything to give the new ‘homestead’ a space in the fairy garden. Of course I move things around all of the time. I assigned a red pick up truck to the owner of the homestead and I used the little turquoise stone ‘tree’ as landscaping. I look forward to seeing how the plants inside the ‘homestead’ grow and develop.

I planted a few clippings from the Peace garden into some pots at the back and tidied up the existing pots from leaves etc.

I checked on my terraced wall to see if any of the plants I put in recently have survived and most of them have.

I was happy to see that one succulent in my pot had a bloom!

I saw today that several others are also blooming.

Then I received both a message and a phone call at the same time, it turned out they were invitations to hang out that afternoon. One was a friend which required me going out in public and I was un-showered & still in PJs & it was stinking hot. The other offer was my daughter Caitlin asking if we were home as she was in Hout Bay and wanted to pop in. I accepted the latter option and Caitlin and Bree popped around for a few hours.

Bree was adorable in a little denim pinafore and white blouse with white socks and trainers. She is so tanned from the beach and the park and has beautiful brown skin and bright blonde hair. She looks so much like her mother at the same age.

This is Caitlin at around the same age that Bree is now and they could pass for twins. Which is pretty handy since I am not allowed to post pics of Bree, you have a point of reference if you are a visual thinker.

Bree was very excited about Poppy and Poppy was very excited about stealing Bree’s lunch. Bree is so chatty now and knows so many words. If you repeat something she will watch you say it then repeat it almost every time. Sometimes she pauses and you can see the wheels turning in that little head, then she says it. Maybe she is practicing it mentally. She pointed at Leonard the leopard planter and said ‘rowwwrrr’, then when we came into the house she pointed to the tiger fridge magnets and said ‘rowwwrrr’ and when I said ‘Tiger’ she clearly said ‘tiger’. She rode the little pink bike and climbed the steps to the fairy garden and played with a metal bunny. Caitlin was terrified that Bree was going to just walk off the upper ledge of the garden and land on the concrete below. Bree is fearless, much like her mother was when she was the same age. She is the same within, as without.

We had a lovely visit and then they headed home for a lovely dinner cooked by Wes. Norm and I just chilled together and watched a new series.

Monday was the start of our incredibly hot week from Hades. Chichi was here and I was working while Norm prepared (for the second time) to travel to Switzerland. I had my meeting in the afternoon at the same time that Norm and Chichi were leaving. I did not even think about asking him to open the pool cover. I cannot manage the clips on my own.

After work finished I heated up the chili con carne I made the night before and had dinner. Not a great choice considering how hot it was outside.

After dinner I sat outside on the back patio trying to keep cool.

It has been insanely hot all week. It hit over 40℃ in some areas of Cape Town. The highest I saw my own thermometer was 39. For those of you outside of the USA this is in CELSIUS and remember, very few homes have air conditioning.

On Tuesday it did not cool down at all, even in the evenings. Usually at least we have cooler nights in South Africa, but not this week. I felt like I had been tucked into Satan’s taint.

In addition to the chili ingredients I also ordered some healthy prepared food and salads and veggies so that I had access to easily available food while Norm was away. If left to my own devices I will live on cookies and iced coffees. It was so hot on Tuesday that I had to force myself to eat, but once I did my meal was very tasty. My menu consisted of what had that date as an expiration date. I had a pre-prepared chickpea, cucumber, feta, sundried tomato, and tapenade salad, salmon & cream cheese rolls, a few spoons of beet root and flat bread crackers.

On Wednesday it got up to 37℃. It was so hot it was just unbearable. The optometrist office called and said my new specs were ready so I went to collect them. At least I got a few minutes in an air conditioned car. Apologies for the state of me, I did throw on a kimono over my sundress to go to the shop, I would not have exposed that sight to anyone. Funny thing is I posted this pic on Threads and gained 300 new creepy followers. Old Lady Thirst Trap.

When the dog walker came to collect Finn I asked him to help me open up the pool cover as I could not manage the clips on my own. Once my meeting was over at 4:30 I was straight out to the pool. I went to the edge to test the water and my clothes got wet so I just got in fully dressed, kimono and all.

It was lovely even though it was hard to get out and up the stairs with a soaking wet floor length dress. When my American friend watched this video she laughed at me calling it a ‘costume’ as in the US it is called a swimsuit. I asked her if she thought I was going to swim while dressed as batman.

As soon as Finn arrived home from the dog walker he was straight in the pool.

I cooked for myself, even though it was so hot, I still had to eat and I did not want to waste any shopping from it going out of date. I put sesame chicken strips in the air fryer, heated some prepared mash, made instant gravy and boiled an ear of corn. I boiled all 4 ears from the packet and then put the other 3 in the fridge to cut off the niblets to add to salads.

That evening I had half a container of Häagen-Dazs Cookies & Cream ice cream to cool down my insides. It had to be done. Why I never considered a night swim I have no clue. Maybe I just wanted the ice cream. The heart wants what the heart wants.

The next day was even hotter if possible. I went out to submerge myself every chance I got.

The groomer arrived and gave both dogs a nice wash. Finn was straight in to the pool after he got home from the dog walker so his nice scent did not last long.

Thursday night I finished off the rest of the chicken strips, air fried some potato croquettes, added some beetroot and made a big fresh salad, including my corn niblets. As it was a bit cooler I sat outside to eat.

Finally at about 8pm I decided it was still so hot I needed to swim. I put on the lovely blue pool lights and went out in my kimono to the pool and went skinny dipping in the dark.

Friday was still incredibly hot. Norm arrived back home from Switzerland and he brought his granddaughters each anothyer duck to add to their duck collection.

I went to the hospital for my ultrasound appointment. They found a couple of nodules on my thyroid but they just need to be monitored each year. That is a relief.

I again popped in and out of the pool to keep cool.

Finn and Poppy kept me company.

All of the animals were so happy Norm was home. That night they all insisted on having special cuddles while he was trying to have a wee glass of wine and a rest.

I too am thrilled to have him home. It is just so exhausting managing everything on my own. Obviously I also missed him, he is my best friend and my stabiliser.

I heard something this week which really resonated with me. It was that your environment has an impact on your well-being. It sounds obvious but we do not always acknowledge that connection. Our home is now exactly as we want it (other than the outside playroom which is in progress). I am surrounded by pieces of art, or even pieces of tat, that make me smile. Paintings with memories of the places where we acquired them. Furniture inherited from family or purchased with my love when we were setting up our home. Our soft, rumpled, creamy linen bedding covering our gigantic mattress on the bed frame that we have had since we were married. The inside of our home is such a reflection of who we are and where we have been. The outside areas are so peaceful and beautiful thanks to Mother Nature.

I count my blessings daily.

There has been a lot of uproar in the Autism communities recently. There was an article published from Uta Frith, one of the early researchers into Autism and Dyslexia, which is being deemed ableist. Uta said “Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is to say that there is some pathology in the brain existing from birth. It’s lifelong, and the main features have to do with distinct problems in social communication and interaction. There is also an additional problem with what’s called repetitive, restrictive behaviours. This can present as narrow interests or sensory issues.“

The issue with this is that she then claims the autism diagnosis should “be limited to those diagnosed in early childhood, under the age of 5”.

This is so unsupportive of those of us who were late diagnosed due to being able to mask enough to ‘fit in’. But I never felt that I fit in. I’ve always felt like I am on the periphery of everything, emulating behaviours and phrases that seem to be acceptable.

My diagnosis was a life-changer for me. It allowed me to accept myself and my ‘quirks’ and understand that I need to champion my own needs. It has allowed me to accept those little parts of me I might have hidden, like my fairy garden obsession and the little stories I tell and the different scenarios I create there. Just because I am an old woman does not mean I cannot ‘play’.

Frith says that ‘Another contraindicator, is being able to read between the lines in a conversation, and to get irony and humour.‘ There are varying degrees of this ability as there are with everything ‘autistic-y’. I often struggle with other people’s humour. I always get mine and I find myself hilarious. I find my kids are all very funny and some of my friends. I detest watching a comedian. Or a magician, but that is another story.

Frith is trying to label those of us who were late diagnosed as ‘Hypersensitive‘ rather than Autistic. Well, Feck you Frith. You are trying to limit some of us from seeking the compensations we need because there are too many of us?? From the outside it never appears that I have language difficulties or intellectual difficulties. Because I am intelligent in some areas does not mean I am in all areas. My mom has always said that I can be incredibly stupid for a smart person. For example, I cannot use a can opener. I am not a very confident driver due to my anxiety. Does this ‘disable’ or hamper me? No, but to say that I am ‘normal’ in every area or aspect is definitely undervaluing my overall life experience.

This week Norm and I watched a few episodes of Resident Alien. I love this show, primarily because I can so identify with the alien!! He says the sort of things I say in my head, or even out loud when my filter is not ‘on’. He is as unsure of himself in regards to social niceties as I am. Many autistic people sometimes feel that we are aliens as we do not fit into society without being forced with a shoe horn.

This morning I had a long lie in bed and then got showered and dressed. A friend is collecting me and we are going for lunch by the seaside as it will hopefully be a bit cooler there.

I hope you enjoy your weekend and week ahead. Until next time, Kisses from the Kitten xoxoxox