Gentle As Jam Me and My Autism

The other day I thought of a phrase as it was "Gentle as jam " and that very much describes me and I am that I am gentle I am kind I have a righteous indignation. Oh and I have Autism I have had it all my life and only an official diagnosis since Thursday , and I don't even a T short or a badge to the club.It doesn't mean I have Rain man abilities trust me , I have yet to come across the questions "like you don't look Autistic or everyone is a bit on the spectrum "


I don't see my diagnosis as a prejudice ye there might me prejudice out here but I will deal with it as and when and if I come across it , there is so much support out there if you want it. I am going to carry on being me I am still Claire who likes Tea, Cat and Bobble Hats and it is refreshing.


When I was shunned years ago when things when wrong for me in the blogging community and elsewhere is one of those things and would I want friendship back from those people who didn't know I had Autism well no I don't think I would. I understand life enough to know we don't get on with everyone and that's just so and what it is .If life was how we always wanted it to be then I would be drinking tea in a museum surrounded my cats.


I am clever I Am bright I am me and I have the social skills of a a tea spoon but I do follow rules mostly and I thinking being British and Autistic I do not mind queueing ~ weird eh . I throw grammar rules quite frankly out the window well because it is part of my Autism I think.

As I am only 4 days into being diagnosed it feels like very much like I am the whale falling through the sky in Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy.

I can hold a conversation though I might get overwhelmed I will be able to tell you this , I will give eye contact on occasions and more so if I really like and trust you . It is not going to stop me doing things I just need to plan to anticipate and humour is my socialising you might not always get it my humour is really an essential part of me. I do feel empathy I will feel especially sad if you spill your cup of tea , forget crying over spilt milk cry over spilt tea.

I will go to blogging events and don't be afraid to invite me places and I will review stuff and I will write about things , I am still me.

Jacamo Wish List For Autumn

Autumn is well and truly up here with warm days and  evenings including very blustery winds and everything in between it suddenly Autumn is a colourful season one I love to embrace. And you can be assured with the right clothing you will be able to tackle anything the weather has to throw and you and if you're a gentleman then Jamaco is where it is at . And of course ladies can wear their stuff as well as I have borrowed my husbands clothes before and not necessarily given back as possession is nine- tenths or something like that !

Jacamo offers everything you need online from hats, coats,boots,shirts and many accessories, Mr T loves shopping online as it gives him the freedom to take me to National Trust places ! Mr T likes relaxed clothing which is especially  important as he has to wear corporate clothing all day at his job at a big worldwide company. So he is glad that Jacamo offers such a range of comfortable clothing , Mr T likes hoodies and there is a superb range from their own brand to other brands you'll know love and trust.

Mr T has been a rebel at work and started to wear dark jeans which he is allowed to do prior to this he was always wearing smart trousers but since seeing everyone wearing jeans thought why shouldn't he join in ! It doesn't matter to Mr T if his jeans develop a hole he will wear them to destruction frays around the ankles and holes in the pockets which means I get any resulting coins that fall out !


And the struggle for jeans for Mr T is real when it comes to inside leg measurement as he has to hunt high and low to find his correct length or take them up ( luckily his sewing skills are legendary and he paid attention in sewing class ). At Jacamo the jeans are just right for him as he can select his correct waist size along with his leg length so no more hassle or fretting if he can't find the perfect pair.The prices are no more than you would pay in the high street either ranging from say £20 to about £75 in Mr T's sizing's.

And Mr T likes his functional footwear at an affordable price as well , he says I have more footwear than him though personally I think this topic is up for debate ! And these trainers bargain price of £15 would be perfect for him as well.

Jacamo has a wide choice and you're bound to find something for either that special occasion or just casual wear as I truly believe Jacamo has it all..




This is a collaboration blog post.

Why I think you need to try AirBnB

If you are a follower and a reader obviously go my blog then you will probably me aware of the hilarity Mr T and I had when first trying out AirBnB it was very much like something form a Carry on film.You can read all about the hilarity at our first stab at AirBnB here but with hilarity comes a range of should I try this again and the short of answer of it all is a big yes and yes , we have stayed twice now at AirBnB and I think it makes a nice affordable alternative to hotels.

You see stopping at hotels especially in the gorgeous city of York can at various times be very expensive it is a massive draw for tourists from all round the world, with Fish and Chips being very popular for Chinese tourists ever since Tony Blair took the Chinese president for this meal.


You might be a little resistant to stopping in someones home and it is certainly a weird feeling but we are slowly getting to grips with it , first of all we go for the superhosts option which is as the name suggests a stop that has all the bells and whistles attached not necessarily in physical form but in hospitality and the affable nature of the hosts.


I think AirBnB gives you an affordable springboard to visting magical places and none more so than Mounts Priory in Yorkshire.

Visting Epiacum Roman Fort

We had to go up to pick the teen up ( who will be called the teen till he turns twenty next week ) we had to pick up up from a dig at Epicaum way way way up on the roof top of Britain up in Northumberland on the Penine way . This has truly truly dramatic scenery as you can be literally driving along and you think you're going to fall off the edge of the world.

Apparently one of the people from Time team had been surveying the site a gentleman called Stewart.We didn’t get to meet him as he had left by the time we had got there and but Josh was aware of someone with a beard .Apprently there is a lot of people with beards in Archaeology. I donated just £5 to the archaeology dig at Epiacum and didn't think much of it as it is nice to support people in preserving our history and making it more accessible to the general public

Archaeology changes lives in understanding the past we can help preserve it and help the future, it is all very exciting and Acracheology is a career I would have loved to pursue when I was younger and I was very much in my element visiting this dig in fact I wouldn't have minded if they had left be behind to be honest. All the archaeologist were very well taken of care of on site including excellent catering so I am told and of course the great British cup of tea !





The scenery of Northumberland is breathtaking and it is a part of the world I would like to come back to one day without the picking up of a family member!

We drove hundred of miles to go pick our son up he wasn't camping like some where neither was he in a B & B instead we had installed him into the local YHA at Alston which proved to be good value. We purchased a year YHA membership for him which gives you not only money off stays at Youth hostels but also money off things such as a Young Persons Rail card ( sadly I am about 20 years too late for that one ) The membership for under 25s is only £5 and for those over 25 it is £15 which I think is this day and age is a true bargain.

"Romans what have they ever done for us ?! "

You can't help but smile at the brilliance of this Monty Python sketch and I do love my Monty Python  they're pure genius.You feel pride that your offspring is doing something useful and you do still check they have had their breakfast that part of parenting never stops !

So please do drop by the  Epiacum Roman Fort if you're in the area or plan to be and if you can't get to the area then please do either donate or visit the fabulous website that is bringing the Romans back to life.

Blogging Absence

I was thinking I had a blogged for exactly one week and a day did you notice did I notice ?

I noticed because I’m always blogging and doing stuff on it.I share my life within reason and that of my car and my family.I even blog recipes on occasion in a kamikaze style.

But what concerned me was ( you should never start a sentence with because my English teacher told me ) .What concerned me was the blurring of lines between social media and real life.It is good to blog and how ,why, when you do it is up to you.I saw then someone hadn’t updated their Instagram for 2 days and they were flooded with messages asking if they were ok ? They were ok of course and they were grateful for people asking think they had a cold something.

So I’ve been absent for a week and I had exactly zero messages asking where either I or the cat was .Hell does anyone even comment on blogs anymore or is that a bit 2010?!

Cat picture for dramatic effect ...