Living with Autism

Mr Hammie, his two lovely sisters Moira and Maeve and a large number of other people were running, jogging and in Moira and Mr Hammie's case, Briskly Walking the 3rd of the 32 Marathons in a very sunny Bray, County Wicklow today.
Maeve, Moira and Uncle Gary came over from the U.K. especially to take part and raise funds for Irish Autism Action, The Irish Cancer Society and local Autism Groups and schools like our own Saplings Rathfarnham. We scooted around them in the Qashqai tooting and waving and after a trip to McDonalds and a quick pitstop at the Bray Amusements to use the loo, we met them on the very windy seafront for the finish.
Maeve jogged it and was in first, so we walked out to meet Aunty Moira and Daddy and Gracie helped them over the final straight:


Nearly at the finish line


A big hug for Daddy

Meeting Aunty Maeve in Pink, Moira in Black and Coach Uncle Gary holding the smokes and other refreshments for the Brave Finishers.
If you want to help top up Maeve and Moira's…

I have just passed the Irish Autism Action Baton on to the lovely Jen from The King and Eye


This is what I plan to be doing for the next few months...


Not Really, I am planning to be back here a bit more while spending a lot more time as a primary caregiver to Boo and Bratty, and preparing to focus on The Grace App.

Oh and our Mr Hammie will be running briskly walking a half marathon this Sunday 4th July along with my Sisters in Law in Number 3 of the 32 Marathons for Irish Autism Action and The Irish Cancer Society.
If you want to cheer him on he will be on Bray Seafront near The Martello Hotel from 10am. If you don't want to get out of bed but would like to help The Worlds Worst Fundraiser - here is his poorly subscribed MyCharity Link. Thanks to everyone who has already thrown in a few bob.

To sponsor my sister-in-law Maeve who lives in the U.K but is coming over especially with her husband Gary to do the run go to her much healthier Mycharity Link .


Thank you all for your mess…

My dear Auntie Glen passed away on Sunday 6th June after the second of two long battles with cancer.
It's not a cliche to say she was my inspiration. Hard working, naturally beautiful but also perfectly groomed and fashionably turned out at all times. Well read, intelligent, interesting and open minded, she taught me it was okay to be me from an early age - when being me wasn´t always being encouraged elsewhere.
Yep, she was as neurotic as the day is long and kind of fragile at times. Nobody can hold up the whole world on their own all the time. She was also very openly affectionate. Auntie Glen made you feel loved when you were hugged. And I loved to hug those bony shoulders and that bumpy chest.

She was a true light in my life. And I miss her so much.

When you live on the other side of the world from so many of the people that you love, you learn to take comfort in the fact that they are just "there" ready to be seen whenever you can get back to see them.
Or "th…

Translation:
A mé féiner is a selfish person, someone who only looks after their own interests and possibly to the detriment of others.

I first heard of "mé féin" at a dinner out with a bunch of girls who all met while trying to improve a little South Dublin Autism School, and ended up becoming great friends in the process.

They were explaining about a local national school where parents had taken legal action to block a sibling enrolment, in order to move themselves further up the list.

So the family concerned now had two kids going to two different schools. Mé féin, Me First. Lovely. (NOT!)

Now my friends are not like this. We always worked together to improve things not only for our kids, but everyone else in the school, and hopefully elsewhere.

So who were these people who would pursue an objective that actually denies others the chance to benefit?
And then I thought about it a bit more and realised they were all around. Recognisable by their absence.

Their absence from …

It has become almost fashionable recently to put down social media, mostly along the lines of "it's sad that you would want to relate to people online - that you wouldn't stop to talk to in the street"

or that you are somehow how unable to make personal contact and relate to people in person, hard copy face to hard copy face, because you are in someway socially inept.

And these people are often to be seen dipping in and out of said Social media - before pronouncing it all pointless - and in some way inferior. And by association that we who use it happily, are somehow inferior to these social elite.

And to that I say - who cares?


The point is that social media like Blogging, Facebook and Twitter have not replaced traditional communication and socialising, they have enhanced it.

And while I would have been previously limited to only meeting and engaging with people from a narrow common interest circle during the very small window of free time that my life allows me;

So…

1. Friends

I have friends in this country that I don't see for 6 months at a time. They don't even text or phone or even email in that time. But when they do appear, usually with 2 bottles of your favourite wine and an offer to buy you dinner, it's like you were never apart. And they get me.





2. More Friends

I have Friends I confide in - in the Four Corners of the World thanks to Blogging. I might not drop in to their "crib" that often lately. But they know where I am and I am grateful to be able to call in whenever and take a break from my real world - when it get too real.

One of these days I want to be able to travel to every one of their cities and meet them personally -
maybe if my little project works out? - Kate, you might have to book me in for a cupcake and a ristretto one day soon.

For now, I will just have to settle for wearing my WendyB Teeny Genie where ever I go.



3. My lovely kids

This is a picture of my lovely Grace - who is doing so well at the m…

Upgrading your iPhone?
Donate your old one & help teach a child with special needs to talk.

The GRACE App for iPhones helps children communicate but they need iPhones
So if you’re upgrading, please think about donating your old iPhone to us Phone Lisa Domican: 0860486249 or email: affinityautismireland@gmail.com
If you're not upgrading – think about making a donation on our Mycharity link
For every €200 we raise, we can buy a Brand New iPhone or iTouch for a child with Speech Delay. Want to Help? Contact me for a Poster to put up in your workplace or email to friends.  Give yourself a good feeling when you buy the iPhone Version 4:0
Give your old phone to us and help someone with Autism or Special Educational Needs learn to talk