Tag Archives: Yorkshire

New Lush Stuff

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Hello all,

I this week has been tiring. I am looking forward to seeing a freind later on this week.

A little while ago I bought some new bath stuff from lush. Got some of the usual stuff I like, Blue Skys and Fluffy White Clouds and the Comforter.

But I also bought Rainbow. I have been wanting to try it for a while so I thought why not.

It is brightly coloured, just like the rainbow. Who’d have thought? The smell is very zesty- lemon fresh. I love how when you run it under the water it will make your hands turn blue, yellow, orange or red. There are a lot of bubbles from this one.

A bubble bar in the colours of the rainbow. Sat on a pink exfoliating glove. There is a bubble on top of the bubble bar.
A nice soak

I prefer bubble bars which are foamy because I love a good bubble bath to relax.

Relaxing is important. Having a good bath is a great way to unwind.

Besides my treat from lush I have listened to another audiobook. I’m going to make time to write about these later on.

Anyway, until next time.

Finding socks that fit your sensory needs

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Hello all,

A few weeks ago I decided I needed to get some new socks. This is something I was not particularly looking forward to as I cannot stand wearing socks. Being Autistic means ensuring you are not walking into a sensory nightmare when wearing anything.

An oblong box with the lid closed. Crew logo on the top. Colours white and blue.

Socks to me are too restrictive and the sensation on my feet is offensive. It is very much a sensory nightmare.

Looking online I decided I wanted some bamboo ones as the pair I had already were, surprisingly acceptable. I found that Crew were having a sale which extended to socks. They also had bamboo socks which was brilliant. The colour options I went for were blues and greens, with another pack of vibrant autumnal colours. 

When they arrived I was happy to see they were in little boxes, which we have kept so we can reuse them for other things. We’re not sure what yet, but we’ll find something.

An open oblong box with socks rolled up neatly inside.

After wearing a few pairs this last week I am very happy with the quality of them. They are not too overwhelming, they are keeping my feet warm (but I am wearing these and a pair of other socks- I have circulation issues). The bamboo is soft to touch and I love the colours.


I should point out I am not being endorsed to write this, its just I really struggle with finding socks which make my feet happy. I also believe bamboo is meant to be better for the environment. Please correct me of I am wrong.

Please be mindful that a lot of Autistic people will struggle with sensory issues and this makes choosing clothing, like socks to be a very difficult one indeed. So this has been a big win for me and my sensory needs. I can say I am happy with my sock choice. Thank you Crew!

Thank you for mooching over to my blog and reading my random musings. 

Until next time,
Philippa B. 

Heart Health

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For my 30th Birthday I decided I wanted to raise awareness of Congenital Heart Disease. To do this I wrote about Heart Health on this blog and about my fundraising challenge. See Pips Turning 30. 

February is National Heart Month, lets talk about Heart Disease. I was born with Congenital Heart Disease, I had two holes in my heart and interrupted aortic arch. This was corrected at one week old. 

Here in the UK 13 babies a day are diagnosed with a heart defect.

The BHF has some staggering statistics:

‘Heart and circulatory diseases cause a quarter of all deaths in the UK, that’s more than 160,000 deaths each year – an average of 460 deaths each day or one every three minutes in the UK.

  • There are around 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK: 4 million men and 3.6 million women.
  • Coronary heart disease (CHD; also known as ischaemic heart disease) is the most common type of heart disease. It is the most common cause of heart attack and was the single biggest killer of both and men and women worldwide in 2019.
  • In the UK there are as many as 100,000 hospital admissions each year due to heart attacks: that’s one every five minutes.
  • Around 1.4 million people alive in the UK today have survived a heart attack.
  • More than 900,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure.
  • Strokes cause around 34,000 deaths in the UK each year and are the biggest cause of severe disability in the UK.
  • People with a family history of coronary heart disease are much more likely to develop vascular dementia.
  • Each day 13 babies are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect in the UK.
  • There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, with a survival rate of less than 1 in 10.
  • More than 4.9 million people in the UK have diabetes – many thousands of them are undiagnosed.’

    British Heart Foundation (2023)

    These numbers show exactly why we need to ensure we invest in our heart health. Every single one of us.
A red heart with stitching up the middle holding it together. There is a needle and thread sat underneath.
A heart stitched back together.

Being born with Congenital Heart Disease means I will be on tablets for Hight Blood Pressure for the rest of my life. No lifestyle changes can stop this. I have Congenital Kidney Disease so I need to ensure my Kidneys keep working, otherwise this will have an impact on my heart. This is one of the reasons I am on tablets.

Congenital Heart Disease also means I have to attend hospital appointments to ensure my heart stays healthy and that I am doing everything I can to look after my heart.

We need to take heart health seriously, it affects more people every year. Taking far too many lives. You can do your part to help make change by learning CPR. Find a course near you.

By learning CPR you are buying someone time. You are keeping person alive when they have a Cardiac Arrest.

Most importantly phone the Emergency Services. Then someone can come and help you.

If you would like to learn more about the BHF please follow them on Twitter and give your support. Heart disease is cruel, but hopefully, one day, we can live in a world where it does not exist. 

*I am not writing on behalf of the BHF* These are just my own thoughts surrounding Heart Disease as someone who was born with CHD.

CVI

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Hello all,

Today I thought I would write about Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) as I have not written about this in a while.

I have mentioned previously CVI is the way in which my brain and my eyes don’t always communicate with one another. This means I can be looking at something but not recognise what I am looking at. I could be walking straight towards someone and not understand I am about to crash into them.

The CVI society describes it as ‘Cerebral Visual Impairment (commonly referred to as CVI) is a form of visual impairment caused by the brain not being able to process information from the eyes passing along the visual pathways in the brain. It is the commonest cause of visual impairment in children in the developed world.’ CVI Society, 2023.

Another issue is that I can’t visualise in my head what people or places look like. This makes it exceptionally difficult if I need to go somewhere new. I cannot go somewhere new independently. For me to learn a new route I have to do it a number of times. Even then I will still struggle.

A good way to think about an area of CVI, for me anyway, is to think of it as though you have gaps in your memory. It is just blank. Nothing there. I don’t know if this is a feature of CVI, but it is something which I experience.  

These elements make life quite daunting and very challenging. However there are ways around things. As I say, doing new routes multiple times. When you go out and are with someone try break down descriptions of that person. For example, what colour jacket are they wearing?

Tiredness absolutely has an impact on my vision, as I am sure it does for all of us. But for me when my eyes are tired I kind of go into auto pilot. This is where my cain is important. Because you are putting your safety  in the hands of tactile thinking.

My left hand holding out my long cain in front of me. Ahead of me is the sea on the beach.


The other day I went to get into the taxi, but I didn’t realise until I was about to open the door that someone was already in it. This is where it is very dangerous because you don’t always see things, sometimes until the last minute.

CVI is only one of the conditions I have. Please check out CVI Society for more info.

Thank you reading and checking in. I hope my musings have been of interest. 

Books From 2022

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1 Electricity of every living thing  Katherine May

This was a book I found whilst trying to look for books from Autistic peoples perspectives.
I enjoy listening to these kinds of books because it allows me to feel connected to someone else’s experience.

The name of the book relates back to the feeling the person gets when they touch another person. It feels like electricity running through their body.

They also discuss their feelings of their place in the world and how they interact with what is occurring around them. This is another area I feel connected to the writer and their experience.

If you are Autistic or have someone in your life who is, then please consider this book. Especially if that person is a woman. I am always on the look out for these kinds of books so please drop them in the comments below.

2 mighty boosh Julian Barrett, Noel Fielding
Whilst this is not an audiobook but a Radio Play it still counts.
I have been a massive fan of Mighty Boost for years. Me and my Brother used to watch it. Not a lot of people I knew when it first came out enjoyed it. But we loved it. I mean who doesn’t want to know a talking gorilla?

I cannot believe it came out in 2005! This makes me very upset. If you have never given Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett a chance I highly record you do so. The comedy is weird and quite niche. But if you are into Zoos, Arctic Tundras, Bryan Ferry and Goths you will love it. 

3 divergent mind Jenara Nerenberg
Just like the Electricity of every living thing this book was incredible. It looks at the way in which Autistic People view and experience the world around them. It asks questions like ‘how can we better design buildings to suit the needs of Autistic People?’ ‘How can we better structure our days to get the best out of Autistic people?’ Rather than it being the other way around.

I sat and listened to it whilst in the garden in summer laying on the grass and just enjoying the warm sun. It was quite comforting listening to a book which questions why the world can’t work for Autistic people instead of the other way around.

Again if you are Autistic or have and Autistic person in your life, please read/listen to this book. 

4 full circle Michael Palin
This is a great listen. I cannot believe Full Circle is a documentary from 1997. It was amazing listening to how he got around the world in a age before mobile phones and instant communication. The way he talks about the various places he visited, even back then is incredible.

The way some places were only just starting to grow in terms of people and population, like China. It made me wonder, what would it be like if he did the trip again now and did a comparison?

I like Michael Palin. He has a great voice for narration and is a good book to have on while you want to relax. 

5 avoiding anxiety in autistic adults Luke Beardon
Another book I really enjoyed. Autistic People can really struggle with Anxiety. Living in a world which is not built for Autistic people creates levels of Anxiety which can be paralysing at times.

This books talks about Anxiety from and Autistic perspective and once again I felt very seen. I felt quite comforted listening to it. 

6 outsider live Sarah Millican
I am a major fan of Sarah Millican. She sounds like someone I used to know and her voice is very comforting. So whilst I was in bed feeling poorly I listened to her recording of a live show and it was nice. Plus it made me laugh. 

7 comfort book Matt Haig
The thing I liked about this one is it was just short snippets. But it really made you think about self care and how you can make small changes or think in a different way to allow yourself to feel a sense of Self Comfort. 

8 all of the marvels Douglas Wolk
I absolutely love Marvel. My favourite is Spiderman. This was the first character I ever came across.

The book is quite long, but with good reason, the guy is talking about the whole Marvel Universe, or as good as.

There’s so much he delves into, not just major characters but also ones which didn’t have many of their own comics.

If you are a fan of Marvel I again urge you too read this on. 

9 beyond the wand Tom Felton
This was good listen in that Tom Felton is being very open about his mental health. Which is brilliant. He is very open and honest about his journey in the acting world and how he found it difficult adjusting to life after Harry Potter.

I am a major advocate for people being able to talk about Mental Health. It is really important we have spacers where we can talk about how we feel so we don’t let things get bottled up and overflow.

Again I would urge anyone to listen to this book and hopefully it will enable them to feel less alone.

This was just a list of all the books I listened to last year and what I thought to them. If you have any book suggestions please leave them in the comments. Books are great because we can share our thoughts and we can delve into a completely different world where we can learn about something new.

Happy Reading,

Self Care and Tea

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Hello all,

I hope your 2023 is going well. Apparently at this point we have reached ‘Blue Monday’ whereby we have all thrown our resolutions out the window and thought ‘forget that’.

Well how about instead of forgetting that resolution you just hit pause instead? I mean did you pick something impossible to give up? Do you try a new hobby which is becoming more of a chore? Perhaps you picked more than one resolution?

I haven’t bothered with anything this year which is too taxing, I want to enjoy more audiobooks because I like reading. That’s it. I just want to do one thing which I enjoy.

Looking straight down into a teapot with a tea bag brewing inside.

Plus I can incorporate another thing I love- tea. I absolutely love tea. As I am writing this I am enjoying a cup of Twinnings Lemon and Ginger tea. It is quite warming. Its good to relax with.

One thing I realised last year is I can feel overwhelmed at times which gets my head overwhelmed. It might not be a lot by other peoples standards, but to me it is a lot. Which is why, by focussing on books and tea I can tell myself to slow down and be kind to myself. So ask yourself, is your resolution allowing you to be kind to yourself? Mine hopefully will.

I can use books to learn more, I can use them to relax and unwind. Books are amazing to me and I used to love reading physical books. I am grateful audiobooks are a thing because if they were not I would have fallen out of love with reading, as I almost did.

So please remember to be kind in whatever goal you have given yourself. It is only the 16th of January. We still have plenty of time.

Thank you for reading,
Philippa B.

Other blogs you might enjoy:

Navigating Visual Stress
2019 Books So Far

Navigating Visual Stress by using colours

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Hello all,

The weather is most definitely on the turn. I do enjoy autumn. Currently sat with a nice cup of decaf tea. It’s after 2pm after all.

As a visually impaired person something I try to do is get things that are important in different colours. These colours tend to be bright so I can spot them. For example my purse is red, my yearly planner is red and my AirPods case is red. But you can see what the problem is here… everything is red. This means when I got my new phone and had to pick a case colour I opted for orange. I don’t have anything else orange.

These differences in colour are very helpful. Brighter colours enable me to spot objects and associate objects with colours. So if I am looking for something important I can find the colour. However due to the CVI this does not always help. My brain doesn’t always interpret what I am looking at. It can’t even think of colours at times because everything is overwhelming. Therefore I may just pick something up to see what it is if needs be.

CVI is something I have written about before and when I am tired it gets worse. This is because my brain cannot handle too much information at once. So by breaking things down through describing what I am looking for things can become more accessible.

Being Visually Impaired is exhausting constantly navigating a world where there is too much visual stress is overwhelming. So by breaking it down into colours or what shapes things are can make it easier.

What tips do you have to decrease your visual stress?

Thank you for reading and have a great day.
Philippa B.

A red purse and a red AirPods case.
Red Puurde and Red AirPods Case

Mind My Cain

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Hello all,

It is Monday again which means it’s time for another blog post. This week I’m focusing on being a long cane user.

As you maybe aware I am Visually Impaired and use a long cane. In order for me to get around I sweep the cane across the floor in front of me to be able to find objects in my path. Including but not limited to steps, curbs, dogs and people.

Earlier this week I had gotten off the train and was making my way to the escalators. It was a busy morning and I was making my way to work. Someone was at the side of me and noticed my cane hit their leg, they looked down at my cane and continued to move forwards. The difficult and dangerous thing was that we were trying to get on the escalator. People at the other side of me noticed I had my cane, they stopped and let me get on. I said thank you.

My long cane in the centre, a red handle. In front is a train platform.

The person who had come into contact with my cane continued onto the escalator. I continued to use my cane to navigate onto the escalator and my cane caught between their legs. Once we were on the escalator I stood my cane in front of me and waited until we reached the top.

I put my cain out cautiously to find my way off. As I did this and moved forward the same person was caught by my cain.

The difficult thing with being a cain user is that we are using it for the right reasons. To discover obstacles in our path and navigate safely. The problem comes when others pay no attention. Mistakes can be made yes, but when someone actively notices your cain and continues to not give you the space you need to navigate safely then they are putting you and them at risk.

The danger in this situation is that the person who ignored my cain could have tripped up and slammed their head onto the escalator. I could have then fallen onto them. This would have been very dangerous for both us.

Similar situations can occur when cain users are crossing roads. If people ignore our cain and step into the road or don’t move out of the way then they could cause both of us to fall over.

When out and about people tend to have their headphones in to block out all the noise around them, which makes sense. But this can also mean you’re in your own little world.

This can lead to people being less aware of their surroundings. Meaning they may miss someone using a mobility aid. Which can have serious consequences.

All we ask is that you try be a bit more cautious. We are doing what we need to do to get around. We can’t travel at quieter times if we need to get to work. We shouldn’t have to travel at quiet times.

Please just be a little mindful and don’t rush people. Getting to work can be very hectic and can create stress. But if we all just try be a little more aware of our surroundings (unless, like me you’re Visually Impaired and find this difficult) we can all have an easier and smother time on public transport.

Thank you,
Philippa B. 

Moose Coffee

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Hello world,

How are we all?

At the moment I am rather tired. So having to work only one day this week is great.

Something which I have been trying to do lately to try and reduce my tiredness is going out and seeing friends a bit more.

Often I really am too tired to be able to do this. Due to sensory overload and the general overwhelmingness of life doing things can be very exhausting for me. So I am trying to go out and do more of the things I enjoy. Like seeing friends.

Last week I went to Moose Coffee and we had a lovely time. Normally I struggle trying new places, but I thought it might be nice to give it a go.

The menu looked interesting and I had seen a delicious stack of pancakes on there so that was a win. While waiting for my friend I checked she would like to go there and she said yes so I booked a table. 

When we got there it was quite quiet, this was perfect for me. Trying new places can be too intense, so the fact it was quiet was a plus.

The space was open and airy and the lighting wasn’t t too bright. We got a window seat so we didn’t have to worry about people passing us on both sides.

The menu was quite small so my friend read it aloud to me. We chose drinks and ordered some water too. When it came to ordering food I chose the pancakes with Nutella and bananas with some syrup. The pancakes  were huge! There were three of them! My friend laughed as I put the Nutella on and asked if I had enough.

They were very soft and fluffy. There was plenty of Nutella, so I caked the pancakes in that. Once I had arranged my bananas I was happy to drizzle the syrup all over the top, lifting some of the pancakes to ensure the syrup went on the ones below.

A stack if pancakes, covered in Nutella, bananas and syrup.
Soft and Fluffy


The service at Moose Cafe was very nice, they brought it all in a timely manner and I did not feel rushed. If you have never been I would highly recommend it. We are absolutely going back.

When choosing somewhere new I tend to like places which will be quiet, or we go at times when we expect it to be quiet.

Being Visually Impaired I tend to rely on others to read my menu. Or I will look at the menu before we go so I know what I want. I did that with Moose Coffee, I saw the pancakes and knew that’s what I wanted.

It was nice to catch up with my friend and spend some time with them. I need to try do this more because it makes me happy. Doing more of the things you love gives you energy. I enjoyed my day. It was great to catch up and we did some shopping as well.

If I have not said already, you should go.

This week I am just relaxing and I am off to London on Friday to visit my brother. I am really looking forward to it.

Anyway, I am off now because I am tired thinking about those pancakes.

See you soon.
Philippa B. 

Enjoy the Sunshine Responsibly

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Hello all,

The past few day have been rather hot. When the weather is like this it can be quite nice for a short period of time. However because we are not used to it in the UK the temperatures can be very uncomfortable.

Our houses are not designed for keeping cool. They are designed to stay warm. Which is not ideal when the thermometer is saying 45 degrees C outside.

During the hotter months of the year it is important that we stay cool and look after ourselves in the heat.
It is nice to be outside but we need to enjoy the hear responsibly.

If you have a heart condition it is especially important to take care of yourself. The British Heart Foundation has some amazing resources on their website. Remember to stay hydrated, drinking plenty of water. You should also wear a hat and spend time in the shade.

If you keep your curtains pulled closed during the day you will stop the heat from warming your house. This is probably why in warmer countries they have small windows and shutters. To keep the heat out.

Anyway that’s it from me, I am far too warm and I have just had some lunch meaning I am now rather tired.

Enjoy the sun, but be sensible.

Philippa B.

A thermometer outside in the sun showing 41 degree C.