Monday, 6 February 2023

Universal Credit Blues Part One

 



I am preparing for a telephone appointment about Universal credit. I was sent a text today informing me that the call is this afternoon and I'm expected to magically come up with forms of ID I don't have in about an hour or so.

I have also been asked for a fit not and don't know anyone who can say whether or not I am fit for work as I haven't seen a GP for years as I have been busy caring for someone at home and couldn't leave them on their own. I am disabled and housebound. I am wondering how I am meant to look for work since I can't show that I can't work.

Friday, 27 January 2023

Bide Laundryand Cleaning Products

 Affiliate Link





Meet The Founder

Amelia Gammon had already been on a personal mission to adopt a greener lifestyle for more than a decade before launching bide in March 2020. 

Having made the switch to using many eco alternatives to household essentials herself, she knew that these types of products needed to become more accessible and affordable before they could become mainstream. 

Amelia originally began curating boxes of existing green cleaning products. But a little research showed many of the brands behind them were not as ethical as they might appear from the labels. 

So, bide began producing their own products, which Amelia saw as an opportunity to help empower people who often face barriers to work. 


Thursday, 26 January 2023

Famous Last Words Billy 1959-2022

 


Billy said this to me as I left the living room to make the bed and sorted the laundry He didn't get to have the prawn salad


Sunday, 1 January 2023

Interview with Penny Hawkins (hospice nurse)

 I was with Billy as he was dying. It is comforting to know that I was there for him through palliative and end-of-life care.

Billy asked me not to go to his funeral as I would be expected to be sociable with people who didn't spend time with him when he was alive.

The link to the interview is HERE





Tuesday, 6 December 2022

My Best Friend Just Died


My bestie that died on the 25th November this year. We had shared a home for 9 years. Back in 2013, after a couple of years of chatting on Facebook, as friends, he messaged me to tell me he was in Brighton Hospital, recovering from a leg amputation. We became 'an item' within a month or so and we were totally in love. We moved in together when he left hospital and all was going wonderfully well until 2016.
In March 2016, I collapsed at home with multiple organ failure as a complication of a bog standard cold virus. In hospital, I went into cardiac arrest and then spent several days in an induced coma.
When Billy came to visit I had no idea that we had been in a relationship so assumed this was my friend that was visiting. So when I got back home after 3 weeks in hospital, neither of us really new how to be with each other.
We decided then to scrub round all the soppy stuff and stay together as besties, sharing a place. Right up until he died, we remained best friends and we were each others caregivers, since we both had support needs. We found things to make us laugh every day and he was the best friend I have ever had.
Now, I have thousands of Facebook friends and have met very few of them, so when I announced that Billy I had died, you can guess there were many who told me he watches over me and knows what I am doing.
I really feel like replying "He was my best friend, not Santa Claus' but I generally thank people for their kinds thoughts instead xxx


 

Tuesday, 27 September 2022

New Book Cover For My Current Memoir

 


I'm still playing about with the book cover design and have started on lots of sections of the book.




As part of my research, I am reading lots of memoirs to see how other people organise their work. I recently read the book above and found it extremely helpful, helpful, so I plan to work my way through it a few times during this writing project.



Saturday, 10 September 2022

Femme Forte : We Are As Strong As We Think We Are (Harris & Knight Book 1)

Femme Forte:  We Are As Strong As We Think We AreFemme Forte: We Are As Strong As We Think We Are by Ruth Stevens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! Wonderful descriptions, a roller coaster of emotions, and a jaw-dropping cliffhanger leading me onto the next book in this series.

I'm glad my husband wasn't able to see my screen while I was reading some of the more raunchy bits or it might have given him ideas lol.

I usually read memoirs and classic fiction, so I was surprised I enjoyed this story as much as I did. This is entirely down to the creativity and writing skills of the author.

Well worth a read

View all my reviews