Cleaning with hypermobile hands/arms/shoulders can be a bit of an event. Today I discovered that soaking stove-top iron ware in Persil Bio lifts grease with little scrubbing. This is possibly not great for my cooker or the environment but at least I won’t kill my family with grime.

My favourite way of saying “we’re on it” or “we’ll take care of that for you” is the Dutch we zullen dat varkentje wel even wassen. It means “we will certainly get that piglet washed.”

Morning, this year so far has been a lot. I’ve had significant interactions with 18 NHS medical staff (11 doctors/dentists/consultants/nurses/physios) and 7 NHS administrators. With the exception of 1 admin who’d hit peak CBA, everyone has been beyond magnificent. I’m fine btw, not all about me!

From launching the Night Tube and the Superloop to delivering the Elizabeth line, I’m proud of what we have achieved in improving London's transport over the last 10 years. We'll continue making it safer, greener and fairer for everyone.

Help still needed. Now reduced to £150k We still haven’t found a buyer for Mum’s lovely retirement house near the sea in Cromer on Norfolk coast. It really is time someone else was making happy memories there. I’d really appreciate everyone sharing it widely 😁 www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...

Not to crowdsource my work but I grew up without a TV! For our sitcom, I need a list of very very famous ads from British TV over the years. Please link your favourite ones below and they may end up being a key plot point that saves the day. No pressure!

School dinners ‘Going to School’, 1959 Artist: Harry Wingfield

TfL has long championed art and design in our capital, and poetry is no exception. Great piece on sharing the power of the written word as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Poems on the Underground ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I am pleased to report that my young, inexperienced NHS physio is still shining like the diamond she is. Believe me when I say I’ve seen A TON of physios in my 57 years, and none have come near her. I’ll be giving feedback to her boss! #EhlersDanlosSyndrome

Sporting role models to inspire children with SEND? Take a look at bit.ly/3YLWuwQ Includes Lewis Hamilton, Lucy Bronze, Chris Robshaw, Adelle Tracey, others plus some non sport role models too. #SEND #Dyslexia #SportForAll

Goodness, the reports about getting children school ready takes me back. The things we did to teach my youngest to dress/undress himself! My partner in crime was my eldest (almost 6 years older). A ‘race’ to get dressed was a fun game, particularly when my big one often ‘lost.’

Observing the behaviour of some people at my GP, I am minded of my grandmother’s favourite saying: You get further with honey, than with vinegar.

There’s something rather lovely about seeing big burly men walking back from the school run, trying to shelter under tiny Paw Patrol brollies.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated his life fighting for equity and justice. He taught us that even in the face of intimidation and discrimination, we must never stop working towards a better future – a lesson that feels especially relevant today.

Michael Gove just called Kemi Badenoch, “sassy.”

Inclusion www.specialneedsjungle.com/school-inclu...

I swear these transcriptions are trying to get me sacked. Line by line checking here, before I even think about sending them on.

NHS waiting lists will never be tackled until social care is sorted. Third loved one since 2020 in the same predicament. Medically fit for discharge, but no places available for nursing care (this time for 6-8 weeks respite nursing, not permanent).

I do try to be open minded and ‘each to their own’ but… woman in the gym whose face is covered in huge purple bruises. ‘Oh yeah she says, it’s Botox. I’m on blood thinners, so it always does that.’

Whilst I am feeling very fed up with checking an amending hours and hours of transcription, I think this is a bit far. It should say ‘bear with me.’

This is a very sweet play by @paulmagrs.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

I am very much yearning for another dog. It’s been 18 months since our 19 year old rescue was euthanised. A big decision, and not to be taken lightly.

Still editing transcripts for my screencasts. Rest assured that I am not teaching my students the dark arts.

More appalling news from dystopia central www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

My lovely friend just told me that she stood for the first time yesterday, 8 days after fracturing her femur.

I don't know who needs to see this but people with ADHD aren't necessarily messy because they're disorganized. Leaving things out is an intentional organization method because with executive dysfunction, out of sight, out of mind. The "mess" is insurance that they'll remember important things.

The things you find when you’re forced to rearrange your kitchen cupboards. Sugar from Aeroflot circa 1982 (school trip to USSR).

Sila Gur, self-taught artist who began creating #embroidery in 2018 and uses traditional embroidery methods to create contemporary thread paintings #Womensart

A lovely and honest thread about one deaf person's experience of a cochlear implant.

What does employability really mean? This January, we’re creating a space to talk honestly about careers, explore schemes and programmes for disabled graduates, 📆 Thursday 15 January 2026 ⏱️ 1pm 📍 Online via Zoom Sign up on Eventbrite now! #Employability #DisabledStudents #CommunitySpace

Very good list of tips for clambering out of autistic/AuDHD burnout ⬇️

One view, near-universal, is that humans have succeeded through adaptability. Autism is part of that diversity, difference, and natural variation. So yes, it's part of what has allowed our species to thrive. 👍

In the hospital waiting room. 3 hours of continuous dental surgery from 9am… my main concern is not being able to pee until lunchtime!

#Autism #ADHD #AuDHD #neurodiversity #neurodivergence

Tomorrow I have a train journey to and from hospital for dentistry. Last time they were running an hour late. Operation ‘Julia attempts to learn Polish’ begins at 7:45am.

Morning. There is a ticking/clicking noise coming from my kitchen ceiling. Last time this happened (in my dining room) it was followed by a bulge and a waterfall. Can’t see anything yet. In a 70s extension - room above has massive chipboard floor rather than boards. Not easy to peel up and look.

Research Round-up, Edition Six - in which we bring you a variety of research angles involving the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes as we close out 2025: buff.ly/vsHqh5m #EDS #hEDS #HSD #Hypermobility #Zebras #Spoonies #MCAS #Dysautonomia #POTS #NEISvoid #Medicine #MedSky #Doctors #Genetics

Far too frequently, I observe super accomplished women (myself include) unconsciously diminishing their presence in professional contexts... tempering contributions in meetings, understating their expertise in presentations, or hesitating to pursue prominent speaking opportunities at conferences.

'The witch's hideout' embroidery and textile collage by Turkish textile artist Irem Yazici #WomensArt

I am minded of The East India Company today. www.britannica.com/topic/East-I...

I somewhat rashly promised to learn Polish last night. I’ve downloaded a Beginner Guide to my Kindle as I like to understand the grammatical rules first. Reading mixed reviews of Duolingo/Babbel. Anyone have experiences to share, please?

Good job I’m friendly with the receptionist at my health club. I’ve come to Tai Chi sans deodorant. She produced some like magic from under the counter so I’ve had a good squirt of it. Morning!

This, THIS!!! The bigger picture thinking (please read the longer thread) is one of the many reasons I love working in the neurodivergent community (using ND here, because it also applies to ADHD, dyslexia etc). It’s what often makes folks outstanding students.

@brokensandcastle.bsky.social hello there - nice to see you - I missed you when I followed folk from ‘the old place.’ I’m pig witch.

Blowing the cobwebs away in Eastbourne. Lovely, but very quiet!

“ #Healthy people make roughly 35,000 #decisions a day. But when you’re managing a #ChronicCondition, that num skyrockets & the stakes feel..higher. Miss a medication window, & u might trigger a flare. Push through fatigue..& u could be bedbound.”: buff.ly/kQjFvP0 By @remotetherapy.space #spoonie

It’s also misleading because a formal diagnosis is not needed in law for a child to have SEND - needing provision which is additional to/different from.

Autistic Lexicon Litotes A figure of speech applying understatement such as declaring the negation of the opposite (“not bad”), the subject is less significant than another example of the subject, etc … Many Autistic ppl can navigate interactions via Litotes without being accused of “drama”

I am painting today and giving a silent nod to Bill, my college art teacher circa 1985. I can hear him in my head, yelling across the studio, ‘FOR PITY’S SAKE, JULIA, CHANGE YOUR WATER!’