knitting, nature and living with autism in the family
My feet are in heaven, gently nestled within a pair of wonderfully soft and perfectly fitting handmade socks from the lovely Lisa. Warm socks, a cup of tea and a good book – what more do you need on a lazy Sunday morning. Now I just have to convince H to take the kids somewhere for a few hours!
She also made me this dinky little sock keyring – so perfect and so cute! My feet and I thank you Lisa!
I’m still enjoying getting my delivery of organic fruit and veg from Abel & Cole but my thoughts have turned away from warming winter soups (although with all the crappy weather we’ve been having maybe I’ve been a little hasty!). Some of the fruit and veg I get is certainly challenging me to cook things that I wouldn’t have otherwise done.
For instance I’ve never actually put broad beans on my shopping list before but as they’ve been part of the last 4 weeks deliveries and I don’t wish to consign their green lovlieness to the compost bin we’ve been eating a lot of this delicious salad:
It’s just lettuce (whichever variety you prefer – I’ve used romaine),
tomatoes (again variety up to you – I’ve used baby plum tomatoes),
cooked and cooled broad beans (pod them, boil for around 5 minutes, allow to cool, and peel them if like me you don’t like the tough skins),
bacon / pancetta (fried crispy then allowed to cool slightly)
peperonata (I used half a jar of Sacla but you could make your own by slow roasting onions, tomatoes, red & yellow peppers in olive oil and allowing to cool slightly)
Method:
rip lettuce and chuck in a salad bowl, throw on peperonata, tomatoes, beans and bacon, toss lightly, twist on some freshly ground black pepper and grab a fork (goes very well with a
gallonglass of chilled white wine)
I tell you, broad beans will be on my shopping list for the rest of the season!
Although this blog is largely about my love of knitting, especially rabbits (had to sneak a quick picture in!), I do write about autism from time to time. I also get to hear from a lot of people who are involved with autism – either directly living with an affected family member or involved in research / campaigning. I recently heard from a wonderful young woman who has written a book about an 8 year old boy with autism. Nicki Mann had many problems at school but has gone on to work with special needs children and is currently training to be a teacher. Her book Danny, Danny Superstar tells the story of an autistic boy, his special needs classmates and their school talent show.
It’s a wonderful way to tell other children about some of the difficulties autistic children have. Amy especially likes the story because she identifies with Danny’s big sister Lizzy. It would be a great book to read with children who have an autistic relative, classmate or friend as it’s a very sensitive and child-friendly introduction to the fact that some children are different. Nikki has self-published the book on lulu so you can either download a copy and print it yourself or order a pre-printed bound copy.
My ramblings about autism aren’t based on any intellectual expertise but rather on personal experience and as autism affects every individual in a completely different ways my families’ experiences aren’t necessarily relevant to anyone else. But there are common issues that affect all autistic people. In this country the National Autistic Society are tireless in campaigning for better understanding of autism and better support for those with the condition.
Campaigning is critical if people with autism and their families are to
get a better deal from services and society at large. We work at a
national level to champion the rights and interests of people with
autism and their families and ensure that policy and legislation
reflect their needs: your contribution is vital to achieve positive
changes.
They are currently seeking support from the general public in 2 particular areas. If you’re in the UK and feel like lending your voice please follow the links below. These are not requests for cash – just petitions that show the weight of public opinion.
National Government:
Petition for more government support for those with autistic spectrum disorders
Local Government:
The NAS are also requesting information from each UK local authority on their current provision for children with autistic spectrum disorders. Many local authorities have not yet responded to the questionnaire and so need a kick up the ****. If you fancy delivering a kick, please email me and I’ll forward the email on to you (I can’t get the link to work here!)
Thanks so much for reading and for your support.
little cotton rabbits 
