The A to Z of my staying with you

 

This week is shaping up to be a warm, pleasant week which given how the last few weeks have been here is no bad thing for being out as between sub zero temperatures and gusting winds it was hardly pleasant.

With the "Lockdown Roadmap" published  my mind and I suspect most peoples is focused on getting out and going away which I haven't been able to do for nearly a year with this covid-19.

When it comes to going away things are always different with me compared to most in that in the first instance whoever I stay with assumes some responsibility for me because of the limits on my abilities not just physically but also when it comes to my abilities to exercise responsibility and make quick judgments.

In a good many respects I have the position and all the authority of a ten year old boy staying with relatives because while I do have a say, the higher level decisions are made for me and I am subject to house rules in a direct way.

This is for a number of reasons such as I struggle with options, often getting confused around implications and consequences to the point of just freezing over, often I require supervision to make sure breaks and get to bed at a reasonable time so I have a no later than bedtime and can be sent to bed if I'm tired.

I do wear uniform when I am with them at all times except if we're going in a place where regular folk congregate such shops and the like.

That it ties in with my little/middle side and its needs helps to keep some inner tensions down between trying impersonate a grown up and in many ways the lack of such a side in me which just added to the difficulties following higher level discussion of the sort you expect of adults.

It is also helping me more deal with my emotions, sorting some of my attitudes out which people just faced with a potential meltdown in adult company didn't deal with.

On hols

While talk is very much of summer hols and indeed this very week I was supposed to had been away myself I'm looking a bit at boyhood holidays.

To me wherever we went often Mid or North Wales being very convenient from the West Midlands it was rather less about the weather although often it was more than good enough accepting here in the UK guaranteed sunshine isn't realistic but more about just leaving the everyday things behind.

We literally created whole new worlds out of sandcastles with moats having adventures with other boys making and then creating stories we acted out through play as we jettisoned past worries and problems.

We tried different things like crazy golf, chasing each other in dodgem cars in the amusement arcades, experimented with new interests such as fishing (although I was hopeless as casting a line!) finding pleasure in that week or so that would last ages afterwards.

There was a innocence play we loved and to be honest when all this stuff is over with that's what I want to be reconnecting with with no adult justifications to being away.

Just a week of boyish play.  

Boys lego talk

Good morning from the perishing scene as temperatures went below minus two degrees while this entry was being typed up.

This place has always been about and for just us - B.O.Y.S. - and nobody else to be ourselves, talking only about what matters and is of interest to us.

There's no need to make everything 'girl friendly' and they're the first to 'demand' own spaces so let's just keep ours for us.

It's a lot more realistic and more enjoyable.

Given the weather has been enough to freeze brass monkeys off I spent a bit more time indoors this week  playing with my Action Man and my lego.

I was at one site where a few people did talk about making things from lego and one was making the themed kits and the Lego Friends more girl friendly range seems to amount for more girls play and more pink bricks involved.

Okay, given this person was a (adult) little girl I kind of get why you might go for that but it's a bit restricting compared with the traditional "Classic" range which never set any limits on what you could make.

In the light of that why did they feel the need to introduce pink bricks into the classic range as a standard at the expense of more traditional colours if they honestly felt girls didn't want the lego we played with and to whom our sisters and cousins would borrow?

To me that's a no-win, girls get pushed down a pink gender stereotype while we have something that's a bit less use to us and honestly most boys wouldn't wish for pink in their toys.

Personally I'd sooner so more white and light brown house brick shade colour bricks in the sets as they are of more use.

Staying fit

I was not well across the end of last week and into the weekend which was unfortunate but given I'm prone to severe migraines often there is little you can do other than just taking the tablets, staying in bed with the curtains drawn and avoiding anything like computers or flickering lights as they make things much worse for you.

 

One of things I loved about lockdown as much as I'd sooner it wasn't necessary has been to see boys about playing, exploring and generally having fun together.

This morning I saw one lad about ten going on a circuit run several times with the temperature at zero degrees c with his football top which was long sleeved , shorts and long socks on while I was out exploring myself.

Now to actually do this requires a certain amount of self discipline on his part as it would be easy to stay in and do his studying completely indoors but he knows exercise is what he needs in his life and is getting on with it.

This is the thing in much the same way that while I can't easily run I also do undertake physical activity out of doors.

We're both boys who know what is good for us and get on with it.

I'll just mention on here that I'm sorry to hear of Captain Tom Moore's passing yesterday after catching pneumonia and covid.

An amazing life from being in the services, owning a concrete company and raising £31 million for NHS charities last year apart from badly boosting moral, he will be missed.

R.I.P Captain Tom.