#Spotted While Roaming in Aotearoa New Zealand:

A woman (30s?) wearing a black sequined dress is salsa dancing at traffic lights on a chilly evening. When the little man goes green, she does a wiggle-groove across the road, then a little skip up onto the curb before shimmering into the night.

A small human (4?) is hugging her well-loved bunny rabbit plushie when she encounters a giant Peter Rabbit in a toy shop window. Small human thrusts her rabbit-friend towards this interloper, roaring: "MY BUNNY IS BETTER!" before stomping away. This world's only big enough for one beloved bun!

A young human (9?) spots a teacher in the biscuit aisle. (Oh no!) She ducks behind Mum's back, which does not provide a lot of cover, but it just may be enough...
Now Teacher is inspecting the Tim Tams*! Crisis!
Now Teacher's talking to Mum!
AGH!
Why is shopping so STRESSFUL?!

A man (20s?) is stalking the footpath, jaw jutting out, face a war map.
Suddenly, a ginger cat slinks from a nearby garden.
A formidable scowl transforms to a soft smile.
Ginger Cat rolls onto his back.
This is not a trap.
This is a quiet moment for tummy rubs and calming down.

An old, tubby corgi with a very square bottom is rolling in leaves at the park. He sneezes, snorts and tries to right himself. It takes a few goes, much to his human's amusement. Four paws on the ground, he makes a little woofing noise and wags his stubby tail as if to say, "Shall we go now?"

(Continued Below)

Diary of an AuDHD Squirrel. Day 562 , Monday 12/05/2025

Monday started around 6:30am but it took me until 7am to haul my ass outta bed & downstairs to get my breakfast.

We’re back to normal this week so Mrs S goes right ahead & gets her own breakfast before retiring to read her book until about 8am when she either leaves of work or goes into her ‘study’ to WFH.
I am left to fend for myself & we pass like ships in the night.

Made a concerted effort & got all my chores finished by about 09:30 then hit Masto - there was a lot to get thru so I didn’t finish until lunchtime.

I made us some ham sarnies - I must get out shopping again this week!

Listened to my audio book for an hour this afternoon then managed to settle down for some FO76 - the first time I’ve been on the PS5 in 4 days!

Mrs S wanted a takeaway for tea & I was too weak to argue for a healthier alternative so fried chicken it was.

We caught up on a couple of Mrs S’s TV shows & then she peddled off to bed to read her book.

Final Thoughts.

Back to the same ole same ole.
I wish I lived nearer my family.

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Today is M.E. awareness day.

I was diagnosed with M.E. and P.O.T.S. in 2020. Prior to my diagnosis I was a seagoing worker in the arctic, an avid backcountry hiker and a busy musician in spite of both severe PTSD and fibromyalgia.

The summer of 2019 I got sick while working up north. It progressed to a terrible lung/strep infection. I was treated four times following that for walking pneumonia and became sick with another lung infection in late 2019 after travelling in Vietnam.

I kept trying to push through my exhaustion, returning to sea in spite of my symptoms. We live in a society that believes your value is directly tied to your work and productivity. It's a cruel and ableist lens to view human worth that way.

My body has never fully recovered. M.E. has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs and I feel like I've missed out on so much in the last five years of my life. I have tried to go back to some sort of career several times since then only to find myself in worse shape. These last few months of deep rest are the first time I've managed to find some balance with my illness. Sometimes I use a cane. Sometimes I don't. My mobility shifts like the wind. Please know that you aren't alone and many people with long covid may also be experiencing M.E.

It's easy to miss our existence. We just aren't there anymore, and it shouldn't have to stay this way.

#millionsMissing #meAction #meAwarenessDay #longCovid