Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 525 , Saturday 05/04/2025

Saturday started just after 7am when Mrs S got up.

Breakfast was made & chores were done.

Mrs S went shopping so I got a little time to myself to read my book in relative peace & quiet.

I finished off the left over calzone fro yesterday - while it is more expensive than a pizza it does do 2 meals.

We spent the afternoon catching up on Mrs S’s TV shows.

Mrs S wanted fried chicken for tea so I joined her, I really need to get walking again to lose this weight!!

Final Thoughts.

So there are a load of activities near us for Autism Awareness week - Mrs S as a social worker got an email listing all the activities which she forwarded to me.
Given that she has admitted not knowing much about autism I asked her which ones she was going to … “Oh none, I’m far too busy!”

Day by day until the last day.

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

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 524 , Friday 04/04/2025

Friday started about 05:30 when something woke me up - couldn’t identify the noise so rolled over & went back to sleep.

Friday - 2nd attempt started just after 7am, with breakfast then reading & spending some time on here.

Went to hang the laundry out & had the same triggering problems with fighting thru the sheets that I’ve talked about before - it’s so silly, but I really struggle with it.

Finished hanging out the laundry & then had an extended session progressing with the NMS ‘Relics’ expedition.

Friday night is pizza night - or as an occasional treat calzone night.
A pint of cider & a couple of episodes of ‘Waking the dead’ all made for an enjoyable evening.

Final Thoughts.

The cats have been going bonkers today, I’m not sure where they’ve got the extra energy from!

It’s weird what triggers me, the whole thing with the sheets got me really frustrated!

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

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 523 , Thursday 03/04/2025

Thursday started early, just after 6am, I thought that I would support my wife in looking after her mum - she had to take her to an appointment today - by making breakfast & generally being there - she ate breakfast then vanished as usual until 8:30am when she left the house.

I washed the dishes then did a few chores.
I went out around 11am for an hour finishing off the last bits & bobs on the gravel cleaning front.
I just need to tidy up the garden now then I can plant out the reed bed again.

Caught up on here this afternoon & spent a chunk of time being annoyed with a blind person who was failing to understand that his NT view of the world did not match the reality of the ND world that I & quite a few of the Peeps I share a TL with experience. Only goes to prove that everyone occasionally needs a reminder that they shouldn’t ’be a dick’.

For the avoidance of doubt, I personally do not knowingly use AI to generate content, however I see no harm in using content that has already been generated - it exists, the argument that me not using it in some way prevents it’s spread is not a valid argument as far as I am concerned. AI is not going away anytime soon, no matter how much we would wish it otherwise.
Also I feel that if other folk have life challenges that are made easier by using AI as a tool then that is perfectly reasonable.

Mrs S. got back just before 4pm, so we settled in to start watching ‘Stranger Things’ - yes I know that I’m decades behind!

Final Thoughts.

I’m pleased with what I managed in the garden today, there was a lot of work for not much visible result but things were achieved!

I’m also pleased that I managed to stick up for a friend without triggering myself too much - although I did get a bit cross at the end. Intolerance is such an ugly habit.

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

I understand the need for a label, but I find #NeuroSpicy a bit precious.

I'm going with #NeuroFarReachesOfTheScatterPlot

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 522 , Wednesday 02/04/2025

Wednesday started with a power cut just before 6am , not very long but long enough to throw out all the automation & my alarm.

I rolled over for another hours kip then got up & had breakfast & did a few daily chores.

I cleaned the filters on the vacuum cleaner & cleaned the dishwasher.

It’s been a lovely day so around 11am I went out & tackled the last of the gravel in the bulk bag. I’m pleased to report that I emptied the bag today so now all that is left is to brush up all the spilled gravel, clean that & then see if any of the original plants are in a state to re-plant.

Soup & a bread roll for a late lunch & then I watched an episode of ‘Peaky Blinders’ then played some NMS.

I’ve started the ‘Relics’ expedition & managed to recover my favourite ship & polish off a few achievements.

Final Thoughts.

I’m quite pleased with what I’ve achieved today, I hope that I can keep up my motivation levels!

I’m really pleased that I’ve cracked the gravel pit!

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

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 521 , Tuesday 01/04/2025

Tuesday started just after 7am, I read for a while then went down for breakfast.

Mrs S was in the office today so peace reigned.

I did my chores & then headed out to gravel pit - spend about 2½ hours cleaning gravel, the reed bed is now full enough of gravel for the final part of the plumbing - a trough the width of the filter that balances water flow across the length of the filter - to be re-fitted.

Caught up with a couple of episodes of ‘Peaky Blinders’ this afternoon, & played some NMS - not started the new expedition yet as I want to take the new exocraft summoning tech with me - for that I need to build a spare & that involves doing one of the new missions that came with the last update.

Final Thoughts.

I’m pleased that I got out to do some more work on the filter today, the bulk bag is nearly light enough for me to lift so hopefully the gravel cleaning part of this exercise will be completed by Friday, all things being equal!

Dr rang me this lunchtime - asking why I had requested a call - I said that I hadn’t, I wonder if the Talk Therapies mob made the request? Eith

There’s a new game - ‘AtomFall’ that is a similar game to Fallout, but is based in Cumbria in the UK- I know the area quite well having spent a lot of summer holidays in that neck of the woods, I think I know what I want for my birthday!

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

Should I tell my older parents I’m autistic? #actuallyautistic #autismacceptance #autismadvocate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HXoRz7c40A

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 520 , Monday 31/03/2025

Monday started just before 7am when a mix of Mrs S mooching around the house & the sun fighting its way thru the blinds woke me up.

Got breakfast & read for a little while with my coffee then cracked on with my chores.

Around 9am I finally got outside & the first job was to clamber up the ladder to fix a downspout on the guttering that had broken loose in the wind - the screw holding it in had worked itself loose so I had to re-drill the hole & use a bigger rawl-plug & a heavier screw to hold the fittings in place securely.

Having scared myself ½ to death (I don’t do heights very well anymore.) I spent 30 minutes or so cleaning some more gravel before I had to go & get ready to see the GP about my blood test results.
On the plus side every thing apart from my cholesterol levels were fine, the doctor I saw suggested trying some additional meds to try & keep it under control.

I need to get onto a healthier diet I think (he says having just ordered a pizza as a last birthday treat for Mrs S.P) but food is a coping strategy for me & my MH is still far from ideal.

I need to get out walking again as well soon, gotta fight the invisible wall that keeps me inside the house.

It doesn’t help that after an encounter with neighbours earlier in the year where they essentially judged me for not getting out of the house more I have that added level of anxiety too. It should get easier now with the lighter mornings, if I can get out immediately after breakfast then

Final Thoughts.

I need to get out walking again as well soon, gotta fight the invisible wall that keeps me inside.

It doesn’t help that after an encounter with neighbours earlier in the year where they essentially judged me for not getting out of the house more I have that added level of anxiety too. It should get easier now with the lighter mornings, if I can get out immediately after breakfast then I can avoid peopling.

I do seem to be going backwards at the moment though, although I am pleased that I managed to get that guttering fixed today.

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

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 519 , Sunday 30/03/2025

Sunday started at just gone 7, sorry 8am, the clocks nicking an hour from me & moving to BST.

Made breakfast & watched an episode of ‘Father Brown’ with my coffee then did some chores & went around the house putting the clocks fwd - those that didn’t automatically do so that is.

It’s not been a bad day weather wise, it started off a bit dull but the sun came out this afternoon.

I’d like to say that is has been a day of excitement & fabulous activities, but no, it was a normal Sunday of chilling out & watching some TV.

Final Thoughts.

Back to normal next week, Mrs S is back to work tomorrow. She’s working from home so I will have to wait until later in the week to get some true peace.

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

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 518 , Saturday 29/03/2025

Saturday started stupidly early at just after 6am when some noise or other woke me up.

I resisted the urge to get up & read for an hour until Mrs S got up then went down & made breakfast.
It was one of those days, I had to make my porridge twice because my first attempt was far too salty after I was a bit heavy handed with the salt cellar.

We had another fairly relaxed day, I read my book for a while this morning then I made us some scrambled eggs for lunch which made a nice change.

This afternoon was spent catching up on Mrs S’s TV shows & we had our tea watching the movie ‘Troy’ which we have managed not to see even though it’s 21 years old this year!
I rather enjoyed it but Mrs S found it a bit long.

Final Thoughts.

I need to try & get out & about again next week, I need to get back into the habit of a daily walk now the weather has perked up a bit.

I’m going to loose an hours sleep tomorrow because Mrs S will absolutely not let me lie in until 9am. I might squeeze an 08:30 lay in if I’m lucky though.

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

If you missed my free public workshop about making the “I’m autistic conversation go better, the recording and transcript are now available for everyone:

https://www.autismchrysalis.com/2025/03/14/practical-tips-for-disclosing-your-autism/

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 517 , Friday 28/03/2025

Friday started around 07:30, came down & got breakfast then did my chores.

Mrs S. went shopping & then went to see her mum so I had the house to myself for the morning.

Read a little, played a little NMS.

We watched ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Robert De Niro & Leonardo DiCaprio were excellent as was Lily Gladstone - who was amazing. The movie was much too long though, at 3½ hrs. Martin Scorsese didn’t need to squeeze every last drop out of the story, it made it overly slow.

We had pizza for tea & watched a couple of episodes of ‘Waking the dead’ to finish the evening.

Final Thoughts.

Another quiet day, back to normal next week.

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

What they don’t tell you about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria:

There doesn’t have to be any REAL rejection involved

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 516 , Thursday 27/03/2025

Thursday started early again with noisy children next door.
Read for a little while until Mrs S got up & then went down & made us breakfast.

It’s been a really quiet day, catching up on various TV series.

Watched ‘The Great Debaters’ with Denzel Washington starring - a great movie, but it once again reminded me that we are very much going backwards & revisiting the foolish mistakes of the past!

Played a little NMS this afternoon to check out one of the new features - the ability to waypoint planets. It’s a bit ham handed but it works.

Had coq au vin for tea (ok I cheated & used a pre-prepared version from Chatsworth Farm shop), despite being a ‘ready meal’ it was delicious.

Final Thoughts.

Last day of Mrs S’s holiday tomorrow.

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

Taking an early morning Lyft, one earbud in, listening to my podcast and the driver’s music at the same time.

My #neurospicy brain is strangely into the chaotic mix

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 514 , Tuesday 25/03/2025

Tuesday started around 7am.

Got breakfast & did the most critical chores then we went out for lunch at Chatsworth Farm Shop Cafe.

We ended up going a roundabout route to avoid a closed road, it ended up as a lovely run through the Derbyshire countryside with the sun beaming down on us most of the way.

Ended up having a roast pork lunch with all the trimmings, not something I often have & thus I enjoyed it very much!

Skipped desert & we went to the farm shop itself & stocked up on goodies.

The drive home was more direct but still quite picturesque.

We had coffee & cake this afternoon while watching Sky’s rendition of pTerry’s ‘Going Postal’.

We had a light meal for tea, I had a mini quiche & Mrs S a pancake thing she got from the farm shop.

Final Thoughts.

A really good day, although quite tiring.

Tomorrow will be a bigger challenge, Mrs S wants to spend the day at Doncaster Wildlife Park. We are taking a packed lunch & I’m going to give the new pair of sketchers trainers that I got at Christmas out for their first serious distance work. Hopefully the weather will be as kind as the current forecast suggests!

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

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 513 , Monday 24/03/2025

Monday started just after 7am.

I made breakfast & did my chores.

We spent the day relaxing & binge watching series 1 of ‘Before we die’.

Watched the next episode of ‘The Americas’ with tea & learned about the Orchid Bee - we do live in an amazing world!

Final Thoughts.

OK so how sad am I that the high point of the day was watching an orchid bee gather scents for his cologne!

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