I've not gotten political for a while, but we've just been thrust into the throes of a general election in the U.K. After the horrors of Brexit and all the conflict it is still causing within our beloved country, I'm not sure how many of us have the emotional energy for yet another political battle;… Continue reading Saving ourselves: the health and education crisis on our hands.
I cried for most of Friday. I awoke to a Great Britain I didn't recognise, one that I never saw coming and that scared me. We voted to leave the EU and redefine our position in the world. My timeline went mad. I am mostly surrounded by other 'bleeding heart liberals' so mainly saw shock… Continue reading Taking the power back
Currently you are not eligible for any properties. That's the message I have seen every Saturday, for the last 208 weeks. We ended up in our housing predicament, four years ago, having moved five times in four years. Three of those houses became student lets for a significantly higher profit, and two were sold on,… Continue reading Housing, homelessness and the crisis on our hands.
It's a new year, and the beginning of a new chapter for me. Single, pushing forty, mother of four, chronically ill. To say the concept of that version of 'me' was daunting is an understatement. It's not the dream to have four kids with two different fathers and be in the position I am currently… Continue reading Shifting sands
So it came. I cried for an hour, overwhelmed with relief that my battle was won. I did it. I got the thin envelope. Four years until I have to do it all over again. In those moments I felt utterly invincible, like I had, for once, achieved great things. The reality is that I… Continue reading Rewriting History
It's 5:30 on my dads birthday, and we are getting ready to celebrate with him. He only visits my beloved Kernow a couple of times a year; Kent to Cornwall is a helluva way. We don't get much time, just a few days here and there, so when I saw the fat brown envelope waiting… Continue reading Crossing the line.
Today I had a huge decision to make. Which version of myself I chose to present in my medical assessment with ATOS, on behalf of the DWP. Do I go in, with my usually sunny, positive disposition, and risk being told that I am obviously coping fine, or do I go in showing the vulnerable,… Continue reading Empire State of mind
I awoke this morning to find social media full of pictures and stories of the anti austerity protest in London and Cardiff. I searched the mainstream media and found that largely these were minimally reported, and any mentions focused on the aggressive nature of a small number of protesters. Police statemeñts made it clear these… Continue reading The battle for Britain begins.
You've gotta have Gumption.... 