BIG anxiety

Settling in after the drenching…

A little moment of sensory comforting

Wet paws…

I was super good, may I have a treat please?

Mumma!!!

Human stuff is boring…

Mumma, I don’t like this space…

Prof. Jill Bennett being interviewed

Mumma, it’s too bright in here…

Staying close to mumma…

Hmmm… not a happy girl…

That light is annoying my mumma! (And I don’t like it either.)

Mumma says it’s ok, she has to stay… ok, mum, I’m here!

A huge adventure yesterday. We were at the Big Anxiety Project discussion at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Sydney has been wrapped inside a massive storm over the weekend. Not the kind of weather for a sensory-anxious autist and a rain-averse Greyhound to be out and about. But we had an important mission, and so, in true autist and Greyhound fashion, we persevered!

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take two

Red pepper, fried rice and roast pork.

Kimchi Noodles with beef slices.

Back to the Theme and Variations game. More of that red pepper with fried rice and the last of the roast pork, and another round of hot spicy Kimchi Noodle to jolt the senses. My friend Rick kindly brought us girls some really good beef. I cooked half for myself – sliced, marinaded in Thai fish sauce, basil and vinegar, and stir fried. I added the beef to the Kimchi Noodles for extra body. The other half was thinly sliced and popped into the dehydrator for Miss Lucy, of course.

The wet weather is set to continue, I am bracing myself for the sensory repercussions.

Lucy is in bed, bedecked in her fuchsia fleece pyjamas, and waiting for me to cuddle up with her. I have put the electric mattress topper on. It was a cold and damp day, I think we will need a bit of warming up tonight, when the temperatures dip.

Good night, world.

Saturday break

all natural chicken treats

new Princess PJs – side view

new Princess PJs – back view

I didn’t do any work today. Decided to take a break from work, and spend some time with my baby girl. We went to the Paddington Market, she loves going there, it is a weekly “must do” for her. Lucy has two friends there, whippets Sophia and Ivy, who belong to one of the stall holders. She is a generous girl, she allows me to bring her treats there to share with the two whippets. They are lovely, as all sighthounds are, gentle and sweet. We also spent some time at the new Bowhouse, which has just opened here in Paddo.

rainy day snoozing

sleeping beauty

The Princess has a mind of her own. Some nights, she prefers to sleep on her own, on the day beds, and only jumping up to cuddle with me in bed an hour before it is time to wake up. Other nights, she likes to cuddle all night, plonking herself on top of me, snuggling her long nose into my blanket, licking my hand. Last night she was in a cuddling mood. Funny how I still manage to get some sleep. If it were a human, I won’t put up with it at all. The mind does strange things, and my Princess has wriggled her way into a part of my heart and brain that nobody else has ever occupied.

It is raining again. And a little cooler. I threw the pullover onto the snoozing girl, and she didn’t cast it off, so I think she likes and wants it there. I should get on to sewing her a set of pyjamas now that the weather is getting colder.

all in a day’s work

messy egg on bread

tandoori chicken, glass noodle & salad leaves in rice paper rolls

soy sauce braised chicken wing and a tangerine for the peckish at tea time

more tandoori chicken, glass noodle, olives and salad leaves

The Nose – Lucy attempting to sniff at my dinner

Rainy day. In fact, rain is forecasted for the entire week to come. Lucy hates the rain. I don’t mind as long as it doesn’t leak, but now I am disliking the rain too, because of Lucy. I hate to see her distress when we try to go out for her pee and poo walkies. She is so miserable and just doesn’t want to venture out, even with her raincoat on. I don’t blame her, but I worry about her keeping it all in for too long. She is averse to the wet – she hates wet grass, wet pavements, water dripping onto her head – she is no water spaniel, for sure. My greyhound is a Royal Princess who refuses to wear rain booties. Sigh. I guess she is a doggy version of mummy’s hypersensitive self. And indeed, I have read that greyhounds are in some respects more sensory acute than other dogs. I love water, but I am very fussy about the context – I don’t like being out in the rain, and if I were Lucy, I’d hate to get my feet wet out there too. Luckily, I have my trusty cheap pink rubber boots to keep my tootsies dry.

Worked all day – which is a pleasure and it feels great when I am able to work. I am not as fast as I used to be, though, I guess middle age slows one down quite a bit. And foodie breaks are of course important! So here we have it, breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner – all in a day’s work!