'TWIST ME AND TURN ME AND SHOW ME THE ELF......................'

Last night I watched a program on TV called My Family and Autism.

Jacqui Jackson had seven children, and all four boys have a form of autism. 14-year-old Luke tells the story of his family and provides a unique insight into how the world can seem to a child with autism. For his mother, Jacqui, the challenges of caring for her sons includes a relentless search for anything which may improve their life - a special diet, a consultation with a research optician, and a visit to an educational psychologist. But as Luke is always saying, "different is cool", and this special family more than proves it.

It is a repeat of a program that was shown on TV in 2003. At the time it was shown Beauty was approximately 2 nearly 3 years old and I remember being upset watching the show the first time because the youngest child who is profoundly autistic was so much better than Beauty. BUT I can now look back with experience and can accept that all children are different, even children on the autistic spectrum.
The show had so many similarities to my own life and seeing the connections to my own life made me laugh. For instance, the typical night where the children would not sleep!!!!!!!!! Sound familiar?

How many nights have I spent with SoWhite and Fiona wandering around all night. As in the TV show, the sleep pattern of the profoundly autistic one is really the easiest to cope with.

I have thought many times that The Borrowers must live in my house as so much seems to go missing. My children call my house the Black Hole of Pentwyn. In the TV show all the laces went missing from their shoes..................that is so something that would happen in my house! Things disappear and show up years later! I have stopped asking why when I come across something weird in my house, now I just think O.K it is better not to know. We have many situations like 'sausage (or was it a chip) down the side of the cooker' in Adrian Mole.
For instance, I went on holiday approximately 18 months ago and returned to find the living room mirror cracked! My offspring had no clue as to how it happened and I really believe that they did not know. Bloody Faeries Again! I don't want Faeries in my house, I want Brownies.
All my girls have been through Brownies and Guides and I love the story they tell in Brownies about the Brownies that secretly live in the house and do jobs and acts of service. £5.50 an hour to any Brownie(of the adult helper variety) who wants to come live with me!

Story
Once upon a time, there were two little girls who lived in England with their granny and their father. The girls played all day while the granny and father had to work very hard. One day granny told the girls about the Brownies, who used to do lots of things to help around the house. They are gone now, she said, but we were always so much happier when they helped. The girls wanted to know where the Brownies had gone and how to get them to come back. Granny said, "only the wise old owl knows!"

That night, when everyone else was asleep, one of the girls ran out of the house into the magic forest. There she found the wise old owl. "Please", said the girl, "where can I find the Brownies to come and live with us? The owl said, "I know where two live – right in your house!" She was very surprised! Tell me how to find them, she begged. He told her to go to the pond in the magic forest, turn around three times and say, "twist me and turn me and show me the elf… I looked in the water and saw…….!" The wise old owl said, "When you finish the rhyme, you will see the Brownie in the magic pond."

The girl went to the pond in the magic forest and did as she had been told. She went back to the forest and found the wise old owl and said, " something must be wrong, I did all you told me to do and I only saw myself! And I am not a Brownie!" " Are you sure?" said the owl. To be a Brownie, you must be ready to help those around you, make friends wherever you can, and every day try to discover something new. "I'd like to be a Brownie", said the girl. Then go home and try, the wise old owl said kindly. He touched her hand with his feathers, and suddenly she was back in her house, in her own bed.

Quietly, she woke up her sister, told her all that had happened. Together the girls tip-toed into the kitchen and began to clean the house. In the morning, when granny and father saw the house, they wanted to know what had happened. "Who did this?" said granny and father! The girls danced around and shouted, "it's the Brownies!" And from that day on, theirs was a very happy house near the forest, all because of the Brownies!

Last night SnoWhite's boy 'friend', a boy who is a friend came over to visit. He hadn't been over in a long time because SnoWhite has her own flat but recently she has taken to spending most of her time in my house(her flat is very cold). When he came and sat down in the living room the first thing that he said was,'Where is Beauty' and for a second I was a bit confused and said,' in her bed of course!' not remembering that the last time he visited Beauty was still awake and wandering around until 1am. How quickly you forget, having her in bed and asleep a few minutes later is such a blessing and something I thought would never happen. She now goes to bed promptly at 9pm, any earlier and she is up at stupid o'clock! perhaps going to bed earlier will come in time.

Last night SnoWhites's boy 'friend' did not show up until about 11pm because he was at Magic.
That is Magic of the card variety, not tricks. No matter how hard I try and get my head around it ,Magic is just something I do not understand.

Magic: The Gathering (colloquially "Magic", "MTG", or "Magic Cards") is a collectible card game created by Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, which was later purchased by Hasbro. Magic was the first example of the collectible card game genre and still thrives today, with an estimated six million players in seventy countries. Magic can be played by two or more players each using a deck of printed cards or through the internet-based Magic: The Gathering Online on a computer.

Each game represents a war between powerful wizards who use magical spells, items, and fantastic creatures depicted on individual Magic cards to defeat their opponents. Although the original concept of the game drew heavily from the motifs of traditional fantasy role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Magic bears little resemblance to pencil-and-paper adventure games. Rather, Magic is more similar to bridge or poker but with substantially more cards and more complex rules than other card games.

The world-wide popularity of Magic has spawned an organized tournament system and a community of professional magic players as well as a secondary market for Magic cards. Magic cards can be valuable due to scarcity arising from their power and utility in game play or the aesthetic qualities of their artwork.

Perhaps if I saw a game being played it might be different.


SnoWhite also bought her boy 'friend' a steak as he hadn't eaten, I can still smell the steak this morning. Even though I am a vegetarian I still love the taste of meat. I don't eat meat because I really don't like the thought of the animal I am eating but that doesn't mean that I don't like the taste of meat. When I used to go out for a meal I ALWAYS ordered steak or a mixed grill and I loved every bit of it.
I know that I physically could not eat meat as the thought would make me sick but still I lust after it.
Ariel is still in Florida visiting Belle and she has been there about a week and comes back on Sunday. Yes Ariel I do miss you(and not just because it is quieter) and you being away reminds me how much I miss you and Belle and Anastasia in Vienna. See you soon Ariel and see you Anastasia and Belle in May for the wedding.