I'm back!

Well I was considering finding out how name your home officially as it really did seem that we were living in Viral Lodge. Hannah with a temperature of 39.6 degrees C spending the entire day in the First Aid room at Legoland just about sums it up.

Then there was the special school transport saga which evolved over a new pupil on the taxi route having trouble making the transition from classroom to taxi at the end of the day and my own dear boy taking personal affront at what he perceives as 'naughtiness'. This has spilled over into home life too, with my 'naughty' daughter having to get out of the car and walk home whilst I stalked her by driving beside her.

So that was my summer. Thankfully we are in recovery and have much more positive things to post.

Post-Bercow, Speech Language and Communication Needs

News just out of Hounslow's success as a pathfinder:

Hounslow

How do commissioned services best meet the needs of all children with SLCN? Looking at phases 1 and 3 commissioning to develop good practice parent and child engagement in commissioning services.

And the organisation that will be supplying the families? Our very own Parents in Touch, of course.

Swine Flu?

Zack, my autistic son, has been home from school for a week, which means a halt to work at PiT, more or less. I was on a training course with Participation Works last Thursday when a series of texts flew backwards and forwards. Thankfully my mum came to the rescue.

Zack and flu* (now where's the rolly-eyes smiley?) - very feverish and insisting on going out into the garden to sit on the swing seat at 3.30am on Friday. The joke wore a little thin when he woke me at 4am, 5am and 6am to rearrange his blanket.

Friday was a bakathon for the school fair, Saturday was spent selling cakes (we took £200+), Sunday was a family day with my nephew and his girlfried, Monday was Hannah's 10th birthday so a birthday tea. In the meantime Zack still not well and needing support of the 10-minute attention-span kind. Exhausted by Tuesday, so flaked out on the sofa in 30 degree heat for most of the day.

Both Zack and I recovered today (Wednesday), so he's back at school tomorrow, and I got through a stack of things for PiT. And in a work avoidance tactic I looked through the photo albums at Activenture to find the above gem of a photo. Spot the autistic person with the humongous personal space. Made me laugh, anyway.


* not confirmed that it's swine flu, but definitely viral, and it went through the school (who have adopted a Blitz spirit) pretty swiftly.

I love Lion Television

We had a call from them today and they want to send us some money! That's all I know, but certainly the best phone call of the week.

Adventure playground mystery tour

Take a bunch of adults (all over 40, so supposedly mature) and put them in an adventure playground and what do they do? Cllr Paul Lynch, current lead member for Children's Services in Hounslow, swinging. No, not that kind.

Rolling up at the Haywood in north London we found ourselves waiting on the wrong side of a 10 foot fence.

"Well this looks high, but I know a child with autism who could get over this," I mused. Cue Robin, well over six feet tall and definitely under 40 years of age striding across the park, rubbing his eyes and talking into a mobile.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "Been up half the night waiting to hear about a boy with autism who'd got over the fence and run." He had a history of it, apparently, and been found one time somewhere in south London, having taken a bus there, they thought. The boy was home.

Ant & Dec in Brentford

Okay, this is supposed to be about PiT, but sometimes real life takes over...

Declan Donnelly and my three at Griffin Park today. Ant was in goal. Ben Shepherd from GMTV was slightly taken aback to be considered old enough for a place in the 'Vets' team.

And it was such a nice early summer day that we 'christened' the paddling pool in the morning.

One year older

Now that's what I call a cake...

My dear son was fifteen years old on Wednesday. Celebrated with a small family party and the ceremonial unwrapping of this year's paddling pool. Far too cold to even get the pool out of the box, but it is a long tradition that number one son's birthday presents include a new pool.

And the pressure to produce a cake, I can't tell you. Non-verbal son had indicated to his teacher last year that the best bit about his birthday had been the cake and she'd phoned me in excitement at this breakthrough in communication. Added to which Grandma had spent the weekend reminding him how marvellous it had been. Thanks for that.

Having been on a gluten and dairy free diet for the past seven years popping down to M&S just isn't an option. Antoinette Savill's Passion Cake was whisked up late Tuesday. What a trip down memory lane! Remember when carrot cake just melted in the mouth? Well there you have it - make the cake yourself, and no hint of that slightly claggy aftertaste with the usual gluten-free stuff. Have to say though, I think I've peaked.

Quote of the day: my five year old bursting over with laughter, "Look everyone! Grandma's wearing Clark's"