Tom Pride is on fine form, with two pieces exposing the Tories in different ways:
1)A selection of especially vile opinions expressed by Tories.
2)The story of a supposedly undecided audience member at a recent TV debate who was actually known to be a Tory.
My final link is to a picture that tells more than many words, and segues into the rest of the post.
This is the graphic I have linked to, with grateful acknowledgement to Team4Nature.
ON NATURE
I decided to do a very brief (words wise) post about nature because I received some important information that required sharing from Team4Nature, and having been out for a walk yesterday I have some pictures to share that fit with the topic.
Therefore, on the principle that one picture can speak a thousand words, here are some of the best from yesterday…
This is from Thursday, as is the next pic.
A white butterfly enjoying itself among some green leaves.
As I often do I will start this post with a links section, before moving on to the main part of the post. I will also be sharing some high quality pictures – enjoy!!
LINKS
Given the title of this post I am in this section dealing only with the non-autism related links that I wish to share – the others will be handled as part of the other section. First of all, courtesy of the Independent, a truly appalling landmark that this government has ‘achieved’ – one million food bank users. Next, through Huffington Post comes a story about Faith Schools. As someone who is a part-time minimum wage worker, I would not necessarily expect the London School of Economics to have much to offer me, but this post from that quarter is a devastating indictment of what this government have done to wages in real terms.
I have a great interest in science, and this article concerning discoveries about the element Lawrencium and its place in the Periodic Table is well worth reading.
All except those who would murder folk whose beliefs differ from their own will find my next offering shocking but sadly unsurprising. It comes courtesy of Padraig Reidy.
A survey boat named the Humber Guardian has been moored in the Great Ouse lately. The boat is owned by Briggs Marine, and I was reasonably encouraged by what I found on their website.
There is a campaign going on at the moment to get the Sun to show Katie Hopkins the door. This is because her latest offering would have made Hitler blench. For more details, here is an article in the Independent.
Tomorrow is the last day on which people who are not already registered to vote in the General Election coming up on May 7th. 38 Degrees are running a campaign to get as many people registered to vote as possible. The process is very straightforward. I provide two options:
My final offering comes courtesy of Tom Pride and provides further grist to the mill of those of us who (like your correspondent) reckon that another five years of Cameron and co will be unendurable. Enjoy this catalogue of horrors!
A PICTORIAL INTERLUDE
Before moving on the main part of the post, here are some pictures for you to enjoy…
This picture and the next four are from framed maps that can be seen in The Crown, East Rudham
The first of four shots of Humber Guardian, mentioned in the Links section.
LIFE WITH ASPERGERS
I was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the back end of 2006, by when I was already 31 years old. I got involved with Asperger East Anglia very soon after that, and out of that came what is now the King’s Lynn Asperger Support Society (KLASS). The group was originally established as local support group under the aegis of AEA, but when they lost their funding to run such groups in October 2012 we decided to keep going as an independent group. Since then, we have had no funding at all. In 2013 we were able to use King’s Lynn Town FC‘s community hub as a meeting place, but then they changed the times at which they were available ton the public in January 2014, and since then we have had no formal meeting place.
Perhaps the area in which I have personally been most affected by having Aspergers Syndrome is in the world of work, where I went eight and a half years without having a paid job, until I got my current job at James and Sons in April 2013 (merely by going in to work on Tuesday I will officially make it two years in this job). Initially my job was for 12 hours per week, and I was therefore still on jobseekers allowance (yet another thing the Tories are consistently dishonest about is the number of people who have jobs but still need benefits to get by as the amount of money these jobs bring in is so little).
I have not directly run in to the kind of treatment that has caused Kevin Healey to be in a long-running dispute with twitter. Kevin is still trying to get twitter to protect him properly, and as part of that change.org have a petition running on his behalf – and I urge all of you to sign if you have not already done so, and share as widely as possible, starting now.
My twitter account is growing steadily, helped by the fact that I always have good photos to share, talking of which, here are a few more…
Stonework from King’s Lynn Minster
What can neurotypicals do in the way of autism acceptance? You can find out by reading the wise words of Autism Mom.
I am nearly at the end of this post, but one more thing I wish to do is signpost another blogger with an Autistic Spectrum Condition who has recently signed up to follow this blog, David Snape.
My very final words concern something very important to me: research. Ignorance is so often the father of prejudice, which is why I take part in research projects at every opportunity. I want more people to know about Autistic Spectrum Conditions and to appreciate the abilities that many of us possess. For those who have made it right through to this stage I have two final messages:
First and most important, I have been helping with a research project by an American. If you have Asperger’s Syndrome and are a social media user (and would be willing to answer some questions about these things), Rocio Watkins would like to hear from you. She can be contacted by email: rwatkins11@apu.edu
For bird fanciers there is an excellent and informative piece about the Himalayan Griffon courtesy of Phuket Birdwatching.
I provided links to several views on the Tory plans to extend Right to Buy to housing association properties, but I think this one is also worth a look on left futures.
The Guardian has an excellent piece about disability rights, focussing on the work of Lee Ridley.
The latest news on activities by the Tory Department of Dirty Tricks comes from Mike Sivier of Vox Political.
My final offering is an excoriating piece about a horrow show officially known as The “Gay Conversion Therapy” conference. John P Ointon, whose blog Notes from the North is a regular source of good material and who has reblogged me on a few occasions (so he has good taste alround!) provided this savage (but very amusing) account.
Butterflies
I am not suggesting, let alone stating, that these are the first butterflies I have seen in 2015, but they are the first that have been around long enough for me to catch them on camera. I have used one of them as a basis for the very latest version of my twitter thank you message. Most of them are of brightly coloured butterflies, but did also get a pure white one…
The white butterfly – these are almost as numerous as the brightly coloured ones but move much faster.
Here specially for you is that thank you message!
Of course, it was not just butterflies in evidence on this walk. There were lots of other photograph worthy sights, some of which I will conclude this post by showing you…
The only picture not from today – this was at the bus station yesterday morning.
A wall of purple flowersA single purple flower up close.Mother and child.
A sensible sign, sadly being ignored by far too many.A last butterfly shot, from the end of the walk.
I am currently in a hotel room in Olympia, having visited one of the most famous of all Greek sites and swum in the hotel pool, but this post is about yesterday (today will come later – probably after supper). Susan Shimmin, who helped my parents to arrange the purchase of their Greek house turned 70 yesterday, and I was among those invited to the party. This featured a very pretty walk between Stoupa and a place called Kalliope’s. Some of us, including me, did the walk twice, while at the other extreme were those who did not walk at all. Back at Stoupa there was a royal spread of wonderful Greek food and then the unveiling of the cake – and what a cake it was!
Even though I decamped shortly after the cake was unveiled I have some fine photos from the day…
The beefed up flip flops in which did both the walks I have thus far mentioned in my Greek blog posts
Getting pictures of butterflies is not easy, but this one is an unequivocal success.
This was the only LIVE millipede that I saw.
These distance signs (3 photos worth) are fun but definitely not to be trusted!
This is surely the smuggest moggy you have ever seen, surveying the world from its comfortable, dog-proof perch!For the walk from Kalliope’s to Stoupa there were canoeists keeping pace with us.
The canoeists were far from the only people put in boats.
“Who’s the slowest of us?” “Torto is” Rudyard Kipling’s version of how the Tortoise got its name!Yacht and canoes heading in opposite direction
This striking edifice is the Stoupa Cultural Centre (the replica Byantine church is definitely ghastlier!)Stoupa Bay and it is so clear that you can see the cold water springs that feed into it clearly.A close up of a cold water spring siteThe cake from aboveA side view of the cake.
On Thursday I attended a public meeting in Norwich about the Scottish referendum, and as a bonus got some fine photos, including one which will soon be adorning the Great Centenary Charity Auction’s
This is definitely a memorial of something, but as I cannot see what it goes only in the blog
This device adorns the door of a shop called East, just opposite Norwich CastleAnd this is the window of the sadly (and very obviously) uninhabited flat above it.This ornate bus shelter is in Guist, the last village the X29 from Norwich passes through before arriving at Fakenham and morphing into the X8 to King’s Lynn. Several buildings in the village have the rounded roof ends seen on this shelter.
Following a nice Sunday morning walk which yielded some fine pictures I called at my Aunt’s house, ready for the journey to East Rudham for Sunday lunch. Edward (her youngest), was there with his girlfriend Rachel, and owing to the necessity of waiting for the drying cycle to finish on the washing machine we had a little time to kill.
Helen showed the quilt she has been constructing for her middle son Charles in its full glory – it is mighty impressive.
Sunday lunch was as usual magificent, and afterwards my mother and I went apple picking at Sandringham before she dropped me back in King;s Lynn.
Enjoy some splendid pictures…
Probably the best moorhen picture I have yet takenTo get two moorhens in one shot is something of a rarity.Given the location of this footpath it was surprising and pleasing to note that this snail was undamaged.These birds were on the grass near Lynn Sport – evidently they have no problem with people.
It was windy down by the river.
I first came across these owls as lot 73 in James and Sons sale, and they now adorn a wooden bookself in my Aunt’s houseThis is the quilt mentioned in the body text – spectacular!This is a close up of one part of the quilt.This view arose after we had finished picking apples.
From the South Gate (see previous post) I headed into the parkland area by the route that got me more park and less road than any other and made way way to the Chapel of Our Lady of The Mount, also known as the Red Mount Chapel. Unlike the South Gate I had been in this building before, but it was still breathtaking. One starts at the bottom and works ones way up (a minor casualty of the popularity of the day – less freedom to do things in ones own way). To show what the windows might have looked liked before the stained glass was broken, one window has been remade in stained glass and looks remarkably good.
King’s Lynn is home to many religious buildings and was once home to more (indeed the town was called Bishop’s Lynn until Henry VIII “suggested” that a name change was in order), but even in the context of a town that is overstocked with this type of building this place is special. If you ever get the opportunity to see the inside take it.
My next post will feature 11 King Street, and in the meantime enjoy these…
After just two days of the fifth and final test match against India, England appear nailed on for a 3-1 series win, and a second straight innings victory. Joe Root is on the brink of another ton, and India look like they have already conceded. India very rarely play five match test series these days, and it is starting to show. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who dominated the first two matches is now hardly able to raise a gallop, now bowling at a gentle medium pace and without menace.
Congratulations to the Indian women for winning their one off test against England. The outcome was more or less settled when England were put out for 92 on the first day although in the end it took some good batting from Mithali Raj to see India over the line (perhaps she could replace one of the men in their currently ineffectual top order?!)
As usual I have some photos for you…
This little beauty was in the Nar Outfall, just where it joins the Ouse
White butterfly.
This heavily laden fruit tree grows in the less than salubrious environment of the Hardwick Industrial Estate
aspiblog 
