But for now, Merry Christmas…

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

The big day is almost here. The tree is up, presents are wrapped and the festive tunes are playing. There’s only one thing left to do; share the joy.

There are so many people in desperate situations this Christmas. If you can, please consider giving a little.

Glasgow Spirit of Christmas aim to ensure that children don’t miss out on the magic of Christmas time. They provide Xmas gifts to children who otherwise would not receive one. I chose this organisation as it is local, but there are similar schemes everywhere.

Living conditions are Gaza are getting worse. There are no places of safety, access to medical treatment, clean water, shelter and food are incredibly limited. There is no end in sight. I have been sharing & supporting Haitham and his family all year. They are still in desperate need of our help to reach safety.

Refuweegee do wonderful work with refugees here in Glasgow. This year in support of Palestine they dropped complicit corporate partners, resulting in a loss of £40,000. More than ever they need our support.

These are just some places I have chosen to give to this month. There are innumerable organisations doing fantastic work with vulnerable people. If you are in a position to do so, please share your good fortune this Christmas.

Jingle the shingles…

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

My absence has continued. I know, I’m full of excuses. I’m apologise. I just keep getting ill or my meds get messed up or the someone in the world does another really fucked up thing. Anyway, this time it’s shingles. Again.

Yup, I have shingles for the third time in 2yrs. I feel a little bit cursed, but my dr assure me it’s actually my immune system and stress that are the culprits. Oh and being a woman; another perk of my sex. We caught it quick, anti virals galore with a bit of luck it won’t get too horrendous. I feel shitty, but it’s manageable. In amongst all my of body’s fuckwittery there has also been a touch of writers block and a general lack of motivation. What I can offer you is some mini reviews of books that have been keeping company.

We’ll start with good, The Alienist by Caleb Carr. This was re read, but the first read was so long ago that I had forgotten most of the details. I enjoyed it so much that I dove straight into the next book in the series, The Angel of Darkness. Both are set in 1890’s NYC. They follow a group of unofficial detectives on the trail of horrific serial killers. They’re led by Dr Kreisler, a pioneering psychologist who uses his unorthodox theories to capture their foe. The rest of the team is comprised of journalist John Moore, trailblazing police secretary Sara Howard and experts in new detective & forensic techniques the Issacson brothers. I love the way emerging ideas that are now commonplace are intertwined throughout the story. They’re classic crime thrillers with intriguing characters. Incredibly engaging, highly recommend.

I am less effusive about Love Untold by Ruth Jones. The book follows four generations of women in a family. It is an interesting story, but not well executed. Some of the character flaws make it difficult to like them, which impacts the books resolution. I also find the plot reveals to be clunky. The book meanders for chapters and then has huge plot dumps. It felt very unsatisfying.

My sister lent me Three Hours by Rosamund Lipton. It’s not my usual thing, but I enjoyed it. Set during a school shooting and told from various perspectives. It is a high tension page turner with some nice twists. The characters are really well developed; the other does a fantastic job of making you care about them.

I hope to regain my mojo very soon. I am doing my best to get into the Christmas spirit. Fingers crossed!

If you like what I do you can support me here or on Patreon.

The smallest man who ever lived…

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

I’m feeling like I shouldn’t have titled my last post Crazy Little World since it just got a whole lot crazier. The US election results hit me hard. I really struggle to reconcile the fact that so many people actively support that dangerous, hateful man.

I feel scared for the world. I am terrified for the many real people who will be hurt by another Trump presidency. The trend of politics sliding to right horrifies me. I don’t understand why people are so easily conned into hating groups who have done them no harm.

I despair at the inadequacy of our own government. Keir Starmer’s refusal to take action to protect Palestinians, but eagerness to congratulate Trump is cowardly. Under his leadership Labour have become unrecognisable. Their failure to protect the vulnerable in our society is unforgivable. I fear that inaction will lead to a loss at the next general election and throw us back under Tory rule. So far Labour have not done much to offer me hope.

It’s a frightening landscape that I want to improve. The scale of our situation feels overwhelming. Just telling people to vote feels far from sufficient. The truth is I don’t have the answers, I don’t know who does. The best I can do is stay engaged; I will continue to vote at every level, I will protest, sign petitions, get my hands dirty where possible. Right now I feel like supporting organisations who can help those in jeopardy is paramount.

Reproductive rights are under threat. People are dying because they cannot access the medical care they require during pregnancy. Extremist groups based in the US are trying to make inroads into other countries. If you want to keep access to abortion legal/decriminalise it and help people get pregnant people the care they need you can support one of these organisations.

The National Network of Abortion Funds

BPAS

Abortion Rights Scotland

The situation in Palestine continues to grow worse. Israeli aggression remains unrestrained. Cities have been destroyed. People are fighting warfare, starvation & disease to stay alive. A genocide is taking place, if you can please support one of these fundraisers.

Get Haitham’s family to safety.

Hands for Humanity

Medical Aid for Palestine

Although the UK is a relatively rich country, people will suffer this winter. Shelter, food and heat will be a scarcity for many. Please consider giving your support to one of these organisations.

Shelter Scotland

Trussel Trust

Refuweegee

Crazy little world…

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

I know I promised to write about some of the significant things happening in our crazy world, but my own little crazy world has gotten the better of me. I’ve been struggling with a gastro flare & non stop fainting. Both of which have left me exhausted. So, once I have contended with life’s essentials, I have very little left.

I’ve been using any leftover spoons to see my littles and take care of myself. One of the things I can do that makes me feel a tiny bit better is paint my nails. Of course I have been getting spooky with my nail art.

On Saturday I ventured out to the theatre to see my nephew’s Halloween show. The show was fantastic, I was so proud of him. I also took the opportunity to debut my new glasses. I am utterly in love with them.

Glasses – Where Light
Skirt – Lindy Bop

Bear with me, more insightful content coming soon.

If you like what I do you can support me here or on Patreon.

October skies…

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

Oh, I have so much to say. Labour’s cowardly first 100 days have rendered me overwhelmed; fat phobic announcements, abandoning people they’re supposed to fight for, refusal to stand up to Isreal et al. I am working on pieces expressing how I feel about all of that. In the meantime, I am giving you a little round up of my more light hearted goings on. I just didn’t anyone to think I was ignoring the ongoing horrors.

Thursday night dinners with my Brother & his boys are always fun. I love catching up on what my nephews have been getting up to. Last week I had these adorable decorate yourself Halloween biscuits for them and they told me about their spooky costume plans. For this little outing I wore the dress that my sister got me for my birthday. It’s the perfect autumn dress. I love the soft waffle fabric & the long fluted sleeves. I especially enjoy how comfy it is whilst also making me va va voom.

Dress – ASOS
Cookies – Graceful Favours

Last weekend I finally got out to see my amazing friend Lisa. We had an in depth catch up and her 12 yr old son declared me still cool. I consider this a huge win. A weekend on the east coast was lovely. Good friends, good food and even the train didn’t stress me out too much.

Getting back to the Halloween theme, I did some spooky crafts with more niblings this week. It’s school holidays up here and the weather hasn’t been playing ball. They all loved the pumpkin headbands & my big niece also made a beautiful wreath for her bedroom door. I love doing things like this with the wee ones. Watching their creativity and excitement always makes me smile.

Finally, I rounded up the October week with a big adventure. We set off at the crack of dawn yesterday to drive up to Landmark Adventure Park. It’s a forest adventure park near Aviemore and it’s absolutely with the trip. My sis & her big boy tackled all the climbing, water slides & trampolining in the sky. Myself & the tiny boy watched from one of many comfortable benches. Don’t worry though, there were activities I could manage including a labyrinth & meeting my favourite dinosaur. There is a fair bit of walking involved, but plentiful places to sit and rest along the way. We stayed right up until closing time and arrived home exhausted last night!

I recognise how privileged I am to be able to spend a week having fun with my friends and family. All of my loved ones are safe, my niblings are able to enjoy their childhoods free from peril. The people of Gaza are denied that. I think it is incumbent upon us to remember how lucky we are and do whatever we can to help. If you are able please make a donation to help Haitham and his family reach safety.

Wrapped up in books…

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

The few weeks I have been reading some impulse buys. I had a load of Waterstones stamps to spend and decided to pick up some books that took my fancy without knowing much about them.

First up, Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan. The book follows the events in an Edinburgh tenement over the course of 100yrs. It includes the stories of a diverse group of characters with a consistent occult undercurrent. I loved that each tenant’s story was full of surprises. The inclusion of real events and nods to social values of each period kept me engaged. In fact, I really wanted more on some of the characters. If you like a bit of spooky history you will enjoy this.

I finished David Mitchell’s Unruly this morning. I would happily had read his take on another few centuries. I’ve always been fascinated by royal history. Mostly because it is horrific to consider how the whims of avaricious men impacted the course of history. Mitchell’s comedic touch greases the wheels of brutal history. The book is exactly what it claims to be, an entertaining account of English Kings & Queens. History buff or not this one is worth a read, it’s genuinely a page turner. I love when people have the talent to make potentially dense material accessible.

I have another couple of from that little haul to go. I’ll let you know if they were good picks too.

If you like what I do you can support me here or on Patreon.

Birthday Bitch…

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

September is a bumper birthday month around here. My own slips in right at the end, so I am now 44yrs old. How did that happen?

Anyway, I think I’m doing ok for an old bird. On Sunday we had a big lunch with cake, presents and the whole shebang. Obviously I had to smash it with my outfit and I did! Perhaps you’re not supposed to blow your on trumpet, I do not care. I looked gooooood. You’d never guess I’m middle aged.

I’m feeling pretty strange about this whole mid 40’s thing. I don’t know how I got here so fast. I need someone to catch up the ly in my head. She still feels like her twenties were five minutes ago. Except they also feel a lifetime ago too. It’s very confusing in here. Reckoning with mortality and all the things that are behind me is tough. It’s just as well I’m such a hottie; takes the sting out of it.

If you like what I do you can support me here or on Patreon.

Strange & Unusual

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

The last few days have been a beautiful last gasp of summer. Mother Nature is easing us into spooky season and I love it.

Autumn is my favourite season; I yearn for crisp chilly days, cosy clothes and of course Halloween. Our GlasGlow tickets are already booked and costume pieces have been ordered. This week felt the perfect time to kick off the festivities. My sister, her tiny boy & I all cried Beetlejuice thrice & were transported to Burton world.

I absolutely adored the original. Well, I think I was pretty scared the first time, but I settled into it. Gothy Winona made my little weirdo heart beat faster in the 90’s & I think Beetlejuice may have kick started that. I didn’t have much time, but I really wanted to wear something on theme. My teenage niece used profanities to describe how cute I looked, I consider that a success.

Dress – Forever 21 Skirt & Vest – H&M Kimono – Boohoo

Teenage approval for an old Auntie.

I very much enjoyed wearing those over the knee socks. Having them peak out from under the lace is a look. Luckily I have quite a lot of sheer dresses, expect to see more of them. They are actually compression socks to help with Pots symptoms. Plus Sock miraculously make the only comfortable compression socks I have ever worn. Spoonie boon!

Over the Knee Socks – Plus Socks *

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a hit with us. I loved that they kept the style of the OG. No high tech cgi, it felt right. Cast are fab, costumes incredible and lots of dark laughs. The juice is loose and I’m here for it.

* previously gifted.

If you like what I do you can support me here or on Patreon.

24

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

Dear Son,

Today you would turn 24. That’s older than I was when I carried you. I still don’t know how to reconcile the fact that I have lived your whole life in my head, but have never held you in my arms.

It’s hard for me to imagine mothering a grown man. Although, I certainly needed my Mum at 24. I made some unwise decisions. I hope I could help you avoid some. I also hope I’d know when to stand back and let you make your own mistakes. I have a lifetime of love and nurture stored up. There are countless things I wanted to teach you. So many moments I have played over and over in my head.

I don’t know exactly what I believe about heaven and god. I know there is something. I know you are somewhere. I can’t envisage a reality in which you haven’t been loved; haven’t felt my love. I’ll never stop yearning to express that love. I would give everything to have held you even once.

Love always,

Mum

Xxx

It’s that time again…

~ somethinginthewayshemoves

It’s that time of month again. The time when I start asking you to part with your cash. I know times are tough, but if you can, please click on one of these links & give what you can.

The people of Gaza still desperately need our help. Families have been displaced multiple times and live in constant fear. Disease is spreading due to lack of clean water and proper housing. Infrastructure is destroyed. People are starving, they can’t access medical care and all the while are being bombarded. We cannot sit back and watch this happen.

I have been sharing & supporting Haitham’s family. They are just a normal loving family struggling to survive. Please consider making a donation. If you are unable to give money you can still help by sharing their Go Fund Me.

This month I am also supporting Willow Animal Sanctuary. Willow is an incredible place, they offer a safe and loving home for all kinds of farm animals. They re home & rescue, saving so many beautiful creatures from awful situations. They also have a cat hotel for cats that cannot find a home in the usual domestic setting. They are gearing up for winter and could use our help in keeping these animals safe, fed, warm & loved.