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A List of Things I’ve Done on a Week of Annual Leave

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Friends & Family, Games, Gay, Happiness & Joy, Health, Life2 Comments

I’ve just been off work for a week on much needed annual leave. I’ve had a great week off, the weather has been warm, but with intermittent sun and showers. Here’s a list of things I’ve done:

  • Had plenty of rest and relaxation – including some naps here and there.
  • Finished reading Carrie by Stephen King and reviewed it.
  • Attended Wigan Pride (gay pride event), organised by BYOU+. It was a great event which included: a parade led by the legendary Sir Ian Mckellen (better known to some as Gandalf or X-Men’s Magneto), a stage with local performers performing (also opened by Mckellen) and a marketplace of information stalls. BYOU+ and the residence of Wigan did Wigan proud and it is an event that I shall look forward to attending again in the future. Here are some photos from the day:
Wigan-Pride-17-0

Wigan Pride Parade (1)
Wigan-Pride-17-1

Wigan Pride Parade (2)
Wigan-Pride-17-2

Wigan Pride Parade (3)
Wigan-Pride-17-3

Wigan Pride Parade (4)
Wigan-Pride-17-4

Wigan Pride Parade (5)
Wigan-Pride-17-5

The closest I could get to Sir Ian Mckellen (under the rainbow brolly).
Wigan-Pride-17-6

Wigan Pride Main Stage
Wigan-Pride-17-7

Sir Ian Mckellen opening the main stage (1)
Wigan-Pride-17-8

Sir Ian Mckellen opening the main stage (2)

rainbow-photo-from-bedroom-window-August-2017

A photo of a rainbow from my bedroom window.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Saturday 19 August 2017

A List of Famous People with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and/or Dyscalculia

By Education, The Web, Thinking12 Comments

Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia all affect the way people learn. Some people may have one of these conditions diagnosed, whereas others may have two or even all three of these conditions diagnosed.

I have been diagnosed primarily with Dyspraxia, with some Dyslexia and more than a touch of Dyscalculia. But with determination, support and self-belief I have overcome adversity to be relatively successful. I am not alone. Many famous people have Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and/or Dyscalculia and have managed to be successful at what they do.

Below is a definition of Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, along with a list of famous people (in alphabetical order) with each condition:

Dyspraxia is:

…a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults…DCD is a lifelong condition, formally recognised by international organisations including the World Health Organisation…[DCD] occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. Individuals may vary in how their difficulties present: these may change over time depending on environmental demands and life experiences.

(From: Dyspraxia Foundation – About Dyspraxia, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

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A List of Famous People with Dyspraxia

albert-einstein

Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist [Deceased]According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © Wiki Media.
bill-gates

Bill Gates, Philanthropist and Founder of Microsoft
According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © The Telegraph.
daniel-radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe, Actor
According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © NBC.
isaac-newton

Isaac Newton, Physicist and Mathematician [Deceased]According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © Wiki Media.
pablo-picasso

Pablo Picasso, Artist/Painter [Deceased]According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © The Art Story.
richard-branson

Richard Branson, Business Man and Philanthropist
According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © bio.
robin-williams

Robin Williams, Comedian and Actor [Deceased]According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © DAVID LANZILAO/REDUX on Daily Beast.
stephen-fry

Stephen Fry, Comedian, Writer and Presenter
According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © Stephen Fry.

 *

* Apologies for the lack of females on this list. No famous females found to have Dyspraxia online. Know a famous female with Dyspraxia? Leave a comment below.

Dyslexia is:

…a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.

It’s a “specific learning difficulty”, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing. Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn’t affected.

(From: NHS Choices – Dyslexia Introduction, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

A List of Famous People with Dyslexia

agatha-christie

Agatha Christie, Writer [Deceased]According to Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © bio.
cher

Cher, Singer and Actress
According to Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Cher.com.
eddie-izzard

Eddie Izzard, Comedian, Writer and Actor
According to Dyslexia Association of Ireland.
Image From & Copyright © SBS TV.
keira-knightley

Keira Knightley, Actress
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © IndieWire.
leonardo-da-vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, Inventor, Artist and all-round Genius [Deceased]According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © Leonardo da Vinci.net.
orlando-bloom

Orlando Bloom, Actor
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © TimeInc.
steve-jobs

Steve Jobs, Inventor and Apple Co-Founder [Deceased]According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © 9to5Mac.
steven-spielberg

Steven Spielberg, Film Director
According to: Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Slate Magazine.
thomas-edison

Thomas Edison, Inventor [Deceased]According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © bio.
tom-cruise

Tom Cruise, Actor
According to: Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © TomCruise.com.
whoopi-goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg, Comedian, Actress and Activist
According to: Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Teacup Puppies Store.
winston-churchill

Winston Churchill, Politician and Former Prime Minister of the UK [Deceased]According to: Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © ITV.

Dyscalculia is:

…is usually perceived of as a specific learning difficulty for mathematics, or, more appropriately, arithmetic.

Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disorder that is characterised by impairments in learning basic arithmetic facts, processing numerical magnitude and performing accurate and fluent calculations. These difficulties must be quantifiably below what is expected for an individual’s chronological age, and must not be caused by poor educational or daily activities or by intellectual impairments.

(From: British Dyslexia Association – DYSCALCULIA, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

A List of Famous People with Dyscalculia

cher2

Cher, Singer and Actress
According to Dyscalculia Blog.
Image From & Copyright © Cher.com.
benjamin-franklin

Benjamin Franklin, A Founding Father of the United States of America [Deceased]According to Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © Wikimedia.
bill-gates2

Bill Gates, Philanthropist and Founder of Microsoft
According to Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © The Telegraph.
thomas-edison2

Thomas Edison, Inventor [Deceased]According to: Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © bio.

 *

* According to Dyscalculia Blog, Dyscalculia is rarer than Dyslexia. Dyscalculia is not as well known as Dyspraxia or Dyslexia. This means that it’s likely that less people are assessed for Dyscalculia and therefore less people diagnosed with it. This would go someway to explaining the lack of famous people with Dyscalculia on the list above.

Write soon,

Antony

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Friday 5 August 2016

Book Review: Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Health, Inspiration, Reviews, ThinkingNo Comments
reasons-to-stay-alive-matt-haig After reading the unique and brilliant novel The Humans by Matt Haig, I decided to Google him to learn more about this extradorinaiy Author.

I discovered that he had suffered with poor mental health in the past and was releasing Reasons To Stay Alive on the topic of mental health. So I immediately ordered Reasons To Stay Alive to see what he had to say on the subject.

In Reasons To Stay Alive, Haig shares his own experience of anxiety and depression, starting with a note to the reader explaining that these are his experiences and that other people might experience anxiety and depression in differing ways.

His book is split into five sections. His first is Falling where he writes about symptoms, suicide (including some of the reasons why men are more at risk of suicide) and the facts about depression and anxiety.

Throughout Reasons To Stay Alive there are little gems of good advice. In Falling for example, Haig writes about The Bank of Bad Days (see below). I have found having a Bank of Bad Days extremely useful.

Bank of Bad Days

WHEN YOU ARE very depressed or anxious – unable to leave the house, or the sofa, or to think of anything but the depression – it can be unbearably hard. Bad days come in degrees. They are not all equally bad. And the really bad ones, though horrible to live through, are useful for later. You store them up. A bank of bad days. The day you had to run out of the supermarket. The day you were so depressed your tongue wouldn’t move. The day you made your parents cry. The day you nearly threw yourself off a cliff. So you are having another bad day you can say, Well, this feels bad, but there have been worse. And even when you can think of no worse day – when you are living in the very worst there has ever been – you at least know the bank exists and that you have made a deposit.

(From: Reasons To Stay Alive, by Matt Haig, p. 52, 2015. Copyright © Matt Haig 2015.)

The second section is Landing where he writes a lot about some of his key experiences, as well as the warning signs of depression and anxiety.

The third section is Rising where Haig covers panic attacks, the importance of love, how to be there for someone with depression or anxiety and famous people that have suffered from depression and anxiety. This entire section aims to tell someone experiencing poor mental health that they are not alone.

Living is the fourth section of the book and focuses on recovery from depression and anxiety. This section covers the importance of slowing down, lists reasons to live, lists things that make Haig’s mental health worse and sometimes better.

Being is the last section of the book and gives forty pieces of advice that Haig feels are helpful.

The presentation of the book is good. It’s a small white hardback book, with small chapters (some only a page long), which because of his writing style as easy-to-read and engaging.

Reasons To Stay Alive is one of the better books written about poor mental health on the market. It is a quick and easy-to-read book that is well worth a read.

Reasons To Stay Alive is available to buy on Amazon or at all good bookshops.

Review soon,

Antony

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I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Saturday 3 October 2015

A Random List of Things I Like & That Make Me Feel Good

By Happiness & JoyNo Comments

Here’s a random list of things I like and things that make me feel good:

  • Quality time with my family & friends.
  • Reading – being transported into a different life or world by an Author.
  • Being Creative.
  • Writing.
  • Having an adventure – such as the one I’m having at the moment in India.
  • Spending time walking in nature on bright and warm Summer’s days. Places like Rivington an Wales.
  • Watching shows, performances and gigs.
  • Laughing.
  • Making others laugh.
  • Caring for others.
  • When people write ‘Love you Always’ in a card.
  • Receiving a message that makes me smile.
  • People smiling.
  • Complements.
  • Small acts of kindness.
  • Waking up pain-free.
  • Having such a good conversation that I loose track of the time.
  • Watching a film that makes me so happy or sad that I cry.
  • Easing another’s suffering.
  • Sunshine.
  • Warm weather.
  • Blogging.
  • Sunbathing.
  • Naps.
  • A long, hot and relaxing bath.
  • Listening to music in the bath.
  • Birthday cards.
  • When someone says: ‘I just saw this and thought of you.’
  • New notebooks, especially Paperchase ones.
  • Seeing a sunset.
  • Uni-ball pens in various colours.
  • Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream.
  • Intimacy.
  • Pop music.
  • Lit Yankee Candles.
  • Low lighting.
  • A new hair cut.
  • New clothes.
  • New technology devices.
  • Playing Civilization 5.
  • Dancing.
  • Imagining having tea with Gandalf, Dumbledore and Mary Poppins.
  • Waking up after a good night’s sleep.
  • Having no where to be and nothing to do.
  • Watching Victoria Wood, French & Saunders, Lilly Savage, Jack Whitehall and Russell Howard stand-up again and again. To the point where I know the script word for word.
  • Colouring in – focusing on staying in the lines.
  • Carrot Cake.
  • Nice coffee – in particular a Starbucks hazelnut latte or Douwe Egberts.
  • Cinnamon buns.
  • Looking through old photos.
  • Looking through Memory Boxes.
  • Unexpected, spontaneous dinners and meals out.
  • Chocolatey goodness.
  • Cinema trips.
  • Sweet Popcorn.
  • Finding a pound in the pocket of your winter coat, the first time you come to wear it as the weather gets colder.
  • Imagining that I live in the countryside, in a nice small cottage with a well-stocked larder.
  • Imagining what I’d do if I won the euro millions jackpot.
  • Re-living happy memories in my mind.
  • A brew.
  • Doing a good job, in whatever I’m doing.
  • Films that capture my imagination or make me feel something.
  • Watching musicals.
  • Imagining being able to fly.
  • Crystals.
  • Dinosaurs and everything dinosaur-related.
  • Minions and everything minion-related.
  • Watching wildlife documentaries, where animals show love and care towards one another.
  • Writing lists.

What are some of the things you like? What makes you feel good? Leave a comment below.

Blog soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Tuesday 28 July 2015
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