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A Spiral Dance

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Review of Early Bird Special by Priscilla Goins

Uncategorized

“I Am Unapologetically Me” – My Affirmation for 2022

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All The Fiction Books I Read In 2021

Uncategorized

Review of Early Bird Special by Priscilla Goins

January 22, 2022
A pale yellow background with a book on the left hand side called Early Bird Special by Priscilla Goins and text on the right which reads "A delightful romance set in a retirement community in Miami... Come and meet Delores - you're going to love her!" The front cover of the books shows a one storey house with a pink and yellow front and a yellow door. There is a palm tree and shrubs in front of it and the sky is a pale blue.

Early Bird Special is a delightful contemporary romance novella set in a retirement community in Miami and follows the antics of Delores as she attempts to set up her Grandson Dylan with the community's Activities Director Abby. …

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A read painted heart with a white border on a bright yellow background.
Uncategorized

“I Am Unapologetically Me” – My Affirmation for 2022

January 1, 2022
A grid of book covers, with 3 rows of books with 5 books in each row. The books are as follows - top row - fangirl, Simon vs the homosapiens agenda, as far as you'll take me, carry on, perfect on paper. middle row, felix ever after, loveless, not quite out, cemetery boys, the house on the cerulean sea. bottom row, aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe, pet, untouched, autoboyography, cherrington academy.
Uncategorized

All The Fiction Books I Read In 2021

December 29, 2021
A hardback copy of the book Untouched by Jayme Bean, which is a dark brown cover with a face on it covered in vines and the words "some places are better left untouched" in white font
Book Review• Books• LGBTQ+• Reviews

Review of Untouched by Jayme Bean

September 23, 2021
Politics

Sometimes I Wish I Could Care Less…

September 21, 2021
A white woman with long dark hair, is sprawled across an unmade bed. She is wearing a white shirt and black shorts and covering her face with her arms. It is a vision of despair, the best I could find to express the trauma of PIP
Health & Wellbeing• Politics

The Trauma of PIP(Personal Independence Payment)

September 2, 2021
A selection of books to read instead of Harry Potter, including from left to right and top to bottom, Strange The Dreamer, Raybearer, Shadow and Bone, Akata Witch, Percy Jackson, Amari and The Night Brothers, The Frost Eater, Cemetery Boys, Earthsea, Wee Free Men, The Hunger Games, The Magician's Guild, Wild Magic, Magnus Chase, and Sorcery of Thorns
Books

Middle Grade and Young Adult Books to read instead of Harry Potter

August 13, 2021
The book The Shield Road by Dewi Hargreaves is being held and rested on my legs as I sit in the garden. The book has a blue cover showing a castle in the distance in front of a full moon. In the foreground the silhouette of a character with a shield on their back crouches under a tree with bare branches.
Book Review• Reviews

Review of The Shield Road by Dewi Hargreaves

July 17, 2021
a white woman with short dark hair and wearing a blue top is laying in bed with her eye closed.
Health & Wellbeing

You do NOT want my life (don’t risk getting post viral illness)

July 5, 2021
The book cover for This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, which shows a black teenager girl wearing a red top and blue jeans and glasses. She is surrounded by plants and vines growing. This is on a dark blue square with white writing that reads, "This Poison Heart is a fascinating YA fantast that mixes modern life with ancient mythology, drawing you into a world of mysteray and leaving you constantly wondering what will happen next". The entire thing is framed by a green rectangle.
Book Review• LGBTQ+

AD | Review of This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

June 25, 2021
An image split in half vertically. On the left hand side there is text that reads "I thought I was straight until my partner came out" on a beige background. On the right is a rainbow of colours.
Family Life• LGBTQ+

I thought I was straight until my partner came out

June 14, 2021
The book Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. The cover shows two silhouettes holding hands and standing on a giant book overlooking a city skyline at night.
Book Review• LGBTQ+• Reviews

Review of Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

May 25, 2021
A Free Palestine March in Kensington, London. There are people wearing masks (because of Covid) and carrying placards saying Free Palestine.
Politics

Resources to Educate Yourself on Israel and Palestine

May 17, 2021
The book Not Quite Out by Louise Willingham, which has a pale blue front cover with two white male characters drawn on it. One has blond hair and is wearing a blue sweater over a pink shirt and looking towards the reader. The second has brown hair, is wearing glasses and a pinkish purplish shirt and is walking away from the reader but looking back over his shoulder. Next to the book lay a postcard which says "you are tenacious" on it, with 3 horizontal bands of colour in pink, purple, and blue; a blue book plate saying the same thing and which is signed by the author and a blue bookmark with the book's title on it. They are all laying on a piece of dark purple tissue paper.
Book Review• LGBTQ+

Review of Not Quite Out by Louise Willingham

February 2, 2021
a white square with 16 icons on it depicting various forms of disability in black and blue colours. From top left to bottom right these icons are: someone in a wheelchair; a wheelchair in a house; someone in bed; someone helping another person using a cane; an eye with a line drawn diagnonally through it, a pair of dark lensed glasses, two hands using sign language; an ear with two arrows pointing to a hearing aid, someone sitting on a bench, someone using a cane, someone being pushed in a wheelchair; someone using a walking frame; a wheelchair user playing basketball, a wheelchair using a ramp, someone with a prosthetic leg using a cane; and a wheelchair user getting onto a bus.
Health & Wellbeing• Politics

We Need To Talk About Ableism

January 19, 2021
an image split in two, with the left half having a pink background and 3 text boxes that say "7 favourite posts of 2020", "7 think I loved most about 2020" and "7 things I'm looking forward to in 2021" and the right side having a blue background and 4 numbered blocks showing the year 2020 being turned to 2021 by a hand.
General Musings

My Best 7 of 2020 (Vlog)

December 29, 2020
a globe on a desk showing parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe
General Musings• Politics

Living Through History

November 8, 2020
Health & Wellbeing

My favourite resources for the worst days

October 9, 2020
Copy of the front cover of the book M.E. Myself and I: Diary of a Psychic by Nicky Alan, which shows a woman crouching on all fours with blue and purple wings on her back. Next to the book cover is a purple background with white text saying, "Author interview: Nicky Alan"
Health & Wellbeing• Reviews

M.E. Myself and I: Diary of a Psychic – Author Interview with Nicky Alan | AD

August 23, 2020
General Musings• Health & Wellbeing

A Year of Change – June and July

August 6, 2020
People at a Black Lives Matter protest, wearing face masks due to Covid-19, and holding signs which say "if you're not angry then you're not listening" and "black lives matter"
Faith & Spirituality• Politics

Calling UK Christians – We Need To Do Better!

June 6, 2020
collage for may updates including image of a black woman wearing a t-shirt saying "no homophobia, no violence, no racism, no sexism", an image of a ginger guinea pig, and an image with the words "charity donation" and the o is a red heart
General Musings

A Year of Change – May

June 1, 2020
A field with fluffy dandelions and cobwebs shining in the golden evening light
Creativity• Poetry

Memories

May 12, 2020
General Musings

A Year of Change – April

May 1, 2020
close up of a woman's hand in a mudra position with mala beads wrapped around her wrist
Mind, Body & Spirit

My Daily Chanting Practice

April 9, 2020
Older Posts

About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Amanda, a 30-something queer, disabled woman. I'm married to Thea, and mum to O. I've been blogging in some form or another since 2006, and over time my focus has changed many times. But these days you'll mostly find me talking about health and disability, LGBTQ+ issues, and the books that have had an impact on me.

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