Hello again, I hope you’re doing well and have been enjoying the summer. If you’ve continued to follow my blog over the last couple of months then (a) thank you so much and (b) you’ll have seen there’s good reason for me not going out much lately, given the issues at home that I’ve now opened up about. Looking after my mother has become a much bigger drain on my time and energy than it used to be, but we are gradually getting help now.
Still, beyond all the disability and care-related stuff I’ve been sharing recently, I’ve also kept myself occupied and distracted with various forms of entertainment, some of which I’ve written separate blog posts on as well.
So here’s a quick roundup of things I’ve written about and entertainment I’ve been enjoying over the last couple of months. I’m still not making videos to go with these posts for the time being, but I hope you find these bits and pieces interesting.
Contents
Disability Issues
Being A Carer
As you’ve most probably seen by now, my blind and elderly mother has had a very difficult few months, including several falls – two of which have resulted in fractures – plus a few mental health issues, all of which has really knocked her confidence. And that’s affected me as her carer, as I’ve had to be a lot more attentive to her physical and emotional needs, and it’s been heartbreaking to see her having such a hard time without me being able to fix it. We are now starting to get various forms of help, so hopefully we’ll be able to steer her back on to a less bumpy road going forward.
You can read about what’s been happening in my original trilogy of posts about my mother’s physical and mental health, and my own wellbeing as her carer. Plus you can read my journal entries that go into more detail and bring things right up to date, including her broken wrist in August. They’re not easy to look through given the subject matter, I know, but I hope you find them insightful. And I’ll continue sharing regular updates as we go along.
Benefit Cuts
As if we haven’t had enough to worry about, there’s also been a lot of talk about the government’s proposed cuts to disability benefits here in the UK, with misinformation being spread by politicians, the media and people online, fuelling anxiety, anger and campaigning from the disabled community. And there have been some big developments as a result.
I wrote about the original plans back in April, but given everything that’s happened in recent weeks, I wrote a follow-up at the beginning of July as well. So if you want to learn more, do go and check those out.
I haven’t kept a close eye on developments since then, given how busy I am in my own life at the moment, but I am aware that the so-called “review” of PIP by Stephen Timms sounds like it’s going to be pointless, with just 10 people involved. It’s hardly representative of the millions of disabled people who could be affected, and it yet again shows the disdain in which we’re held. An open letter on behalf of several charities (including the RNIB) has been sent to him, urging true co-production with disabled people, but given the government’s attitude I doubt they’ll listen. And I know there are other issues and debates regarding things like Universal Credit and Incapacity Benefit, with what’s left of the bill still going through Parliament.
It’s not often I have a proper rant about things on this blog, but naturally this is a subject close to my heart as it affects me directly. And given that anybody can become disabled at any time in their life, and many of us have disabled family members and friends, it affects all of us in one way or another.
Entertainment
Right, let’s move on to much nicer things now…
Live Aid
July marked 40 years since the incredible Live Aid concerts organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, which raised much-needed funds and awareness for famine relief in Africa, with a vast selection of the planet’s biggest music acts getting involved. It’s arguably the greatest day in rock and pop history, and was a colossal achievement given the resources and technology at the time, and the speed at which it was organised.
The BBC marked the occasion with a very interesting documentary series on TV, lovely tributes from performers and fans on the radio, and a 7-hour compilation of performances from the day, which were a lot of fun to watch and listen to.
Rather than write a new post just on those, I’ve updated my detailed review of Live Aid that I wrote last year, adding a new section about the 40th anniversary at the end. So do go and check that out to find out more about the celebrations. You can also see nearly all of the performances and lots of other videos on my UK and USA playlists on Youtube.
Doctor Who
I’ve made a couple of updates relating to Doctor Who this month. Firstly, I’ve received the Blu-ray steelbook for Season 2 starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, that was broadcast earlier this year. So I’ve updated my review post for that season with details of the content in the box set.
I’ve also really enjoyed rewatching Series 5 starring Matt Smith as the Doctor, as part of my ongoing reviews of the earlier series in the modern era. So you can check out my extensive post about that series as well.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror on Netflix is a highly varied but often disturbing and thought-provoking anthology of stories. They take an extreme look at how technology and psychology could affect our lives if pushed to, or even beyond, the limits we’re accustomed to.
Over the last few months I’ve rewatched Series 1-5, and then looked at Series 6 & 7 for the first time. So now I’m all caught up, I’ve written a dedicated review post for all 7 series.
Comedy
There have been new series for a couple of my favourite comedy shows that I’ve enjoyed recently:
- Room 101 – The third series in the latest iteration of this show launched on Radio 4 in August, hosted by Paul Merton, and it’s good fun as usual, with guests trying to get rid of their pet hates. So far this series I’ve particularly agreed with Maisie Adam about the prevalent and inconsiderate use of mobile phones at live events, Stephen Mangan about unnecessarily loud motorbikes, Janet Street-Porter about being nagged to rate and review every product or service we buy, and Richard Ayoade about social events without a pre-arranged ending time. (September Update: I also enjoyed Jack Dee’s episode, most agreeing with his sentiments about poinless awards. But I wasn’t so bothered about the remaining guest, Rachel Parris.)
- 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown – We’ve had another series of this on Channel 4, and while it’s no longer top of its game in Sean Lock’s absence, and Jon Richardson has only appeared once in this series, it’s still pretty funny and they still have some good guests. Joe Wilkinson continues to appear regularly of course, while I also particularly enjoyed seeing Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe from The Last Leg, as well as Bob Mortimer, Rhod Gilbert, Roisin Conaty and Rob Brydon.
Conclusion
And that’s it really. I know it’s short, but I hope you found it interesting, and I have linked to several longer posts there, which can keep you busy for a long time.
It’s certainly been a rough couple of months, but there are signs of hope, and I have found ways to keep myself entertained, and will continue to do so. I’m already watching another series at the moment, that I’m writing a dedicated post on, before I then get back to Doctor Who.
So depending on how things go, I might leave it another couple of months before I do my next Favourites post, but we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, I’ll continue to update my carer’s journal regularly and post other things here and there. And I hope you have a nice start to the autumn season, whatever you’re getting up to.
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