New adventure

Saturday 19th June – 3rd July

Well that was a change of plan that no-one expected would happen.

The original plan was to do do some driving with my ex driving instructor one day in preparation for my driving test but then I was offered the amazing opportunity to see the boat and possibly do some sailing.

After speaking about it with my parents and John and thinking about it for a while I finally decided to just go for it.

Getting on a bus is a really scary thing for me especially to go somewhere new on my own and to see someone I haven’t seen for years.

I had mentioned it to my parents but due to my autism and anxiety neither of us actually expected me to go.It’s safe to say that mum was definitely shocked when she came home from work and realised that I had actually gone.

I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do this without the help and support of my parents and of course John.

My Dad came with me to the bus stop to make sure that I got on the bus okay and bought a ticket to the correct place.

John suggested that I shared my location with him so that he could see where I was and when to come to meet me at the bus station. This really helped me because I could also see myself getting closer to my destination.

John has and continues to be very caring, always checking that I’m okay and helps me through the times when I get anxious about something.

Due to being around animals all of my life it has also really helped me that Dotty is here, there’s something really calming and relaxing about cuddling a dog and it also reminds me of home.

I’ve always loved swimming so I’ve been swimming in the sea (not sure if that’s bravery or just because I’m crazy. Haha 😂)

While we were out sailing I also managed to actually catch some mackrell which was a new experience for me and I even learned how to tack (changing the direction of the boat and the sails) which is amazing.

We sailed to New Quay and back on the 27th which was lovely, however on the way back I started to feel a bit seasick but I felt much better after going sick and having a good sleep.

On top of all these new experiences we have also managed to fit some driving in. I had never driven to Aberystwyth before this week but I managed to do it with the help, support and guidance of John. I’ve driven in twilight and in the dark which was new to me but we safely arrived to Aberystwyth Marina the 2 times.

About a week later I am still here, we are taking each day at a time and we often check how each other are feeling.

It has been an amazing experience so far and I really hope it continues but even if it doesn’t I will always remember this amazing experience.