yoyo

5 pairs of desert boots 1 pair of black boots 1 pair of navy boots 1 pair of light brown suede boots 1 pair of brown boots 1 pair of alpine walking boots 10 pairs of shoes suitable for formal wear (mostly black) 5 pairs of sandals 1 pair of Brasher walking sandals 3 pairs of Doc Martin boots. I am Imelda Markos

You can always get an external (ordinary) mouse and plug it into the USB port; that is what I have on my laptop. Enjoy your Christmas present!

I have been using Valerian tablets (2 a night) and have had six hours sleep every night since February. It has made a huge difference. Yoyo

Anyone driven from the North East of England to Paris in one go? With two drivers and a break on the ferry or in the tunnel that should be possible. Paris is not as far from Calais as Dover is from the NE. The other thing to remember is that France is an hour ahead, so you lose that plus the ferry / tunnel time. There is a group of 'hotels' called Formula One which are cheap - 3 to a room with loos and showers down the corridor. They are situated on the edge of large towns sometimes in industrial areas which can be noisy but they are clean and cheap. Breakfast is included in the price. We have used them in the past as they save having to unload the kit (camping) for just an overnight stop en route. One of the campsites at Disneyland is quite close to the autoroute - I don't know how noisy it is? So sorry your holiday didn't work out. I'm sure the unseasonal weather made a major contribution and your pitch location was most unlucky. Perhaps you could ask for a quietly situated pitch when you book?? An awning should give you more space - what about an additional tent also?

There are 3-4 of us at home at present, 2 dogs and a cat. All of the humans are in full time employment or education so there is little time for growing our own or doing lots of baking. Bread is done in the breadmaker, a fruit cake is baked at the weekend and the dinners for the week are also pre-cooked at the weekend and frozen. I am increasingly horrified that my shopping bill is over �80 and I know if all five of us were at home that I would be spending at least �120-150 each week. Things have increased in price significantly since the poor summer last year. It seems that the OP of this thread i doing fine where housekeeping is concerned. Yoyo

I got: Your neurodiversity (Aspie) score: 159 / 200 Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 50 / 200 You are very likely an Aspie. I also scored such that it said I would get a diagnosis for OCD and Social Phobia, but I did not take note of the numbers. Some of the questions were quite repetitive in their content. I have given up on social situations and only go out with my husband and family. I have been in the same job for 18years and most people know me. I function fine on the professional level but do not cope at all with unexpected encounters with people. I attend few office gatherings.

I like playing the organ, singing, cycling long distances, driving, walking and reading maps and non-fiction. Yoyo

So sorry to hear such sad news. My thoughts are with Mrs. P and her family. Yoyo

Well done for finishing your essay. That is a brilliant achievement especially when you are so unwell. Do take it easy and catch up on your lost sleep. Ear infections are not good at all and it could take a while but you will feel better soon. I do remember having something similar and it did take a while to recover but it hasn't happened again and hopefully it won't reoccur with you either. yoyo

Well done you. Stick with it and you will be fine. If you keep going at this rate you will have it done by tomorrow and then you can relax for 6 days! Yoyo

I would also advise you not to heed what the others have or have not done. What the lecturers etc are looking for is what is important and it will be a minefield for everyone if this is the first essay. Most people will feel just as stressed as you; they are just better at hiding it and dealing with it. When I wrote my first essay I was absolutely convinced that it was the worst in the tutorial group as everyone seemed to communicate in such a convincingly skilled way. To my astonishment my essay was deemed the best! Plagiarism was less of an issue for us as it was all pre-internet. However, you do have to get the information from somewhere. I used to either directly quote it or take what seemed relevant and express it in my own words. I know it seems insurmountable at present. Do try to read and make notes of the relevant parts of your sources. You should find that your thinking around the given title becomes clearer and you are able to draw conclusions. Our maths professer used to say ' don't sit there looking at it; focus your brains at the point of a pencil'. Nowadays exchange pencil for keyboard. Yoyo

ScienceGeek, Don't worry. An inner ear infection is very debilitating. I had one about six years ago and I didn't feel right for about six weeks. It is also your first term at uni and you might be surprised to find that you're not the only one feeling inadequate and thinking you're not getting it right. I have vivid memories of worrying and not sleeping at the end of my first term (twenty years ago!!); my children also have spoken of their uncertainty in their first term. It is also the end of a very long term and having one more essay doesn't help. Rest assured, you will find next term easier. The term is short and you will realise that you have established a way of coping with the essays, tutorials etc; the days will also get brighter, which helps. I know how you feel facing 1500 words but you do have a week, which is a long time. You also have 300 words written already, which is possibly more than some of your colleagues have! Try to stop worrying. Your best bet is to face into it, forget about the number of words required and just get some ideas down on paper / screen. Once you have something written, then you can begin to refine it and other ideas come. Then you can begin to count words. There is also the possibility that this essay is just one of those awful titles that does not suit you; it may not suit your colleagues either and you are probably not the only one struggling. Your commute is probably making it harder. My son is in his final year and is commuting for for a similar length of time for the first time in his life. It certainly affects the quality of his private study. I do hope that you successfully complete the essay and that you get a good mark. If it doesn't count towards your year result, try not to worry but I know exactly how you feel. Yoyo

I always had difficulty sleeping as a child. I found noises very distracting and could not shut down at all. 6-8 hours were my maximum as a child and I never seemed to be tired. Wow! I am not crazy! I used to have nightmarish fears of being attacked or kidnapped during the night. As a student I could easily stay awake at night and sleep for a couple of hours during the day. Now I manage 4-6 when working. I cannot go to bed early as I don't sleep and constantly worry about work. However, I do rely on a lie in at the weekend when I could stay in bed for hours. Alas, I usually do not sleep at all on a Sunday night! A few have mentioned sleeping better with a partner; that is also true for me. Yoyo

Good Luck, Chris. Have a brill time. Student days are to be treasured - freedom, independence, the opportunity to be your own person. Town and Country Planning is a fascinating subject, so many different aspects to it. I did it as a Master's Degree after a first degree in Geography and Archaeology. All the best, Yoyo

I think we all need to remember that everyones view is valid, whether you agree with it or not. Forgive me for expressing my opinion here, but I think there has been some over-reaction to the above quote. In the context of this thread KMC is undoubtedly referring to her views on AS, many of which I share; there is nothing to suggest that she is condoning racism or any other form of discrimination. Yoyo

I was like that as a child and teenager. No one understood why. The panic and fear of being lost or of having lost someone would simply take me over before I could even attempt to stop myself. It still happens at times of pressure and stress and I'm 47!! Yoyo

Bagpuss, Cycling is a great way to exercise. The saddle soreness will wear off after a few days - just do short rides and you will get used to it. I have just taken up touring cycling - my latest obsession. Padded shorts / trousers are excellent and a ladies specific saddle. You also need to make sure your saddle is at the right height ie. your legs need to be fully extended when in the down position. If they aren't it can be very tiring. Speed is not of the essence - I crawl along at an average of 12 mph but my DH chases steam engines (on the Bristol - Bath Railway Path) and even tried to race a rabbit the other week!! Don't give up! Yoyo

Bagpuss, I have no idea of cost for a 'proper' loft conversion. My husband just put flooring down so that he could have his train set there!! Some people in our road have converted properly with extra supports, windows, proper stairs etc and it is certainly becoming a more common feature of housing. I hope you find the home you need and that you will be very happy in it. Yoyo

Fiorelli, I live in the Newbury, Basingstoke, Reading area too. Yoyo

A suggestion for a picnic - Christ Church Meadow if the weather is ok. We used to go there every weekend when the boys were at school in Oxford. It's quiet and there is at least a mile of walking! The Botanical Gardens are at the Magdalen end and there is the Thames and the Cherwell for viewing rowing and punting respectively. I can't come up with anywhere indoors that's quiet for a group to chat etc- ?the Covered Market. I hope everyone has a good time. Yoyo

I definitely agree with Kathryn and Bid that women are anything except tolerant of other women. My teenage years were awful, especially on the social front. It was other girls and, as an adult, it is always women that make me feel so uncomfortable. Boys and men are so much easier and more straightforward to talk to; perhaps this is because I am so 'ungirly' and am rather manlike in my behaviour. In response to the original question, I do think that girls are more difficult to diagnose. I identify with the descriptions of early childhood above. I was viewed as sociable but too bossy and controlling. As i got older, and now, I realise that I talk at people and am totally unable to work out how to be 'with' them. Work is ok where relationships are concerned but I know that a new colleague is rather bemused that I am evasive of social contact with her as I know I cannot maintain it. Yoyo

Hi Mumble and welcome to the forum, I am also female, 47 and self-diagnosed. Like you I have degrees, am mathematical and musical. My mother would certainly fall into the toxic parent category - always emphasising that I was psychopathic and could not fit in for love nor money. My reaction to telling your mother about your diagnosis would have been similar to what yours is now, but now that I am older I have managed to harden myself against the worry of lying as you describe it and go for my own comfort. At 27 I would have girded myself with courage and faced the ridicule etc and told my mother; now I would keep it to myself and not worry that she didn't know. Whatever you choose to do I hope it works out well for you and that you get the support that you need. Yoyo

legs are covered in itchy blister-like bumps. It definately seems to be anxiety related, does this happen to anyone else? Yes this still happens to me and I am almost 47. When I was at school my legs and back of my hands were covered to such an extent that I was called Scabo at school. From the ages of 9-14 it was my permanent state; they used to weep so much that my socks stuck fast to my legs and then ripped off causing me to bleed. This still happens when I am stressed at work. I tend not to use anything for it but when I get itchy the only way to relieve it is to tear at it until the skin breaks, then it's not itchy anymore. Yoyo

Hi, Tinystar, You could be describing my father, particularly in the area of women. My father has AS. I was not brought up by him as he abandoned me as a baby to adoption. In the 1960s he got my mother pregnant twice oout of marriage; he did not regard it as wrong to walk away and had no consideration whatsoever about the impast of his actions on my mother, my brother or myself. Over forty years later, he simply sees it all as an academic fact and simply brick walls any discussion of the impact on other peoples' lives. However, any hurt that is done to him is made maximum fuss of and is utterly condemned. The lady he married was fory days short of giving birth and his married life has been dotted with strings of affairs. He has no concept of hurt in other people, no consideration but is extremely judgemental of others. His wife is still with him but I think that's as much to do with their age and background. He is extremely bad-tempered and has no concept of fair play. During my brief relationship with him two years ago the most striking feature of him was the extent to which he noticed women everywhere, what they wore, their figures etc. I had never been in the vicinity of a man who had such an eye for women. I was quite shocked at this and the only way I could rationalize his behaviour was that women are his Asperger obsession. I have tried to research whether this is a feature of men on the spectrum but haven't come across it much. I do hope that you arrive at a happy solution in your family and that this difficult time will pass for you. Yoyo

I scored 46. Yoyo