Blogs by Charlie

  • World Mental Health Day 2020

    “It’s OK not to be OK”… It’s not OK to not be OK, not for a prolonged period anyway. What that phase actually means is, it is good to be open about not being OK. Yes we all have bad days and low moods, but if you are often full of dread, you have a Read more

  • The Double Rainbow

    Intersectional Diversity: The ‘Double Rainbow’ of Autism and LGBTQIA+ Here are Charlie’s answers to questions they were recently asked about their lived experience of the ‘double rainbow’. Can you explain what the term ‘double rainbow’ means? Studies show that autistic people are far more likely identify as a sexuality minority and/or a gender minority, compared Read more

  • You’ll never run alone

    I was due to run with two friends, but one pulled out due to sore calf muscles, the other with bad hayfever. “Sorry to let you down, Charlie” says one in the group chat. “That’s fine”, I replied, thinking “it is sometimes easier to run solo anyway, as I can play the route by ear Read more

  • Week 12 of lockdown, reflecting on Day 1

    For me this is now week 12 of lockdown, as I have not been in the office since Monday 16 March. That was a unsettling day with people on the train eyeing each other with suspicion, reluctant to press the button to open the train doors, and an uneasy atmosphere in the office. This week Read more

  • How Iggy got his nickname

    Here is the story of how Iggy’s nickname came about (many, but not all of you already know, and I realise the similar names of Iggy and Izzy have caused confusion to some). Ethan (Iggy) was my eldest son, who sadly died in April 2019. Iggy had two younger sisters: Isabel (Izzy) and Jessica (Jess) Read more

  • Lockdown survival tips

    Pretty much all of my lockdown survival tips are here in one post. A very British pot of tea and a packet of hot cross buns (from the freezer, so ignore the March “best before” date). And if ever there’s a time to treat yourself to proper butter, this is it, on toasted hot cross Read more