50 days of River

Fifty days of River: Connection, isolation and everything in between.

  • A Little Dutch Adventure

    Well, we’re back from our little Dutch getaway. A few months ago when we were talking about the holidays, we were trying to decide if it was worth going abroad. It’s stupidly hot and extremely expensive so we were leaning against it, but then a thought popped into my head about some old friends of… Read more

  • Four Weeks In

    Well, I’m sitting in a quiet pub next to a fan feeling a bit deflated. Four weeks in and I’m reaching my limit. I haven’t had more than a couple of hours away from River since the end of term and I’m finding it very draining. I was supposed to be going to my wonderful… Read more

  • First time at legoland

    So, the holidays continue and a few bits and pieces have happened but I’ve decided to circle back because I know what you’re all really interested in. How is Legoland with River? Well, sit back, grab a cold glass of something and enjoy the rollercoaster that was. We were very fortunate to be given tickets… Read more

  • Not Every Adventure Goes to Plan

    It’s been an eventful couple of days and I thought I’d better write it down before my brain convinces me it’s all been awful. One of the reasons I started this blog was so I wouldn’t overthink things and believe every difficult week had been the worst one, but instead remember the joyous moments that… Read more

  • When Plans Change

    What a four days it has been. I arranged to meet up with a friend on Monday, she offered her lovely house for a little playdate and I happily accepted. River and Summer were also very pleased with this offer and when we arrived they bounded upstairs and became very settled quickly with new toys.… Read more

  • This Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

    The Crash After the High As I’ve said before, I tend to start out strong and then crash. This is a little trait I may have passed on to River because, after the high of our zoo trip, the rest of the week wasn’t quite such smooth sailing. Thursday arrived, and with it came a… Read more

  • The Different Kinds of Support

    The Clubs That Aren’t There How did I ever write this blog every day last year? Summer declared on Monday night that she wanted to go to a camp, so a quick booking later meant she was off to art camp the next morning (with a questionable lunchbox). Which left just River and me. There’s… Read more

  • The bench

    Celebrating Two Cultures So a busy day yesterday as we were off to the Latino Festival. Kike is Colombian and I try to make sure Summer and River learn about their mixed culture. Summer didn’t really get it when she was younger but, after a few trips back and the rise in popularity of Latino… Read more

  • The start of a new summer

    If you’ve found your way here through a school newsletter or recommendation, welcome. I’m Sarah, and this is 50 Days of River. I started this blog last summer because I felt completely alone and incredibly anxious about how I was going to get through 50 days of the summer holidays with my autistic son and… Read more

  • It’s My Birthday… I Get Presents

    Birthday Negotiations For those of you who’ve been reading from the beginning (thank you), you’ll know we’ve had an interesting relationship with birthdays. Last year, River refused to acknowledge his birthday. He wouldn’t let me say “Happy Birthday”, sing to him or even give him a cake. I was sad until I realised it wasn’t… Read more