dont like dont read

It's a hill I will die on. Beans on toast in particular was born out of rationing during the war, and continued afterwards. Food rationing didn't stop until 1954, almost a decade after the war ended.

I wish I could work more. I am actively looking for work, I have a work advisor, I have a PhD. Most roles say they are not willing to be flexible on hours. Often you start without any ergonomic equipment and have to wait months (while your body is in increasingly more pain) either hoping your company or the government pay for equipment you are legally entitled to.

When you started that new job you have to re-explain your reasonable adjustments, also legally protected, and then not get them because your managers don't understand. Now your mental health, on top of your physical health, is declining. You try to hold on for months until the adjustments settle, but in that time you've either been unable to do the work due to the lack of support or you've had so many flare ups of symptoms you physically cannot be at work (have 6 weeks bed bound as a treat). You feel guilty taking time off a new job so you work while laying on the floor, or at random hours to make up the time, making everything worse. Meanwhile your employer does nothing.

You finally leave that job because the pain is just too much. You apply for Employment Support Allowance, £400 a month, and constantly fight with the DWP about your benefits while working a part time job thay finally fits your requirements but the hours are too few to cover your bills. You will lose your ESA if you work more than 16 hours a week or make more than £812/month (you wanted to live your life? Fuck you). The DWP decides, without every seeing you, that you're not disabled enough and ends your support.

You become more stressed, the symptoms of your condition become harder to manage, your mental health declines further. But every six weeks the job centre calls and ask you 'are you applying for work', you say 'yes' and that's the end of that.

You burn out so hard that the need to work can cause you to have a panic attack.

"well you could work part-time" - most part-time jobs are in hospitality, care or other trades that are impossible with mobility issues. i can't stand behind a bar for 8 hours, let along move a keg or handle a 3-deep bar.

"what about an office job?" - with what experience? the two-day "employability skills" course the jc+ sends you on is about as useful on a CV as including your fucking shoe size.

"what about an apprenticeship" - that pays less than disability benefits and isn't available to over-25s (and is a struggle for over-21s because it becomes part-funded) - not to mention the fact that most apprenticeships in 2026 are bullshit, you do not need an apprenticeship to become a fucking recruiter, that's called an entry-level position.

my friend is trying really fucking hard to find a job, and they got pointed towards this "job finder" quiz and you know what they got back? beekeeping. fucking beekeeping. they live in a flat in the middle of a city, how many fucking beekeeping jobs do you think they could find?

Incredible that this article is a push notification for the whole of the UK.

people look at wheelchair users and think "well you're sitting down all the time that doesn't take effort" no actually it does. pushing a manual chair takes a lot of fucking effort, especially without a power assist. repetitive stress injuries are a huge problem manual chair users encounter all the time. going up hills and ramps is so deeply fatiguing.

this doesn't just apply to manual chair users btw. power chair usage can also be really exhausting, especially for people with complex seating needs. going over bumps and cracks can trigger many symptoms such as spasticity, pressure sores are common, even just sitting upright can be exhausting for many people.

Not a text post, but I just saw this post by Clwb Rygbi Crymych and I think it’s an incredible example of just how varied dialects across Wales can be (as well as being a fantastic bit of marketing by Cymdeithas yr Iaith for the upcoming Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire).

This is the Dyfedeg dialect, which basically encompasses a bunch of sub-dialects in South West Wales - this one in particular is specific to Penfro, or Pembroke.

Here’s a breakdown of the words:

Dyfedeg Welsh:

Wes whant peint? Wes glei!

Literal meaning in Welsh:

Oes chwant am beint? Oes, goeliaf!

Literal English translation:

Is there a craving for a pint? There is, I believe!

Colloquial translation:

Fancy a pint? Yeah, I’d say!