November 2021 has been another busy month working on even more content for Disability Horizons but the highlight for this month – I returned to live music!!!
Disability Horizons
I will admit this month at DH HQ has been hectic. Not only did I have to write, edit and upload content for the main site but also edit and upload products to our shop in time for Christmas.
Check out these featured articles, which includes links to our products:
- 9 creative and unique gifts for disabled people this Christmas
- Celebrating disability equality and inclusion with the Disability Horizons Shop
- How to beat the winter blues if you have a disability or health condition
Plus, until midnight on Cyber Monday (29th Nov), everything on the Disability Horizons Shop is 10% off when you use the code GIVEME10 at checkout.
News stories:
- TV presenter Paddy McGuinness opens up about being a parent with autistic children in new BBC documentary
- Bake Off contestant uses show to celebrate ADHD and dyslexia
- Disabled consultant and presenter Simon Minty joins the cast of Gogglebox
- Paralympian Kadeena Cox joins the lineup of I’m A Celebrity 2021
All my Disability Horizons content is now available to view in one place on the Emma Purcell Author’s page. This link can also be accessed on the “Disability Horizons” button on the menu page on the left of this site.
My featured content, product articles and sponsored posts for Disability Horizons can be viewed in my Journo Portfolio.
To read my latest news stories, interviews and featured articles on a regular basis, as well as browse other content from the rest of the amazing DH team, subscribe to the Disability Horizons newsletter.
Spokz People wellbeing programme
Disability Horizons has also teamed up with the organisation Spokz People that provides mental health support for disabled people and their families.
On 11th November 2021, Spokz People launched its new Online Wellbeing Community and Programme, which includes information and tool kits on how to improve self-esteem and manage the many challenging situations being disabled brings. It also enables you to work with a peer to improve your mental health and wellbeing.
I registered to the service myself and begun working my way through the wellbeing programme and it has been fascinating so far. It has a range of interesting information, useful tips and personal experiences of other disabled people.
I also look forward to participating in group chats, peer support and live events when more members join.
As part of its launch, Spokz People is offering people 25% off the annual cost – £150 instead of £200. To take advantage of this early bird offer available for the first 50 members, use the coupon code spokzcommunity25off.
Head to the Disability Horizons mental health page to find out more about Spokz People and register to the new Online Wellbeing Community and Programme.
Also check out our interview with Spokz People’s directors Mel & Steve on Disability Horizons.
DISCLAIMER: The above links are not affiliate but merely free promotion and support.
Live music
After 637 days, I finally returned to live music and my first gig was a banger, Scottish trio Biffy Clyro at the O2 Guildhall in Southampton.
You can see a full review in my blog round up below, but I just want to say here what an incredible feeling it was to return to live music after so long.
The music, lights and atmosphere were all electrifying.
Without live music, my life is not worth living. Sadly, my next gig isn’t until April 2022 to see Jake Bugg, but I may find a last-minute show between now and then.
Books
I finished the Lovely Lane series by Nadine Dorries. It was a rather bittersweet ending but still did a great job of highlighting life in Liverpool in the 1950’s. I also think it has the space for a sixth story to see if the four trainee nurses qualify and find out how their relationships and family lives develop.
I later discovered the author is in fact a UK politician and has recently become Secretary of State for Culture.
I have now started reading the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym of J.K. Rowling). It is contemporary crime fiction that follows private detective Cormoran Strike investigating various crimes.
It is dramatic, emotional but also amusing and completly different to the wizarding world of Harry Potter.
I’ve just finished book one, The Cuckoo’s Calling, in which Strike investigates the death of a model. I’m now starting the second book The Silkworm, which investigates the brutal murder of a novelist.
I’m aware Strike is also a TV drama series on BBC. My aim is to read the five books then watch the series.
TV
November is always a great time for TV when the weather is colder and the nights are drawing in. I finished the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House. It was definitely a dramatic, scary and binge-worthy show with a bittersweet ending.
I then watched the sequel series The Haunting of Bly Manor, which is directed by the same person and has some of the same cast but a different storyline and characters. This was a slightly more complex show but still scary and bingeworthy.
I then binge-watched the Apple Original series The Morning Show, a fictional drama about a television news channel starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
I watched the first series last year then series 2 premiered in September 2021, but because they were streaming each episode weekly, I wanted to wait until now so I could watch the full series in one go.
Series 2 was just as dramatic and bingeworthy as series 1. I particularly loved how they incorporated the coronavirus pandemic into the storyline and even better, Foo Fighters made a cameo appearance in one episode.
And finally, I cannot mention my one and only favourite reality shows that disrupts my evenings for three weeks in November and December – I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
It’s only been five days, so I don’t really have any particular favourite celebs at this point but still glad another Paralympian – Kadeena Cox – has joined the camp.
Of course, the trials and challenges are just as bizarre, disgusting and hilarious as ever.
As I write this, it is the morning of Friday 26th November and I’m also looking forward to watching this weekend the highly anticipated new documentary about The Beatles called Get Back on Disney+.
Audio Description petition
As I mentioned last month, there is still no sign of audio description returning on Channel 4 following the technical fault in October. Therefore I’ve cancelled my All4+ subscription and not watching C4 on TV until it returns.
My campaign for audio description has continued throughout — 2021 and the petition has now gained a total of 3400 signatures, which is incredible!
But I’m eager to reach thousands. The more signatures we get, the more likely changes could be made within the TV & films industries. Please, please, PLEASE continue to sign & share my petition!
Guest Bloggers Wanted
I’m still eager to collaborate with even more bloggers in 2021. So, if you’re a lifestyle, disability and/or music blogger, send me your blog stories. Plus let me know if you’d like me to feature on your blog as a guest blogger.
I’m flexible with any type of blog posts; life story, disability awareness, music event, musician promotion – basically anything to do with life, disability or music!
In addition, I have a guest blog series called “RFD Question Time with…” where I interview disabled people and/or bloggers. If you’d like to be interviewed in this series, please also contact me.
Blog post roundup
In case you missed any of my blog posts this month, here is a roundup of them:
- Review: Biffy Clyro at O2 Guildhall, Southampton
- Emma Purcell on Beernuts Productions Podcast
- Music Interview: Blitz Union
5 favourite blog posts
Here are my 5 favourite blog posts I’ve read this month:
- Press Review: Grease the Musical at The Alexandra Theatre at Suzie Speaks
- 30 Lessons I Learned In My 20’s at Got Meghan
- LEARNING NOT TO LOSE MYSELF AMONGST DETERIORATION at My Blurred World
- MY DISABILITY ‘7 YEAR ANNIVERSARY’ & LIFE LESSONS LEARNT SINCE THEN… at Top Lady Talks
- 14 TIPS FOR NEW & CURRENT BLOGGERS at Invisibly Me
Wowzers, you have been busy at DH. Some awesome content there – I especially like the piece on the winter blues with disability. I might use that as an excuse to buy myself something nice! I’ve seen new slipper booties on sale for Black Friday and I keep saying “nah, I really shouldn’t”, even though they’re £12. I just needed someone to give me approval for it so I’m going to buy them now 😂
I’ve seen Simon Minty on Gogglebox. It’s just about the only terrestrial TV program I watch so I like that I can actually say I know what you’re referring to!
That’s amazing you got to return to a gig after so long – I saw Biffy once, too! Absolutely freaking aweeeeeesome!
I’m glad you got to see The Haunting Of Hill House. I find most ghosty type films or series too cheesy or unbelievable, yet this one was done pretty well. Will have to watch Bly Manor soon. Ditto the second of The Good Morning Show. I liked the first one, too, and it’s very relevant given the poignant issue at the heart of it all.
There are 3 new bloggers you’ve included here that I don’t think I’ve even come across before so I’ll check them out now, thank you. And thank you very muchly for including my blogging tips post, that’s very kind of you!
Signed and sharing the petition. I’ve actually been back and forth with NowTV – their subtitles are absolutely, utterly horrendous! Seriously, never seen anything so shoddy. And they just don’t seem to give a crap. So damn infuriating because I’ve sent numerous emails and they ask me for screenshots (you can’t take a screenshot to capture what they’re NOT writing in the subtitles, d’oh!) I don’t get it though, it’s 2021, subtitles are nothing new, how can some services charge so much and care so little about accessibility?
Sending hugs your way. I hope you have a restful weekend and enjoy the new The Beatles documentary!
Caz xxxx