16/07/2026
Today is a pinch me day! We started with a 6km walk, where Dan was awesome then we went for lunch in a little outdoor cafe in Duras that has quickly become Dan’s favourite. After lunch, it was pool time, where he couldn’t contain his laughter and now we’ve walked around a night market (it was far too busy for us to stop) but we then headed to a quieter town to have a drink.
Today is one of those days where everything has worked out amazingly, yes we’ve had limitations, yes we’ve had 2 of us dedicated to Dan, yes we’ve needed behaviour science, but today feels as close to ‘typical’ as we could ever get due to his severe learning disabilities and autism. Thanks to wait programmes, walking programmes, accepting no programmes we can do this. This is the third year we’ve brought Dan here for his holiday and each year we can see progress. We are more relaxed, Dan is more relaxed, because his coping skills keep improving. Keep believing, keep working hard, keep trying, in Dan’s last year in his 20s, he is still learning, growing and developing. This area of France is such a delight for us, so quiet, most people speak some English so with my smattering of French too, we can get by. This holiday is exhausting, but so worth it 🥰