I’ve just got home from a great evening with Ruth. After what happened at the weekend I was a bit nervous about travelling alone. So it was with trepidation that I went down into the tube. But I needn’t have worried because the journey turned out to be a lovely conversation relay.

A man waiting on the platform came and sat down next to me and we got on the train together. We talked about all sorts of stuff most of which was not about my tics, although he did ask what it was like to travel around London with Tourettes.

After I’d got off and said goodbye to him my worries returned, because now I faced the prospect of a packed bus journey. It didn’t start well. Lots of people stared and moved away from me at the bus stop.

Things got better when I got on the bus. A woman nearby leaned forward and started chatting to me and when she got off a few stops later another woman stepped in. We carried on talking until she got off, at which point another woman took over.

Travelling around London with Tourettes is a lot easier when other people show the understanding and compassion that these people did. What’s interesting is that these positive conversations often happen in strings. It takes one person to begin the chain and then others join in or take over.

I really appreciated having people to chat to, and this journey has gone a long way to restore my faith in other people.