I’ve just watched a wicked film with Leftwing Idiot and Poppy called Big River Man. It documents Martin Strel’s 3,375 mile endurance swim up the Amazon. He’s not a natural athlete or a typical hero though what he achieves is incredible.

Annoyingly, my enjoyment of the film was spoilt somewhat by my tics, which have been unusually forceful tonight. I’ve been desperately uncomfortable and can’t stop moving.

In the film, to avoid getting burnt by the sun, Martin came up with an ingenious solution to protect his head: he made a kind of balaclava from a white t-shirt that he wore all the time while he was swimming.

While we were watching, Poppy sewed some soft fabric inside a pair of my gloves. The gloves are woollen and usually feel rough on the damaged skin on my knuckles.

Poppy’s solution to my own test of endurance is amazing and has made my hands feel much more comfortable (but I’m not planning to swim up the Thames any time soon).