A man rushed up and stopped me on the street this morning. He was smiling and said, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I’ve always wondered….”

I thought ‘here we go, another well-meaning question about Tourettes.’

But he went on, “Is your leg broken? It’s just I see people wearing that type of cast quite a lot these days and I’ve always wondered if they’ve actually broken a bone.”

This was not what I’d been expecting. I explained that I’d twisted my ankle and damaged the ligaments and that the boot prevented me from making it worse. He listened with interest, ignoring my tics altogether.

He thanked me and walked on. After a few paces he turned back and said, “My son’s nickname is Biscuit by the way. If he was here we’d get on well.”