I had an odd encounter while I was out with Bunny this afternoon. A man waiting at a bus stop watched me when I fell to my knees and shouted and his face lit up with excitement. I got up and we went on, and he gave up waiting for the bus and followed us across the road. He asked Bunny, ‘Does she have Tourettes?’ I answered him, and told him that I do. He didn’t say anything else but just stood there grinning.

We went into the Post Office with him trailing behind, and he stood and watched while I queued up. After I’d finished at the counter I took a phone call and while I was talking he came up close to watch, me without saying anything.

Bunny said, ‘Can I help you?’ and he said, ‘No, it’s just I’ve never seen it before.’ He brushed past her to get closer to me and she said ‘Really, now you are being rude – she’s on the phone.’ I ended the call and turned to find him apologising profusely to a bemused-looking Bunny.

I said, ‘It’s me you should apologising to. I don’t mind if you ask questions, but following me around grinning silently is both a strange and disrespectful.’

He replied, ‘I’m sorry, you’re just so rare!”