This afternoon I went over to the nature garden (one of three projects run by the organisation I work for) where I was greeted by a colleague who told me very excitedly that the frogs had arrived. This is brilliant news.…

I went to the Tate Modern this morning for a meeting about some work I’m doing there. Because it’s a massive building and I needed to do a fair bit of moving about I used one of their complimentary wheelchairs.

When we went to get a lift to the upper floors I noticed a large sign next to it that said:

“Celebrate your ability to use your legs and please give priority to those who need to use the lifts.”…

It’s Leftwing Idiot’s turn to support me during the night tonight but because he’s not been very well for the last few days and still isn’t 100%, I’ve come to his flat for the night so at least he can stay in his own bed.…

The other day I wrote about the strange breathing I’ve been doing recently. I’ve been feeling short of breath, and having to breathe much more deeply than usual. To start with I tried to dismiss it as just another tic but this didn’t ring true.…

I wrote a couple of Sundays ago about increasing my efforts to prevent myself and my tics overreacting. So far this is going well, and although it’s not easy I’m doing much better at staying in control when I’m upset.

But there’s a dilemma about what my friends call ‘good overreacting’.…

I had a letter this morning telling me off for not having a TV licence. The thing is, I do have one so I called the number on the letter to let them know. This led to a very frustrating experience.…

I’ve touched on the subject of spitting tics before, usually to say they’re happening but that I don’t really want to write about them. My instinct with tics that I find distressing is to ignore them, but this time I’m going to fight that instinct and write about spitting.…

It’s half term, and the children’s projects I help run are buzzing. Most of the children are familiar with my tics and aren’t at all fazed by them. I’m very used to answering questions about Tourettes and have a set of responses which are almost automatic.…

I’ve been doing a lot of deep breathing in the last week. This isn’t because I’ve been particularly stressed or particularly energetic. The fact is, I don’t know why I’m doing it, but I suspect it may be a tic.

Last week I had a bit of a cold and towards the end of it I started drawing breath deeply, quickly and regularly.…

Sorting out who was going to provide my support this evening proved a little tricky because most of my regular team had romantic plans.

Thankfully I have a sibling who a) isn’t fussed about Valentine’s Day, b) lives nearby and c) had the good sense to marry a kind and thoughtful man.…