It’s Saturday morning (although only just). I’m lying awake a little after midnight and I’m surrounded by much more noise than normal. There’s rain relentlessly beating down outside and I can hear the high-pitched squeal of water sloshing over gutters. The rhythmic sound of the rain is punctuated periodically by groans of thunder.…

Five days ago, as he was leaving for a month in Edinburgh, Leftwing Idiot entrusted me with his precious plant, my former nemesis – the geranium.

He was visibly nervous about leaving it in my care and he’s already sent me three emails asking how it’s doing.…

The summer holidays are always the busiest time of year at work and all three of the children’s projects I help run started their playschemes on Monday. My role includes lots of fundraising, developing services, and supporting more than fifty volunteers.…

A month ago I came across the Trekinetic wheelchair at the Mobility Road Show in Telford, which I went to with Fat Sister and my dad.

The Trekinetic’s designed as an all-terrain chair and can go over ground that no conventional wheelchair could ever manage.…

It’s Poppy’s birthday in a couple of days so Zoë and I have planned a surprise. We’ve made her a spectacular and gaudy cake.

Poppy’s a costume designer and has spent a lot of time recently hand-carving some foam into a pair of breasts for a costume for Cassetteboy.…

Leftwing Idiot popped over this evening to say a final goodbye before he goes to Edinburgh for a month, and he didn’t come alone. With him was my old nemesis, the geranium.

Since its arrival in his flat over two years ago my tics have hit it with a barrage of insults and abuse.…

Over the last few months the organisation I work for has been gearing up for the Ruby Do – a big, accessible, family event celebrating creativity, inclusion and forty years of providing adventurous play opportunities for local children.

All week I’d been obsessively checking the weather forecast, hoping for a beaming sun symbol, but instead I was greeted with icons for thunderstorms and rain.…

Over the last week or so a new regular tic’s been creeping into my repertoire. Predictably it relates to animal sex again but this time it’s even stranger than usual. My “Cat sex” tic has evolved and clearly the cats have too because they’re now sporting nightwear.…

It’s 11am and Nez and I have just left Truro on a train bound for London. We’ve been in Cornwall for the last two days having a lovely time. I’m heading home feeling happy and relaxed.

Yesterday I ran a workshop and gave a talk as part of the Penryn Arts Festival.…

Yesterday I woke early, as did my friend Nez who’d stayed at the castle last night. By 8.00am we were on our way to Paddington Station and from there we were soon speeding through the countryside towards Penryn.

I’m in Cornwall for a couple of days to run a workshop and give a talk as part of the Penryn Arts Festival.…