I’ve mentioned that my tics love penguins in previous posts. They’re one of a random assortment of things that always make me over excited. Another is when people roll their R’s. Both inexplicably make my tics go bananas.

Just before heading to bed last night I ticced: “What noise do penguins make?”

Intrigued and struggling to answer, Will looked it up. The result was more exciting than either of us was prepared for.

Penguins roll their R’s!

Will had to prise an involuntarily gripping hand from his beard, calm my flailing limbs, and lever my arm out from between my teeth.

It was overwhelmingly stimulating. Then, just as I started to calm down, Will announced, “We’d better check they all make that noise” before playing a YouTube video of penguins calling out to each other. This time he was better prepared and held my excitable limbs tight to control their movements.

Needless to say, watching videos of penguins rolling their R’s was not a calming pre-bed activity. It made manoeuvring past his mum’s large glass oil lamp even more perilous than usual.