Leftwing Idiot discovered something that clearly puzzled and disturbed him earlier this week. We’ve spent the last few days together in Galway for the incredible Creative Connections conference. I was feeling pretty under the weather for most of the time and, as always, this resulted in more ‘ticcing fits’ and less energy. What upset Leftwing Idiot was an unexpected side-effect of me being ill.

For the last few years, with a reassuring reliability, I’ve always stuck my middle finger up at anyone who sticks theirs up at me, even when I’m having a ticcing fit. I’ve written about this strange phenomenon here.

But to Leftwing Idiot’s horror, starting while we were in Galway, my poorly digits have been refusing to play along. Every so often I’d see him sticking his middle finger up at me, sometimes sneakily, sometimes blatantly, always hopefully, but never producing the desired result.

I’m hoping that as soon as I’m well I’ll be flipping the bird again as normal. I know Leftwing Idiot’s hoping so too.