My working week’s looked a bit different from usual for the last couple of weeks because I’ve been focusing on our forthcoming Broadcast From Biscuit Land. As a result I’ve missed a lot of this week’s half term playscheme. But one thing I was determined not to miss was the annual magical Halloween trail at our nature garden.

I’ve described the significance this event has for me before. Back in October 2011 my mind wasn’t on celebrating spooky goings-on at all. Back then my ‘ticcing fits’ were becoming an everyday reality and, as I explained at the time, I was having to come to terms with a change that felt truly terrifying. I reflected on this a year later:

‘A year ago today I wrote with sadness and desperation about the layers of difficulty I was facing. I was afraid that my job, my independence and my quality of life were all at risk from my increasingly severe tics and the ‘ticcing fits’. Tonight, as I sat helping children fish plastic spiders out of a bucket of water, those memories flittered through my mind. I’m so relieved I was wrong and so glad that I’ve had the support I need to continue doing the job I love.’

This is something I always think about at Halloween. Tonight though, it felt significant for other reasons as well.

The night I spent helping children fish spiders out of a bucket was also my first being supported by Will. He went on to become a solid support worker, friend and blog mainstay. He stopped doing regular support for me last month, and I’ve felt a little at sea ever since.

Today was my first with one of my new support workers, Aytan. Aytan and I handed out magic tokens (acorns) to excited children arriving for the spooky trail.

I had a lovely day, and I’ve been excited about getting to know Aytan.

It seems Halloween’s always a time of change: changing tics, changing routines and changing relationships.