This evening Leftwing Idiot and I met up with the people who are putting on the event I’ll be talking at on Sunday. They were all incredibly friendly and relaxed despite having so much to do behind the scenes.

We went for a delicious Italian meal before heading to the venue where the Progress Festival is happening.…

I’m going to bed this evening full of excitement, and unusually it’s got nothing to do with the lamp-post outside my bedroom window. No, this time it’s because tomorrow morning Leftwing Idiot and I are flying to Toronto. We’re going because I’ve been invited to give a talk about the intriguingly titled Republic of Inclusion at the Theatre Centre.…

Exactly a week ago Leftwing Idiot, Chopin, Jolie and I had a production meeting at Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) ahead of our two-week run of Backstage In Biscuit Land there in May. This was all the more exciting because we had to dress up for it.…

I spend a fair bit of time involuntarily chatting to trees, mainly the those outside my bedroom window who, along with the lamp-post, the TV aerial and the moon, get a lot of attention from my tics. Today though they chatted to a different tree, an indoor tree, and a tree in a theatre – and to be more precise – a tree with a man in it performing to an enthralled audience.…

This’ll be brief – it’s late and I’ve only just got home. I need to have some dinner before heading to bed but I wanted to write down my first thoughts about the evening I’ve just had before they fade.

Over the first five years of Touretteshero I’ve come to appreciate the spontaneity and creativity that Tourettes adds to my life.…

Today was our last day at work before Christmas so we had a party for the children. There was ‘Crimbo-limbo’, an amazing festive feast, music and lots of games. There was even an incredible Grotto. But there was one thing missing – Father Christmas.…

I’m sitting on my bed to write this post. To my right I can see the garden bathed in wintry sun. To my left is my wheelchair with the remnants of the fake snow from our Christmas video-shoot last month still clinging to its upholstery.…

On Friday, Bunny, Fran, Jolie and I saw an incredible piece of theatre, Hopelessly Devoted, at the Roundhouse in Camden. The play, written by Kate Tempest, is moving, funny and thought-provoking. The characters are brilliantly drawn and the performances totally absorbing – I’m so glad I saw it.…

I have a long Word document in which I write this blog. I often make notes for future posts and move ideas and dates about in it. For the last week the words 80-Year-Old Stella have been sitting there in bold type waiting for me to find the time to write the post.…

The other night I had the telly on while I was working. I was paying just enough attention to know that what was rumbling on in the background was an episode of Family Guy.

Somehow I managed to notice that near the end of the episode (which it turns out was called Quagmire’s Baby) there was a brief, funny, disability-related joke that really made me laugh.…