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.…

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.…

A couple of days ago I mentioned that Leftwing Idiot’s soon to be going away for a month. I explained then that I’d sorted out alternative support for myself while he’s away.

This evening we discussed care arrangements for his geranium.…

I’ve just woken up, and sitting at the end of my bed is a large gold pig – the much anticipated ‘Mystery Piggy’. I can hear Ruth pottering about in the living room, her familiar tics ringing through the castle.

Outside my bedroom window the usual view of the garden and lamp-post is brightened by coloured bunting fluttering lazily in the breeze.…

A long time before this site went live Leftwing Idiot described me as a ‘Crazy language-generating machine’ and told me it’d be a real waste not to make imaginative use of my tics. It took a while but eventually I came to see how this could work, using them as a springboard for creativity.…

Leftwing Idiot hates it when I don’t plan ahead, and I’ve lost track of the number of times he’s told me, ‘Inefficiency is no one’s friend.’ For years he’s been trying to get me to be more organised about the small things in life like having my keys ready when I reach my door or giving him my freedom pass before we get on the bus so it’s ready for him to swipe.…

Leftwing Idiot called earlier and said, ‘I’ve got a present you’d like.’ This didn’t make sense for a moment but he explained ‘My dad gave me a present and as soon as I saw it I thought you should have it instead of me.’…

Leftwing Idiot’s been laughing on and off all afternoon. But it’s not my tics that are making him chuckle – it’s a collection of smart metal signs unearthed by some of the children.

They found them in an old box of Christmas decorations they’d got out to use for making cards with.…

I woke up this morning after a long and comfortable sleep in a very smart Dublin hotel. Leftwing Idiot and I are planning to take it easy this morning after a busy but enjoyable day yesterday.

I’ll fill you in on what happened after I popped my post up in the early hours of yesterday morning.…