I did some shopping after work and then had a drink with some friends, and for the whole five hours this took, I’ve felt people have been staring and making negative judgements about me.

It started as soon as I left work.…

My long-awaited Freedom Pass has arrived. With this pass, disabled or older people can use London Transport for free during certain hours. This is brilliant for me because it means I can get off if my tics are making a journey too difficult or if other passengers are reacting negatively and I don’t feel able to sit it out.…

This evening I had to take the bus home. Two young men got on and sat behind me at the back. They were soon having a conversation about me and Tourettes:

Youth 1: She’s one of those people who can’t control what they say.…

I travelled in the rush hour tonight. I’ve mentioned before how quiet commuter trains can be and today was no exception. The train was packed and everybody was travelling alone so there was no friendly chatter – just my squawks echoing through the carriage:

“Keep it down.…

I finished work late tonight and arrived home tired and wet. I’d been invited out by Ruth and was meant to be meeting her in Camden. But I hadn’t been able to find anyone to come with me and didn’t feel like making the long journey by bus and tube without help.…

This isn’t going to be the blog entry I’d planned to write.

I’ve unexpectedly been left feeling sad and undermined by something that happened a little while ago. I’d had a great evening out with Laura and was just getting home on the bus.…

I’ve been zipping about on buses all over the place today. On one a passenger in front of me gestured in my direction, and said, “I can’t believe they let people like them on the bus.” The man she was speaking to nodded in agreement.…

This morning I had an assessment with an occupational therapist. This is part of an application I’ve made for a Freedom Pass. Having one would mean I could travel free on the Underground, buses, or trains and get on and off whenever I need to, without having to pay multiple times.…

My “I’m a baby” tic entered a new phase earlier with the introduction of a goat voice. A number of farmyard noises have featured over the last few days and as my dinosaur squeals are not yet extinct, being on a bus with me probably sounds like taking a trip on Noah’s ark.

This afternoon the cab company who take me to and from work called to say they were going to suspend my account from Friday. This is because of the complex way Access to Work pay for my travel, and the bad experiences the cab company have had with other people using this scheme.…