Yesterday I described how excited I got walking in the wind. Today my tics decided that the work phone ringing was particularly thrilling.

Every time it rang I shouted, “Help!” and put my hands over my ears. Fortunately Fran, my support worker today, stayed calm and answered it for me when necessary. She also noted down some other strange phone-related happenings. This included ending a reasonably clear, sensible and expletive-free voicemail message for a potential funder with “Thanks, bye, fuck!”

When I answer the phone, call someone new, or leave a message I always explain that I have Tourettes. But it’s new for me to find phone calls this exciting.