I don’t know if I’ve ever revealed this before but I’m a secret lover of detective dramas and murder mysteries. I’ve enjoyed them since I was a child when I used to scare myself with Poirot while I should’ve been watching Thundercats.

Over the bank holiday weekend I’ve had a chance to indulge in this passion with back-to-back Columbo. I wasn’t alone though: Chopin was supporting me and we both got stuck into the plot lines – quickly identifying the likely suspects.

What makes this significant is that I chose to watch Columbo. For a while a few years ago it stopped being a pleasure and became a painful symbol of my increasing isolation.

It was endlessly half-watching Columbo on a sunny weekend in in July 2011 that led to tears, many difficult but important conversations, and the long-overdue decision to leave my old lair (up six flights of stairs) and head for the castle.

Whereas once a Columbo marathon represented restriction and a lack of support, it’s now back to being just part of a lazy long weekend.

But there are still many disable¬d people in our society who don’t have the support they need and whose choices are restricted as a result. Colombo’s famous parting words are “Just one more thing”: my parting words for this post are ‘Look for ways to stand in solidarity with disabled people in your community – resisting cuts, offering your skills or supporting disabled led organisations’.