A few days ago I took up a new role, one almost as daunting as being a superhero. I undertook to be Godmother to my friend Laura’s son Leo. Laura first asked me back in January when Leo was only a month old.…

Last week I wrote about an interesting conversation I had about Tourettes with a group of young boys at the Nature Garden, one of the projects where I work. I was back there yesterday showing a prospective volunteer round. As we walked through the tiny bit of woodland at the back of the site we came across a group of children playing.…

I was chatting with my mum on the phone earlier and she told me my gran had had an offer on her house. She moved in with my parents at the start of August and has settled in well so she’s decided to sell up.…

A couple of days ago I momentarily trapped my finger in my wheelchair’s footplate the result was a sizable blood-blister on its tip.

Earlier today I had a ‘ticcing fit’ and, as often happens, I lost my speech. Fortunately I’m still able to communicate ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ using the blinking technique, and most of my support works can tell how much pain I’m in by the noises I’m making.…

On Friday my support worker Will and I went round to the Nature Garden where I work. When we arrived a small group of boys were there, busily making biscuits. They were all about five years old and I hadn’t met any of them before.…

It’s late and I’m in bed. In the next room I can hear murmuring, gentle singing, occasional bickering and the unmistakable sound of wriggling. I can also hear Ruth’s tics. Ruth’s staying over tonight to do my support and she’s brought her nephew Adoni (aged 8 ) and her niece Shania (aged 11) with her.…

I was moving about quite a lot during a ‘ticcing fit’ the other day and Zoë, who was supporting me, was struggling to keep my limbs under control. While this was going on I ticced “Whack Attack!” This is a children’s game in which little plastic heads pop up randomly from a board and you have to hit them back down with a plastic hammer.…

Last week at work I had a ‘ticcing fit’. It started suddenly in the middle of a big group activity with loads of children around. My support worker Hannah and my colleagues were quick to respond. Fran, who’s previously provided me with a lot of support, was working that day and she came to help manage the fit.…

I haven’t been very well for the last few days so yesterday morning I went to the doctor, supported by Poppy. We’d only been in the waiting room for a minute or so when a boy, aged about two and a half, made a beeline for us.…

The summer holidays are always the busiest time of year at work and all three of the children’s projects I help run started their playschemes on Monday. My role includes lots of fundraising, developing services, and supporting more than fifty volunteers.…