Tic and Stim Confusion

So, I've been having another outbreak of Tourette's and Asperger's confusion that has become a little bit of an odd obsession the last couple of days.

I'm trying to work out how much of each thing is inside me - is it  Tourette's 100-0? Or 0-100 Asperger's?

I really can't tell. Both TS and AS share similar co-morbid conditions - OCD, ADD and various other flavours of behaviour, but they are also different, and this is where I've been going a little crackers.

Tics are in the provenance of Tourette's. Stims are autistic behaviours. Stims are things like flapping of hands, rocking back and forth - I've just been rocking back and forth just now while thinking about rocking back and forth. Tics are uncontrollable, only they are not...they satisfy an urge, wait so do stims, sometimes, but in a different way...

The only really consistent thing I pick up is that tics tend to be more centrally located down the centreline of the body, while stims are more symmetrical and found at the extremes. But even then I'm not sure about that. I do tic vocally, usually quiet little names or phrases of interest quietly burbled and usually taking on slight different, clipped forms, but the real yelling, and the most convulsive, violent, flappy tics come when I'm extremely upset or stressed by something I read or think about.

Then, at other times I think stimulating thoughts and my hands begin to flap and do a sort of clapping without moving thing.

Then sometimes my left foot has been arching within the shoes, and my left leg likes to do a sort of strange stretching thing, like a slightly demented cat.

So today, everytime by body has done something, I've tried to classify it - stim, or tic?

I've tried to classify me. Tourette's, Asperger's, or both?

For some reason this became very important, and I'm not sure why. Knowing what percentage of my behaviours is caused by one or the other doesn't change very much, they are all still there and nothing will ever change that.

Even as I write this, a tense bit of "Silent Witness" comes on, and my right arm bends over the top of my head, hand towards my left ear. At the same time, my left side tenses and pulls my body over like an anti-stretch.

Incredible thing, the brain, and body. I don't know how the heck anyone ever works it out.

Si

All text copyright CreamCrackeredNature 03.01.17

Venus and the Moon

Back to work tomorrow, but of course, I'm never off duty, always with my eyes open trying to find interesting things to show you!

As I'm sure many of you have noticed in the early evening after sunset, planet Venus has become an increasingly dominant sight lowish in the south-west; tonight a two day old crescent moon was there to partner it, with mars as a rather fainter bonus a little way away in the opposite direction.

During my 11km tonight, starting at 345 and finishing an hour or so later, I was able to watch a perfectly clear sky darken, and have some magical views over the local landscape.

Initially, as I ran along the cycle path, only the moon was visible, but soon the sky darkened enough for Venus to come into view, and then the two objects dominated the south-western aspect. Mars, at 10 o-clock, was rather fainter and is not visible in these shots.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.01.17

New Year, Wet Weather

For some crazy reason, despite some late night visiting of a "Steampunks versus Zombies" event for New Year, I was awake at 630am and wondering if a pre dawn walk might be a good idea.

As it turned out, it was hammering down with rain, the bubbling puddles illuminated in the lights that enver go out at the old folks' home at the back of my flat. I spent another 3 hours being unable to get back to sleep listening to Radio 4 extra, and then when I decided that rain or no I was getting up and going out, I finally fell asleep.

So, the rain had lessened by the time I finally got out at about 11, but it was still an occasion for the full wet weather gear, sexy kag and waterproof fetish trousers. As such I walked for about 3 hours, not very quickly, looking for winter aconite and taking in the large numbers of chaffinch that were active today.

Foir some reason, the wet weather had attracted a 4 cormorant to the Blue Lake for some reason, although they didn't seem to be fishing, just mooching around.

I'd decided the main focus of my interest today should be the old sundial in the cemetery. Seemingly dated to about 1901, the copper plaques on it have achieved a beautiful green patination, a stunning, but massively unnatural green compared to the grass around it.

Tomorrow, back on the running trail I've been busy on the roads and tracks over the festives, but I need to lose some excess timber.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.12.17

Slug Tracks on the Bottle Bank

I've been suffering from a total lethargy today, seemingly unable to do anything after waking at 9 other than just lying around in a daze in various places. Must be Christmas digestion catching up with me or something; I've felt as weak as a kitten all day.

So, a wasted day, or so you would think. Well, perhaps not. On delivering my empties to the bottle bank, I noticed an astonishing series of patterns in the dirt on the otherwise unappealing big metal bunkers.

I can only assume that these are the trails left by slugs making their way over the bottle banks for god knows whatever reason. I think they are incredible, to me seeming to show the grips in the undersurface of the invertebrate that they use for grip and propulsion.

I might of course be completely wrong and it is some other kind of natural phenomenon. But I'd guess at slugs.

Or maybe snails. Maybe.

In any event, wasn't expecting to find such beauty on a bottle bank.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 30.12.16

Fire on the Ice

My leg has been rather sore today, so I thought that with my sister and her fiance now gone back to London, I would take advantage of the time to try and do another purge of my kitchen - partially successful - and have a nice long walk on a bright but punishingly cold day - temperatures of -5 at dawn.

I did the tour of the two lakes, albeit at a much slower pace than usual, expecting that the freezing weather might have brought some more interesting ducks onto the water, but alas no goosander, pochard or shoveller, although a cormorant was taking advtange of the kerfuffle caused by a large flock of black headed gulls to fish.

Nature on the water was thus not too interesting, but the sun shining off the ice that had formed on the surface was stunning.

There were lots of birds out in the trees along the cycle path, a bullfinch yesterday but today we had a lot of blue and great tits and also a fair few chaffinch.

The golden low sun has been beautiful this last couple of days, gilding the town in precious metals.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.12.16

Bright the Berries are

Across the road on the little local park, the contoneaster trees looked stunning in the sun.

I always find it strange the berries don't seem to attract the birds as holly and rowan does. Presumably they are poisonous, or perhaps not very nutritious. 

I've had a great three days of running, 10km plus a day since Christmas day. They are needed to, as I am fat as a barrel, today being the first day I haven't overeaten to hell and back. More tomorrow, never mind the cold. The sunset I saw today was entirely worth it.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.12.16

There are Primroses Too

Feeling as heavy as lead and as bloated as the average darts professional, I figured it would be a good idea to get in a second 10km run in a row - not the 10 miles I'd envisaged this morning but my bed just ended up far too warm to leave in time.

Especially as I'd been up late observing open star clusters in my 10x50 binoculars. So much to see up there and it barely costs you anything.

Today's run took me out on my old route to Coddington and back, and I was pleased to spot a flock of about 80 fieldfare in the field next to the windmill. As ever, despite their robust size, they are spooky birds and hard to get close to.

Getting home and visiting the elders, I found that indeed primroses are out now as well, just a pair of shy ones under the bramley tree. It was bright today, but hardly that springlike.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.12.16