This week I am overwhelmed to say that I have hit 1,100 followers on YouTube. I can’t believe that something I enjoy doing so much, and something I get so much joy from, is yielding so many results. I started BookTube because I felt lonely. This was compounded this week as a close friend cancelled on me at the very last minute. I am so privileged to be allowed to talk about my passions so freely – poetry, fiction and disability awareness; and just cannot believe that people want to watch the content that I put up! I am getting a lot from doing these videos. It has been a brilliant way of bottling a feeling of how I react to a book – so physical rather than reading how I felt about it (I have memory problems).

I say that a close friend cancelled on me, but another wonderful friend took me to a huge second hand bookshop this week, where I picked up some really unique poetry collections at cut down prices. This friend also bought me a very special gift, the completed works of the poet Stevie Smith. The book is over 700 pages long, and I am loving being completely immersed in her work. I am not usually in to rhyming poetry, but these compact poems are so clever I almost instantaneously fell in love with them. I know this friend will probably be reading, so I just want to say that I really needed that little outing. It made me feel so much more centred and grounded again, so thank you.

I went to see the neurologist this week. I’ve had some symptoms cropping up so I am going to have an MRI scan of the brain. We are all fairly convinced that my symptoms are related to the deterioration of the conditions we already know I have, but just to be certain I am getting a quick scan.

I’ve been revising (still!) this week. I actually the scientific principles of how an MRI scan works thanks to this revision! It is all related to Water molecules, protons, radio waves and X-rays. Very clever stuff. My exam is inching nearer, and I am just doing the very best that I can. I have missed a very significant amount of school in the last year, but all I can do is try my very best.

I went to Brewery Poets and Dove Cottage Young Poets on Friday. I really enjoyed this full on poetry marathon and always get a lot out of each of these sessions. We are putting together the final preparations for this years poetry festival, which is very exciting – it’s only two days away! If you head over to the Kendal Poetry Festival website you will see the final five minute interview I have conducted, this time with Malcolm the owner of all writers’ favourite shop Iridium.

I went through to see my grandma and grandad today. They are so lovely and talking to them, despite arguing about politics and then agreeing to disagree (even though I was right hehe). I am so very lucky to have such loving and steady grandparents who have been supportive of me since day one. They also have a wicked sense of humour. They have been married fifty years and the banter is still real.

I have read two books this week. The first, See how they Lie by Sue Wallman was about the daughter of a psychiatrist that runs the best facility for adolescent mental health problems in America, however, everything is not as idyllic as it seems… The second book I read was I have no secrets by Peggy Joelson. I loved this book, and needed to be written. It centres around Jemma, who is quadriplegic and has cerebral palsy. This also means she cannot communicate, but can think just as you or I could. This book looks at issues of psychological abuse, amazing mother daughter relationships and the importance of treating those in a wheelchair just as you would any other young person.