It’s a good thing that I know Lady M so well – the night time mutterings have taken on what could be interpreted as a more sinister tone…

Last week I was reading in bed, and Lady M rolled over in her sleep and began cracking the knuckles of each hand. We’re not talking a lacing of hands here in some complex motion, but her thumb moving to the top of each finger in turn and pressing hard so the joints crack.

It’s impressive enough to see and hear when she’s awake and aware, but done in her sleep it becomes somewhat threatening. She claims to have no recollection of doing so, though there is a devilish glint in her eye when I mention it that repeats when she does it while awake.

I think it’s connected to her fibromyalgia in some respects – an ache in her hands that cracking her knuckles relieves as a sensation. It tells me how uncomfortable she is that she now does it in her drowsy/sleeping state. So while I do tease, it’s at least half tongue-in-cheek because I’d rather she didn’t have to.