In years gone by I’d have done my blog through thick or thin and regardless of all else going on around me. On 7th March 2008, I posted a photo for the 1827th consecutive day though it was to be my last for most of a year. Not any more despite my best intentions! I even posted when I had Salmonella poisoning a few years ago. These days I am, officially, a lightweight of the highest order!

The lurgy crept up on me last week and gave me a horrible winter bug – worse than a cold but probably not as vile as full-on flu. Although I stumbled through my commitments on Thursday, Friday and worked over the weekend, I was shoving myself out to do it all simply with a will of iron but little else. When I was in the house, I was in my pyjamas and dressing gown, on the sofa covered up with a bedspread and sleeping.

The fact that I retreated into my pyjamas was in itself a rarity – I very rarely resort to bedclothes, not even to go to bed in…..

I’ve slept for England – I reckon 12-15 hours each day, sipped Linsip (my own plenipotentiary version of that well-known brand, made with ginger cordial, lemon juice, honey, soluble aspirin and hot water – it’s as good as the brand in effect, considerably nicer to drink because it’s not synthetic and a tiny fraction of the price), struggled down a few crumbs of toast and felt generally very sorry for myself.

Now I’m left with nothing much more than a throat that feels like I’ve been eating broken glass and I popped into a supermarket today thinking I’d buy some antibacterial/antiseptic lozenges until I saw the price of them too – over four quid for a packet of lozenges – not on your nelly mate, where’s that honey again?

The “side effect” of my sore throat is a little tiny croaky, whispery voice. Some may say that’s a good thing……..but we won’t go there.