Saturday 31st May 2014

It is half four on Sunday morning, I have, once again, given up on sleep due to being unable to breathe caused by whatever infection I have. Outside the milky white light of the first dawn of the month of June creeps over St Maggies, there are no cats about and I have a headache that you would not believe. Jools is feeling better at least, and I hope to join her today, but this lack of sleep is not helping, however, I guess the 5 hours I got this night is just about enough for me to feel something approaching human.

Thursday.

We wake up at about seven, I send a mail to the office saying I would be looking after Jools for the day. And so begins the routine, making coffee, trying to clear up and the such. Jools rests most of the day until it is time to head to the hospital for the scan.

Its a half hour drive to Ashford, which isn't so bad, the holiday traffic is light enough. But going to Ashford means having to use junction 10 and the roundabout from hell. At least with it not being busy, we get round in one piece as cars overtake us on both sides, I indicate in plenty of time to give others notice of my intentions and so they can get out of my way. It seems to work.

Once the scan is done, Jools is given the all clear and so we can go home, although we will have to dispose the cocktail of drugs she had been supplied with the day before in case of a more serious result from the scan. We get home and Jools takes to bed. I am now not feeling too sharp, and to make matters worse i have been asked to meet a bloke at half five to show him where the Lesser Butterfly orchids we saw at the weekend were.

I leave Jools resting, and drive to the meeting place. John turns up and we head into the wood, and park in the same spot. I get out my camera and set off up the track, and this is when the trouble really begins. After a few paces I am huffing and puffing like i have run a marathon, and after 25 metres I have to stop for a rest. What the heck is happening? I make it up the slope, some 100 metres, but I am blowing bubbles and cannot speak. For the rest of the evening I in a cold sweat.

We find the orchids, but not the mystery plant. John gets his shots, I take a couple and I hope we can now go. But I am persuaded to carry on walking to where i had said I had seen many Common Twayblades. Anyway, it was kinda worth it as amongst the Twayblades we find White Helleborines, Birds-nests and Flys. A great and almost unknown site, one to keep to ourselves.

We head back to the car, i want to go home, but John wants to talk. So I am polite and let him. When he does get into his car again, it is half seven. I head home where Jools has dinner nearly ready, some pasta with homemade sauce.

I feel like shit, in a word. And as soon as dinner is over, of which I leave half, I head to bed and try to get some sleep.

Friday.

Friday was a blur, in the late afternoon I had a friend coming down to look at some churches, so despite a crappy nights sleep, after sending another e mail to work with the update, I head to bed to groan in quiet. I am joined by the cat, and waited on by Jools, who although not feeling 100%, is feeling better than i.

Jools drives me to the A&E so we can confirm that I have caught whatever has laid her low. Although they don't do the scans, they suggest it probably is and recommend the general flu medicine and rest. And that was that after a 90 minute wait. I'd rather have stayed in bed to be honest.

The day passes with visitations from assorted cats. I snooze some, but now the coughing has made me ache all over. My friend has already left so i cannot cancel his trip now.

Bugger.

At five I head down to the station to collect him, I am feeling slightly better thanks to drugs and coffee. Lots of coffee. We come back to the house, I make chorizo hash for dinner and then we head out to Coldred to the Carpenters Arms for a drink, not the cleverest thing i have done, but then it felt like I should be sociable.

we head back home at ten, and we all head straight to bed, I hope I will be able to breathe through the night and so get some sleep. As events turned out, I would only get some sleep....