Sunday 26th November
We live in a sous-sol house. Slightly reminiscent of Medieval houses where the animals would be downstairs and the family a floor above, our house has a huge garage (now a living room) a cave (wine cellar, now a storeroom) a power room, with the oil tank, boiler and water heater, and two (now en-suite) guest bedrooms. This whole floor is really reserved for Summer parties and for our guests to use as their very own apartment.
I had recently returned from England, and as usual was snuffling a bit. Whether this is breathing in recycled air on the plane or a bug picked up you never know, but I often have a mild cold for a couple of days. My wife had also returned a few days alter and she had the ‘snuffles’ too, which threatened to be a full-blown cold, but like an unwelcome guest, seemed to hesitate on the doorstep – not sure if it should come in or not.
I had a bit of painting to do downstairs, and after tidying up and cleaning my brushes I changed out of my painting togs and came up the stairs. You know that tingle you get in your nose when a sneeze is about to erupt. You try to hold it in, but you know it will explode any second soon. As I reached the top step the sneeze almost knocked me back down the stairs. It was a mighty one. Oh, I wonder where that come from? I walked to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and another sneeze hit me, then my nose started streaming like Niagara Falls, and by the time I reached out for the kitchen roll I was in full ‘Cold’ mode; streaming eyes, the beginning of a sore throat and a dripping nose. Bloody Hell – the first cold of the Winter.
But I have never experienced such an onset before. Literally, by the time it took to walk up the stairs I had gone from being perfectly healthy to feeling dreadful. All I can hope is that the cold disappears as speedily as it arrived…