Up the Stairs

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…