flu Archives - The Smallest Smallholding

December 29, 2010 by Lucy

It feels as though it’s been months since I last made an effort to sit down and write something on my blog. But a lot has been happening in the month of December and I will attempt to succinctly sum it all up for you. I can’t say it’ll be interesting, but unfortunately my life isn’t always interesting…

I was working at work
I was fulfilling millions of orders on my online store, having a major crisis with couriers and postal services
I was snowed on (as many of us were)
I got a cold
I got over my cold
I did some Christmas shopping
I spent a huge sum of money feeding the birds
I had my office Christmas party
That night my cat got bitten in the leg by another cat and needed to go to the vet the next day (all OK now)
That evening I went to Edinburgh via Cheshire in the snow
I came home with ‘flu
I convalesced
I coughed a *lot*

That’s pretty much it. The past week I’ve been battling with ‘flu. I’ve never had ‘flu before I don’t think. I’ve had bad, stinking colds but never ‘flu. I literally couldn’t even entertain the idea of getting out of the bed to go to the loo, let alone do anything constructive or useful in the run up to Christmas. It was horrible. One day I just cried because I felt so bad. Pathetic, right? I’ve never felt so weak or incoherent in my life. Seriously thinking of getting the ‘flu jab next year.

Christmas, when it came to it, was almost a non-event this year. We only just managed to get one of two remaining potted Christmas trees from the garden centre, late in the afternoon on Christmas eve. I usually take care of decorating the house and had been in no state to tackle them this year; Rich had been working late and running around looking after me, so I think we had almost resigned ourselves to a festive-less Christmas. But a last minute dash had meant that Rich did eventually come home with a small, slightly deformed pom-pom shaped tree in a pot. But a tree it is nevertheless, and one that we’ll continue to grow. He took it out of its bent, muddy bucket that it had outgrown, put it in a bucket covered in silver ribbon, and set to work decorating as I watched from under a pile of duvets on the sofa.

Now when we come in the house, apparently there is a wonderful pine scent that permeates the living room and dining room. I wouldn’t know, I still can’t smell or taste much.

The good news is that today I finally feel as though I’m on the road to recovery. I’m still absolutely knackered but the mental exhaustion is starting to lift. I can actually sit up at the table and do things; I may even attempt to do some clearing up as the house is a complete pig-sty. I still haven’t unpacked everything since Edinburgh, either. Rich is worn out from the last month or so too; he needs to sleep for three days solid at least. I think the run up to my birthday will be a very quiet one.

At least, I hope it is.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Filed Under: veg Tagged With: Christmas, flu

I’m a Grumpy, Ill Person

May 12, 2009 by Lucy

As I lay here and type this out on my laptop, I’m surrounded by all kinds of potions, syrups and capsules, tissues and blankets. The cat is sleeping on my legs. Yes, I’m ill. I don’t know if I’d go as far as saying I’ve had ‘flu, but it’s been a Very Very Bad Cold. Well, at the moment it’s more like an Annoyingly Hacking Cough and fatigue. I look even crappier than usual.

After a night of coughing, I couldn’t actually ring into work because I’d lost my voice. Not that I mind too much at the moment because I don’t have an awful lot to say to people, generally. I thought I was getting better on Saturday and ventured out for three hours to the hairdressers. By the time they’d finished, I was ready to crawl back under my duvet and sleep away the rest of the day. Since then I’ve just been housebound. It’s really knocked me for six, whatever it is I’ve had. And it’s not like I can really rest properly at home, given that next door are having their bathroom gutted and refitted, and living in an old semi-detached house, we get to hear every scrape, bang and wallop. Joy.

The really annoying thing is that I’ve actually got a hell of a lot of work on at work at the moment. For me, it’s fairly important stuff and the longer I’m ill, the more I’m going to have to work my socks off when I get back. In fact, they’ve had to take over writing what I was supposed to be involved in, and I’m so frustrated by that. Hopefully there’ll be more scope in the future to get more involved. Urgh, I’m so rubbish right now!

The other thing, of course, is that everything at the Smallest Smallholding is shooting up around my ears. Grass needs cutting at least once a week, weeds are springing up in every available nook and cranny, there’s about six million seeds still to sow, and anything that has been sown is either a big load of crap, or needs potting on. It just feels like it’s all slipping through my fingers at the moment. Mum has been our saving grace at the allotment, because I’ve managed to spend all of about an hour and a half down there in the past month. I NEED to put aside so much more time if the reality is to match up to the grand plans in my head.

Maybe I’ll just go and do a tiny bit of pottering outside later on today. It feels good to get out in the fresh air and move around a bit. I’ve been so bored and fed up being stuck indoors with no inclination or energy to do much more than eat half a sandwich and sleep.

Thing is, I’ve noticed that since I’ve not had the hens, it’s been much easier to shut myself away and lose track of what’s going on outside. Because I don’t HAVE to be out there every day in any capacity, I’ve lost touch a bit. That makes me sad. We can’t get any hens right now though. It’s just not the right time for a multitude of reasons. I’ve even had thoughts of digging out ponds and ducks, but I do tend to have these flights of fancy, forgetting about the real groundwork that still needs to be done. No, when I’m better I’m just going to have to pull my socks up, take the proverbial bull by the horns and just work like mad over the summer. Now night isn’t drawing in until around 9pm, I’ve no excuses. None whatsoever.

Being ill is so boring.