It's not the cough that carries you off...

I'm off work ill. I've got a chest infection. A chest infection that Dr 1 said was catarrh. This was while he was writing me a prescription for both an inhaler and ' something to relieve shoulder pain'. The something was ibuprofen gel which, for the unasthmatic amongst you, the average asthmatic cant use. Me included.  A chest infection that Dr 2 upgraded to an upper respiratory virus. A chest infection that Dr 3 finally identified, perhaps because I virtually crawled in there. A chest infection that has set a tooth off that I had root canal two years ago, like an old war wound. Did you know some root canals never settle? No, nor did I. Wish they'd told me that first!  Despite the eventual identification, the antibiotics don't seem to be touching it and I feel Very Poorly Indeed. If only I'd walked into the ER at Grey Sloan Memorial, they'd have had me sorted at a glance. Of course I probably would have been diagnosed with some incurable tropical disease or the likes so the NHS it is for me.

Unusually for me, I can't sleep. It's 1am as I write, which is way, way past my bedtime. Sleep hardly ever eludes me. In times of trouble, stress, trauma, even tragedy, I can normally summon the Zeds with ease. It's like some anti flight or fight mechanism. I didn't even have trouble sleeping on Monday night, after I'd pretty much slept from lunchtime to Daughter's bath time and then went to bed at 8.30. But not tonight. Having watched so many medical dramas, I feel confident to declare that it's because I can't stop coughing. I can't take my inhalers because they make me cough (surely not right?!)  so I'm having my gazillionth cup of tea of the day and rambling on to you in the hope that I'll drop off. Not too abruptly though, as the iPad charger isn't really long enough and I'm half hanging out of bed. Bad news for me or the iPad if I just conk out!

I've been grateful for two wonders of the modern age in the three days I've been off. The first is Sky Plus, and especially on demand features. Other tv systems exist of course, but one must write about what one knows! The other is the sleeved blanket.

I've had a right old backlog on the box, and in the old days there would have been a towering stack of VHS tapes alongside the tv. But not now. Almost the entire run of Silent Witness watched between snoozes. Not the last two parter though, don't spoil it. Midsomer Murders- done. I've got three episodes of Girls waiting in the wings and am umming and ahhing over whether to delete The Paradise or to soldier on. But the real joy is on demand. I've gorged on season 4 of Private Practice, the Grey's Anatomy spin off. There they were, seasons 4, 5 and 6 just waiting to be downloaded. But rather than fill up the box with such readily available delectations, I just did season 4. And then discovered seasons 5 and 6 had been taken off due to legal action...yes, I was a bit put out.

And what of the sleeved blanket? Well it's super cosy and I think gives an air of Papal majesty if you stand up in it. Maybe it's because mine is purple.  I suspect walking about in them is difficult for most people as it tried to trip me up and I'm tall. 

So not much else really. I spent a bit of time making bobbles and a hairband for Wear it Yellow day tomorrow. It's in aid of Marie Curie, so happy to support, but yellow in February?! Of course it took a search through her summer clothes to find something yellow and she's gone in an eclectic mix, to say the least! 

As I'm lolling about wondering what to watch next, I'm mentally adding to The List. Mentally because I haven't got the puff to go and get a pen, and they're getting added to the list rather than being done because unless it can be done via the remote control, it's too much effort at the minute. And I need to conserve all my energy, because there was recording aplenty going on tonight. Tomorrows menu will consist of Greys and Midsomer. I've just got to hope I don't fall asleep and miss whodunit!