Wednesday 21 September 2011

An unwanted stray



It was inevitable. It happens every year. The little darlings go back to school after a break and catch up with their friends. A few weeks later they come home with a stray cold they have picked up on the way. They feed it, make a fuss over it but after a while they get bored with it and that's when they give it to me to look after.


Of course by this time it's no longer the innocent little thing they arrived home with. Oh no, by the time they've finished with it the mutation is complete. It's now a cold with homicidal tendencies!


It starts by trying to drown me to death, streaming simultaneously from eyes, nose and down the back of my throat. It does however do wonders for my deportment, especially since chaos ensues should I tilt my head in the slightest. Another upside, I'm excused from making dinner!


When that attempt is thwarted it tries to smother me. Where it procures the copious amounts of cotton wool it stuffs up my nose and into my head I'm not sure but there always seems to be enough left over to soak up any moisture in my mouth and throat. The resultant sporadic breathing can be quite noisy. You know it's bad when your own nocturnal grunting wakes you up.


Its final attempt is the lung expulsion (I may have mentioned this particular tactic in a previous post) The aim is to make me cough so hard my lungs are ejected from my body via my trachea.


Suffice it to say I never look forward to the boys bringing home this particular stray, it always seems to get the better of me.


But not this time, you little terror of a cold virus you! Having lost 2 weeks earlier in the year while I did battle, this time I remembered my girl guide training and I was prepared. I had brought in reinforcements. 








Copious amounts of hot ribena, echinacea and raspberry tea and toast and marmite* were consumed in between popping various pills and potions, while kleenex doused with olbas oil ensured at least a few hours sleep. 
Some remedies were homeopathic while others were allopathic, in this instance I have no problem being a belt and braces kind of girl.


I didn't escape completely but what is usually an extended engagement became a minor skirmish. Result! I have missed a few days in the workroom but will hopefully be installed behind my machine by the weekend. 


Oh, and I discovered that doing some ironing proved to be a productive substitute for a congestion relieving steam treatment (but it's a good idea to keep a hankie handy) :o) 








*I know, I know 'marmite'! But it really is good for you and when you have a bad cold you can't taste much anyway.
   

3 comments:

A Time for Stitching said...

Oh dear It sounds dreadful! I hope it clears up soon.
I went to a jewellery party at a friend of a friend's on Monday and one of the women there had a horrendous cold so I crossed my fingers and it looks like I avoided it!
Teresa x

gtlady said...

Fingers crossed, only the eldest has had a cold and managed to keep it to himself this time! The last time the youngest brought soemthinghome, and shared it, it was of the unfortunate jumping and itching variety, give me a cold any day!!!
p.s plese keep that ironing remedy to yourself!!!!
p.p.s glad your feeling better though!

Linnhe Mara said...

Hope you avoided the cold Teresa. Thanks for your good wishes, I recovered quite quickly this time.

Jane, fortunately we've managed to avoid those particular strays coming home. Makes me itchy just thinking about them! I think the alternative steam therapy won't see mach of an uptake :o)

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