Post 594 Cold of both kinds

I made it to World Embroidery on Wednesday, after a bit of coughing overnight but a fairly normal waking. The meeting went really well, largely thanks to Margaret’s skill and generosity in managing the setup of our new screen. It means we can all sit around the table in the foreground and see a presentation rather than being spread out around the room. Those present loved it (encouraged, perhaps, by the hummingbird cake brought by Pam).

There was interest in my effort to trace Celtic embroidery from motifs carved in stone, to metal engraving, to illuminated manuscripts to printed patterns.

It was a miserable day - maximum 10.1C (coldest for Adelaide since 2021) and 7cm of rain. I managed to get a bit cold and wet closing the gates as I left and within an hour I was sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose. 

I cancelled my Thursday Pilates, fell asleep on the couch, waking to make a lemon drink (someone had kindly left help-yourself lemons at the Guild) take Codral and fall into bed at 7.30pm. I woke a couple of times but basically slept for 10 hours. Thursday I stayed in, warm, dozing, using up the best part of a box of tissues, drinking a lot of tea in between hot lemon and weaned myself from Codral to paracetamol. By the end of the day I had enough energy to write up the summary of our meeting and  dig a piece of ham out of the freezer to boil with dried peas since I had run out of tinned and packet soups. It fit the bill and kept me going for a couple of days.                               .

I felt a lot better on Friday, but stayed indoors for most of the day, venturing out around 2pm to my local pub, which was surprisingly busy,  for calamari lunch, which I ate outside to avoid noise and hot air.It seems a few office workers have discovered POETS day. I nevertheless got served fairly promptly and was home by 3. I took Margaret Hickey’s An Ill Wind with me to read. I really enjoyed this one. She is an engaging writer.

On Saturday I ventured to the supermarket and stocked up on soups. I also bought some fresh chicken livers, bacon pieces and mushrooms to make myself chicken livers on Sunday and Monday. I'm not great on cooking for one, but I can whip this up quickly and I really like it. 

My cold is now following the five stages I find listed on a variety of websites. I am staying inside and warm most of the time, taking things easy, staying hydrated and using a lot of tissues. I'll continue until the symptoms completely disappear.   I'll make a decision about Thursday Pilates at noon tomorrow.  

Over the last 18 days I have read nine of Alison Golden's Instpector David Graham detective series set on Jersey. Obviously I am hooked.

I finished the Schwalm embroidery from Carol Stacey's May workshop. Details in my embroidery blog.      

I've taken concentration breaks from Schwalm by advancing the Rowan shawl. With 400+ stitches now on the needles, it takes me 20 minutes per row. I calculate I have about 90 more rows to go before I consider finishing it. I'll see how I feel in 30 knitting hours time.

I've been taking my cold to bed a little bit earlier than my norm. I managed to snap this before I fell asleep on Sunday, two nights after the full moon.  Tonight is cloudy with rain forecast and moonrise just before 10pm, so I'm unlikely to take a comparison photo.

Until next week.

Post 491 Cold

My honeyeater visitor returned on Thursday morning, fluttering around exploring before heading to the flowering aloe and providing me with one of the few photos for this week.

While at lunch with my friend Lorraine on Wednesday, I developed a slight cough. By the evening it was a fully developed sore throat. On Thursday morning I cancelled my Pilates class and postponed my thumb dressing for a week. I had the first, and heaviest, cold I have had in years. It has persisted all week. Yes, I did test negative for Covid. 

The worst is over. The cough hung on a bit but is largely gone. I haven't sneezed for 24 hours. I cancelled all commitments, including  Saturday dinner and a hairdressing appointment, to bunker down with my books, knitting and, occasionally, the Christine Bishop Pulled Thread Mat. I have drunk a lot of warm lemon juice and honey.

On Saturday morning I masked up and paid a swift visit to the supermarket for a few basic supplies, in and out in 10 minutes. I created unnecessary panic cancelling going to a Sjaella concert at Ukaria on Sunday. Turns out it is on next Sunday. Cold-affected brain!

So there isn't much to report this week. I have read quite a few books, all reviewed on my Goodreads page. My energy returned enough yesterday to fertilise my plants. Today I have vacuumed and been for a walk.

A coffee table book I had ordered arrived. I thought it might help with bird embroidery. It's beautiful, but I haven't had the energy to spend the hours  it requires yet. I have emerged from crime fiction to read Mary Condron's The Serpent and the Goddess: Women, Religion and Power in Celtic Ireland, so I think that signals recovery.

I had been worried I might have infected my friend Lorraine at lunch last week. Today I learned that she, along with all her Book Club members, has the flu. That, at 90, is a worry. She is, however, cheerful, careful and competent. 

 

Clearly there is a lot of infection around. I think I got off lightly

And my sliced thumb is almost healed. 

Deo Gratias.