When pigs have flown...

Thanks to the many many fans of my blog who have sent messages of support and encouragement to keep blogging. Yes, indeed, thanks Paul.

It has been a while since I last blogged- here are my excuses, in chronological order;

1. too much work
2. holidays
3. illness

On the subject of illness, for those who dont already know, I have swineflu. The first thing anybody does when I tell them is to question whether it is really swineflu. I think its a little bit of disbelief as it becomes a real thing when you actually know someone with it, and a little bit of wondering if I actually have the more common and less shocking manflu. I'll save you the bother of asking. They don't test you to find out any more, they just authorise the drugs if you have relevant symptoms. When you answer their questions, you realise that its pretty easily identifiable, and I certainly have it.

I am hopefully about two days away from the end of the quarantine. I have finished the course of tamiflu, but I still have some outstanding symptoms so I am still infectious. I feel pretty lucky because I have it mild. I have only had three miserable days - two with an endless headache which made it hard to read, watch or listen to stuff. Brave soul, I persevered. The other day was spent feeling really nauseous and only able to eat because I forced myself. Other things happened to, but I'm being polite. Honestly, its not all that bad really. The most annoying thing is not being able to go out, which means no socialising, or hunting and gathering. The latter was my bigger problem.

Let me share some advice for those of you who have not yet experienced the joys of the dreaded swineflu. I picked up the virus quite unexpectedly (as one tends to do) at the end of my holiday, and so when I found myself to be under house arrest, the cupboards were bare. My flu friend had to supply me with some groceries as well as tamiflu. She had to make repeated trips as I kept needing different things I didnt think of at first. So my advice to everyone is to make sure your cupboards are stocked in case the worst happens. Here's what to buy;

Cordial
You lose a lot of fluids in a fever, and they need replacing. Believe me, water gets boring, especially when you feel a bit ill.

Coke
The tamiflu makes you nauseous so you need something to settle your tum. When in doubt I always trust in Mum's remedies, and I can remember being required to drink flat coke when feeling sick. It works, thanks Mum! Incidentally for all those diet conscious types, it should be full fat coke this time. Don't fear the sugar, you'll be glad of it when its the only nutrition you can keep in ;-)

Resolve
Also useful for settling your tum, while delivering your essential dose of paracetemol.

Lemsip
Might seem like an obvious one, but how many times do you go to the cabinet only to discover there are only three sachets left and one of them is a flavour you cant abide (like lemon with menthol) and while this isnt normally a problem, you are normally allowed to nip out to get some. Not this time.

Bread
You need something simple to eat. I prefer bread, digestive biscuits are an acceptable alternative.

Entertainment
You will require entertaining during those times that you are lucid and it isnt too painful to use your senses. I recommend a balance of DVDs and books. Stay stocked up, a week's house arrest is longer than it sounds.

Get your shopping done in advance, and you will be fine.

Recommended music this post is selected from one of the DVDs I watched during my incarceration: http://open.spotify.com/track/5zYCk7b4tajiaCWSCAOyYE If you havent got spotify - get it! Its free-to-play music. Enjoy!