Coff. coffcoffcoffcoffcoffcoffcoffCOFF

It has to be said that this has been a mighty interesting cough. It started, innocuously enough, about a fortnight ago. Reasonably typical for me. Feeling of being pushed gently in the bottom of the right hand side of the throat, accompanied shortly after by a slightly wheezy, tickly and irritating cough, also located in the bottom of the throat.

So far, so usual. Alas, once I get a cough, they do tend to linger. But mostly, they are irritating rather than actively annoying and seldom really attract my attention (other than as a cause for a good whinge!)

Not this one, though. It got more and more persistent. I coffed and coffed and coffed and coffed and coffed and coffed and COFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFED.

To the point where breathing sometimes became problematic!

As was sleeping :-(

I tried cough mixture and a ventolin inhaler and a herbal cough mixture recommended by the GP wife of a friend of mine (made my ears drop off but didn’t affect the cough) and fisherman’s friends and aniseed, menthol and eucalyptus sweets and all sorts. Nothing worked.

Coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff coff.

Coff

I don’t actually think I’ve ever had a cough quite like it. It was an upper, upper respiratory cough; didn’t get anywhere near my lungs or chest. But it didn’t half hurt. Pulled at least one rib cage muscle which complains loudly now if I cough or take a deep breath. And it simply wouldn’t stop ;-(

On Sunday, we had been out and about. Off to Chatsworth in search of fleshy things to eat and sandals at the garden centre (which I didn’t buy in the end; they’re lovely sandals but I’ve bought a purple shirt and need something to go with that. A dusty blue didn’t seem quite the ticket, somehow). We had achieved a great deal. Se we decided to come off the wagon and have some wine with our Sunday roast lamb. Well, it was like bashing me over the head with something blunt and heavy, bearing in mind that I hadn’t had a decent sleep for several nights. I was in bed by half past eight, didn’t wake until the radio came on on Monday morning and the cough, which certainly hasn’t gone away, has abated very considerably. Should have applied alcohol earlier!!!!!

On the other hand, though, the target trousers appear to be growing ever so slightly, so perhaps the lack of alcohol hasn’t been such a bad thing. With luck they may fit comfortably by Friday fortnight.

We had a lovely, fairly lazy weekend. The Builder picked mountains of fruit. I processed them. We got to the allotment, we went into town. We pottered and pootled and just quite enjoyed having Nothing Pressing To Do. It does cross my mind, however, that it is a week until Austin gets here (although he is going first to Cambridge so I don’t need to fret about that directly) and only 9 days until Lindsey and Ian get here. I do need to do something about this – the spare room needs digging out from under the junk room, if they are to have a bed to sleep in!

It is amazing the deeply, deeply suspicious looks you get at the moment as you wander about the place coughing with vigour and enthusiasm. You almost feel as though you need a little bell and a sign that reads: Unclean!

I brought the week’s milk in with me on Monday, as is my habit. Stuck a label on it, marked “f & r”. Also my habit. But this time it was for the last time. From next week there will be no “r” to share the milk with ;-( So no point marking it as such. Just “f” from now on ;-(

Mind you – you should see the huge, big grin on Richard’s face!!!!