Wednesday 18^th July

I have a bit of a cold at the moment and it is indeed quite unpleasant.  But I am amazed at the number of people who say, “Oh you poor thing, you have the flu.”  No I don’t.  “The flu” is a very horrible illness, with much fever, aching, nausea, and people with the flu can’t get up and walk around and make themselves cups of tea and use their computers and watch Masterchef etc etc.  Some of my poor darling family members actually do have The Flu and very miserable and couch-bound they are. 

But I just read a very funny comment, re our First World wussiness:

I’d like to offer the services of my mother, an ex-nurse, in order to teach when it is appropriate to whinge about feeling crook. The basic rule is; you’re allowed to whinge if your illness has, in fact, killed you.  Mum wouldn’t keep us home from school for anything less than Ebola virus.

(Disclaimer – of course this is all tongue-in-cheek and it is very horrid to be sick and to have no sympathy from those around us…)