under another sun

So Lorraine back to work, and me back at my desk first thing looking out on torrential rain, but then had to push off to the quack to discuss my ears, which are sometimes painful and are now howling with more or less continual tinnitus. I was given a nose spray to help clear out sinuses generally, and told to try olive oil in my ears to soothe the inflammation, which did not respond to the previous spray. The young doctor also jabbed me for flu. Then to the gym, where I did a haggis- and beer-atoning workout, the chemist, Sainsbury's then walked home in the rain, chatting briefly to Mum. After a bite to eat, worked on some stuff my French client had sent through till 4.  And got back to tinkering with my own things. I prepped and Beth made some delicious chicken wraps, before she headed off to a meeting about a show. Lorraine survived her inset day, and we slumped on the sofa. Lorraine chatting with Maureen, as Pat and Maureen still recovering from a very nasty bug. We went to be...

Got up and went back to bed again several times this morning. I felt like Lorraine and I hadn't spoken much this week. And we didn't really embark on the world till the afternoon, when we went off into town and at four o'clock I was too late to get a haircut from my usual barbers. Instead Lorraine and I got a flu jab at Boots. We were ushered into the room together, which was quite companionable. I don't mind having a jab, but I didn't like seeing Lorraine having one. We were told to hang about for five minutes afterwards. I sat down and immediately began to picture the rapid death I was going to experience through anaphylactic shock. Lorraine went off to browse happily in Boots before returning to shepherd me out, grateful for life.  From there a short mooch to Indian Summer , a nice restaurant we've not been to before together. I think I went there once with Diane, Mum's old pal. Extremely tasty food, and a grown up atmosphere. We walked back, happy...

Up and a good morning's writing, then off into town to go to the gym. By the time I had walked down into town to the gym, I was already feeling tired. A bit of cross training and a bit of time on the rowing machine and I felt done in, and not sure why, although I could come up with plenty of catastrophising reasons. Gingerly to the politically incorrect Starbucks for a cup of tea, and I did some bits of work, before going to the doctor's surgery to take up their offer of a free flu jab. Despite being given the ridiculously precise time of 3:06 for the jab, I had to wait half an hour anyway. The nurse asked me how I was feeling, fine I said. It was only on the bus going home that I realised I actually had a sore throat and was feeling not too good, hence the poor gym performance. Cue hypochondriac musings about having a mystery disease plus a flu jab, which as any fool knows can lead to rapid death. Saw Beth at a bus stop and she got on to sit with me at the front on the top...

Lorraine and I up in the middle of the night to crane our necks out of the velux window in our bathroom. The moon being eclipsed, a thin sliver of moon, then a baleful rest of it. Annoyingly it was just about the least convenient place for the blood super moon to be viewed from our house, but still something of a magical sight. All day working from home, apart from sauntering off down the road to get my Yellow Fever jab, which I was able to receive this time thankfully, and a couple of packets of malaria pills. The same nurse as a few days ago. We got talking about why we are going, and she told me she was an Evangelistic Christian, and that she thought we were living in the End Times. We discussed her faith for a while, and why she had become a Christian.  Back home and back to work, before a relaxed evening in with Lorraine, and Betty and John watching another re-run of Les Revenants . We all like these cool French Zombies and a new series is coming up soon. Meanwhile NASA ha...

Up and off to having my fasting bloods done at 8:30. Lovely nurse at the surgery, and we shared stories of hypochondria and our deep love of flying, she's only got as far as Malta, which made me feel like a hairy chested adventurer. Then home to work on Balkan Dogs then I sauntered off to another medical centre to get my yellow fever jab. She asked me if I was well, and I confessed that I thought I had a temperature. She stuck a thermometer in my ear, and found I had a high one. You can't have a fever jab if you have a fever it seems so I slunk away unpricked, hoping the fever is over before Monday when I have another appointment. Feeling rather tired tonight, water, paracetamol and an early bed.

Doing some more work for my French clients this morning, radio adverts about the plight of Balkan dogs. Then off for a walk up to the top of the nearby hill, looking down on Brighton and the big pointless pole of the i360 . Everything has to be an iSomething these days. Then more of Lorraine's ghastly form, before taking myself off for jabs. Had a typhoid, a diphtheria polio and tetanus, and an MMR. Three jabs. I'm okay with jabs but the typhoid quite ouchy. The nurse very good, and sprang at me with a surprising wild speed and I was done in no time. Still a bit of discussion to be had about Chad, and assurances to be sought. However if it is green-lighted, I will have to have a yellow fever jab privately as well as malaria pills before we set off. Home to sit with Lorraine a bit more for the dreaded form, then scarfed down some food and made off for the poetry meeting. Arrived late, bought a pint and headed into the room only to realise that the meeting was in fact next Mo...