This morning I felt even worse. My cold (and I'm beginning to realise that it is either a very bad cold or
one of these perpetual
Flus that make bi-monthly tours of
London) is worse. It's not enough to keep me
from work though. I hate taking time off sick and I don't remember the last time I did it.
My attendance record at work, as at school and university, is probably exemplary.
Exemplary attendance. Does not apply himself fully in lessons.
When I change jobs I expect they'll make a point of my punctuality and reliability in my reference.
That's great of course but it's not why I'm such a
Good Boy.
I just hate the idea of stealing whole days from my boss. Not that I particularly adore or even respect my boss
or collegues. I do appreciate being in work though, especially in London and as a still-quite-recent graduate.
Last night I crashed really early. I took a glass of water, a glass of orange juice and a hot mug of tea to bed with me.
This is my secret cold cure, although it's just commmon sense really, to
stay warm, keep myself hydrated and take plenty of
Vitamin C. As I don't have any Vitamin C tablets in the
flat orange juice has to suffice. The warm underside of the laptop keeps my legs as hot as a good
hot water bottle,
though sadly does not have the same rubbery smell of security and safety.
Some of my happiest memories of childhood are times when I was feeling ill.
Mum would come and tuck me into bed with a hot water bottle before bringing a mug of hot tea.
Being ill always makes me miss Mum. "
Mum". It seems like a childish word, but "
mother" is so formal, and
after all, she was my Mum.
Just before I fell asleep I saw a
spider above my bed. It was big enough to make me want to get rid of it,
so I reached for the (now-empty) water glass and a postcard that was lying on the floor having recently been used
as a bookmark. I never kill spiders, even though I don't particularly like them. I don't like killing anything really.
Catching it was not easy, especially as I was feeling so ill, and my aching legs meant that taking that glass outside was a real effort. Perhaps that was why I forgot to let the spider out when I left the upturned glass in the garden.
It wasn't until I had returned to my warm bed that I realised my mistake.
Killing it quickly would have been prefereable to
starving the thing to death, so I got back out of bed and
painfully made my way back outside and released the
arachnid. This time I made sure it was safely out and on the
cold ground before turning around. I dropped the empty glass off in the kitchen on my way back to bed.
I must remember to wash that glass before I use it again.