The patient patient

Awoke this morning still tired and achey and with a familiar tightness in my chest. My old friend haemophilia influenza is back, otherwise known as catarrhal bronchitis. It bedevilled me for four months last winter, but I have learned how to deal with it from experience. Avoid antibiotics, rest, low glycemic loading diet, paracetamol for the fever, and patience. With luck it should subside in four or five days and the warmer weather will help. The bug lies dormant permanently, but irrupts as a secondary infection after a virus, or more probably after over exerting myself swimming and running. Increasing the training load too quickly in pursuit of my Swimathon goal has undone me. There never was any doubt that I could complete the distance as I am an expert swimmer, the hubris lay in the ambition to complete the 100 lengths in the hour. It was, it is, totally unnecessary. As long as I recover within the next week the swim can be done. If not my sponsors will surely wait until it is feasible. As long as I don't exert myself and get plenty of rest, normal life is just about possible.
This morning switch to low GL diet and make a full English breakfast with Italian coffee, then showered and drove to Cherry after first taking 1,000mg of paracetamol. Took the dogs, at an easy pace, down the Hudson Way, enjoying the quiet calm of being alone with nature. The blackthorn still in full bloom and the hawthorn buds ready to burst into flower at the end of the month. The dogs behave impeccably, perhaps sensing that I'm not quite myself today. As we re-enter the village a large hawk flies across us with a pigeon in its talons. An angry woman emerges from her bungalow enraged that the hawk has taken the pigeon off her lawn. I point out that the hawk wouldn't discriminate between her lawn and the adjacent fields, but she seems determined to take it as a personal affront. The pigeon would have felt no pain, as the hawk strikes so fast and no doubt it has chicks to feed. All animal life feeds on other life of some kind.
Afterwards call in on Felicity, down Albert Terrace, the old girl always makes me laugh and that is medicine in itself. Call at Tesco and buy lamb's liver and spinach that I shall cook with onions, garlic and potatoes for lunch back at Tickton. It only takes ten minutes to make, the spuds and spinach cooking in the microwave whilst frying the liver and onions on the hob. Some butter and nutmeg in the spinach, butter and parsley in the potatoes "et voila le dejeuner est pret"!
Eat lunch sat in the garden in the sun but a shower drives me indoors, just as I clear my plate. After washing up the pots, meditate and then sleep until 4:30pm. Get up and make tea and homemade oatmeal biscuits, before printing off some Swimathon sponsor forms and then reading until bedtime.