Walking wounded

Wake before the alarm at ten minutes before seven O'clock, feeling like death warmed up. The bronchial cattarh has a real hold and I feel feverish and cough up copious amounts of green phlegm. I take two paracetamol with a glass of water and prepare myself for the day. I have promised Sarah that I will take Louis to school whilst she takes Alice for a dental appointment and so I need to be out of the house by eight fifteen. I make a full English breakfast with strong tea and eat in the kitchen, before taking a second pot of tea through to the garden room. Outside the sky is clearing and the forecast is for a mild day, so I stick to my shorts and sandals but take a sweater against a change in the weather. After washing and shaving the paracetamol have. kicked in and I don't feel quite so cagey and feverish as I drive down to North Bar. I arrive at Sarah's at eight twenty five and help Louis into his school shoes before leaving the house to walk to Saint Mary's school. Norman is wagging his tail by the door as we leave, so I put him on his lead and take him with us. We walk down North Bar and then cross the road and walk under the trees of New Walk and then past the cemetery and Bleach Yard Stables on our way to school. When we arrive I tie Norman to the railings outside and accompany Louis to the school door, where his form teacher Miss Hart, is waiting to welcome the children. After I say goodbye to Louis, I collect Norman and the retrace our steps to my car which is parked a few metres North of Sarah's house and then drive to Cherry to collect Dolly and Teddy. The four of us arrive on the Westwood a little after nine and then make our way round our usual route. Half way round the sun breaks through and I have to take off my sweater and by the time we reach Black Mill I am running out of steam and take a short cut diagonally across the common and back to the car. I drop Dolly and Teddy back at Cherry and Norman at Sarah's and then drive home, stopping at the supermarket en route to buy fresh salad. When I get home I make a pot of tea and ham sandwiches and then sit in the sunshine and read until two O'clock. Despite the warm sunshine and the rest, I feel exhausted and sleep until four thirty. When I get up I make more tea and take this and my last two oaties into the Garden Room, where I read until six thirty. Outside the sunshine has given way to a gentle rain, the radio says the jet stream is starting to move North and the exceptional prolonged wet weather should ease from next week, I do hope so because the damp doesn't help my chest. I make bruschetta with mozarella and roast peppers for dinner accompanied by a tossed salad and a glass of red wine. My taste buds are clogged with cattarrh but the food still manages to taste good. If my health had been better I would have used the good weather to finish Andrew's garden, but I am simply not up to it. The illness will take it's own course but I hope to feel stronger in a day or so. After dinner I read until bedtime and go to bed slightly after ten.