Ice and flu

Good grief, this computer’s as slow as me to get started this morning. It’s below zero outside, there’s ice on the balcony, freezing brown slush on the footpaths and roads, and I, with a serious cold/minor flu, got up and walked my child to school. All hail the great and self-sacrificing Mother (tongue in cheek please).

All horizontal surfaces copped snow last night, but it’s turning to ice this morning. The traffic report had an endless list of spin-outs and accidents on all roads in every direction. I was listening to see if the schools were closed hoping I could stay in bed, but they were only 'delayed', which I assume means they open late to give everyone time to get there through the bad weather conditions.

Trudging back from school I watched a guy who lives without the luxury of a garage chipping inches of ice off his windscreen and was amused by the icicles hanging from the bodywork of the vehicle. They stick around too, it’s funny to see a cars decorated with icicles and a snow-topped roof driving along the street, kinda like a mobile cake. I think we can safely say winter is here.

As for the flu – it’ll be on us with a vengeance shortly. You can buy any kind of over-the-counter medicine you care to imagine, but a lemon for a hot lemon drink? 80 cents each, and hard to find. I splashed out yesterday and nearly broke the bank preparing for this small cold to get worse, which of course it did. The pre-winter flu vaccine panic is starting to make sense, this is a place where the method of choice is to medicate rather than avoid. Sure it’s mighty cold outside, but the buildings are all heated to summer temperatures. Too hot for warm winter clothes inside (I’m sitting around in a t-shirt and trackies and not quite ready for a jumper), too cold not to wear them outside. Going out to school, we put on our winter clothes, then our outside layer with coats, pants, gloves, scarves and hats and by the time we’ve made it out of our apartment, down the elevator, across the lobby we’re about to faint from heat exhaustion. Then the blast of cold once those doors open is wicked. It’s nice to be warmer inside, but there’s no equilibrium between inside and outside – a perfect environment for breeding colds and flu. Just what the drug companies need to shift product, and what Granny told us all to avoid. Kids, you should listen to your mad Grannies more closely.

Well it’s back to bed for this little invalid. Have a happy summer downunder and if you’re patient, you shall be rewarded with more adventures from me as soon as I feel better.