Tuesday 10th March 2020

Page composed using

Tuesday 10th March 2020

07:51 GMT

Yesterday wasn't exactly like the weather forecast, but it was pretty close. The day started with sunshine. That gave way to sunny spells, and then the cloud closed in to make it overcast. Finally rain started to fall. It actually fell after dark. A little bit later than forecast, although I can't be sure exactly when it started, or to be honest, how long it lasted. I think it was mostly light rain. The afternoon temperature was about 11° C.

It is going to be closest to warm that we have experienced for many months now. It is already 12° C, and by this afternoon it could be as high as 16° C. That should actually feel warm despite there not being a single forecast glimpse of the sun today. The wet roads suggest that it was raining earlier this morning, but no more rain is expected until 8pm according to the latest revision of the forecast. Tomorrow may start with a few sunny spells, but the rest of the day is predicted to be lightly overcast. It will be almost warm with a top temperature of 14° C. We have now entered a time when afternoon temperatures should be at least 11° C for the next fortnight, and frequently a few degrees higher.
a very short walk

I didn't think I felt that bad yesterday morning, but there was one thing I overlooked that would change things a bit later. My priority in the morning was to go to Aldi, and despite the weight of the shopping I bought (which I described yesterday) almost pulling my arms out of their sockets, I felt reasonably OK. It was like I had finally got over the malady that had left me feeling sore the previous week.

One thing I was not expecting was the need to go to the toilet before going out for my Monday exercise. I had, I thought, been to the toilet quite enough before I went to Aldi earlier in the morning, but at about midday I needed to go again - not once, but three times ! (Although the third time was not particularly productive). There was nothing particularly remarkable about it except for the time. It made me very late to get out for my walk.

By the time I felt comfortable to start walking I didn't really have time to do any more than walk directly to the pub. There was a bit of a paradox about this. It was probably as a result of initially trying to walk a bit faster that it started to feel like hard work walking, and I was getting a few discomforts in, or near my chest. It was a bit like the muscle fatigue that had caused me a lot of discomfort prior to the weekend was now affecting my chest. The paradox was that I arrived at the pub a lot earlier than I thought I would. It was almost as if I had ended up walking far faster than I thought I could.

Having warned Angela that I might be a little late I passed her office, and gave her a wave at about 12:50. By the time Angela arrived at the pub, having left at her normal time, I had almost finished my first pint of Guinness. I can only describe my drink with Angela as warm and comfortable. I did hear a bit of gossip/scandal, but otherwise it was unremarkable - which might sound like it was pointless, but nothing could be further from the truth. I really enjoyed, and my day would not be the same without it. After walking Angela back to work, I walked back through the park, and made my short walk a tiny bit longer than it might have been.

It was very dull in the park, and there was not much to see, or at least nothing new to see. I did notice this squirrel sitting in a tree, and it stayed there long enough for me to get a good shot. Well, it could have been a good shot, but with the sky behind it, the camera reduced the exposure to match the dull, but relatively bright sky. In the original photo the squirrel is almost a silhouette, but I few tweaks to the photo have left the sky just bleached out, but you can now see the fur, and eye.

This pigeon was up the same tree as the squirrel, but not so high up, and at a different angle. It has the hospital buildings in the background instead of sky, and the picture is much more balanced. The only thing that spoils it is some grain because of the dull grey light.

I actually acquired these beer mats from the pub last Friday, but forgot I had them in my coat pocket until yesterday. I thought they made an important point, and one worth recording.

My walk back home was not such a rush, and I was almost enjoying it. I did contemplate trying to extend it, but it may have been the overcast sky radiating cold grey light, that was starting to make me feel tired. It seemed to feel good when I got home, and sat down. The only problem is that it soon started to feel very cool again, and I ended up turning the heater up full, and eating two hot bowls of soup. I had a bad feeling that I was having a relapse back to the malady that spoiled so much of last week.

Once I felt warm enough I had a snooze, and it turned out to be longer, and deeper than I expected. I was barely awake in time to prepare my dinner before it was time for the 6 O'clock news. My dinner was an experiment which was good and bad. The bad was that I had forgotten how much milk can froth up when boiled. My dinner was smoked haddock and cauliflower poached in milk in the microwave. The meal was rather nice. As hoped, the milk reduced the strength of the fishy smokiness of the haddock. Unfortunately the milk, once it started boiling, frothed over, and flooded my microwave. I gave it a quick clean, but I suspect it is going to smell fishy for a while !

One of the items on the evening news was about how in a fortnight's time (plus or minus a few days) the government might make it mandatory to self isolate yourself if you display any signs of fever or other cold like symptoms. It was about then that I managed to get a little splash of whisky almost go down the wrong way, and which predictably started me coughing. I also seemed to get a sore throat, and I think that was why I almost choked on the whisky (rather than the other way around).

I was left thinking of all the little inconsequential times I've had a slightly runny nose when out in cold weather, or a brief dry tickly throat. If I get anything like this I will have to isolate myself at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19, aka the coronavirus. Unfortunately I still feel I might have even had that virus in mild form. They say that you never get mild 'flu, but apparently mild Covid-19 is frequently reported. In fact it seems most people only get a mild form, and as such it is over quickly, and almost ignorable. Last night I had reason to think I may not be completely over it, and was possibly heading to the next, and worst stage stage - breathing difficulties.

I am 99% sure that it was just all in the mind when I started to think that breathing was a little harder than usual. It was the same feeling you occasionally get when you notice your own breathing when laying in bed, and it seems to occupy your every thought. I didn't get quite that bad, and it didn't take much to distract me from such thoughts. Later on I would have another reason to think my health was not all it should be.

I had no trouble getting to sleep last night, but a few hours later I woke up feeling a bit odd. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I got up and had a pee. When I got back in bed I noticed some damp patches - damp from sweat. The biggest being where my chest was when laying on my side. I seemed perfectly dry when I got out of bed, and I can only conlude that I must have had a fever while I was in bed.

I was OK for the rest of the night apart from having an annoying dream about getting lost on The London Underground. Every time I tried to change to a train going south I seemed to end up on a train going north. It was more frustrating than scary. This morning I feel mostly OK again, and that is good because I have a hospital appointment this morning. I will be getting an ultrasound scan of my Aorta in the belly region. Apparently it can sometimes burst in men over 65, and the ultrasound scan is a quick and easy way to detect if it is showing signs of bulging. The scan takes place in Beckenham, and is at 11:40 - fortunately much later than the 10am I originally thought it was. If I take the scenic route home, perhaps spending a bit of time in the nearby park, I should be able to get a train from Elmers End station direct to Ladywell station in time to walk to the pub for 1pm.