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1 - 1 - 8 A perfect day for all things Poirot- when you've got Man Flu

¦ dialling in from workstation ¦

08:45 GMT, wednesday 2nd Jan 2008. Happy New Year, here's hoping that 2008 is as awesome as 2007. Sitting at work looking like something from a 70's Christopher Lee Dracula flick...I've been coughing so violently that I've ruptured the blood vessels in my eyes. Doesn't look too pretty.

I saw New Years Eve in round at Simon & Vicky's pad. We had originally intended to be alone in Cosy Castle... but I'd spent the whole day feeling progressively worse from a man flu that was turning into something more nasty... so I welcomed the suggestion to get out of the house for a while; I was also a little peeved about coming back from Newcastle early (Friday) when I could have stayed for a few more days...

Simon and Vicky were in excellent spirits, and Becky Sheep Coat was there too. Two small children asleep upstairs. I'd necked a ton of pain killers which gave me a 4 hour window of feeling sociable, but as midnight approached I could feel myself slipping backwards. We watched the fireworks in London on the TV, chugged back flutes of champagne and then departed.

Going to bed that night I entered man flu hell. I kept Jo awake by getting out of bed a million times to grab water, or cough up chunks of lung, or crawl across the floor towards a bucket and vomit.

Next day we lay in surreal silence, staying in bed until noon. I mentioned to Jo that I'd watched a really great episode of Poirot the day before. Her face lit up. Poirot! Perhaps they would be showing another one today? I shuffled downstairs and made a bed out of one of the sofas whist Jo brewed tea and made toast. We then entered a little slice of heaven. Poirot was on ALL day. Episode after episode. Part of me squirmed against the idea of spending a whole day watching TV... especially when I was so close to finishing the final edit / update of Yellow Dawn... but I also knew my body needed rest. And this was perfect. 1930's, crime investigation, and David Suchet. Jo kept the tea and snacks coming through. I don't think I moved from the sofa more than a couple of times between noon and 9pm.

Feeling much better today. It's even nice being back at work, if not a little trippy... my brain has applied a surreal filter across my senses... walking feels like my head is a seperate entity from my body...I'm floating through the office rather than striding... and there's a patina of old emotional flavours... a vibe I can associate with the month I moved from Newcastle to Bristol in Oct 1991, and with a moment in time with Maria, round at Mark Hunter's place...

But yesterday was a perfect day - when you've got Man Flu.

Djr