Sad as it was to leave the freezing cold temperatures of England on Sunday and to head back to the warmth of South Florida, it was at the same time a sad departure from Debbie, since without her visa being approved, it might be July before we get to see each other again – not a pleasant prospect.

For weeks before I left Florida, many of the people in South Florida had colds and the flu.  I haven’t had a cold in over two years, my defence strategy involving drinking at least one large glass of Orange Juice a day, and it seems to work well.  Should I feel I am getting sick, I take another glass of Orange Juice, some Zinc tablets, and if I think I need it I pop an Airborne tablet.

Less than a week before I left Florida, I could feel a cold coming on.  I thought to myself  ”I knew it – something had to come along to ruin my Christmas”, and if you have ever been on a long flight at the height of a severe cold you know it’s not a pleasant experience.

Well, dosing up enough I managed to eradicate the cold before it took hold, and I successfully managed to stay cold free while in England – until the end of the trip!

I don’t know if it was 2 days before I left when I met up with my son, who wasn’t feeling 100%.  I don’t know if it was the following day when we went on a day out and also to the supermarket, which was really busy with people coughing and sneezing.  I don’t know if I caught something at the airport or on the plane.  But I do know that I caught something!

Monday I was a bit feverish, and didn’t have any juice to drink unfortunately.  I had a sauna/steam in the evening which helped a bit – maybe, but this morning I was no better.  All day I have had a sore throat and an increasing tickly cough.  This morning I got some Orange Juice, and have had about 5 glasses so far.  My head is a lot clearer than it was this morning, but the ticklish throat is still there.  The test is that if I pop an Airborne before going to bed, will I be able to sleep without being hot and feverish, and will I feel better in the morning?

I hate getting colds and flu – don’t we all!   As a child I used to have colds continually.  Not only did they last a while, I would end up so congested, it would take months to get rid of it.  Now I know how to help prevent them, I am determined to not let this take me down any more than I have to.

It’s ironic that having got back to Florida, my plans for working on this blog, promoting it, and working on other money making ideas, have not materialised.  Between t he cold and the need to adjust to Florida time, by the time I get back from work at night I am done in.  I find it hard to focus and concentrate, which is why tonight sees my first post since I got back.

Well hopefully tomorrow I will have better news to report.  Hopefully the cold will be on the retreat, and my energy will be returning.

See you on the flip side…