Monday, 24 November 2008

Mainly Man Flu

This is Dexter. Today he's got a cold. So has Jonah. The cats get colds like children - one comes home with it and - whoosh! - they've all got it... Alexia started this one, and passed it on to Emily, Flo and Maddy, but being girls they didn't let the sneezes and snuffles interfere with their lives. They still managed to eat and play and chase things and bring home bits of other people's dinners and dead mice/frogs/unidentifiable things. Not Dexter and Jonah though. Oh, no. They're boys. They're suffering. They're wrapped in their blankets in their little beds looking very, very sorry for themselves. They need to be ministered to, and tended, and fed by hand, and coaxed with warm chicken breast and lightly poached fish. They have, without doubt, got the feline equivalent of man flu.



Which, of course brings me neatly on to The Toyboy Trucker. I told you he'd get man flu didn't I? What a bloody palaver. Didn't matter how many times I said "it's just a cold" - he roared and shivered and stomped and groaned and moaned and sneezed and coughed until I thought he was going to burst. And of course no-one in the history of the universe has ever felt as ill as he did. No-one had ever suffered so much. No-one had had such a high temperature, such a sore throat, so many aches and pains... I was damn thankful when he took himself to bed with Lemsip and Benylin (do they sound like pole dancers to you, too?) and left me in peace alone with blissful hours of trash telly...

Which, in turn explains why this post is ages late - because then I caught it too. Not man flu, of course, I'll leave that to The Toyboy Trucker and Jonah and Dexter - but a really nasty cold with an awful chesty cough, which then developed into bronchitus and tonsillitus, and has meant I've had to have antibiotics, and has rendered me pretty unpleasant for the last week. I've even spent a few days in bed. And the computer has been on strike again, and I've really not had the inclination to even try to fight it - so I've done nothing to Moonshine, nothing to the WW stories, but did manage (after studying Womag's fantastic pages) to finish and submit that short story to Best, and two features to My Weekly and two features to Woman's Weekly as well. Still not a great output for someone who fondly imagines they're making their living from writing, even on an "ill week"...



Because the blog has been all over the place, I've not kept up to date with the Weight Watchers stuff either - well, because of the cold I didn't go to the meeting last week, but have lost another 3.5lbs in the last 2 weeks, which because my head is still too muddled to work this out, I think means I've lost half a stone now and have another stone to go before Easter - which is - um - 14lbs in about 17 weeks??? Which, allowing for about half a stone gain over Christmas (I kid you not!), then I have to lose 21lbs in 17 weeks, which means - and - ooooh! I really, really don't care!!!!



The only other thing that's changed in the last week is that Em-next-door is moving at Christmas. I'll really miss her - she's lived next door for seven years and we're good friends and had some great times. And of course we're all wondering who we'll get in her place... It'll have to be someone pretty special to fit in round here...

Watch this space...

12 comments:

Jayne said...

Here's hoping you're all feeling better Chris. Your weight loss is fantastic - puts mine to shame, as does your writing output! lol I'm just a shopping, wrapping and card writing robot these days...... Dexter looks adorable!

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about the cold, the man-flu, the cat-flu and the cat-man-flu, Chris! Hope you're all on the mend, especially you (as we have to actually do everything, don't we!).
My little cat is a man, too, and has been an emotional wreck since being poorly and on steroids - whining to be picked up and cuddled all day but eating us out of house & home! Reminds me so much of a husband ...

katiebird said...

Oh, {{{Chris}}} -- I'm so sorry about the flu-ish Cold. I hope the Toy Boy Trucker Poor-Babied you when you were sick. I hate those flu-colds.

Luckily for me, I had just discovered your blog so, I've spent my time reading back through all your posts. (they are fantastically funny and interesting)

I read in one of them that Happy Birthday was only available to libraries but, I got my copy in September through Amazon. Although I didn't read it until last week (it's always a sad day for me when I finish your books so I draw the process out as long as possible) having saved it to read over Thanksgiving.

Well, I've babbled enough. I guess I'm so excited to actually "hang out" with you that I can't shut up!

Jan Jones said...

Oh dear, poor cat-people and poor cat people

Dexter does look adorably cute in that photo.

Hope everybody in Chris-land feels better very soon. Especially you.

(Yes, Lemsip and Benylin do sound like pole dancers. Hope TTT isn't enjoying their attention too much.)

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

You poor thing being so sick, I hope you're feeling much better now. I hope your three boys are all on the road to recovery too, though Dexter does look so cute in his blanket.

Well done on the weight loss, that's brilliant, but sorry to hear of your neighbour moving, it's a shame when nice people move on.

Pat Posner said...

Aww, poor Dexter!
Poor TBT and YOU, too, of course but, hey, you're only humans.

Get well soon. Go see Tessa B in the snow on mine. OK, she's a puppy not a cat *smile* I'm sure you'll like her, though.

xxPat

Christina Jones said...

thanks mummy - think we're all feeling a lot better today. Writing - aaargh! Christmas - double aaargh!!! Is the WW blog up yet???

Write woman - many thanks for the sympathy. Mmm, boys are all the same, two legs or four...

katiebird - delighted to be keeping you amused via the blog. Thank you so much for buying HB in hardback - and from Amazon too - you're a star. The hardbacks are never in the shops, they just go to libraries etc, but Amazon always has them up for sale, although I can't imagaine that anyone buys them (and now you've proved me wrong!!!)

Jan- thank you - we're all recovering nicely now. Glad it wasn't just me with the Lemsip and Benylin thing...

Debs - thanks, hope you're all better too - have to agree that Dexter does cute very nicely. Will miss Em a lot - and now we're all worried about who/what will replace her!

Pat - oh Tessa B is gorgeous! (so is your snow - we had nothing!)but she doesn't have to be a cat for me to fall in love with her. Any animal will do...

katiebird said...

Chris, I HAVE to get them from Amazon UK -- I live in Kansas and your books aren't carried in the stores here. And even if they were, I wouldn't want to wait that long to get my hands on them!

Also, I reread your books at least once a year and the hardcover editions are a better deal for that.

I'm probably totally crazy though. I've bought Hubble Bubble for each of my sisters.

Margaret McDonagh said...

Bless him, Dexter looks so cute and sorry for himself!! Give him a cuddle from his Auntie Mags - and the gorgeous Jonah, of course, and the others. I hope all the feline family are soon back in fine fettle again.

Very sorry to hear that you and the TBT have been so poorly - and I'm sorry, TBT, but I had to laugh at the description of your harrowing case of Man Flu!!!

Sending lots of love and [[[hugs]]] and hoping you are soon feeling very much better.

Take care,
Lots of love,
Mags xxx

Jayne said...

Yup, the ww blog is up and running now. Here's the link: http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35991

It's a bit behind so I think they're putting two updates per week up there until it catches up. I've lost 2.5lbs this week though so I'm over the moon! YAY! Glad you're feeling better. xx

Kath McGurl said...

Sorry to hear you've been ill, and sorry for the poor puddy-tats too. Hope you are all back in best of health in time for Christmas!

Christina Jones said...

katiebird - I'm so impressed that you buy them that way - and thanks so much for the multiple purchase of Hub Bub. My new agent is currently attempting to get some US interest in my books which would be brilliant for me - and would save you money!

mags - cuddles delivered. Yes, thanks - we're all recovering now - phew...

mummy - will check out the WW blog. Many congrats on the 2.5 - that's so good...

thanks so much womag - we're all getting there slowly (some more slowly than others...)