21st February 2013 - Of viruses and weather plans

Strangely, it is a full week in Wales where the sun has greeted us in the morning. Okay it sometimes blows over with some gathering clouds later in the day, but the morning tends to have a touch of bright Phoebus shining down on me.

I attributed this mainly to having a sister staying in Wales while her normal domicile is in the "dry Heat " of Arizona, and though the winds are whipping from the east bringing cold breezes that strip the house of any warmth, the brightness is a welcome change from the dreary weeks before Christmas.

From a personal point of view though, the cold air seems to have brought back a viral cough that has plagued me now since Christmas. Twice I have assured myself that it has gone and I am returning to my (relatively) fit state and ready to start loading vans and clearing basements. Even a course of antibiotics which the Doctor assured me could not effect a viral infection but cleared the symptoms in 4 days. Don't talk to me about Placebo affects!!! But if it works - don't knock it....

But with the cold weather, comes the return of the hacking cough, and the spasms that have caused me to strap my back up and hobbler around the room like a 90 year old. A birthday this week was insufficient cause to age me thirty years like some Rip Dai Winkle....

So, what of Arizona then? Are they getting their standard 20 degrees of "dry Heat"??

Well actually they are under snow and it seems that the state has ground to a stop. I recall the panic and erratic driving on the highway when we were driving along the Highway and a drop or two of rain fell with permission of the populous. As anxious drivers reached for glove compartments, or whatever they call them in the US, and leafed through the semi automatic weapons that keep America the Land of the Free to find the driver's manual in search of the  button for the windscreen wipers. As they drift across their 5 lanes peering through the muddied windows... As we decided we would be much safer on a back road rather than chancing multi car collisions...

So if that was rain... what will it be like in Phoenix and Tombstone under a canopy of white???

Well, it seems that the World Golf Championships at Dove Mountain, incidentally one of those rare American world competitions that permits other countries to compete in the competition, is being snowed out today. 

Now if we looked at the weather as we look at our computers we would be thinking about rebooting the system and changing the virus software.

But as for me - I want to buy some of those fine old fingerless gloves that Bob Cratchet used to huddle around the one remaining candle... My fingers are cold as I write...  Perhaps a nice cup of tea!!!