Been home since Tuesday with some kind of horribly lurgy. My voice went completely on Monday night, which tends to indicate a coming cold for me. I wouldn't have been too bothered about seeking medical attention but I'm still quite new in my job and I felt awkward about being off, even though you can't do guidance work if you can't talk. I was patronised to the extreme at the doctors. Just because I can't speak doesn't mean I have learning difficulties and even if I did you don't have to talk to me like I'm a naughty four year old. I'm not pretending to be ill and it's not my choice or my fault that my voice has gone! They did a swab for the lab anyway. Didn't tell me what for, but as this has never happened before I'm guessing they're testing for H1N1.

Voice came back enough today for me to phone work, but nose and eyes streaming and sinuses ache. I'm on strict orders from my boss to stay at home until at least Monday, which is reassuring, but a bit pissed off at missing a visit to City University tomorrow. Visits are always interesting and a bit of a jolly - you normally get a nice lunch.

I've found it very hard to concentrate on anything, but I read the whole of Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland yesterday and it was fantastic. Good if you like psychogeography, as was the Align talk recommended on Badwitchblog, which took place on Tuesday evening, just before I started to feel really rough. Three hours long, including intervals, but a wonderful mad gallop through ley lines, tumuli, churches, urban decay, crop circles, Australia, fairies and all manner of other Forteana. It's on again this coming Tuesday at The George inn on Borough High Street. If you can, you should go.