After enjoying a lovely Saturday morning browsing round the local market, which was freezing cold I might add, I managed to develop a rotten cold that has seen me laid up for the long weekend with a thick head, runny nose and tickly throat. The planned trip to visit the Mezquita in Cordoba was off and instead I stayed at home feeling very sad and sorry for myself all layered up in three jumpers, thick socks, slippers, a pile of tissues, cough lollies and Echinacea plus a steaming mug of chamomile, honey and vanilla tea.

I’ve spent most of the long weekend sleeping on and off, watching the odd movie on TV and reading while swaddled in a thick blanket. The temperatures plummeted and Monday morning was 1 degree – no wonder I need two heaters going in the sitting room! It’s hard to believe that the weather can get so cold here and so quickly. Although the locals did tell me that it was summer one moment and winter the next – too right!
I had to venture outside to work for a couple of hours Tuesday afternoon but thankfully the temperate had risen a bit by then, the Academy has a good heater and my classes were not so intensive so it didn’t matter that my brain was somewhat foggy. I’ve managed  get through the rest of the week thus far although my croaky voice is a source of amusement to several of my students.

I’ve been sniffling my way back home each evening after class and gratefully stepping into my apartment where I’ve been leaving the heating on while I’m gone. My landlady has told me to watch the power bills as I think she was surprised my bill for power and water for the last two months was E56 but to me that was so cheap compared to Darwin prices. I like to be nice and warm inside instead of wrapped up like an Eskimo in my own place so I’m more than happy to pay what it takes to keep me comfortable.

Dinners have been steaming bowls of home-made soups – thank goodness for the freezer where I’ve stashed pile of meals as cooking for one means I always make more – and settling down to watch some weird stuff on TV, as I haven’t been able to concentrate properly on reading, before dosing myself up again and snuggling down for the night. Last night was impossible to keep warm last night and I ended up crawling into bed with a silk scarf wrapped round my head plus long tights and T-shirt under my flannelette nightie!

This morning I woke up feeling lot more like my old self – still got slight sniffles but thank goodness my head is clear and I can think properly again – so my silk scarf act must have worked. All I can say is thank goodness I didn’t get the job in Mongolia that I applied for! I was definitely being watched over when I missed out on that one!

Michelle