Monday 14 October 2024

Sick Week

All of last week, I was down with a cold, coughing lots and generally feeling sorry for myself. But I worked several hours every day (exclusively from home, of course), taking long and frequent breaks in between tasks and meetings, and feeling much better now - at 80 %, I'd say.

My first day back at work after our fortnight off was Monday (October 7). I was surprised to find I only had to deal with a total of 144 emails (as opposed to 288 after my July/August holiday) - until I learned from my colleagues that people were sick with colds and flu and Covid left, right and centre.

Sunrise last Monday, as seen from my kitchen

On Tuesday (October 8), my sister paid me a surprise visit, bringing me a beautiful bunch of sunflowers, fruit, cough syrup and a medical herbal tea. She didn't stay long as my boss kept trying to reach me on the phone, and eventually, I gave in.

More or less the same time on Tuesday morning.

I was getting stir-crazy by Wednesday (October 9) and went for a walk the first time since returning from the holiday. It wasn't strenuous, and I walked slowly, making it about 1 hour 15 minutes when that circuit would normally take me more or less exactly one hour. It felt good but I knew I was nowhere near "well" yet.

A bit of autumn mood in my kitchen on Wednesday, with the sunflowers from my sister.

On Thursday (October 10), my Mum and my sister came for lunch. My Mum had cooked a pot of delicious vegetable soup, and the three of us shared that. Afterwards, I rested for a bit and never went back to work that day. Instead, I went on a short walk around the neighbourd; after half an hour, I had enough (that alone tells you that I wasn't well yet).

Friday (October 11) was easier in that I did not have any appointments but could work very much at my own pace, which I did for a few hours. I then did the basic cleaning (no "extras" such as cleaning the windows, which is really, really necessary) and had a well-deserved rest afterwards.

The mild, sunny afternoon made me long for a walk, and I made it down to the lake and back, feeling alright throughout (still walking not quite at my usual pace).


It was the 2nd anniversary of my Dad's death on Saturday (October 12). After a quiet, leisurely morning, my Mum, my sister and I went to the cemetery in the early afternoon. Back at my Mum's, we had coffee and delicious home-made cake together before my sister and I went home. I was still coughing a lot but slowly feeling my energy return.

On Sunday (October 13) I slept in and spent the morning blogging, playing my favourite computer game and reading. 

Some time after lunch, I walked to the suburb of Pflugfelden where my Mum was having a stall at an indoors jumble sale. I sat with her for a while but like many other sellers, we decided to pack up about an hour before the official end - there simply wasn't enough footfall, and those who came, were more interested in plastic toys and clothes for babies and toddlers than in my Mum's hand-knitted and crocheted items. It was the least successful sale she's ever had, but it was a new venue for her, and next year she knows she won't need to participate.

My Mum's friend R picked her up and drove her home, and I went for a walk across the sunlit fields. 




It was windy, but mild, and a perfect "Golden October" afternoon. I spotted families flying kites, and there were a few cyclists, dog walkers and other people about, but not too many. At one time, five or six buzzards were circling above, and a young lady on a light brown horse was galopping past. There was almost a picture book quality to it, and I was grateful for feeling good enough to have undertaken that walk, arriving back home much refreshed.

14 comments:

  1. I'm sorry you felt so bad! Do you think it was Covid? Or just a bad cold? Whatever it was, I'm glad you're feeling better. :) Take care!

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    1. I self-tested negative for Covid. If I get a cold every three years or so, it's not too bad - it's just me who doesn't handle illness very well :-)
      Much better now, thank you! It'll be my first day back at the office today.

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  2. Sorry you were feeling so poorly, Meike, but glad to hear you are recovering. That sounds like the illness that was going through my son's family last week and he had to cancel a business trip to London as he felt too awful to travel. Hope you stay healthy now!

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    1. Thank you, Ellen.
      It was (and partly still is) a simple, good old-fashioned cold - don't listen to me dramatising :-) Yes, I hope to stay healthy now, too, for another three years or so at least!

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    2. Probably a good idea to avoid the EU as well as well. A couple of weeks ago a train station in Germany was quarantined because two people had been exposed to Marburg virus (ebola) interesting there has not been any follow up news that the public might need to be privy to.

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    3. Well, as an EU citizen who lives and works in Germany, I can not (and will not) avoid the EU. The news about the ICE train with the presumed two people carriers of the Marburg virus on board WAS followed up with. It turned out to be a false alarm.

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  3. Glad you seem to be feeling better again. Bad luck falling ill just after your holiday! I got my annual flu+covid shots yesterday, a bit sore in both upper arms today but otherwise feeling ok.

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    1. Thanks, Monica. Yes, right at the end of my holiday, and I didn't want to miss more time at work, which is why I worked every day. Had I not a job that can largely be done from home, it wouldn't have been possible.
      My flu shot is due on Friday morning. Last year I was perfectly fine, if I remember correctly. A bit of a sore arm can be expected but I can not remember that I even had that.

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  4. Zinc, vitamins C and D are silver bullets for vital infections. Also helpful are oregano oil capsules, lysine, raw chopped garlic and echinacea. These can be used for Covid as well, and probably whatever other virus the bioweapons labs in the world are currently tinkering with.

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    1. Yes, Zinc and vitamins C and D are indeed silver bullets for infections like colds, plus Zinc is very good for the skin.

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  5. It's not much fun being semi-housebound, but I have to put up with it most of the time now. You find ways to cope.

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    1. While the battle was really going on in my body, I didn't even want to go out. It was when I began to feel better that I became restless, and those first tentative walks certainly did me good. But then a cold is nothing compared to what you're going through, of course.

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  6. Hope you are now fully recovered.

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    1. Getting there, L, thank you! I still get the occasional brief coughing fit, but I'd say I am at 90 % of what is normal health for me.

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