The house has been hit by the plague the flu. Said flu is currently ravaging much of Britain and it hasn’t spared this household – we have it bad. All of us. It started with Nora, who had it so badly that one night when I went in to check on them, it looked like Lizzie Borden had paid a visit to her bedroom – her nose was so stopped up that she had to breathe through her mouth, only that caused her lips to split and bleed everywhere. We’re fighting the lip balm battle now. Fortunately she loves having lip balm on, unfortunately she needs repeat applications so often that her lips continue to split. Nick’s form has taken a toll in terms of fever and a rough gastro-intestinal network. I was alternating between feeling faint and dealing with a new form of hell – the lining inside of my nose has been sloughing off, which although I am not a medical expert I’m pretty sure that’s not supposed to happen.
All six of us in the house have had it. It’s put a small damper on what has otherwise been a brilliant Christmas. We had a fantastic Christmas Day – the presents were all loved. I got a very lovely flash new phone that we are still trying to figure out how to work (and we work with phones on a daily basis, so I am not 100% sure how people who aren’t intimate with mobile phones get these bad boys to work, but perhaps the manufacturer doesn’t have anyone below Uber Nerd level in mind for their customer base). Nick and Nora loved their train set and creepy baby doll. Alastair’s main gift – an authentic, vintage piece from America that I ordered back on 8 November – still hasn’t arrived, but when it does I hope he loves it. The older two loved their gifts. We had a day of board games and TV and my very difficult Heston Blumenthal turkey recipe turned out well (so well that for the first time in 10 years I had a bite of turkey. It’s not me caving to meat eating here and abandoning being a veggie, but I did want to see what the fuss was about).
We’ve played games (including this gem, which we all love). We’ve seen the new Harry Potter. We hope to not see another Brussels sprout for a long while. We’re battling the flu and plan on calmly riding the tide in for 2011. I would re-cap 2010, but chances are you’ve been here, reading, and you already know all about how it’s gone.
Happy New Year from my little family to yours.
-S.
I hope you have a blessed new year and that you make sure there is something black on the door of yours indicating you are plague infested!
So sorry about the plague! Flattened Harry for 2 weeks, battered John for a few days, I… escaped. The chaps have actually had a narrower escape from horror than they first realised – a friend of ours had a rather unusual reaction to that particular flu virus and his balls swelled up so much he couldn’t cup them in BOTH hands…
Cough. Moving swiftly on – Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! We all had the flu too. I am now in my 3rd week of it. Grim. I wish you all speedy recoveries.
This winter seems to be harsher than usual for lips and the chapping thereof. Then again, it’s been awhile since I lived in a winter-intense zone, so maybe I’ve just become a wuss. Regardless, I’m sorry to hear of the plaguery. It’s no way to ring in the New Year.
Happy New Years!
I’m across the pond, but we’re having a rough time with the chapping here as well. Although I’ve not seen anything saying we’re having a bad flu year, my cousin and her boyfriend (who were with the family on Christmas Day) came down with H1N1 a couple days ago so my family is feeling a bit nervous since both my grandmother and I are the “catch everything and anything” type and neither one of us is in good physical shape to begin with.
I hope everyone in your family gets over their flu soon!
happy new year
Sorry to hear you have been hit by the plague, but happy to read you had a great Christmas. I hope 2011 brings you and your family only the best of everything.
Sick or not, you all look cute and happy. Get well soon and happy new year!
Happy New Year to you all!
Happy New Year to you & your lovely family as well. Glad you at least had Christmas before the horrors arrived. Good luck to you and your noses, lips & tummies :/
Happy New Year babe! Glad to hear Christmas was a hit, and now the first order of business for 2011(!) is to feel better ASAP.
XO
You appear to be such a happy family and that warms the cockles of my heart. (Hah, I just wanted a chance to say cockles.) Really, though, that picture is fabulous. I hope you all have a wondrous new year. :)
Happy New Year to Y’all! I love the real family photos – where everybody’s in the clothes they were wearing at the time with their hair all end-of-the-day and laying all over the place while looking like normal human beans. Thanks for sharing!
Happy New Year-love the family snap!
x
Happy New Year and I hope you’re all on the mend soon.
Happy New Year! Glad to hear that, in spite of the plague, you had a nice Christmas!
Happy New Year!
Happy happy giddy sexy warm HEALTHY joyous stable lovely 2011 to you all :)
Despite the flu, I hope that all of you have a smashing new year!! (and feel better soon)
Happy New Year to you and yours! Swift healing & recovery and a most blessed year to you all!
As my friends say, Hippy Nee Waa!
I don’t know why.
Wishing you a beautiful & happy new year, my dear!
How did I not know about that board game? I would be AWESOME at that game.