Let me start by reassuring my readers that I have not been cheating on my wife.  I’m talking about pulling of a different kind.

One of the great things about being married is that you also gain a whole new family, and whereas traditionally the in-laws are meant to be evil incarnate I’m pleased to say that I love my additional parents very much.  My father-in-law is one of those sort of people who has everything.  If you need a particular garden tool, he’ll have three.  If you need to rig up some lighting for an amateur drama stage, he’ll have more than enough cabling just lying around waiting to be used.  If it’s raining and you didn’t bring an umbrella, he has nine spares.  It does of course mean that going to visit is a battle of wills – if you even hint at not having something, it’ll have been smuggled into your boot before you’ve left.

And then he offered us a trailer tent.

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It all started on Monday evening.  First it was just a sensation of being cold, a mild shiver, accompanied by an overwhelming tiredness.  By bed time it had developed into full-on Man Flu.  I spent much of the night awake, trying in vain to get warm, shivering uncontrollably and suffering from an almighty headache.  By the time morning came I was exhausted, with all my muscles aching from being tense all night, still tired from lack of sleep, and generally feeling poo.

Now, when I say it was “Man Flu” I do actually mean that.  It wasn’t proper flu.  I wasn’t dying.  I was up and about most of the day and, other than a couple of hours dozing in bed in the afternoon, it didn’t stop me from doing anything.  Certainly the symptoms weren’t as violent as I’m led to believe ‘proper’ flu brings with it.  What I had was more likely a 24-hour flu like I’ve had before.  So I just put up with it.

24 hours later and the symptoms were beginning to wane.  That was Tuesday evening.  I felt much better, and had every expectation that I would be right as rain come morning.

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