I thought I was just tired and overdoing things a bit, but an upset stomach turned into full-blown flu symptoms.
Before I started to feel poorly, I tidied up a short story, Pippa & Davey Forever, and sent it off, and I prepared another partial for Night Crawler and sent that off.
I cleared the copywriting job, I sent my apologies to the writers’ group, and I asked the publisher of the Cadbury book for an extension.
And then I went to bed.
I always go to be when I’m feeling ill. I’ve tried carrying on regardless, and it takes forever to go away. For me, it’s best to take out a few days and rest up, and then it’s usually gone, instead of lingering for weeks and weeks.
The copywriting client was pleased that my work required No Revisions. They arranged payment immediately. And they asked if they could come to me again in the future. Naturally, I said yes.
I thoroughly enjoyed the writing work, even if I was a bit slow getting back into it. But I even started a new shorthand notebook and wrote more than today’s date. In fact, I used 48 pages. I can’t remember the last time I did that with a notebook. Any notebook. I usually run out of steam by the end of page 3 – supposing I even get that far.
While I was in my sick bed, a new editing job came in from Hong Kong. That one needs to be back early next week.
And the publisher gave me another month to work on the Cadbury book, which is great and was a huge weight lifted.
Because we always share everything, the poet has also come down with this virus. And he at least has the decency to not call it man flu. Then today we found out that the band’s bass player has also come down with it. So now I’m wondering if we all picked something up at their last gig.
The poet has struggled in to work, though. And on Monday, when he was down in the Midlands again, he went to see my mom again. He wasn’t showing symptoms yet, but I hope we haven’t spread something down there as well.
Today (Thursday) is the first time I’ve got dressed. And I had to do some gig list admin this morning as well, so that meant I opened the office for the first time this week.
I’m still not right. I’m still drowning and I have the beginnings of a cough. But the aches and pains have gone and I’m not shattered.
I have the Hong Kong job to do, I have the Cadbury book to carry on with, and I have prep work for NaNoWriMo. But I’m easing myself back in gently, and trying not to work all the hours at the moment, with proper, decent breaks in between work bursts.
And I might even make it to the writers’ group on Monday.
