And I am stuck at home. After last year's new clothes ban I have not attempted the same this year but was going to have a mooch around the reductions. Unfortunately I am starting the new year on a low, having had a rotten cold I now have flu - official flu at that, with a doctor's note and a whole pharmacy's worth of prescriptions to go with it.
Doctors here in France do not believe in minimalism. They are obviously in the thrall of the pharmaceutical companies, and any visit to the doc's will normally leave you with a bag full of pills (including suppositories that the French are unnaturally keen on). So to treat my flu I have been prescribed a large bottle of cough medicine, throat lozenges, antibiotics for my inflamed throat, a nasal spray, eye drops, a 1000mg paracetamol solution and vitamins. wow.
I have lived in my blanket cocoon on the sofa for a few days and today I am feeling a touch brighter, perhaps my fever has finally broken - I have had the strangest dreams. I have also managed to read several books on my Kindle, thankfully it has a huge print setting with about 5 words appearing on the screen at a time which was all my poor sore eyes could manage, as well as staring at various DVDs and sleeping through large amounts of day time TV.
It may be time to emerge into the land of the living again - the red sky this morning was quite inspirational.
