J have had a very sore throat the last couple of days, but thankfully it was in a warm house, and the fact I am producing the densest phlegm for a very long time suggests, at least to me, that the worst is over.

I was warned about sucking menthol sweets in bed, or rather I assume the phrase:

Where you allowed to eat sweets in bed?

Actually means

Stop sucking sweets or you’ll choke!

The trouble was that it was the only way I had to dull the pain enough for sleep.

One by-product is an internal chemical reaction to the mass of menthol that could have made true Tony Blair’s lies about Iraq. The chemical emerged mid-afternoon and a cat was the only witness, but even he suffered.

One result of the throat is all Christmas stuff has fallen even further behind. I may be sending e-cards out on Christmas eve; depending if the travel chaos, especially the East Coast mainline, is sorted.