It is so absurdly cold in this country. Nobody needs this in July.
I’m in bed before ten. Been looking after myself. My body’s reaction to coming off the job in France for a few days has been to go into full rebellion. Yesterday I just stopped functioning entirely and slept like a lump of rock to the extent that Lou checked a couple of times because she thought I might be dead. And yesterday and today have involved some serious runs.
The warehouse has virtually unwashed hole in the floor loos. I dared it once when it was pressing. Horrible rusted pipe behind you and many times in my life have I dropped my car key etc on the floor of loo. I’m not risking that stuff. One of the chippies made a khazi but you don’t really want to sit on that either. Best solution if I’m there is to go to Macdonald’s and buy a coffee. But in the state I’ve been in for the last few days, I’d have had ten coffees every day. Add to that the fact that tired Al yesterday groggily ordered dumplings and thought somehow that hot and sour soup was going to be tasty and warming. I even remember thoughtfully chewing up a chili pepper. Hot food to combat cold weather? Fine, yeah but dear god I now know the inside of every seed of that damn thing and all its friends and they all hate me for eating them.
Thank the dear lord I’m not sitting driving around the Route Peripherique, or picking up heavy things in a place without good loos. By the time I’m back in Paree I’ll be fit as a fiddle again and I’m doing things about my booze habit that should easily mean that I can win through to August.
Tonight another early night and long sleep. I’ve had Lou’s Ayurvedic eye on my diet, and her long experience in India accepting the effects of whatever I consumed the night before last. I think it should be over tomorrow. I really hope so. I thought I was gonna drive back to Paris. Not so sure about that now. But maybe.
For tonight though, I’m loaded up with charcoal and chamomile tea and as the July showers drip drop on the frosty summer windows I’ll stay under this blanket and try and sleep like a rock again tonight… February soon.
AlBarclay 