Ill

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Today i feel like near-death. I started feeling dodgy yesterday while I was sitting in a hammock outside our bedroom door and writing my blog. I felt a little bit achey and knew I was coming down with what Ed, Sarah, Will and Maddy had a few days ago. I also had a very bloated uncomfortable feeling in my stomach which wouldn't go away and which I'd put down to eating too much right before bed the night before. I went to bed really early and hoped that the paracetamol and echinacia I'd just taken would help keep whatever the illness was away. It didn't. I was awake half the night with cold sweats and a seriously painful back from what was the hardest and most uncomfortable vague resemblance of a bed I had ever had the misfortune to lie in. Kelly also didn't sleep very well as there were some noisy people awake tonight. We both eventually got (back) to sleep but a few hours later I woke feeling worse than I had the night before.

I dragged myself out of bed and got a ginger, lemon and honey drink from the restaurant and while I was sat there, I started to feel better. It seemed to be more bearable when I was in the sunshine so I decided to go to the beach and sit for a while. I took some biscuits for the mangey dog as I'd seen him wandering painfully slowly along the beach and walked down to the beach where he was standing with his back to me. I clicked my teeth and he turned around slowly and as I walked over, he seemed more interested in me. As I got to him and stroked his head, immediately, he started to wag his tail in acknowledgdement that he recognised me and was pleased to see me! This was the happiest I'd ever seen him. I got the biscuits out and held half of one out to him which he munched straight away. He loved it, so I tempted him with the other half over to a softer piece of sand, gave it to him, laid out my sarong and sat on it. Mangey dog stood around for a while, looking for the rest of the biscuits, which he could clearly smell, so after briefly pondering about his cheeky sniffing and remembering that food was probably the only focus in his life, I gave him the rest of the packet piece by piece. I also gave him some water although not having any receptacle to pour it into, I had to use the moulded shape of the heel of my sandal. It worked, he drank and my shoe dried out in no time in the 30+ degree sun.

After staying on the beach for a while, having a little dip to cool off after being in the sun, I went back to the guest house/restaurant to use the internet to cheer myself up a bit. I was still feeling a bit rough, so thought if I could find someone on line to chat to, it would help. As I sat in the small computer room, I became very aware that I was becoming quite warm and uncomfortable, so I decided to leave to go and have a lie down. Once in bed on the two mattresses for the first time (I had to ask for another mattress to go underneath the current one as the bed was so hard - when I say 'mattress', I actually mean a VERY thin piece of cushion a bit like a futon mattress), I had a little sleep which ended up being extremely restless and at high temperature. I started burning up whilst being very shivery and after nearly an hour of not being able to do anything, I forced myself to get out of bed and find the paracetamol in my luggage. I grabbed the packet, got straight back into bed and took them with some of the water I had left. I lay cold, staring at the ceiling, tossing and turning to stare at the wall, turning onto my front, back to staring at the ceiling for around twenty minutes untilI stated to feel much warmer. I was so warm and with no shivers that I decided now was my chance to go and get more water, plus maybe a little bit of food for energy. I felt so miserable. Tearful and weak, just wanting my Mum to be here or to not feel like this.

I entered the restaurant to find Annabelle who immediately knew there was something wrong and as very sweet to me and really motherly. It was so nice to have someone like her there. I ordered a lemon, ginger and honey drink which she promptly put a brandy into and i started to feel much better once I'd had a little cry.
I went back to my room after a while because I didn't feel like being sociable and wrote this instead. I feel better at the moment as my temperature has evened out quite a bit and I am enjoying not feeling so terrible. I'll take one of the Valium Ed gave me for the train journeys to make sure I sleep properly... the first proper night's sleep in five days.

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