Are you feeling better?

sunny, hot, temps 29

Glorious day.

Poor Michael's sick in bed. We're going to have one week of brilliant summer and he may very well miss it. I should pull the curtains and tell him it's rainy and cold. Hmm, might just do that.

He's running a temperature, but it broke in the night and is now down to normal. I give him pills, soup, juices and slather him in Vicks Vapo-rub. You know, that's almost a comfort smell for me. I remember reading a study about comfort smells and the conclusion was that there were certain smells that most westerners reacted to. Roses. Fresh cut grass.

But - the intersting finding was that comfort smells are evolving and generational. For people over 70 they're likely to be fresh baked bread, line dried clothing, vanilla. For baby-boomers they're more likely to be Vapo-rub, gasoline, talcum powder, Kraft dinner. In other words, a more chemical smell.

I remembered that as I spread the Vapo rub on Michael's chest. While it clearly signals illness, even more than that it signals caring.

The amazing Linda Lyall - the woman who designs and maintains my website - sent out the September Newsletter today. That's always fun.

Had a great breakfast at the Saint Patrick restaurant in Sutton with Cheryl. We talked about all sorts of things including maybe one day taking a couple of weeks in the spring or summer and sign up for one of the short courses Trinity in Dublin or Cambridge University give. Take something like anthropology, comparative religions, the history of recluses - something almost totally useless but fascinating. Wouldn't that be fun?

Cheryl's one of the most gifted people I know. A writer and artist, she has a series of children's books. One's already published and is called Dragon Dreams, and the others are in various stages of completion and about to be sent to her publisher. We're lucky enough to own one of her original illustrations. A real treasure.

Must be off - check on Michael. We're watching Gustav on the televison and very relieved it isn't worse...though I suspect it's bad enough.

My goal is to see how many times Michael can be asked, 'Are you feeling better?' before he explodes. Wish me luck.