Goaded...

Cressida said "I was prepared to be delighted by a new blog post (the first from you or mama for ages).... But now I'm not... since I see it's the outcome of boredom and misery :-("

Dreadful but much-loved woman. Me? Bored? Miserable?
OK: "let me-eee, enter-tain you!"... or at least try...

I have to be a bit careful with this story; the fact that my blog only has one faithful follower (thanks, dreadful woman) doesn't change the fact that in theory, at least, it's available to the world.

Among the myriad other things he does (he's doing the veges as I write), Ian is the custodian of a website intended for Canterbury general medical practitioners, to keep them informed of latest "best practice", clinical management guidelines, statistics, etc. relating to the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in our corner of der Welt.

However, someone told someone who told someone in Tonga - both the URL of this website, and the user name and password.

Without doubt, this good Tongan, who has responsibilities ranging from Emergency/Disaster Management to Education and Women's Affairs, has every reason to be concerned about the preparedness of the Tongan authorities and people to cope with an illness which can range from mild to dangerous, and nothing I say here is intended to mock this person's concern.

However, in her anguished and apostrophied reply to Ian, she copied in all of Tonga's public service and some of the WHO, because Ian happened to mention that G and C have the dreaded lurgy... "Please your prayers for Ian's children to go back to the road of full recovery!"

Of course, we couldn't help but be amused (read: very very amused); in New Zealand the 'flu is unpleasant but we have the reassurance of first world medical back-up - and our kids are healthy with no underlying conditions that are likely to polish 'em off.

However, all hilarity aside, I get fed up with the conspiracy theories and the widespread cynicism. Anyone who speaks lightly of the 'flu hasn't had a nasty dose - or has forgotten what it felt like. As Alistair Humphrey (Medical Officer of Health for Canterbury) said recently on NatRad "no 'flu is mild or moderate". And his counterpart in Auckland said "anyone who stands up for the first time after the 'flu is looking for the bus that hit him".

How true...

At least we can smugly rely on the prayers of the Tongans (thank you).

And on an irreverent finish; a touch of Flanders and Swann:

"Oh, it's hard to say: 'Hoolima Kittiluca Cheecheechee'
But in Tonga that means: 'No'
If I ever have the money
Is to Tonga I shall go
For each lovely Tongan maiden there
Will gladly make a date
And by the time she's said 'Hoolima Kittiluca Cheecheechee'
It is usually too late!

Various...

Shitty, shitty Sunday afternoon. Cold and bleak midwinter outside. Two children with highly infectious flu decorating the place with their limp bodies and their spray and spittle. Get the picture?

Looks as if we'll be sticking around at home for the next week - and then it's the holidays. Of course the children are devastated by this; they're not sick enough to be completely and unutterably miserable, but are not well enough to go out, and are especially unwelcome at school. We're pretty sure it's A(H1N1) because we all had the 'flu vac this year, and also because 4 children in Claudia's year at school have tested positive for it. Health authorities are no longer bothering to swab everyone who gets it, so there's no need for us to notify anyone that we have it, nor indeed to seek medical help.

We've had a series of visitors arrive today and stay firmly outside, unwilling to share the love. I feel like Nancy Blackett, semaphoring down into the garden (sans the moon face and jaw-ache).

On a more cheery note, Ian is at home today. It's the first day in 5 weeks that he has taken off - no exaggeration! He's not much company; but after two and a half months of intense work, I don't think further demands on him are warranted. He's having fun thinking about entropy, man, which is one of his ways of relaxing. Yeah, well, takes all sorts!