It turns out that the best way to calm an allergy on your face - from a 'big picture' perspective - is not to wander around in insubstantial clothes when it is cold. Yep, the face got better but I wound up with hypothermia - again! I'm such a nut. Still, third time lucky. I caught it early this time. Hubby put the forehead thermometer in place to check if my temp was genuinely low. It was too low to register. Cue much walking around, drinking hot beverages and, once the shivering had stopped, dancing the Y.M.C.A. until my temperature was back to normal. Have had a stern word with myself about layers and thermal undergarments.
Of course, the layers thing is getting trickier by the month. I've lost another half a stone (7 pounds) and nothing fits. The budget is not roomy enough to buy more clothes (see http://rebeccawoodhead.com/blog for the story of my life-on-a-budget 16-meals-from-1-chicken life over the last year) and the heating oil must be eked out incrementally over the next season. Never mind. NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. Who knows... an agent might notice me or hear me on the radio at the end of November and publication could be a heartbeat away. Until then, I plan to eat much porridge ('oatmeal') and keep blankets handy at all times.